Ericsson picked for 5G by CETIN in Czech

Ericsson announced a 5-year contract with CETIN, a wholesale telecom infrastructure company, to bring 5G to the Czech Republic.

Ericsson is set to modernize more than 4,000 cellular sites across the full operational area of CETIN’s mobile network, covering two thirds of the Czech Republic, including the population-dense areas of Prague, Brno and Ostrava. 

CETIN, whose customers include T-Mobile and O2, are powering multiple network providers in Czech to bring 5G powered initiatives like connected utilities and healthcare to life, as well as huge opportunities for consumers such as AR/VR.

Juraj Sedivy, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, CETIN, says: “By partnering with Ericsson, we will build state-of-the-art, secure, and sustainable radio access resources for our clients, largest commercial telecommunication operators in the country. They will in turn use new generation of our network as a platform for unprecedented innovations and offer completely new range of services and functionalities for their end customers in the Czech Republic.”

Arun Bansal, President and Head of Europe and Latin America, Ericsson, says: “With the increasing demand for data and disruptive enterprise opportunities on the horizon, 5G offers amazing opportunities for the Czech Republic, and we’re very proud to be the partner of CETIN to make 5G a reality here. People all over the Czech Republic will benefit from Ericsson’s leading 5G portfolio, bringing the next generation of connectivity to transform everything from manufacturing to healthcare. This partnership will see a modernized mobile network with 5G capabilities that will enable crucial digital transformation for the country and give an economic boost that many need.”

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Ericsson Installs 10 Gbps E-Band Radio to Base Station

Ericsson has installed a 10 Gbps microwave hop using E-Band spectrum (70/80 GHz) in a 2+0 configuration (two carriers) in T-Mobile Czech Repulic’s live network.

The installation, which uses Ericsson’s commercially available MINI-LINK 6352, connects an optical aggregation site with a base station in the Prague area. This link spans a distance of 4.85 kilometers.

Ericsson said its outdoor MINI-LINK 6352 has the capacity and functionality to enable rapid deployment of 5G networks. The unit includes an embedded L2 switch, enabling full aggregation and switching between all traffic ports, makes it flexible to fulfill almost any site needs.

Lubor Žatko, Network Development & Delivery Director, T-Mobile says: “T-Mobile has been cooperating with Ericsson in the Czech Republic for 20 years, and use their MINI-LINK solutions for base station connectivity. The introduction of the MINI-LINK 6352 E-Band unit delivers the high capacity and low latency connectivity that T-Mobile needs as we prepare for 5G applications. We appreciate Ericsson’s solutions and attention in the microwave area to take care of our future needs. This latest 10Gbps microwave hop shows the potential of a quick 5G rollout in the Czech Republic.”

Marian Bezak, Head of Czech Republic and Slovakia, Ericsson, says: “In cooperation with T-Mobile Czech Republic, Ericsson brings the newest microwave technologies to the Czech market, helping to provide the best user experience for its customers. We strongly believe that we can contribute and support T-Mobile Czech Republic to further develop the Czech telecom industry and we are looking forward to expanding our cooperation towards the 5G era.”

http://www.ericsson.com

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Mirantis to Acquire TCP Cloud for Managing Continuous Upgrades

Mirantis agreed to acquire TCP Cloud, a start-up headquartered in Prague that specializes in  managed services for OpenStack, OpenContrail and Kubernetes. Financial terms were not disclosed. TCP Cloud has about 30 employees.

Mirantis said the deal will support its initiative with Google and Intel to enable OpenStack on Kubernetes by enabling it to continuously deliver OpenStack to customer data centers.

Mirantis plans to integrate TCP Cloud’s technology with its OpenStack release to provide a public cloud experience on customer premises. The design pattern for managing computing infrastructure in MK.20, commonly referred to as managing infrastructure-as-code, is also used today by top public cloud vendors like AWS, Google Compute Cloud and Microsoft Azure to maintain their clouds. Beginning in the next version of Mirantis OpenStack, MK.20 will become part of Mirantis’ Fuel software for deploying and managing OpenStack and related open source infrastructure software.

“The model for delivering infrastructure employed by traditional vendors is fundamentally misaligned with modern software development patterns. Disruptors of the digital era push new code to production multiple times a day, while traditional enterprise vendors ship infrastructure as packaged software once every few years and require forklift upgrades,” said Alex Freedland, Mirantis CEO. “Mirantis empowers enterprises to embrace the new, continuously delivered infrastructure model on their terms. TCP Cloud’s technology and expertise helps us accelerate that vision.”

“Mirantis and TCP Cloud share a vision of building open source software, and continuously delivering it to digital enterprises,” said Adam Scotnicky, TCP Cloud CEO. “By acquiring TCP Cloud, Mirantis will have increased influence in key open source communities and broader expertise in continuously delivered infrastructure. This powerful combination will help customers like AT&T and Volkswagen build software faster, and emerge as winners in the digital economy.”

https://www.mirantis.com/
http://www.tcpcloud.eu/

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Avast + AVG Merger Extends Cyber Reach to 400 Million Endpoints

Prague-based Avast Software agreed to acquired AVG Technologies N.V. for $25.00 per share in cash, for a total consideration of approximately $1.3 billion. The offer price represents a 33% premium over the July 6, 2016 closing price and a premium of 32% over the average volume weighted price per share over the past six months.

Both companies offer antivirus software and Internet security services.  Both were founded in the Czech Republic in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The combined company will cover more than 400 million endpoints, of which 160 million are mobile. The increase scale of the combined company will provide a deeper network of de facto sensors for tracking emerging cyber threats across the Internet.

Avast currently serves over 230 million endpoints.  The company has over 500 staff in Prague, Czech Republic, with additional offices in the USA, Germany, China, South Korea and Taiwan.

AVG, which is now based in Amsterdam, serves over 200 million endpoints.

"We are in a rapidly changing industry, and this acquisition gives us the breadth and technological depth to be the security provider of choice for our current and future customers," said Vince Steckler, chief executive officer of Avast Software. "Combining the strengths of two great tech companies, both founded in the Czech Republic and with a common culture and mission, will put us in a great position to take advantage of the new opportunities ahead, such as security for the enormous growth in IoT."

"We believe that joining forces with Avast, a private company with significant resources, fully supports our growth objectives and represents the best interests of our stockholders," said Gary Kovacs, chief executive officer, AVG. "Our new scale will allow us to accelerate investments in growing markets and continue to focus on providing comprehensive and simple-to-use solutions for consumers and businesses, alike. As the definition of online security continues to shift from being device-centric, to being concerned with devices, data and people, we believe the combined company, with the strengthened value proposition, will emerge as a leader in this growing market."

http://www.avast.com
http://www.avg.com/

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CESNET Tests 400G with ALU

CESNET, a national research and education network (NREN) e-infrastructure provider in the Czech Republic, has completed a trial of a 400 Gbps optical transmission system in partnership with Alcatel-Lucent.

The CESNET network spans all major cities in the country, primarily serving organizations involved in research and development, science, education and healthcare.  The trial used Alcatel-Lucent’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) together with the 400G Photonic Service Engine (PSE).

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

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T-Mobile Czech Test 400G with Alcatel-Lucent

T-Mobile Czech Republic completed a trial of 400 Gbps transmission over its existing network using optical equipment from Alcatel-Lucent.  Specifically, Alcatel-Lucent supplied its 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) together with the 400G Photonic Service Engine (PSE) over the 320km.

“Besides our existing commitments, delivering  high-bandwidth access via TeraStream, it’s also key for us to permanently verify new and innovative technology options. We always want to offer our customers the best user experience via technology leadership," stated Vladimir Klein, CTO of T-Mobile Czech Republic.

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/press/2015/alcatel-lucent-and-t-mobile-czech-republic-complete-400g-network-trial

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T-Mobile Czech Deploys Mavenir's IMS Core + VoLTE

T-Mobile Czech Republic has deployed of a converged IMS Core and Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Application Server solution from Mavenir Systems.   The operator has completed the first VoLTE call and limited pilot in their live network.

"Deploying our converged IMS core and VoLTE solution is a key milestone for us as T-Mobile CZ transforms their network," said Pardeep Kohli, President and CEO of Mavenir Systems. "We are excited to continue working with T-Mobile CZ to help them with their launch in Czech Republic."

Mavenir operates its European VoLTE Centre of Excellence in Cologne, Germany.

http://mavenir.com/

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T-Mobile Deploys Cisco ASR-5000 in Czech Republic

T-Mobile has chosen the Cisco ASR 5000 Series to manage its mobile data traffic from its new LTE network and 2G/3G infrastructure in the Czech Republic.

Cisco said its ASR 5000 routing platform will help enable T-Mobile to optimize video transmissions and offer customers a broader range of multimedia services. In addition, the ASR 5000 Series can help T-Mobile reduce signaling overhead, distribute session management, and take full advantage of the network's control and user plane capabilities.Deployment gets underway this year. Financial terms were not disclosed.

http://www.cisco.com

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Czech Telecom Authority Halts Spectrum Auction Because Bids too High

The telecom regulatory office for the Czech Republic halted an ongoing auction for 4G spectrum in the 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands because bidding exceeded the threshold limits for the auction.

The Czech Telecommunication Office said the upper pricing limits for the spectrum was set after observing the experience of other EU member states where high license prices were achieved, thereby benefiting the government, but resulting in a distorted telecom market where carriers are reluctant to deploy quickly.  As a consumer issue, the Czech Telecommunication Office said high spectrum prices would most likely translate into high prices for mobile services.

http://www.ctu.cz/aktuality/tiskove-zpravy.html?action=detail&ArticleId=10139

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