OIF adopts Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS)

OIF has adopted the Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS) work initiated by the Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density (QSFP-DD) Multi Source Agreement (MSA).  

CMIS may be used by pluggable or on-board modules, such as QSFP Double Density (QSFP-DD), OSFP, COBO, QSFP, and future module developments like co-packaged optics with host to module management communication based on a two-wire interface. This specification is targeted to systems manufacturers, system integrators and suppliers of CMIS compliant optical and copper modules. 

“The QSFP-DD MSA initiated the CMIS effort to address an industry need for commonality in managing pluggable modules, and it has been broadly and successfully adopted across the industry,” said Mark Nowell, Cisco, QSFP-DD MSA Group founding member and MSA co-chair. “OIF is very well suited to maintain and extend the development of this effort and I look forward to seeing their progress.”

“Adopting CMIS from the QSFP-DD MSA, with the goal to build on and extend the specification is an ideal expansion of OIF’s work,” said Nathan Tracy, OIF VP of Marketing and TE Connectivity. “OIF is where the cloud gets its work done and extending CMIS is a giant step forward and an integral linkage to the other work that OIF members are doing to enable an interoperable ecosystem.” 

In August, OIF announced the new Physical & Link Layer (PLL) Working Group Management track to include the transition of ownership and maintenance of CMIS from the QSFP-DD MSA to OIF and a project to focus on CMIS extensions for co-packaging implementations. OIF will take over the ongoing CMIS revisions and further enhancements and CMIS extensions under this track. This track is co-vice-chaired by Gary Nicholl, Cisco and Ian Alderdice, Ciena.

https://www.oiforum.com/

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T-Mobile US signs 12-year lease with Crown Castle

T-Mobile US signed a new 12-year agreement with Crown Castle International to support the continued build-out of T-Mobile's nationwide 5G network with increased access to Crown Castle's towers and small cell locations. 

“T-Mobile’s expanded alliance with long-term partner Crown Castle will fuel acceleration of our nationwide network build and provide synergies that we can further invest into that build – all in support of our Un-carrier mission to truly deliver 5G FOR ALL,” said Neville Ray, president of Technology at T-Mobile. “This agreement is another integral piece of T-Mobile’s ongoing efforts to rapidly expand what is already America’s largest 5G network. We won’t stop focusing on reaching even more customers and delivering fast 5G speeds to more people – every day and into the future.”

"We're excited to build on our long-standing strategic relationship with T-Mobile as we work closely with them to continue to deploy their next-generation 5G network," stated Jay Brown, Crown Castle's chief executive officer. "T-Mobile and Crown Castle are ideal partners for this next phase as wireless network architecture continues to densify. We believe T-Mobile's significant long-term commitment to utilize our comprehensive infrastructure consisting of towers, small cells and fiber will enable our collective teams to quickly meet future network demands."

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T-Mobile US added 5.5 million postpaid customers in 2021

T-Mobile US reported its highest postpaid net customer additions and postpaid account net additions in company history for full-year 2021. Postpaid net customer additions of 5.5 million for full-year 2021 exceeded the high end of the company’s annual guidance range and are expected to lead the industry for the 7th consecutive year, based on industry consensus expectations. In the fourth quarter, T-Mobile reported 1.8 million postpaid net customer additions, its highest fourth quarter in company history, and 315 thousand postpaid account net additions, the highest fourth quarter in the last four years.

“It is undeniable that T-Mobile’s unmatched best value, network and experience combination resonates with consumers and businesses when it results in record-setting net adds of 1.2 million postpaid accounts and 5.5 million postpaid customers in 2021, even as we continued to navigate Sprint churn during our accelerated integration,” said Mike Sievert, T-Mobile CEO. “And our 5G leadership continues to be unrivaled on every level. We are crushing our network build out goals. Our nationwide Ultra Capacity 5G and our Extended Range 5G expansion is way ahead of schedule and we aren’t slowing down. We’re way out ahead of the pack today creating the foundation for transformational 5G experiences that will define the future for years to come and consumers will benefit.”

T-Mobile US also announce the following data points:

• Postpaid account net additions were 315 thousand in Q4 2021, the highest Q4 in four years and reached a record 1.2 million for the full year 2021, more than doubled year-over-year.
• Net customer additions were 1.8 million in Q4 2021 and 5.8 million for the full year 2021, the highest annual number in five years. The total customer count increased to a record-high of 108.7 million.
• Postpaid net customer additions were 1.8 million in Q4 2021 and 5.5 million for the full year 2021, which exceeded the company’s most recent annual guidance range of 5.1 to 5.3 million.
• Postpaid phone net customer additions were 844 thousand in Q4 2021 and 2.9 million for the full year 2021. Postpaid phone churn was 1.10% in Q4 2021 as the company ramped up its Sprint customer integration and 0.98% for the full year 2021.
• Postpaid other net customer additions were 906 thousand in Q4 2021 and 2.6 million for the full year 2021, which included High Speed Internet net customer additions of 224 thousand in Q4 2021 and 546 thousand for the full year 2021. T-Mobile ended the year with 646 thousand High Speed Internet customers, exceeding its year-end goal of 500 thousand customers.
• Prepaid net customer additions were 49 thousand in Q4 2021 and 342 thousand for the full year 2021, more than doubled year-over-year. Prepaid churn was 3.01% in Q4 2021 and 2.83% for the full year 2021.
• Customer results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2021 are preliminary and subject to change pending completion of year-end closing review procedures. The following table includes the impact of the Sprint merger on a prospective basis from the close date of April 1, 2020.

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SpaceX completes 35th Starlink mission

In its first mission for 2022 and 35th for the Starlink program, SpaceX launched 49 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

This was the fourth launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster, which previously launched GPS III-4, GPS III-5, and Inspiration4.

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Intel's Alder Lake processors target IoT and Edge

Intel launched its 12th Gen Intel Core processors (code-named Alder Lake S-series and H-series) for Internet of Things (IoT) and edge applications.

The 12th Gen Intel Core desktop processors for IoT are up to 1.36 times faster in single-thread performance1, up to 1.35 times faster in multithread performance, up to 1.94 times faster in graphics performance and up to 2.81 times faster in GPU image classification inference performance4 compared with 10th Gen Intel Core processors. 

The 12th Gen Intel Core desktop processors for IoT contain Intel UHD Graphics 770 driven by Intel Xe architecture supporting display virtualization and up to four independent displays. Support for PCIe 5.0/PCIe 4.0 and DDR5/DDR4 memory combined with security and manageability features and AI enablement help boost productivity and fuel future innovation in IoT applications. IoT SKUs feature up to 16 cores and 24 threads at 35W to 65W TDP, real-time capabilities, long-life availability and long-term software support.

The 12th Gen Intel Core mobile processors for IoT have been estimated to be up to 1.04 times faster in single-thread performance5, up to 1.18 times faster in multithread performance and up to 2.29 times faster in graphics performance7 compared with 11th Gen Intel Core processors. These SKUs feature up to 14 cores and 20 threads at 35W to 45W TDP.

“From enabling rich visual experiences across a variety of clients, to running mixed criticality workloads on a single edge platform, the 12th Gen Intel Core processors empower our customers to take the biggest step yet toward creating a software-defined world at the edge," states John Healy, Intel vice president of the Internet of Things Group and general manager of Platform Management and Customer Enablement.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/news/intels-1st-performance-hybrid-edge-architecture.html#gs.ll12x5

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Linksys launches WiFi 6 Cloud Managed Access Point

Linksys introduced a new WiFi 6 Cloud Managed Access Point designed for retail stores, medical offices, small businesses, and commercial spaces.

Key features include:

• Qualcomm Networking pro Platform 1200: Next-generation technology transforms business WiFi with its wire-like stability and blazing-fast performance.
• Media-rich Captive Portal: Cloud hosted captive portal splash page and a built-in captive portal editor allows users to upload logos and graphics of any size, customized Terms of Service Agreement or even manage Wi-Fi access with an extra passcode at no additional cost.
• Reduce costs: Use Cloud Management without recurring license fees and get access to dedicated professional technical support with no recurring fees.
• TAA compliant: NDAA and GSA compliant for US government contracts.

“While many workers and companies embrace hybrid work solutions, offices and small businesses still need to ensure they have the latest in fast, reliable and secure WiFi connectivity,” said John Minasyan, Director of Product Management, Linksys. “At Linksys we recognize both sides of the hybrid work era, and in addition to our remote work solutions we are excited to also launch our newest WiFi 6 Dual-Band access point.”

https://www.linksys.com/us/p/p-lapax3600c

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Qorvo debuts wideband Wi-Fi front-end module for 5.1 to 7.1 GHz

Qorvo introduced the first wideband Wi-Fi front-end module (FEM) covering the 5.1 GHz to 7.1 GHz bands for customer premises equipment (CPE). This enables full-frequency support for both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E enterprise solutions.

Tony Testa, Qorvo director of Technical Marketing, said, “Qorvo’s newest FEM is optimized to operate over 5 GHz, 6 GHz or both, to maximize system capacity and throughput, which is not possible in existing CPE designs. Qorvo’s QPF4730 is the first in a family of new products that will address operational and architectural flexibility for Wi-Fi 6E channels and will include solutions for home gateways, routers and mesh systems.”

The QPF4730 enhances efficiency in Wi-Fi 6/Wi-Fi 6E architectures and is optimized for Power over Ethernet (PoE), improving Quality of Service (QoS), range and throughput. This solution maximizes user capacity and leverages the full available spectrum. It also enables manufacturers to design smaller form factors than current gateways to meet user expectations for more compact, sleek and efficient designs. With its expanded spectrum, Wi-Fi 6E provides higher throughput while servicing more client connections in home, campus and enterprise settings.

https://www.qorvo.com/-/media/images/qorvopublic/news-item/20220106_wifi_fems_pr_graphic.jpg?la=en

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ADTRAN stockholders approve merger with ADVA

Stockholders of ADTRAN approved the business combination with ADVA Optical Networking SE by an overwhelming majority. 

The company said the next major milestone will be the close of the initial acceptance period for the tender of ADVA shares at midnight (CET) on January 12, 2022, and for the combination to be successful, at least 70% of the ADVA shares must be tendered by this time. The parties also continue to work with the relevant authorities to obtain the required foreign direct investment approvals and are confident that such approvals will be obtained in due course.

ADTRAN/ADVA combination reaches major milestones

Monday, December 06, 2021  ADTRAN, ADVA  

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....

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