Latest YANG data model release advances automation of network elements

The latest YANG data model release from Broadband Forum targets the automation of the control and configuration of access network elements.

Amendment 4 of TR-383, ‘Common YANG Modules for Access Networks’ builds upon the existing feature-rich set of YANG data models, introducing improvements to Quality of Service (QoS) that address large scale deployments as well as providing statistics for debugging services.

The new amendment leverages IETF RFC 8632, ‘A YANG Data Model for Alarm Management’, to define alarms related to ANCP and optical transceivers. It further adds a set of common YANG types and YANG grouping definitions that will be used in TR-454.

TR-383 defines YANG data models for the management of access network equipment such as DSL Access Nodes, Distribution Point Units (DPUs) or Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) to be used across many deployment scenarios and these can be used for a multitude of other applications. TR-383 forms the core of YANG modules that are used across a broad range of products, including copper-based (VDSL, G.fast) and fiber-based access (G-PON, XGS-PON, NG-PON2).

Common YANG data models afford service providers the ability to leverage detailed end-to-end visibility into the performance of every programmable Software-Defined Access Network (SDAN) element to unlock new levels of capacity, automation, and efficiency.

The Broadband Forum said this latest Amendment also lays the required groundwork for TR-454 ‘YANG Modules for Access Network Map & Equipment Inventory’ by introducing a set of common YANG modules and types that will be used by the specification. With these modules, service providers can efficiently manage a range of broadband services supported over any access technology, including VDSL, G.fast and Passive Optical Networks (PON).

“With demand for network capacity, particularly fiber deployments, growing consistently, operators are constantly looking for ways to make their operations more efficient and more cost-effective. Automating the configuration and control of network elements is one way of doing this but as a growing concept, ensuring interoperability has been and continues to be a key concern,” said Vice President, Strategic Marketing and Business Development at Broadband Forum, Craig Thomas. “This work addresses the challenge by ensuring interoperability between network components of different vendors to allow effective automation, defining YANG data models for functionality which is common across access network elements supporting various physical layer technologies.

“As well as improving existing modules, it sets up Broadband Forum’s next phase of work in the SDN/NFV Work Area – which represents a significant step towards further interoperability with even more technologies.”

https://www.broadband-forum.org/ 

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Broadband Forum’s TR-466 envisions a metro-compute networking architecture

Broadband Forum said the latest release of its TR-466 specification will define a new metro-compute networking architecture, ensuring a greater user experience by moving applications or content towards the lower edge tiers in the network hierarchy.

The metro-compute networking architecture will include in-depth integration of computing and network on top of the cloud-based broadband network with the purpose of connecting isolated edge sites – such as Broadband Forum’s CloudCO – as one cloud to serve edge computing services.

“The latest release of TR-466 represents a big step for the industry as the standard will help cloud providers and operators overcome the routing and scalability challenges at the edge. Furthermore, it enables virtualization and disaggregation of edge elements and nodes to run applications in proximity to the customer where latency is important. This is particularly important for enterprise networks and will provide a shareable infrastructure for customers that can be seamlessly managed with reduced complexity,” said Broadband Forum SDN/NFV Work Area Co-Director George Dobrowski.

“Our work enables faster and more efficient provisioning of low-latency and high-bandwidth edge computing services. TR-466 perfectly complements the Forum’s in-progress work on WT-474 subscriber session steering, which can deliver flexible on-demand bandwidth that detects traffic changes and automatically scales to preserve the user experience. This is achieved by utilizing compute-aware routing and dynamic session steering, as demonstrated at Broadband World Forum. These specifications enable operators to unlock new revenue-generating services,” said Dobrowski.

“Until now, no industry standards organization has considered the possible impact on multi-service broadband networks under the trend of edge computing or addressing the unique challenges that this has presented,” said Broadband Forum SDN/NFV Work Area Co-Director Bruno Cornaglia. “This latest Broadband Forum work will see us play a critical role in edge computing and utilize the virtualized network infrastructure to enable carriers to increase revenue via edge cloud services.”

https://www.broadband-forum.org

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Vantage Data Centers finalizes acquisition of PCCW's data center business

Vantage Data Centers and its lead investor, Digital Bridge Group, ompleted the acquisition of PCCW Ltd.’s data center business (PCCW DC). 

The deal expands Vantage’s data center platform to include 100MW of existing and expansion capacity across multiple facilities in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.

Brian Groen joins Vantage as president, APAC from PCCW DC. Giles Proctor, who previously served as Vantage’s president, APAC is now chief operating officer of Vantage’s Asia-Pacific business.

“The closing of this second acquisition is a critical piece to our rapid expansion in key Asia-Pacific markets,” said Sureel Choksi, president and CEO, Vantage Data Centers. “We now have a total of 23 campuses across five continents led by highly experienced regional teams. I’m excited for Brian and Giles to partner together in their new roles to lead our APAC business as we continue to expand and scale to meet the growing demand of customers globally.”

“Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur are unparalleled connectivity hubs for companies doing business across Asia,” said Groen. “We have a strong sales pipeline with existing facilities and several greenfield developments underway to support our customers’ growing businesses. If you are a hyperscale company, a cloud provider or a large global enterprise, we can serve your needs in leading business centers throughout the region.”

https://vantage-dc.com/data-center-locations

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Nokia builds Private 5G for Volkswagen in Wolfsburg

Nokia has deployed a private 5G standalone wireless network for Volkswagen at the car maker’s main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. 

The private campus network uses the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) solution, covering the production development center and pilot hall at the Wolfsburg plant. With the pilot project, Volkswagen will test whether the 5G technology meets the demanding requirements of vehicle production with the goal to increase efficiency and flexibility in series production of the future.

Dr.-Ing. Klaus-Dieter Tuchs, network planning at Volkswagen, said: “Predictable wireless performance and the real-time capabilities of 5G have great potential for smart factories in the not-so-distant future. With this pilot deployment, we are exploring the possibilities 5G has to offer and are building our expertise in operating and using 5G technology in an industrial context.”

Chris Johnson, Head of Global Enterprise business for Nokia, said: “Nokia is a worldwide leader in private wireless technology for Industry 4.0 digital transformation proven by over 380 large enterprise customer deployments, of which more than 75 incorporate 5G. 

By deploying private wireless to explore and develop its potential in manufacturing, Volkswagen underscores its leading position in leveraging digitalization to enhance efficiency and productivity. We are delighted to support this effort with the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud and our extensive experience in private wireless networks.”

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Nokia to build a new campus in Oulu, Finland

Nokia will build a new campus in Oulu, Finland. 

Oulu is considered the "Home of Radio" and is a key R&D site for Nokia, as well as a city where Nokia continues to recruit new R&D talent. During 2018-2020, Nokia hired around 1,200 permanent employees in Finland and in 2021 has hired an additional 500 employees. The vast majority of these new positions are in R&D and the employees will be placed in Nokia’s three sites in Finland; Espoo, Oulu and Tampere.

The new campus on the Linnanmaa-Ritaharju plot will provide Nokia with premises to cater to the future ways of working, including moving towards purpose-driven and more collaborative office spaces. The campus is expected to be completed during 2025 and it will enable Nokia’s continuous innovation and development at the forefront of 5G technologies.

Erja Sankari, Head of Nokia Oulu site and Vice President, Global Supply Chain, at Nokia, said: “We are thrilled to be able to proceed with our plan to build a new Home of Radio campus in Oulu. The new campus follows our vision of connecting people, technology and nature. We want to build a functional, scalable and sustainable campus to enable the best possible workplace experience that meets the needs for flexibility, productivity, collaboration and innovation.”

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Dell'Oro: Mobile backhaul drives recovery in microwave transmission

Demand for Microwave Transmission equipment is recovering from the market contraction that was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group.

“The Microwave Transmission market grew eight percent in the first nine months of the year,” stated Jimmy Yu, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “The demand for microwave equipment has sharply increased this year due to mobile radio backhaul, and the outlook continues to improve as 5G deployments proliferate. Our biggest concern, however, is that the supply chain is not keeping up with demand, delaying some shipments and raising costs,” added Yu.

Highlights from the 3Q 2021 Quarterly Report:

• Microwave Transmission revenue from mobile backhaul grew 11 percent year-over-year in the first nine months of 2021. Growth was driven by both 4G and 5G radio deployments.
• Huawei maintained the highest revenue share. The manufacturers with the second and third highest shares were Ericsson and Nokia, respectively. In the first nine months of 2021, Ericsson outperformed the market, increasing its market share by three percentage points.
• E/V Band radios continued to drive the Microwave Transmission market growth. Growth rates of this equipment, which can enable up to 10 Gbps of capacity over a single carrier, has outpaced that of the total market for over nine years.

https://www.delloro.com/news/microwave-transmission-equipment-revenue-bounced-back-in-2021/

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Intel plans IPO for Mobileye

Intel plans to take Mobileye public in the United States in mid-2022 via an initial public offering (IPO) of newly issued Mobileye stock.

Intel will remain the majority owner of Mobileye, and the two companies will continue as strategic partners, collaborating on projects as they pursue the growth of computing in the automotive sector.

Mobileye focuses on advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and self-driving solutions. In 2021, Mobileye shipped its 100 millionth EyeQ system-on-chip (SoC), scaled autonomous vehicle (AV) test programs across multiple cities around the world covering the U.S., Europe and Asia, unveiled its production robotaxi, and secured 41 new ADAS program wins across more than 30 automakers globally. New program wins range from core driver-assistance technology through next-generation driver-assistance and full self-driving systems. The company has also secured multiple deals for mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) programs starting in 2023, as well as consumer and business-to-business vehicle production designs for Mobileye’s self-driving system starting in 2024.

Intel said the  move will unlock the value of Mobileye for Intel shareholders.

“Intel’s acquisition of Mobileye has been a great success. Mobileye has achieved record revenue year-over-year with 2021 gains expected to be more than 40 percent higher than 2020, highlighting the powerful benefits to both companies of our ongoing partnership,” Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said. “Amnon and I determined that an IPO provides the best opportunity to build on Mobileye’s track record for innovation and unlock value for shareholders.”

Mobileye went public in 2014; it was acquired by Intel in 2017. Intel currently owns 100% of Mobileye shares and is expected to retain majority ownership following the completion of the IPO.

Intel eyes automotive silicon expansion

Tuesday, September 07, 2021  Automotive, Intel, Silicon  

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger predicts the “digitization of everything” will push the share of semiconductors in the total new premium vehicle bill of materials (BOM) to more than 20% by 2030 – up more than 5X from 4% in 2019. The company forecasts the total addressable market (TAM) for automotive silicon will more than double by the end of the decade to $115 billion – approximately 11% of the entire silicon market.2

In pursuit of this opportunity, Intel announced plans to build new chip manufacturing facilities in Europe, establish committed foundry capacity at its Ireland site, and launch the Intel Foundry Services Accelerator to help foundry customers move automotive designs to advanced nodes.

In addition, Intel's Mobileye division unveiled the first production AV equipped with the Mobileye Drive self-driving system and bearing the MoovitAV services branding. Mobileye is working with Sixt to bring autonomous ride-hailing into operation with Munich-based Sixt SE starting in 2022. 

https://www.intel.com/

Intel leverages silicon photonics for Mobileye's lidar system-on-chip

Monday, January 11, 2021  Automotive, Intel, Silicon Photonics  

Mobileye, a division of Intel, unveiled a new silicon photonics processor for frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) lidar. The new device, which was engineered at Intel’s silicon photonics fab in New Mexico, is expected to be in production by 2025. 

Mobileye envisions that AVs will use both radio- and light-based detection-and-ranging sensing.

The new software-defined imaging radar technology with 2304 channels, 100DB dynamic range and 40 DBc side lobe level that together enable the radar to build a sensing state good enough for driving policy supporting autonomous driving. 

“This is really game-changing. And we call this a photonic integrated circuit, PIC. It has 184 vertical lines, and then those vertical lines are moved through optics. Having fabs that are able to do that, that’s very, very rare. So this gives Intel a significant advantage in building these lidars,” stated Mobileye president and chief executive officer Amnon Shashua.

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Windstream Wholesale connects with EdgeConneX in Tempe

Windstream Wholesale will connect its Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON) to the EdgeConneX data center in Tempe, Arizona.

The carrier-neutral PHX01 Data Center is located at 3011 South 52nd St., Suite 107, in Tempe, less than 10 minutes from downtown Phoenix. It connects to Windstream’s point of presence at 1710 East Grant St. in Phoenix and houses approximately 30 clients, including cable and content providers, carriers, enterprise-scale customers and international tenants.

A Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute cloud on-ramp is available at Windstream’s Phoenix facility as well as other multi-cloud hybrid solutions through the company’s technology and solution partners. In addition, EdgeConneX enables customers to access leading CSP’s like AWS, Google, Oracle, and IBM.

Windstream Wholesale also has a presence in these EdgeConneX data centers:

• 1003 Donnelly Ave., Atlanta, GA
• 21005 Lahser Rd., Southfield, MI
• 6327 Northeast Evergreen Parkway, Hillsboro OR
• 282 Corliss St., Pittsburgh, PA
• 8535 Highfields, Englewood, CO (Jan 2022)

Windstream Wholesale cites progress with 400G

Wednesday, November 10, 2021  Windstream Wholesale  

Windstream Wholesale  is expanding its 400 Gigabit wave offerings to meet rapidly growing customer demand for high-bandwidth solutions. The carrier cited several milestones:Windstream and Infinera were the first to successfully demonstrate 400 Gig client-side services in April 2020 with commercially available ultra-efficient 400GbE-LR8 QSFP-DD compact pluggable interfaces.In February 2021, Windstream announced that it had deployed 400 Gbps single-wavelength...

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ADTRAN/ADVA combination reaches major milestones

ADTRAN announced that the acceptance of the exchange offer regarding the proposed business combination between ADTRAN and ADVA Optical Networking SE has been recommended by ADVA's management and supervisory boards and that key antitrust approvals have been received.

On November 23, 2021, the management and supervisory boards of ADVA issued a joint reasoned statement recommending that ADVA shareholders accept the exchange offer for Acorn HoldCo shares. The members of both boards are of the opinion that the consideration offered is appropriate and fair and in the best interest of ADVA and its shareholders.

Furthermore, following approval of the publication of the offer document by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), the offer period in Germany started on November 12, 2021, and is expected to end on January 12, 2022.

In the United States, the registration statement on Form S-4 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by Acorn HoldCo, Inc., which includes a proxy statement of ADTRAN and a prospectus of Acorn HoldCo, was declared effective on December 2, 2021. ADTRAN also announced that it has scheduled a special meeting of its shareholders to be held on January 6, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. (CST) to seek approval by ADTRAN’s shareholders of the proposed business combination, a key milestone. Further information on the special meeting of shareholders is available on the ADTRAN Investor Relations website at investors.adtran.com.

Major milestones have also been reached with regard to the required antitrust approvals. As of November 17, 2021, the relevant antitrust authorities have either cleared the business combination or confirmed they did not intend to conduct a public review. The parties continue to work diligently to obtain the required foreign direct investment approvals.

ADTRAN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Stanton stated, “Progress of our merger is on track with key antitrust clearances now received and the parties focusing on cooperative proceedings with the FDI authorities. Customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and our expected completion timeline remains on track.”

https://investors.adtran.com/news-and-events/press-release-details/2021/ADTRANADVA-Combination-Reaches-Major-Milestones/default.aspx

ADTRAN + ADVA merger targets fiber broadband opportunities

Monday, August 30, 2021  ADTRAN, ADVA  

ADTRAN and ADVA announced a merger focused on end-to-end fiber networking solutions for communications service provider, enterprise and government customers. The deal combines ADTRAN’s market presence in fiber access, fiber extension and subscriber connectivity solutions with ADVA’s position in metro wavelength division multiplexing, data center interconnect, business ethernet and network synchronization solutions. The new company, which will...

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Keysight and CTC certify the first Wi-Fi 6E device

Keysight Technologies and CTC advanced GmbH, a testing and certification laboratory, have collaborated to certify the first Wi-Fi 6E device. The device, a broadband home gateway, was tested against the most recent version of the European Telecommunications Standard Institute (ETSI) standard EN 303 687, introduced to regulate usage of the new Wi-Fi frequencies (from 5.9 to 6.45 GHz), a mandatory procedure to gain market access.

Keysight’s IoT Regulatory Compliance Test Solution addresses the requirements of ETSI and FCC regulatory standards for IoT devices operating in Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) frequency bands.

“Regulatory certification is a critical aspect when it comes to optimizing time-to-market of a wireless device. Keysight works closely with regulatory bodies like ETSI and FCC to enable all players of the ecosystem to test their design as early as possible against the new standards. We are proud of this successful collaboration with early adopters, which makes new technologies like Wi-Fi 6E a reality for the mass market,” said Boon Juan Tan, vice president and general manager, General Electronics Measurement Solutions at Keysight Technologies.

In the field of Radio Systems, CTC advanced GmbH offers the complete range of compliance testing and development-related measurements according to the requirements for Europe, USA, Canada, Japan and further worldwide standards. In addition to radio tests (up to 500 GHz) for any established technology, such as Bluetooth, WLAN, 2G/3G/4G/5G, UWB, satellite and radar applications, CTC advanced GmbH covers measurements of electromagnetic compatibility, electrical safety and assessments of potential health impairments through SAR and EMF testing.

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