Australia's NBN Co awards 10-year FWA contract to Ericsson

Australia’s National Broadband Network Co’s (NBN Co) has selected Ericsson to expand its fixed wireless access (FWA) footprint by up to 50 percent nationally by the end of 2024.

Under an exclusive ten-year partnership, Ericsson becomes the sole supplier of 4G and 5G radio access and microwave transport solutions. Deployed solutions will include Ericsson’s 4G and 5G antenna-integrated radios across nbn’s current and future spectrum bands, and the latest Massive MIMO solutions providing best-in-class performance and energy efficiency in a lightweight small footprint form factor.

Also being deployed are Ericsson’s latest high-powered 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) solutions, the latest RAN Processor for 4G and 5G, and MINI-LINK microwave transport solutions such as dual carrier solutions in traditional frequency bands, all outdoor E-band, and long-haul.

Ericsson’s extended-range innovation will enable NBN Co to expand its Fixed Wireless network cell range from 14 km to 29 km.

NBN Co's FWA currently covers more than 650,000 premises across Australia. Under the new partnership, Ericsson will supply the next-generation technology critical to 5G-enable many existing towers across the nbn Fixed Wireless network. The additional capacity and reach of the upgraded network will provide up to 120,000 homes and businesses in nbn’s satellite footprint access to fixed wireless for the first time.

Jason Ashton, nbn Executive General Manager for Fixed Wireless and Satellite, says: “Our network is the digital backbone of Australia, and it is constantly evolving as we help keep communities, businesses and all areas of society connected, and our nation productive. Investing in 5G mmWave is a part of our commitment to evolve the nbn Fixed Wireless network for future needs and continually enhance customer experience. We’re committed to maximizing the performance of both our fixed wireless and satellite networks, and our work with Ericsson will help us push the boundaries of its capabilities to the benefit of the more than one million homes and businesses covered by these networks across Australia.”

Emilio Romeo, Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, says: “NBN Co’s Fixed Wireless and Satellite Upgrade Program is an important part of Australia’s digital evolution. After working with nbn for more than a decade, I’m pleased that Ericsson’s technology continues to play a pivotal role in supporting the program to deliver better broadband services to people in regional Australia. With the extended range innovation showcased in Ericsson’s industry-leading radio access and microwave transport solutions, more Australians will have access to faster fixed wireless broadband in more places around the country.”

https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/2022/11/major-boost-for-australias-digital-backbone-as-nbn-co-selects-ericsson-for-fixed-wireless-access-network-upgrade

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Samsung to provide O-RAN radios for NTT DOCOMO

 

Samsung will provide Open RAN-compliant radios covering all of the TDD spectrum bands held by NTT DOCOMO — including 3.4GHz, 3.7GHz, 4.5GHz and 28GHz. The companies have tested the interoperability of these new radios with basebands from various vendors in NTT DOCOMO’s commercial network environment.

The announcement expands upong a 5G agreement previously announced in March 2021 in which NTT DOCOMO selected Samsung as its 5G network solutions provider

Samsung also introduced a new 28GHz Radio Unit (RU) for the first time — as a new addition to its portfolio of mmWave solutions. Weighing less than 10 lbs., the RU features a light and compact form factor with very low power consumption, enabling flexible deployments in various scenarios. NTT DOCOMO will use this new radio as part of their deployment.

“We have been collaborating with Samsung since the beginning of 5G and through our Open RAN expansion, and we are excited to continue extending our scope of vision together,” said Masafumi Masuda, Vice President and General Manager of the Radio Access Network Development Department at NTT DOCOMO. “Solidifying our global leadership, we will continue to build momentum around our Open RAN innovation and to provide highly scalable and flexible networks to respond quickly to the evolving demands of our customers.”

“Japan is home to one of the world’s most densely populated areas with numerous skyscrapers and complex infrastructure. Samsung’s industry-leading 5G radios portfolio meets the demands of low-footprint, low-weight solutions, while also ensuring reliable service quality,” said Satoshi Iwao, Vice President and Head of Network Division at Samsung Electronics Japan. 

https://news.samsung.com/us/samsung-expands-5g-radio-support-ntt-docomo/

KT, NTT DOCOMO and Fujitsu test O-RAN in Korea

Monday, January 10, 2022  Fujitsu, Korea, KT  

The KT Research and Development Center in Seoul, South Korea, has tested Fujitsu’s Open RAN based 5G base station equipment in trials for open fronthaul. NTT DOCOMO provided Fujitsu with technical support throughout the project. With the construction of this new test facility, KT will accelerate the introduction of Open RAN technology to Korea’s 5G network.The three companies have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding centered on the introduction...

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Equinix to build data center in Johor, Malaysia

Equinix unveiled plans to invest approximately $40 million in a new data center located in JOHOR, Malaysia.

The new facility, named JH1, is scheduled to begin operations in Q1 2024, providing 500 cabinets and 1,960 square meters of colocation space. 

The two-story facility will be located at Nusajaya Tech Park (NTP) in Iskandar, Johor. It is 15 kilometers from Singapore, allowing the data center to address excess demand from organizations in the city-state in addition to Malaysian domestic demand.

Equinix also has the option of acquiring additional land in NTP to build a second facility, supporting Malaysia's digital growth aspirations. Companies and multinationals doing business in Malaysia will be able to access Platform Equinix to store and distribute large volumes of latency-sensitive data and applications closer to end users and local markets.

When opened, the new IBX data center in Johor will increase Equinix's total global footprint of more than 245 data centers across 71 metros and 32 countries, providing Equinix's 10,000+ customers more ways to securely deploy, directly connect and effectively scale their digital infrastructure in a rapidly growing economy. It is expected to also present opportunities for further expansion into new metros and market segments in Malaysia.

In Asia-Pacific, Equinix currently has 51 data centers across 13 metros across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea and Singapore. In addition, Equinix also announced expansions into Chennai in India, and Jakarta in Indonesia in 2022, strengthening its market leadership in the region.

https://www.equinix.com/newsroom/press-releases/2022/11/equinix-enters-malaysia-with-40m-data-center-investment

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Keysight and MediaTek test 3GPP Release 17 and 5G RedCap

MediaTek has used Keysight’s 5G Network Emulation Solutions to establish connectivity to its 5G chips using the 3GPP 5G Release 17 (Rel-17) and the 5G reduced capability (RedCap) specifications.

Through its collaboration with Keysight, MediaTek  established a 5G Rel-17 data call on its Dimensity 5G chipsets. This will allow MediaTek to accelerate the deployment of new Rel-17 5G features including reduced power use, and enhanced MIMO capability.

Keysight’s network emulation platform also enabled MediaTek to validate RedCap connectivity on its 5G chips. The 5G RedCap specification introduces support for wireless devices with reduced 5G capabilities. These devices are less complex, lower cost, and consume less power, allowing them to address new use cases such as industrial sensors and wearables.

Keysight's 5G wireless network emulators and device test solutions enable the entire mobile device ecosystem to accelerate the market introduction of new wireless devices by streamlining the workflow from early prototyping, development, and design verification to conformance, carrier acceptance, and high-volume manufacturing. These tools continue to rapidly evolve to keep pace with 5G market leaders offering unmatched breadth and depth of coverage.

Peng Cao, Vice President and General Manager of Keysight’s Wireless Test group, said: “We are pleased to continue working with MediaTek on advancing 3GPP Release 17 technologies and RedCap, which is the latest 5G NR standard to unleash new use cases to the wider IoT market and wearable devices beyond the traditional smartphone use cases. It’s exciting to collaborate with MediaTek to accelerate the deployment of the latest 5G technology at the pace of their go-to-market plans.”

Dr. Ho-Chi Hwang, General Manager of Wireless Communication System and Partnerships at MediaTek, said: “MediaTek has been working with the Keysight 5G test platform for the latest Rel-15/16/17 standard to extend the technological advantage of our wide-ranging 5G products. The Keysight platform supports MediaTek's ability to develop industry-leading 5G modem platforms, which in turn enable a growing ecosystem of 5G device innovators.”

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Nutanix reports 27% YoY ACV billings growth, revenue up 15%

Nutanix reported quarterly revenue of $433.6 million for its first quarter ended October 31, 2022, up 15% from the $378.5 million for the same period a year earlier. There was non-GAAP operating income of $10.6 million, compared to a loss of $(41.9) million a year earlier.

“We delivered a solid first quarter financial performance against an uncertain macro backdrop, reflecting the value our customers see in the Nutanix Cloud Platform and the strength of our subscription-based business model,” said Rajiv Ramaswami, President and CEO of Nutanix. “We also made important progress towards realizing our hybrid multicloud vision with the general availability of Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) on Microsoft Azure and enhancements to our platform to accelerate the adoption of Kubernetes at scale in the enterprise.”

“Our first quarter results reflect continued progress on our subscription-based business model with 27% year-over-year ACV billings growth and achievement of positive quarterly non-GAAP operating income for the first time,” said Rukmini Sivaraman, CFO of Nutanix. “We continue to see good execution on our building base of subscription renewals and remain focused on driving towards sustainable, profitable growth.”

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Telstra names Katy Greenfield as VP of Customer Solutions

Telstra has named Katy Greenfield as Vice President of Customer Solutions for the Americas. She will lead a specialized team working directly with enterprises across the region to develop customized network connectivity products and services.

Greenfield most recently served as Director of Solutions Engineering at Zayo Group. She will report to Noah Drake, President, Americas for Telstra.

Greenfield is a certified AWS Solutions Architect and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

“Organizations already have enough challenges managing their business, customers and employees,” said Greenfield. “Network infrastructure decisions shouldn’t be added to that list. What drew me to Telstra was its commitment as a service provider to identifying and deploying the right solution for a customer, whether it involves servicing enterprises at the edge, enabling international expansion plans or helping companies effectively scale for fluctuations in user bandwidth.”

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