Thursday, November 18, 2021

TIP launches Fixed Broadband (FiBr) Project Group

 The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) has kicked off a Fixed Broadband (FiBr) Project Group that will focus on the development of Broadband Network Gateways (BNG) and technologies for FTTH access networks. The new group broadens TIP’s focus to extend deeper into the fixed access domain, covering the access, broadband and service gateway technologies operators need to build and operate their fixed line networks.

The Fixed Broadband group, which is chaired by Vodafone and Telefónica, plans to leverage existing standards, considering how they can be best applied to meet real world deployment scenarios. The group will design, develop, test and validate a new generation of open and disaggregated technologies.

“Openness is a key principle that we apply at every segment of our networks. Open and disaggregated technologies are extremely relevant for us to build more diverse and cost-effective networks, and to operate them in a more efficient way,” said Rafael Canto, Transport Sr. Manager from Telefónica. “TIP’s work so far to disaggregate the transport network has already led to the creation of a new vibrant and diverse ecosystem, and we’re proud to be a part of this new group helping to unlock the same opportunities in the fixed broadband domain, extending the work already done on IP technologies and SDN management and control”.

“In recent times we have seen a huge level of effort and investment in the development of new standards in this area”, said Bruno Cornaglia from Vodafone. “We believe that this new group from TIP will play an important role in consolidating operator demand behind open standards to ensure supplier products are built in a truly open way, and helping to identify the use cases that are most needed for the industry”.

https://telecominfraproject.com/fixed-broadband/

Orange field tests the Nokia PSE-Vs super coherent optics

Orange has completed a network trial of the Nokia PSE-Vs, which are the digital coherent optics (DCO) powering the next generation of Nokia high-performance, high-capacity transponders, packet-optical switches, disaggregated compact modular and subsea terminal platforms. The PSE-V Super Coherent DSP (PSE-Vs) implements probabilistic constellation shaping (PCS) with continuous baud rate adjustment, and supports higher wavelength capacities over longer distances.

The trial was performed in real-world conditions using Nokia PSE-Vs super coherent optics in production-ready optical transport hardware, just 16 months after the lab prototype trial done on Orange’s live network.

Orange and Nokia demonstrated error-free performance at a data rate of 600Gbps over a 914km network between Paris and Biarritz, under challenging live network conditions. The fiber network consisted of 13 spans of Orange’s existing network, through multiple cascaded reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADM), using 100GHz WDM spectrum channels.  


Orange said this trial validates its network capability to increase its optical capacity to support end-to-end 400Gbps services across its network, and the ability to scale fiber capacity up to 600Gbps. 

Jean-Luc Vuillemin, Vice President of International Networks and Services at Orange, said: “With the booming market bandwidth requirement and need for scalability and flexibility, it is important that Orange continues to support an ever-greater network scale and new high-bandwidth services across our terrestrial and subsea global footprint.  

Validating super coherent optics with Nokia represents an important enabler for future-proof networks which will bring spectral efficiency and operational deployment flexibility to our customer solutions. Furthermore this technology will allow for power savings by nearly 50%, which is key to our objective of developing greener networks for our customers. ” 

James Watt, Head of Optical Networks Division, Nokia, said: “We are delighted to work with Orange in continued support of their network upgrade plans. With the introduction of the PSE-Vs super coherent capabilities across our entire 1830 portfolio, Nokia enables spectrally-efficient transport at 600Gbps over real-world long haul networks, and 400Gbps services over ultra long haul networks spanning multiple 1000’s of kilometers.”

https://www.orange.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021/nokia-and-orange-validate-performance-fifth-generation-super-coherent

Nokia debuts WaveFabric Elements: photonic chips, devices, subsystems

Nokia unveiled its WaveFabric Elements portfolio of photonic chips, devices and subsystems, including its fifth generation coherent digital signal processor family, the Photonic Service Engine V (PSE-V).
The company said its WaveFabric Elements address the demanding power, performance, and cost-per-bit requirements of 400G networking across data center, metro, core and subsea applications.

Nokia’s WaveFabric Elements portfolio combines digital signal processing (DSP) and optics technologies focused on emerging end-to-end 400G applications. The new, fifth generation coherent DSP family consists of multiple designs optimized for different optical networking applications, form factors, and platforms. These include:

  • PSE-Vs (super coherent), which can run up to 90 Gbaud and employ the second generation of Nokia Bell Labs-pioneered probabilistic constellation shaping (PCS). PSE-Vs are capable of transporting up to 800G, while providing 60% greater reach, 40% lower power per bit, and 15% greater spectral efficiency than previous DSP generations. 
  • PSE-Vc (compact), which enables programmable capacity from 100G to 400G with metro to long haul capability. Its extremely low power enables integration into a variety of pluggable transceiver modules.
The new DSPs are complemented by the CSTAR portfolio of coherent optical modules from its recent acquisition of Elenion Technologies. CSTAR leverages state-of-the-art silicon photonics and packaging technology, and addresses applications, including intra-data center, metro DCI and long-reach optical transport. In addition to pairing them with the new PSE-V DSPs within Nokia platforms, the company will sell them independently to industry partners for integration into pluggable transceiver modules available to the broader market.

The CSTAR family of optical engines is currently shipping to customers. PSE-V-based platforms and pluggables will be available beginning in Q4 2020.

Sam Bucci, Head of Optical Networks at Nokia, said: "Networks are truly at an inflection point, and 400G will be a catalyst for a significant transformation. With our WaveFabric Elements portfolio, Nokia is committed to supplying the 400G optical ecosystem with components, subsystems and design services, as well as continuing to build the highest performing optical transport solutions for the 400G era and beyond."



https://www.nokia.com/networks/technologies/pse-super-coherent-technology/

NEC joins TIP's Phoenix initiative for Optical/Packet transport

NEC has joined the Telecom Infra Project’s (TIP) Phoenix initiative under the Open Optical and Packet Transport (OOPT) Project Group. The goal is to develop a 400G transponder for open and disaggregated high-capacity DWDM networks.

NEC will serve as a system integrator within the OOPT Project Group and the Phoenix initiative to realize a fully disaggregated architecture.

The company plans to release its TIP-compliant 400G transponder solution to the market globally along with NEC's ecosystem partners in 2022.

NEC, which has been actively promoting the Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) field, said that by participating in this project it will also promote openness in the optical transmission area and contribute to the acceleration of innovation in this area.

"Today's network operators need improved speed and agility to provide better connectivity for communities worldwide," said David Hutton, TIP's Chief Engineer. "NEC participating in TIP's OOPT Project Group is welcome support for critical interoperability to prove that Phoenix use cases can be achieved with open disaggregated optical network architectures. We are excited to see NEC products compliant with TIP's Phoenix requirements as well as their capabilities as a system integrator."

Atsuo Kawamura, Executive VP, Network Service Business Unit, NEC, said, "I believe NEC can provide flexible and optimal solutions that support the delivery of a variety of services provided by operators. Through the development of optical transmission systems that conform to open interfaces, we will keep working to enhance and expand optical networks worldwide."

https://www.nec.com/en/press/202111/global_20211117_02.html

Equinix to provide infrastructure services for DISH

Equinix will provide digital infrastructure services to DISH for its cloud-native, Open RAN-based 5G network in the U.S.

"DISH is taking the lead in delivering on the promise of 5G in the U.S., and our partnership with Equinix will enable us to secure critical interconnections for a nationwide 5G network," said Jeff McSchooler, DISH executive vice president of wireless network operations. "With proximity to large population centers, as well as network and cloud density, Equinix is the right partner to connect our cloud-native 5G network."

"5G will have a transformative impact on way the world connects and does business, but it requires a modern, connected underlying infrastructure at the edge," said Jon Lin, President of Americas, Equinix. "DISH will leverage our extensive ecosystem of network partners and cloud providers to deliver a fast, powerful 5G network to communities across the United States."


Equinix builds 5G edge-to-cloud sandbox with Nokia

Equinix has established a 5G and Edge Technology Development Center at its Infomart facility in Dallas to provide a production-ready interconnection sandbox environment from the radio network to the cloud. The facility includes a fully operational, non-standalone 5G network from Nokia to test and validate various 5G services and use cases. Equinix says its new 5G and Edge Technology Development Center will bring together mobile network operators...

DISH builds its 5G core in AWS

DISH Network will construct its 5G Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) network on AWS.DISH, which is partnering exclusively with vendors offering cloud-native technology, plans to begin deploying the network in Las Vegas later this year.  All hardware and network management resources will be connected through AWS, including DISH’s fully automated Operation and Business Support Systems (OSS and BSS) for 5G services.DISH said its groundbreaking,...

DISH picks VMware for 5G cloud-native O-RAN

DISH selected VMware's Telco Cloud solution for its 5G, cloud-native Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN). VMware said its Telco Cloud will enable DISH to utilize software from leading vendors to optimize and accelerate its 5G network deployment. Additionally, it will provide DISH with enhanced automation, resiliency, security and flexibility. The VMware Telco Cloud provides an abstraction layer across multiple network domains and enables DISH to leverage...

DISH adds Intel as a 5G infrastructure partner

 DISH will integrate Intel 5G infrastructure technology into its forthcoming virtualized, open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) 5G network deployment. Specifically, DISH has selected the Intel Xeon Scalable Processor, the Intel Ethernet 800 Series network adapter, the Intel vRAN Dedicated Accelerator ACC100 and Intel's FlexRAN software reference architecture for its deployments.The companies are collaborating on the fully virtualized RAN, including...

DISH picks Spirent for 5G core automated testing

DISH Network has selected Spirent Communications to autonomously test its 5G network core and validate its performance. Spirent said its library of automated compliance, capacity and performance test suites, as well as test cases, enables DISH to verify 5G functionality, measure system performance and accelerate deployment activities. By automating the testing process, DISH can continuously verify real-world performance and resilience during...

Operators push for Open RAN ecosystem for Europe

 Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia (TIM), Telefónica and Vodafone are calling upon policymakers, EU Member States, and industry stakeholders to collaborate and urgently prioritise Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN). 

The five leading European mobile operators say open, intelligent, virtualised and fully interoperable RAN  is essential if Europe is to meet its target of 5G for all by 2030, and for the continent to play a role with 6G.

A report by Analysys Mason sets out five policy recommendations:

  1. Ensuring high-level political support for Open RAN. Europe needs to talk with a common voice and identify Open RAN as a strategic priority.    
  2. The European Commission creating a European Alliance on Next Generation Communication infrastructures and a roadmap for innovation as it has done for Cloud and Semiconductors.    
  3. Policymakers providing funding and tax incentives to operators, vendors and start-ups to support the development of European solutions along the entire Open RAN value chain, based on public-private partnerships, testbeds and open labs.    
  4. Promoting European leadership in standardisation. Globally harmonised standards ensure openness and interoperability.    
  5. Working with international partners to promote a secure, diverse, and sustainable digital and ICT supply chain.    

Claudia Nemat, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer of Deutsche Telekom, said: “Decisive action is needed now to ensure Europe maintains its competitiveness in the development of the next generation networks. Especially in North America and Asia there is strong backing for Open RAN. Europe should not fall behind but seek a leading position in the new Open RAN ecosystem. It will help accelerate network innovation, faster rollouts and service creation for our customers.”

Michaël Trabbia, Chief Technology and Information Officer, Orange, said: “Open RAN technology will play a fundamental role in the networks of tomorrow, enabling them to be built and managed more efficiently and cost effectively. If Europe is to build the next generation of digital networks that will power its economic success then we must do more to support the ecosystem in Europe which is delivering this technology. Now is the time to collaborate altogether and secure Europe’s future at the forefront of digital innovation.”  


Europe imposes anti-dumping duties on fiber cables from China

The European Commission announced anti-dumping import tarrifs ranging between 19.7% and 44% on imports of optical fiber cables from China.

The action, which follows a one-year investigation into the matter of dumping, is expected to take effect immediately.


Prysmian Group, a supplier of optical fiber based in Milan, Italy, issued the following statement: "We welcome today’s European Commission’s decision and it is reassuring to see that Europe is able to strongly act against unfair practices. Fair competition must be ensured in the interest of our customers and stakeholders, to guarantee a sustainable availability of quality components for the construction of the European optical infrastructure,” Philippe Vanhille, EVP Telecom Division.

https://ec.europa.eu/


European Commission investigates Chinese dumping of fiber cables

  The European Commission is launching an investigation into the alleged dumping of single mode optical fibre cables from China into the EU at below market prices.


The complaint was initiated by producers representing more than 25% of the total EU production of optical fibre cable. The complaint argues that the price of optical fibre cables in China is artificially low due to distortions in the Chinese telecommunications sector by the Government of China.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:JOC_2020_316_R_0009&from=EN

Palo Alto Networks raises guidance as revenue rises 32% yoy

Palo Alto Networks reported revenue of $1.2 billion for its fiscal first quarter 2022, ended October 31, 2021, up 32% compared with revenue of $946.0 million for the fiscal first quarter 2021. GAAP net loss for the fiscal first quarter 2022 was $103.6 million, or $1.06 per diluted share, compared with GAAP net loss of $92.2 million, or $0.97 per diluted share, for the fiscal first quarter 2021.

Non-GAAP net income for the fiscal first quarter 2022 was $170.3 million, or $1.64 per diluted share, compared with non-GAAP net income of $158.1 million, or $1.62 per diluted share, for the fiscal first quarter 2021. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP information is contained in the tables below.

"Q1 was a strong start to fiscal year 2022, driven by strength in both our product and Next-Generation Security businesses, giving us confidence to raise our revenue and billings guidance for the year," said Nikesh Arora, chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks. "We continue to see strong customer demand and have continued to release key innovations which give us confidence in the durable growth we presented at our September Analyst Day."  

"The combination of strong top-line metrics, upside to our profitability goals, and cash conversion for Q1 showcase our focus on total shareholder return," said Dipak Golechha, chief financial officer of Palo Alto Networks.

Palo Alto Networks provided the following guidance based on current market conditions and expectations for its fiscal second quarter 2022:

  • Total billings in the range of $1.51 billion to $1.53 billion, representing year-over-year growth of between 24% and 26%.
  • Total revenue in the range of $1.265 billion to $1.285 billion, representing year-over-year growth of between 24% and 26%.
  • Diluted non-GAAP net income per share in the range of $1.63 to $1.66, using 105 million to 107 million shares outstanding.


https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/press/2021/palo-alto-networks-reports-fiscal-first-quarter-2022-financial-results

Napatech tunes its SmartNIC Traffic Classification for cybersecurity


Napatech announced a new set of capabilities for its FPGA-based SmartNICs designed to address escalating trends in cybercrime.

The latest upgrade to Napatech’s Link-Inline software enables its programmable SmartNICs to address emerging cybercrime threats through important innovations in network traffic classification and identification. Through standard APIs, security applications specify and update the processing actions to be performed by the SmartNIC, on a per-flow basis. These actions are subsequently performed entirely on the SmartNIC for known flows, freeing up the host CPU to run value-added applications and services.

The Link-Inline software is available now on Napatech SmartNICs that support port configurations including 1, 10, 25, 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet. These security functions achieve 200Gbps throughput on standard servers, supporting the high bandwidth requirements of cloud, enterprise and carrier networks.

 To identify and mitigate threats from malicious network traffic, the SmartNICs perform ingress flow classification and identification without host CPU intervention for known flows, based either on policies or on actions dynamically assigned by the security application. Additionally, stateful flow handling in hardware leverages flow-based actions to perform analytics and prevent security exploits.

"The security industry is seeing a trend towards more complex, multi-staged attacks that involve multiple threat types,” said Napatech CMO Jarrod J.S. Siket. “Addressing this emerging threat landscape requires sophisticated security solutions such as the Napatech Link-Inline software running on our high-performance programmable SmartNICs.”

https://www.napatech.com/products/link-inline-software/

DZS forms reseller partnership with AMT

DZS announced a strategic sourcing partnership with Advanced Media Technologies, Inc. (AMT), a leading CATV and broadband electronic equipment value-added reseller. As part of the partnership, AMT will offer the full range of DZS Velocity and DZS Helix broadband connectivity solutions, including DZS FiberLAN enterprise solutions and XCelerate by DZS multi-gigabit broadband systems. Additionally, with both DZS and AMT having partnerships with Plume, the two companies will coordinate in bringing the right combinations of DZS Xperience, DZS Helix smart gateways, and other Plume-ready CPE for service providers and enterprises globally to deploy at scale next-generation customer experience offerings.

DZS said strategic partnership aims to mitigate near-term supply chain challenges and stimulate market-share capture of more than $100 billion in global government-sponsored broadband infrastructure initiatives.

“Unprecedented demand of faster broadband has now aligned with more than $100 billion of global government-sponsored broadband stimulus funds, such as the recently signed $65 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $20 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund in the U.S., France’s $24 billion Tres Haut Debit Plan, Germany’s $14 billion BMVI broadband initiatives and the United Kingdom’s $7 billion Project Gigabit, to encourage communications service providers to accelerate their advanced fiber access and optical transport deployments plans,” said Charlie Vogt, CEO, DZS. “Our partnership with AMT will empower our mutual customers in the fiber access and enterprise/passive optical LAN market segments to have a wide variety of resources available to them as they meet this demand and leverage these funds to expand their networks, including more options when deploying DZS Xperience, our customer experience management and service delivery software-as-a-service solution designed for residential and business subscribers. These are exciting times for our industry, and we are thrilled to be partnering with AMT to turn this promise into reality.”

https://dzsi.com/ 

https://www.goamt.com

DZS perspective: America's $65 billion broadband investment

https://youtu.be/Mh6bXzXjKSQAmerica's $65 billion investment in broadband will be a game changer for the entire industry, says Charlie Vogt, president and CEO of DZS. It represents an opportunity to move forward to 10G and 25G architecture. Here is his 1-minute perspecti...

DZS reports record orders, supply constraints, rising prices

DZS reported Q3 2021 revenue of $88.4 million, representing a sequential 6.9% increase, and a 5.9% decline compared with record revenue of $93.9 million reported in the third quarter of 2020. Adjusted Gross Margin was 36.8% and adjusted EBITDA was $5.1 million. DZS said order growth continued at an elevated pace, increasing 47% year-over-year to $124.5 million. Year-to-date orders reached $369.5 million. Some other highlights:Revenue from the...