TECH Mahindra offers network monitoring and Smart Device assurance

Tech Mahindra introduced SANDSTORM, a remote real-time network monitoring and smart device assurance service for telcos and enterprises that remotely measures customer experiences on any device, from smartphones, tablets, VR headsets, smart TVs, to connected cars.

SANDSTORM DELIVERS insights into device lower-layer information mapped to applications. 

Rohit Madhok, Global Head of Digital Engineering Services at Tech Mahindra, said, "The launch of SANDSTORM will revolutionize the way telcos and enterprises monitor and assure their networks and devices. SANDSTORM's intuitive design interface and easy-to-use tools, will enable our customers to quickly set up, run applications and gain valuable insights that were previously unattainable remotely and in real-time. Early success stories have demonstrated the immense capabilities that SANDSTORM brings to the table. This is a testament to our commitment to deliver game-changing technology that helps our customers stay ahead of the curve."

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DOCOMO advances Open RAN with 5 global operators

NTT DOCOMO is now cooperating with KT, Vodafone Group, Smart Communications in the Philippines, DISH Wireless, and Singtel Open RAN initiatives.

KT and DOCOMO signed a memorandum of understanding in January 20221 to support Open RAN and are now verifying an Open RAN system. Smart successfully demonstrated Open RAN, a first in the Philippines. In addition, Vodafone and DOCOMO agreed in October 20222 to collaborate towards harmonizing mobile operator system integration and test processes. On February 3, the two firms published a white paper with a defined common test script. Also, DISH plans to evaluate the product performance and stability of Open RAN at the Shared Open Lab, DOCOMO's Open RAN verification environment in Japan. Singtel and DOCOMO agreed to evaluate Open RAN technologies and explore an Open RAN introduction.

In addition, DOCOMO unveiled its "OREX" (Open RAN Ecosystem Experience) brand to strengthen the support scheme for international telecom operators in delivering the Open RAN system. 

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Nokia launches its "Habrok" massive MIMO radios

Nokia launched its latest generation AirScale massive MIMO radios, code-named "Habrok" at Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona.

Habrok radios are powered by Nokia’s latest generation of ReefShark System-on-Chip (SoC), now implemented in 5nm. The radios are available in both 32 TRX (Habrok 32) and 64 TRX (Habrok 64) versions, covering all massive MIMO use cases and deployment scenarios.

Nokia cites spectrum flexibility and network performance as design objectives. Habrok initially supporting band n78, both Habrok 32 and Habrok 64 support high radio frequency bandwidth, 200 MHz occupied bandwidth (OBW) and 400 MHz instantaneous bandwidth (IBW), enabling the use of fragmented spectrum allocations and network sharing cases.

At 24kg, Habrok 64 is approximately 30 percent lighter than its predecessors, making it easier to install and faster to deploy, accelerating 5G network deployment. The products also offer even higher energy efficiency by using 30 percent less energy, lowering the total cost of ownership.

Nokia has also announced new optimized additions to its AirScale Osprey portfolio. This includes the first AirScale Osprey 64 dual-band mMIMO radio, which covers the entire US C-band as well as the 3.45G band in a single-box solution. Nokia has also several new multiband remote radio heads, each simplifying site solutions and lowering the total cost of ownership.

Significantly, Nokia has reduced the energy consumption of its latest products by some 30 percent through a combination of software, hardware, and services – including Nokia’s digital design for energy efficiency and energy efficiency-related suite of software features – overall, this can reduce energy consumption by 36 percent.

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “We are proud to unveil Habrok, our latest generation of industry-leading AirScale radios that deliver future-ready performance. Powered by our cutting-edge ReefShark chipsets, these optimized products redefine radio performance with ultra-fast 5G speeds and capacity where it is needed. They are extremely lightweight making them easy to install and support wide bandwidths in both instantaneous and occupied bandwidth. These products are built with energy efficiency in mind, highlighting our continued commitment to reducing our CO2 footprint and supporting our customers in reaching their sustainability targets. We can’t wait to see these new products deliver incredible 5G experiences to mobile subscribers around the world.”

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Nokia pushes smartNIC-powered "anyRAN"

Nokia is driving the concept of "anyRAN" as a means to drive CloudRAN partnerships efor mobile network operators and enterprises.

The concept of anyRAN aims to assist  mobile operators and enterprises extend their options for building and evolving their radio access networks. The anyRAN software can run on any partner's Cloud and Server infrastructure in addition to Nokia AirScale base stations and Nokia AirFrame servers. To ensure performance, anyRAN leverages the Nokia Cloud RAN SmartNIC, a Layer 1 (fronthaul) In-Line acceleration card that integrates seamlessly with all leading Cloud or server infrastructures. L1 acceleration needs specialized silicon with extreme computing capacity, which is beyond the capabilities of general-purpose processors. Nokia Cloud RAN SmartNIC uses dedicated and optimized silicon technology, which is more energy efficient and provides higher performance. Nokia and its partners have already successfully performed end-to-end 5G data calls (Layer 3 calls) in multi-vendor setups powered by Nokia’s solution.

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “The strength of our industry partnerships and the launch of anyRAN unlocks more choice and higher performance in Cloud RAN for our mobile network operator and enterprise customers. Server-based Cloud RAN will have to co-exist with purpose-built RAN in the short-to-medium term which calls for performance consistency and service continuity between the two. Together with our leading industry partners, we have made huge progress towards this goal by driving consistent performance across any partner's Cloud Infrastructure or server hardware. Our collaborative approach to Cloud RAN means we can drive efficiency, innovation, openness, and scale by jointly delivering competitive advantage to organizations embracing Cloud RAN.”

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Cisco and NTT Collaborate on Private 5G

Cisco and NTT Ltd. agreed to collaborate to drive Private 5G adoption across the Automotive, Logistics, Healthcare, Retail and Public sectors.

The companies plan to accelerate edge connectivity through NTT’s first-to-market, Managed Private 5G solution, combined with Intel hardware, so that Cisco and NTT customers will be able to seamlessly integrate Private 5G into their pre-existing LAN/WAN/Cloud infrastructure.

“Together with NTT, we aim to help our enterprise customers accelerate digital transformation, with the power of 5G and Wi-Fi across IT and OT operations,” said Masum Mir, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Provider Mobility, Cisco Networking. “Our cloud-managed private 5G offers customers seamless integration with their Enterprise network fabric along with common policy and zero trust security architecture, helping to reduce technical, financial, and operational risks associated with managing 5G networks, so they can focus on driving business agility and efficiency.”

“This is a natural expansion of the cutting-edge capabilities and services NTT brings to market to help our global clients modernize their businesses. NTT and Cisco are building on our mutual commitment to build a simple to manage pure private network solution,” said Shahid Ahmed, Executive Vice President, New Ventures & Innovation at NTT. “

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HPE acquires Athonet for its private cellular tech

Hewlett Packard Enterprise has acquired Athonet, a private cellular network technology provider based in Vicenza, Italy that delivers mobile core networks to enterprises and communication service providers. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Athonet claims more than 450 successful customer deployments in various industries, including leading mobile operators, hospitals, airports, transportation ports, utilities, government and public safety organizations.

Athonet´s private 5G offers high levels of coverage, reliability and mobility across campus and industrial environments. It also augments the cost-effective, high-capacity connectivity provided by Wi-Fi. 

HPE said Athonet’s technology will be integrated with the Aruba networking portfolio. 

“Telco customers are looking for simpler ways to deploy private 5G networks to meet growing customer expectations at the connected edge,” said Tom Craig, global vice president and general manager, Communications Technology Group at HPE. “At the same time, enterprise customers are demanding a customized 5G experience with low-latency, segregated resources, extended range and security across campus and industrial environments that complement their existing wireless networks. With the acquisition of Athonet, HPE now has one of the most complete private 5G and Wi-Fi portfolios for CSP and enterprise customers – and we will offer it as a service through HPE GreenLake.”

“Athonet was founded to provide customers with private 4G and 5G solutions that deliver carrier-grade reliability and performance to suit their increasing and more challenging connectivity needs,” said Gianluca Verin, CEO and co-founder of Athonet. “We are excited to join HPE and combine our highly skilled teams as we expand our joint service provider offerings for the rapidly growing private 5G market and build on HPE’s strategy to be the leading edge-to-cloud solutions provider.”

In addtion, HPE GreenLake, HPE’s edge-to-cloud platform, will offer Athonet private 5G offerings, combining all costs for Wi-Fi and private 5G into one single monthly subscription with no capital expenditure.

https://www.hpe.com

 

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Nokia's new logo unveiled at MWC

Nokia is refreshing its brand at Mobile World Congress 2023 with the unveiling of a new logo.

In a pre-show press conference, Nokia's CEO, Pekka Lundmark, unveiled the new logo, saying that it brings energy and vitality to company's brand, reflecting Nokia's belief that the networks of the future will be used for s will be sensing, thinking, and acting.

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Nokia and Bosch develop 5G precision positioning ~ 50cm

Nokia and Bosch have jointly developed 5G-based precision positioning technology intended for new Industry 4.0 use cases.  The positioning technology tracks mobile and portable devices connected to the 5G network.

Extensive tests under realistic manufacturing conditions have shown an accuracy within 50 cm in 90 percent of a factory footprint where a proof-of-concept is running.

Andreas Mueller, Chief Expert and responsible for the 6G activities at Bosch, said: “Knowing where things are is generally very valuable information in manufacturing. While today usually separate systems are used for connecting and locating devices, this may be done via an integrated private 5G solution in the future. The proof-of-concept conducted jointly with Nokia underpins the leading role of Bosch in exploring new opportunities for our customers and developing the Factory of the Future.”

Peter Vetter, President of Bell Labs Core Research at Nokia, said: “Bosch and Nokia Bell Labs foresee a future where networks do far more than communicate. Soon, 5G will track connected devices more precisely than satellites, in places satellites can’t reach. In the next decade, 6G will be capable of sensing all objects in their coverage areas regardless of whether they contain active radios. We are creating networks that will endow humans with a digital 6th sense.”

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