Project Sylva aims for open source telco cloud software

Linux Foundation Europe announced the formation of Project Sylva, which aims to create a new, open source production-grade Telco Cloud Stack.

Project Sylva’s common cloud software framework and adjacent Reference Implementation will reduce fragmentation of the cloud infrastructure layer for telecommunication and edge services. 

Project Sylva is backed by five European carriers (Telefonica, Telecom Italia, Orange, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom) and two vendors (Ericsson and Nokia).

Specific goals of Project Sylva include the following:

• Release a cloud software framework to prioritise requirements, develop solutions to be integrated within existing open source components, and produce production-grade solutions to be leveraged within commercial products. 
• Develop a reference implementation of this cloud software framework and create an integration and validation program to accelerate adoption of network functions within the cloud.

“The Telco Cloud ecosystem today is fragmented and slowing down our operational model transformation. Despite a transition to cloud native technologies, a real interoperability between workloads and platforms remains a challenge. Indeed, operators have to deal with a lot of vertical solutions that are different for each vendor, leading to operational complexity, lack of scalability, and high costs. Sylva, by providing a homogenous and open telco cloud reference implementation for the entire industry: interoperable, flexible and easy to operate, should help all the ecosystem (Europe and beyond). Orange strongly supports this initiative,” said Laurent Leboucher, group CTO and SVP, Orange Innovation Networks.

“I am beyond excited to see Sylva become the first community project hosted under Linux Foundation Europe. It directly delivers our vision to accelerate the impact that European-centric collaborations can have in the global ecosystem,” said Gabriele Columbro, general manager, Linux Foundation Europe. “Sylva is the perfect example of the high-impact open collaborations we see flourishing under LF Europe, as it brings together leading telco stakeholders to deliver innovation to address a concrete industry-wide business challenge.”

“We are pleased to collaborate closely with leading European telcos and vendors eager to more fully harness the power of open source to accelerate cloudification of the network within EU privacy and security guidelines,” said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, Networking, Edge and IoT, the Linux Foundation. “A unified approach to hosting 5G deployment applications from the Core to the RAN is critical for fostering innovation for broad digital transformation, augmenting work in LF Networking and LF Edge communities.”

https://gitlab.com/sylva-projects/sylva

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Nokia to lead Germany's KOMSENS-6G project

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research’s (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) has selected Nokia to lead the KOMSENS-6G project, which aims to drive global pre-standardization activities from a German and European perspective, with a specific focus on the network as a sensor technology.

Nokia will work closely with a consortium that includes partners from industry, subject matter experts, start-ups, research institutes and distinguished universities in Germany. KOMSENS-6G is part of a broader German 6G initiative and has a total funding of €14.9 million, with a duration of three years. Networking with other projects and partners of the overall national initiative takes place via the central “6G Platform Germany”.

On completion of the 3-year project, KOMSENS-6G aims to deliver an architecture for integrated sensing and communication, together with a demonstration of the combined service.

Peter Vetter, President of Nokia Bell Labs Core Research, said: “Nokia is honored to lead this innovative technology project. As wireless communication networks are ubiquitous, a “mirror” or digital twin of the physical world can be created using network sensing. By interacting with a digital twin, we could extend our senses to every point the network touches. We believe the sensing network will be a key component of 6G systems of the future, which we want to enable in a secure and privacy preserving way. We are looking forward to working with all consortium members within KOMSENS-6G to deliver the essential solutions to make this happen.”

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2022/11/15/nokia-to-lead-komsens-6g-integrating-sensing-into-the-communications-system/

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IRIS subsea cable completed linking Ireland and Iceland

The IRIS Sub-Sea Telecoms Cable System connecting Galway, Ireland to Iceland has now been completed.

The IRIS system will be ready for service in the first quarter of 2023 and will be the third submarine fibre optic cable system connecting Iceland with Europe. The system provides further redundancy in telecommunication connection between Iceland and Europe, with low latency connections around 10.5 ms, between Reykjavík and Dublin. The IRIS system is integrated into Farice’s network in Iceland and Europe to enhance the network and provide comprehensive, diverse, and secure connectivity between Farice’s network POPs in Iceland and Euro

Farice signed a contract with SubCom, LLC, a global subsea fiber optic cable system supply company, to install the IRIS Cable System and SubCom has now received provisional acceptance for the IRIS Cable System, the final phase before officially handing the system over to its owner, Farice.

The IRIS system will be ready for service in the first quarter of 2023 and will be the third submarine fiber optic cable system connecting Iceland with Europe. The system provides further redundancy in telecommunication connection between Iceland and Europe, with low latency connections around 10.5 ms, between Reykjavík and Dublin. The IRIS system is integrated into Farice’s network in Iceland and Europe to enhance the network and provide comprehensive, diverse, and secure connectivity between Farice’s network POPs in Iceland and Europe.

https://farice.is

Farice plans fiber route linking Iceland, Ireland and Japan

Sunday, July 10, 2022  Farice, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Subsea  

Farice reached a sales agrement with Far North Digital (FND) for fiber connectivity between Japan and Iceland via Farice’s new IRIS submarine cable and FND’s planned Arctic cable.Construction is currently underway for Farice's IRIS Subsea Telecoms Cable System from Iceland to Galway, Ireland. The system is planned for service early 2023.The FND fiber cable will be the first Arctic route connecting Asia with Europe via the Northwest Passage, greatly...

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Construction begins on Farice cable from Iceland to Ireland

Monday, May 30, 2022  Iceland, Ireland, Subcom, Subsea  

Construction is underway for Farice's new IRIS Subsea Telecoms Cable System from Iceland to Galway, Ireland.Earlier this month, SubCom’s cable installation vessel the CS Durable landed the cable successfully at Thorlakshofn beach in Iceland.  Subcom said deployment is expected to advance at approximately 20-200 km per day with a target burial depth of 1.5m beneath the seabed in water depth of up to 1,500m. Work on the terrestrial section of...

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Arelion launches fiber routes from Texas to Monterrey, Mexico

Arelion (formerly Telia Carrier) announced two new fully diverse routes from the US into Monterrey, Mexico.

Arelion's routes leverage the latest open optical line systems and support multi-vendor 400G wave capability, including Bright ZR+ disaggregated optics, offering resilient local connectivity and flexible high-speed access to content, application and cloud providers in the US.

With the addition of these diverse routes, Arelion provides customers in Mexico with enhanced access to Arelion's number one ranked Internet backbone, AS1299, as well as Arelion's portfolio of leading IP and optical technology services, including high-speed IP Transit, Cloud Connect, Wavelengths, Ethernet and IPX services for service providers, content providers and enterprises.

Further insights into this expansion and Arelion's presence in Mexico:

• Routing south, the routes connect Arelion's Points-of-Presence (PoPs) in McAllen (MDC – MCA2) to Monterrey (Equinix - MO1) and Laredo (VTX) to Monterrey (Neutral Networks Pabellón M).
• Arelion also operates two PoPs in Querétaro that serve Equinix's MX1 and KIO Networks' QRO sites, with two more in Mexico City serving KIO's MEX2 and MEX5 data centers.
• Arelion's latest PoP was opened in Mérida this quarter, serving AiTelecom.
• Arelion supports seven PoPs in the Mexican region today with plans for continued expansion.

"Legacy routes in the region cannot handle Mexico's increased demand for cost-effective, multi-Terabit bandwidth and diverse routing options," said Luis Velasquez, Mexico Business Manager, Arelion. "Arelion is a single supplier that can provide a "one-stop shop" experience for Carriers, OTTs and Internet service providers in Mexico that need high quality of service and assured connection speed."

https://www.arelion.com/about-us/press-releases/two-routes-connecting-us-to-mexico.html

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Dell'Oro: Global cable operators committed to virtualization

A new survey from Dell'Oro Group finds that 100 percent of respondents have either deployed or are planning to deploy some form of vCMTS architecture in their networks within the next 24 months. Of those planning to deploy within the next 13-24 months, 73 percent define vCMTS as a remote PHY device (RPD) connected to a software-based virtual CMTS running on a server, with 20 percent defining vCMTS as a remote MACPHY device (RMD).

The global survey, Mapping the Future of Cable Virtualization, details the current and future broadband network deployment plans of cable operators around the world. From January to March 2022 Dell’Oro Group conducted an online and telephone survey of 50 global cable operators that have broadband networks and provide residential broadband services.

Additional highlights from the survey report Mapping the Future of Cable Virtualization include:

• In a sign that DAA still remains in the early stages of deployment, 66 percent of respondents have deployed anywhere from 101-1000 DAA devices (either RPDs or RMDs) in their networks to date.
• Hub site consolidation, DOCSIS 3.1 high-split upgrades, and capping legacy CCAP platforms are the technical drivers leading the decision to migrate to a vCMTS platform.
• Improved subscriber experience and platform analytics are the primary business drivers behind the decision to migrate to a vCMTS platform.

“Virtualization and DAA provide clear benefits to cable operators, especially in highly-competitive environments where throughput, signal quality, and service uptime are critical differentiators,” noted Jeff Heynen, Vice President of Broadband Access and Home Networking market research at Dell’Oro Group. “Adoption of these beneficial technologies is growing significantly,” explained Heynen.

https://www.delloro.com/news/new-survey-finds-that-global-cable-operators-remain-highly-committed-to-virtualizing-their-broadband-networks/

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Australia's TPG Telecomhits 2 Gbps in 5G uplink test with Nokia

TPG Telecom achieved a 5G uplink speed of 2 Gbps using its 5G mmWave spectrum during a live demonstration at the Nokia 5G Futures Lab in Sydney, Australia.

The new Australian 5G uplink record, which follows on from a number of Australian 5G speed records announced by Nokia earlier in the year, will enable Nokia and its customers such as TPG Telecom to offer ultra-high-performing, low-latency services for Industrial and IoT applications which are heavily reliant on high-speed uplink connectivity. The solution is expected to be fully deployed next year as devices that support this capability become available.

The live demonstration involved a commercially available Nokia AirScale 5G mmWave base station utilising TPG Telecom’s 26 GHz spectrum to connect, over the air, to a 5G device powered by a Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF System featuring fourth-generation Qualcomm® QTM545 mmWave antenna modules. Additionally, Nokia deployed its industry-leading Carrier Aggregation (CA) technology to fully leverage the available spectrum assets. The CA setup included four component carriers of 100 MHz each in the 26 GHz band.

The demonstration also leveraged Nokia’s 5G Core to provide the speed, intelligence, and security for testing the delivery of new advanced 5G services.

Dr Robert Joyce, Chief Technology Officer at Nokia Oceania, said: “Super-fast uplink speeds are critical to fully realise the huge benefits of 5G networks, particularly as we look to emerging technologies like augmented intelligence, machine learning, advanced sensors and robotics that are set to transform industries and economies with huge safety, productivity and efficiency outcomes as we move towards the metaverse era. For consumers and industries alike, the future is exciting. Pushing the boundaries of 5G with innovative customers like TPG Telecom in Australia is a big part of this journey forward.”

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Pure Fi intros HDMI Active Optical Cable

Pure Fi introduced an Ultra High Speed HDMI Active Optical Cable (AOC) capable of supporting HDMI 2.1a features including uncompressed 8K video content at 60 Hz over extended runs.

The AOC is designed for professional A/V use and is suited to digital signage applications. 

Highlights

• Throughput up to 48 Gbps, supporting 8K content at 60 Hz or 4K content at 120 Hz.
• Extended Range: Pure Fi’s 50-foot AOC is certified through the Ultra High Speed HDMI cable certification program, and additional lengths of 15 and 25 feet are in the process of being certified. Additionally, custom cable lengths can be made and certified upon request.
• Low Electromagnetic Interference: Running 8K video content via traditional copper cables generates high electromagnetic interference, whereas Pure Fi’s AOC generates near-zero EMI.
• Lightweight & Flexible: In contrast to heavy shielded copper cables, Pure Fi’s AOC is less than .2 inch thick, and a 300-foot cable weighs less than one pound, making installation a breeze.
• True-to-Life Sound: Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) allows high-fidelity audio for an immersive surround-sound experience.
• Plug & Play Simplicity: Unidirectional cables greatly simplify connectivity, with no external power or software required.
• Compliant with the Latest Industry Standards: Pure Fi’s new HDMI AOC is fully compliant with the latest industry standards, including version 2.1a of the HDMI specification.

“HDMI Forum in conjunction with HDMI LA have created the Ultra High Speed HDMI cable certification program to ensure HDMI cables are tested and certified to the HDMI 2.1a specification at HDMI Forum Authorized Testing Centers,” said Rob Tobias, CEO and President of HDMI Licensing Administrator. “We applaud Pure Fi for certifying their AOC cables so that installers can be assured they are buying quality cables that have passed certification testing.”

https://www.pure-fi.com

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Ericsson teams with e& (formerly Etisalat)

Ericsson and e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group) will collaborate on reducing energy consumption and building more efficient and sustainable future networks.

The three-year partnership aims to support the Net Zero strategy of e& and Ericsson while exploring opportunities to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption. The companies will also collaborate in hosting a series of knowledge-sharing sessions, covering Ericsson’s global expertise in energy-efficient strategies, such as its 'Breaking the Energy Curve' initiative.

Sabri Ali Albreiki, Chief Technology Officer, e& international, says: "Through our partnership with Ericsson, we aim to accelerate the decarbonisation of our network infrastructure business by exploring the deployment of their latest generation of energy efficient radio equipment and software features. We will also work together to use the Ericsson Product Take-Back programme to dispose of and recycle obsolete network equipment to high environmental standards. This agreement is part of e&'s broader commitment to reduce waste and achieve a sustainable low-carbon society.”  

• Etisalat Group changed its brand identity to e&  in February 2022.

https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/5/2022/e-and-ericsson-partner-to-build-more-sustainable-future-networks

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