Comcast advances its 10G rollout

Comcast will launch its latest Xfinity 10G network upgrade to 10 million homes and businesses by the end of this month, providing the foundational network enhancements in place to begin deploying DOCSIS 4.0 and symmetrical multi-gigabit Internet options.

To date, and ahead of schedule, more than 40 markets across Comcast service areas have implemented network improvements including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and others. The full deployment of these technical capabilities will reach more than 50 million homes and businesses by 2025. In addition to fast speeds, DOCSIS 4.0 technologies will deliver even greater reliability and capacity to power multiple data-intensive applications.

“Streaming live sports, 4K gaming, hybrid work, and virtual reality have gone mainstream in just a few years, and gig speeds, capacity, reliability, and low latency are key factors making our connectivity experience superior to the competition,” said Dave Watson, CEO, Comcast Cable. “Our definition of reliability has to shift from merely being always-on, to powering multiple data-intensive applications across dozens of devices, and the investments we are making in our network are creating immediate benefits for our customers.”

Comcast also unveiled plans to rollout new WiFi features and a new device with cellular and battery backup to help keep customers connected even when the power goes out.

Later this year Comcast will also unveil new low latency features.

https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/comcast-multi-gig-rollout-xfinity-10g-network-upgrade

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Arrcus raises $50 million for its hyperscale networking software

Arrcus, a hyperscale networking software start-up based in San Jose, California, announced the close of a fresh financing round that brings to $50 million the total capital raised since the last venture financing round. 

Arrcus said it is seeing widespread adoption  of its Arrcus Connected Edge (ACE) platform as well as solutions based on ACE like SRv6 for 5G networks, Virtualized Distributed Routing (VDR), Hyperscale Datacenter switching and FlexMCN for multi-cloud connectivity.  The company has attracted customers in many verticals spanning enterprises, communications service providers and cloud operators.

“Leading global customers are making the shift to Arrcus’ disruptively innovative ACE platform for data center switching, 5G carrier routing and multi-cloud networking. As we continue gaining market momentum, we are pleased to welcome Prosperity7 as our new lead investor,” said Shekar Ayyar, CEO and chairman at Arrcus. “With its extensive global reach, Prosperity7 is a great investor and partner for us in its ability to support us in our rapid growth and future investment requirements.”

This Series D round of funding was led by Prosperity7 Ventures and joined by existing investors Clear Ventures, General Catalyst, Liberty Global and Lightspeed, as well as Silicon Valley Bank, which provided credit facilities. 

Arrcus notes the following highlights from 2022:

• 100%+ bookings CAGR at the end of 2022
• 100%+ customer expansion year-over-year, pointing to the growing need for Arrcus’ ACE disaggregated switching and routing solutions with substantial reduction in capital and operating costs for customer networks
• A 70% increase in global headcount

https://arrcus.com/

What’s next for multi-cloud routing and switching in 2023?

Sunday, January 15, 2023    

 As we look ahead to the future of routing and switching in 2023, how will telcos and cloud operators integrate their infrastructure? Are we headed to a big mash-up? Here are 3 predictions from Arrcus’ Shekar Ayyar .https://youtu.be/E7GEIQzLQVYCheck out other 2023 PredictionsSee what other experts have to say on NextGenInfra.io  - https://nextgeninfra.io/2023-predictions/Amplify your MWC 2023 presenceLooking to record your video...

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Nokia to manufacture GPON optical line terminals in India

In response to increasing demand from local customers in India as well as international markets, Nokia will begin manufacturing PON optical line terminals (OLTs) at its factory in Sriperimbudur near Chennai, India. 

Nokia is currently a participant in the Government of India’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, and is extending its production capacity into Chennai in response to growing demand. 

Sandy Motley, President Fixed Networks at Nokia, said: “The importance and criticality of high-speed broadband has never been more pronounced as it is today. As the momentum towards 5G networks and new hybrid usage models push operators towards increasingly distributed network architectures, service providers are investing in fiber to build out and upgrade their existing networks. Nokia is the leader in FTTx solutions globally and is innovating rapidly to introduce next generation PON solutions. We are happy to add the manufacturing capacity in India to better address increasing demand in the region and worldwide."

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Ericsson previews new 5G radios, including 600MHz Massive MIMO

 Ericsson previewed more than 10 new 4G and 5G radios in its RAN and Transport portfolio that will be showcased at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 Barcelona.

The launch includes a triple-band Radio 4485 for FDD (frequency-division duplexing) an a new range of wideband Massive MIMO radios. The new models are lighter and more energy efficient than existing products. Ericsson also touts new software features such as Interference Sensing, which optimizes mid-band Massive MIMO performance by minimizing inter-cell interference and increasing network capacity by up to 40 percent.

Portfolio additions include:

• Intelligent Cell Shaping: Ericsson-unique software with intelligent automation that improves coverage and boosts downlink speed at the cell edge by up to 35 percent
• Booster Carrier Sleep: energy-efficiency software feature that allows carriers to be switched on and off depending on the traffic load
• Energy efficiency features in mobile transport with MINI-LINK Radio Deep Sleep, which lowers radio energy consumption by up to 25 percent by hibernating radios in multi-carrier solutions when the capacity is not needed
• New cell site router, Router 6676: with high density of 25GE interfaces and is three-times more energy-efficient than the previous generation of routers. It supports Ericsson’s new remote radios and Massive MIMO radios with 25Gbps interfaces
• Underpinning the solutions is an Ericsson hardware and software co-design that allows the network to slash power consumption by up to 94 percent during low traffic compared to peak consumption.

Ericsson also introduced a new quad microwave radio MINI-LINK 6321 with 4.8 Gbps capacity, which is around 50 percent smaller and more energy efficient than the previous alternative for building a four-carrier MINI-LINK hop.

David Hammarwall, Head of Product Area Networks, Ericsson, says: “Capacity expansions, energy savings, and sustainability are central to service providers’ RAN evolution plans. Ericsson’s enhanced portfolio fulfills the key needs of service providers and is leading the industry towards Net Zero while capturing opportunities of data traffic growth. We expect these topics will be the center of attention in our discussions with customers at MWC Barcelona 2023 and beyond.”

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Dell'Oro: Global data center capex to hit $400B by 2027

Global data center capex is on track to reach $400 billion by 2027, according to a recently published report from Dell'Oro Group. 

“While the cloud hyperscalers will account for half the data center infrastructure spending by 2027, significant opportunities exist on-premises,” said Baron Fung, Research Director at Dell’Oro Group. “Enterprises will continuously optimize their IT deployments, balancing workloads in the multi-cloud with those on-premises. New applications will also demand infrastructure at the edge leading to the emergence of a new ecosystem. Furthermore, upcoming advances in new server architectures, accelerated computing, and sustainability will enable greater efficiencies in the data centers of the future,” explained Fung.

Additional highlights from the January 2023 Data Center IT Capex 5-Year Forecast Report:

• Worldwide data center capex is forecast to grow 11 percent by 2027.
• Macroeconomic factors may hinder near-term data center investments, although forthcoming data center architectures will stimulate long-term growth.
• Edge computing is forecast to comprise 8 percent of total data center infrastructure spending by 2027.

https://www.delloro.com/news/

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Comcast issues $1 billion 10-year green bond,

Comcast issued a $1 billion 10-year green bond to support its environmental efforts such as those currently underway or under consideration as part of its goal to be carbon neutral by 2035.

Proceeds from the green bond may be allocated to five investment areas, all of which contribute to Comcast's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, campuses, communities and cities, clean transportation, and circular economy adapted products, production technologies and processes. Comcast’s Green Financing Framework provides details on eligible green investments in these categories, in addition to the processes for project selection and progress reporting.

"We’re excited to have offered investors the opportunity to join us as we scale clean energy technologies and other decarbonization strategies across our business,” said Sara Cronenwett, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Environmental Sustainability at Comcast. “These investments bring great value to the broader community of Comcast shareholders, employees, and customers by helping to foster a cleaner, healthier environment.”

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Lumentum reports strong quarterly sales of $506M, up 13%

Citing robust networking demand and improved IC supply, Lumentum reported  net revenue for its fiscal second quarter of 2023 of $506.0 million, up 13% year-over-year, with a GAAP net loss of $31.7 million, or $0.46 loss per diluted share. Net revenue for the fiscal first quarter of 2023 was $506.8 million, with GAAP net loss of $0.4 million, or $0.01 loss per diluted share. Net revenue for the fiscal second quarter of 2022 was $446.7 million, with GAAP net income of $56.7 million, or $0.75 per diluted share. 

Non-GAAP net income for the fiscal second quarter of 2023 was $104.1 million, or $1.52 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for fiscal first quarter of 2023 was $119.2 million, or $1.69 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for the fiscal second quarter of 2022 was $120.2 million, or $1.60 per diluted share. 

"Our second quarter financial and operational performance was very strong, led by robust demand from our Telecom and Commercial Lasers customers. Non-GAAP operating margin and Non-GAAP earnings per share were both above the high end of our guidance range with revenue above the midpoint," said Alan Lowe, President and CEO. "These results reflect structural improvement in the long-term operating costs of the company, as we continue to execute on our synergy plan."

https://investor.lumentum.com/events-and-presentations/presentations/default.aspx

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Ice Norway powers 4G and 5G network with Mavenir

Ice Communications, Norway’s third largest mobile operator, has deployed a fully automated, cloud-native Converged Packet Core, supporting 4G, 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) and 5G Standalone (SA) network capabilities using Mavenir’s Cloud Automation for Telco framework.

The deployment includes the provision of Mavenir’s Cloud Automation for Telco framework for fully automated deployment of Cloud Platform and Network workloads, removing the need for error-prone manual processes. , and driving OPEX savings. Mavenir says its framework also orchestrates automatic configuration updates and in-service SW rolling upgrades, allowing improved service experience, as well as smooth and faster roll-out of innovative services. 

Eivind Helgaker, CEO at Ice Communications, said: “This deployment is integral for our company as we focus on growth and investing in the future of Norway’s networks. New use cases enabled by 5G SA are going to play a strategic role in how we grow our business and we are pleased to be working with Mavenir as our Converged Packet Core enabler, powering Ice to provide higher quality services to our customers while tapping into new technologies and innovations.”

Pardeep Kohli, President, and CEO at Mavenir, said, “Mavenir congratulates Ice in taking a forward looking approach and looking at 5G SA to unleash the full potential of 5G - moving away from complex, closed, legacy network infrastructures. Mavenir is excited to be part of Ice’s network transformation journey and we look forward to bringing strong subscriber experiences to the Norwegian market.”

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