Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts

Monday, December 19, 2022

Huawei and Orange achieve 157 Tbps over 120km fiber link

Huawei and Orange achieved a new world record optical transmission of 157 Tbps over a 120 km fiber on the Orange network in South West France. 

In June 2022, Huawei released the industry's first ultra-broadband Super C + Super L solution able to provide 12 THz of spectrum () over a fiber using C band (C for Conventional wavelengths) and L band (L for long wavelengths). In this testing, the total bandwidth was extended to 18 THz by using in-house technologies for S band (S for short wavelengths) and relying on the transmission expertise of Huawei's French R&D Center. A total number of 240 wavelengths were used to provide a total transmission capacity of 157 Tbit/s, based on Huawei's advanced high-order constellation shaping modulation algorithm.

Gilles Bourdon, Vice President for Wireline Networks & Infrastructure, Orange Innovation, declared: "Facing the continuous increase of traffic demand, obtaining more spectrum and therefore more value from our existing assets is crucial. It is even more important as spectral efficiency of such optical systems reaches a theoretical limit. The testing proves the capability of our fiber infrastructure to offer 50 % more spectrum and thus effectively address one of our key topics: the experience and connectivity of our customers."

Richard Jin, President for the Optical Business Product Line, Huawei, declared: "Huawei has long been committed to strategic investments, research and technological breakthroughs in the optical communications domain, as illustrated by the excellence of our optical research teams, such as the one in Paris. We are delighted to collaborate with an operator as innovative as Orange to contribute, together, to the creation of the network of the future."

https://www.huawei.com/en/news/2022/12/optical-innovation-orange

Thursday, December 8, 2022

SGP picks Nokia's IP/MPLS for Grand Paris Express metro network

Société du Grand Paris (SGP) has selected Nokia's 5G-ready IP/MPLS multiservice, mobile core and radio access network (RAN) solutions to support the implementation of four automated train lines that link 200 kilometers of Paris and up to two million passengers a day. 

The Grand Paris Express, the future metro of Greater Paris, is the largest metro rail project in Europe. With 200 kilometres of rail network, the project includes the creation of four new lines (15, 16, 17 and 18) around Paris, the extension of line 14, the construction of 68 new metro stations and the development of new neighbourhoods around these future urban centres.

The Nokia solutions include a state-of-the-art, multi-service IP/MPLS high-speed network to support all Grand Paris Express operational and maintenance requirements. The private mobile radio solution is designed for operational communications and indoor/outdoor connectivity across all Grand Paris Express stations, lines and depots. Mission-critical application requirements across the four lines will be supported by the multi-service IP/MPLS network.

The contract builds on Nokia’s relationship with SGP following the deployment of an LTE network across three of the new Paris metro lines.

Matthieu Bourguignon, Vice President Enterprise Europe Sales at Nokia, said: “These projects provide critical high-speed connectivity and performance at all points within the new Grand Paris metro and its operations, giving SGP the highest levels of confidence in its end-to-end Nokia network. We are incredibly proud to be selected by SGP as a supplier and excited to deploy our world-leading wireless access, IP/MPLS routing and mobile core solutions as a part of this ambitious project to digitally transform one of Europe’s largest rail systems.”

https://www.societedugrandparis.fr

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2022/12/08/nokia-ip-and-private-wireless-chosen-by-societe-du-grand-paris-to-power-one-of-europes-largest-metro-rail-projects/

Sunday, November 13, 2022

ITEN introduces a tiny 100µA.h micro-battery

ITEN introduced a micro-battery of only 100µA.h. that can be recharged via an indoor photovoltaic cell. 

Potential applications include sensors powered by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) System-on-a-chip implementations. The company says such a solution powered by its micro-battey could operate 24/7 sending data every 10 seconds during the day and every 4 to 5 minutes during the night (this frequency could be increased if using a 250µA.h micro-battery instead). By comparison, a coin cell of at least 100mA.h would be required to get the same operating conditions but with a limited lifetime.

ITEN, which is based in Lyon, France, recently closed a EUR 80 million financing round.

https://www.iten.com

Thursday, November 3, 2022

Orange Marine inaugurates cable laying ship - C/S Sophie Germain

Orange Marine has launched the C/S Sophie Germain, a new cable laying and repair ship.

The 100m vessel, which is named for a French mathmatician and philosopher, was built at the Colombo Dockyard in Sri Lanka.


https://twitter.com/OrangeMarine_/status/1588157297162948610

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Orange outlines energy saving plan in France

Orange outlined the following energy to reduce electricity consumption in France:

  • During peak consumption, Orange will cut 5 to 10% of its instantaneous electricity consumption for one hour per day. Switching to electric battery for several thousand fixed network installations will help save up to 20 MW, i.e. the instantaneous consumption of a medium-sized city with 40,000 inhabitants. These energy efficiency measures will have no negative impact on users. 
  • The temperature in offices is now set at 19°C. On days when there are few visitors, Orange proposes closing some quieter work spaces to reduce their electricity and heating consumption.
  • Since September 1, 2022, window lighting at all Orange stores in France is switched off 30 minutes after closing at the latest.
  • During peak consumption, SMS will be sent to Orange employees and customers to raise awareness of environmentally-friendly actions, like switching off their boxes when not in use; switching to Wi-Fi at home, or enabling standby mode for their Livebox and TV set-top box. Extended standby mode on the Livebox 6 can reduce energy consumption by 95%.
  • As a signatory of the Ecowatt charter, Orange will also display an electricity status report on the Orange TV home page, allowing every TV viewer to see the amount of electricity available in France.

Christel Heydemann, Orange CEO, explains: “In an uncertain geopolitical and economic context, we share the French government's concerns and we have developed a concrete plan to support the national energy saving initiative. By offering to cut consumption at several thousand technical sites for one hour, we will reduce our instantaneous power requirements by up to 10%, without impacting the service offered to users. But I must point out that networks are crucial for an effective society. We must work together to avoid load shedding measures this winter”.

https://www.orange.com/en/newsroom

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Mavenir and NEC deliver massive MIMO on Orange’s 5G SA test

Mavenir and NEC  (NEC) have deployed massive MIMO (mMIMO) on Orange’s 5G standalone (SA) experimental network in Chatillon near Paris. The deployment is part of the extension of project Pikeo – Orange’s cloud-based and fully automated 5G SA experimental network, also called Pikeo at this site.

Mavenir’s cloud-native Open virtualised Radio Access Network (Open vRAN) software has been deployed on Orange’s cloud infrastructure with NEC’s 32T32R mMIMO active antenna unit (AAU) to deliver high capacity and enhanced coverage. Interoperability between radios and virtualised Distributed Units (vDUs) over the O-RAN Alliance Open Fronthaul Interface is key to Open RAN’s ability to simplify the deployment of multi-vendor networks and eliminate vendor lock-in.

“Mavenir and NEC’s successful Open RAN deployment of mMIMO on Orange’s Innovation 5G SA experimental network is a major stepping stone on the road towards Open RAN deployments and illustrates Orange’s commitment to support the development of multi-vendor Open RAN solutions with innovative partners. Our Open RAN Integration Centre, open to our partners worldwide, contributes to the development of a strong Open RAN ecosystem in Europe,” said Arnaud Vamparys, SVP Radio Access Networks and Microwaves at Orange.

“Deploying 5G SA mMIMO is a significant milestone in developing Open RAN and transitioning from virtualised to cloudified networks. We are very proud of our continuing collaboration with Orange, NEC and other companies that are proving the potential of the multi-vendor, cloud-native, standards-based approach,” said Hubert de Pesquidoux, Executive Chairman of Mavenir.

“The latest deployment of Open RAN mMIMO in Europe is another milestone for Open RAN and one that required close collaboration and tight integration between multiple vendors. This synergy is exactly what Open RAN needs to successfully deliver on its promise of a truly open multi-vendor ecosystem,” said Naohisa Matsuda, General Manager of NEC’s 5G Strategy and Business.

https://www.mavenir.com

Orange names its 5G Stand Alone vendors 

Orange has chosen the following industrial partners for its 5G Stand Alone networks across Europe:Ericsson’s 5G SA core network for Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg and PolandNokia’s 5G SA core network for France and Slovakia, and Nokia’s Subscriber Data Management for all countriesOracle Communications for 5G core signaling and routing in all countriesFor other network functions, in particular the radio, a software update of the existing equipment will...

O-RAN Alliance demos at MWC Barcelona

 O-RAN ALLIANCE will host 22 demos at the upcoming MWC Barcelona 2022 as well as 24 additional demos online at the O-RAN Virtual Exhibition. Here are highlights.Intelligent RAN control demosEricsson presents its approach to SMO as an enabler of automation and value creation in the context of open innovation with rApps. Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform provides multi-vendor and multi-technology support for RAN and empowers CSPs to accelerate...


Tuesday, August 23, 2022

PEACE Cable completes final splice linking Marseille to Karachi

PEACE Cable International Network Co. announced the final slicing of the Pakistan-Egypt segment of its subsea cable system, thus enabling ready-for-service connectivity from Karachi, Pakistan to Marseille, France.

The PEACE Pakistan-Egypt segment connects Karachi, Pakistan and Zafarana, Egypt, spanning a total length of 5,800 km. The landings of Karachi and Zafarana were completed in March and December 2021 respectively. In addition, the Mediterranean segment of PEACE linking Marseille, France, to Abu Talat, Egypt, a 3,200km long project, has also achieved RFS in March 2022. 

In 2019, the landing agreement was signed by Cybernet and PEACE Cable. Cybernet, the landing partner of PEACE in Pakistan, has built the country’s state-of-the-art, Cable Landing Station in Karachi, which will allow global carriers, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), content providers and virtually all IT-enabled firms to tap into the submarine cable capacity at easily accessible interconnect points across Pakistan. Cybernet has the most robust fiber optic network across the country which will also facilitate access and boost business opportunities for PEACE in the Asian region.

The PEACE Cable System, connects Asia, Africa and Europe, with its stronghold connecting Pakistan, France, Egypt, Kenya. The whole system deploys a state-of-the-art “system-within-a-system” and adopts advanced ROADM powered by WSS and Flexible Grid, providing PoP to PoP solutions. 

PEACE has a capacity of up to 96T for Pakistan - Egypt segment and 192T in the Mediterranean segment from Egypt connecting to France. Meanwhile, PEACE is now under construction for the Singapore extension, which will extend the coverage of the PEACE cable system to Southeast Asia and continue to enhance the value of the PEACE cable system's network resources, forming a major Asia-Europe interconnection channel by connecting Singapore, the southeast Asian international circuit transfer center, and France, the European transfer center.

"The segment from Pakistan to France has now been built well, which is really a thrilling milestone”, Sun Xiaohua, COO of PEACE Cable, says. “With Cybernet, we will bring much-needed redundancy to Pakistan's Internet backbone and provide users with high-speed traffic to meet the rapidly growing demand for internet access in different types of digital scenarios in Pakistan.” Mr. Shoaib Qureshi, Country Manager of PEACE Cable in Pakistan, says: “PEACE is the first international submarine cable starting from Pakistan and reaching Europe, Africa and Singapore. It is a new beginning of submarine chapter for Pakistan market, we are very excited to grow this region’s connectivity.”

http://www.peacecable.net/News/Detail/16641

Orange and PCCW join PEACE subsea cable project

PCCW Global, Orange, and PEACE Cable International, a leading international submarine cable operator, reached agreement to deploy the Pakistan and East Africa Connecting Europe (PEACE) submarine cable system.

PEACE will be a 12,000km ultra-low latency cable system connecting three of the largest and most populous continents in the world - Asia, Africa and Europe. The backbone of the project will interconnect Pakistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Kenya and France, with additional planned landing points and extensions. Completion is targeted for 2021.


In terms of the cooperation, Orange will supply and operate the cable landing station in Marseille, as well as linking the system to one of the city’s major data centers - creating a connectivity gateway across Europe and on to the Americas through existing transatlantic networks.

Mr. Marc Halbfinger, Chief Executive Officer, PCCW Global, said, “Our collaboration with Orange is a critically important step towards bringing PEACE online and we trust the capabilities and vast experience of their teams in France to provide a successful and timely delivery of the European leg of the project. Orange has vast experience in submarine cable infrastructure development. So we are confident that Orange will not only successfully provide the necessary cable infrastructure in France, but also benefit from being one of the first major users of the PEACE cable to connect important and growing traffic from Africa to Europe.”

Telecom Egypt signs PEACE subsea cable

Telecom Egypt entered agreements enabling the Pakistan & East Africa Connecting Europe (PEACE) subsea cable system to cross Egypt through new diversified terrestrial routes between the Zafarana and Abou Talat cable landing stations, where Telecom Egypt will provide PEACE with brand new state of the art landing facilities. The total value of the agreement amounts to US$45 million over the lifetime of the cable.

In addition,  PEACE will be granted an additional fiber pair to its redundant cross Egypt routes to accommodate PEACE extensive demand to Europe with a total value of US$20 million. China-based HENGTONG OPTIC-ELECTRIC, which is a backer of PEACE, has also agreed to provide Telecom Egypt with fiber optic cables of different cores based on competitive pricing. This cabling will be used in Telecom Egypt's strategic plans for fiber deployment inside Egypt.

PEACE is a 12,000 km long cable system with landings in Pakistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Kenya and France.

Huawei Marine advances PEACE subsea cable project

The Pakistan East Africa Cable Express (PEACE) Cable project, which will connect Asia, Africa and Europe, has entered into the cable and material manufacturing stage.

The PEACE cable system will span 12,000 km and is designed for 200G, 16Tbps per fiber pair connectitivity. The ready for service date is targetted for first quarter of 2020.

The project is being developed by PEACE Cable International Network Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of China's HENGTONG Group.  Huawei Marine Network is lead contractor.

Sun Xiaohua, Chief Operating Officer of PEACE Cable said, “PEACE Cable has created a new business model in the submarine cable industry that builds a bridge for these regions communications and provides connectivity opportunities to players all along the route by investing in the branches and gaining bandwidth on the trunk in a more efficient way.”

Monday, July 11, 2022

ST and GlobalFoundries target 300mm fab in France

STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries agreed to create a new, jointly-operated 300mm semiconductor manufacturing facility adjacent to ST’s existing 300mm facility in Crolles, France. This facility is targeted to ramp at full capacity by 2026, with up to 620,000 300mm wafer per year production at full build-out (~42% ST and ~58% GF).

The new facility will support several technologies, in particular FD-SOI-based technologies, and will cover multiple variants. This includes GF’s FDX technology and ST’s comprehensive technology roadmap down to 18nm, which are expected to remain in high demand for Automotive, IoT, and Mobile applications for the next few decades.

FD-SOI technology has origins in the Grenoble (France) area. It has been part of ST technology and product roadmap in its Crolles facility since the early beginnings, and it was later enabled with differentiation and commercialized for manufacturing at GF’s Dresden facility. FD-SOI offers substantial benefits for designers and customers, including ultra-low power consumption as well as easier integration of additional features such as RF connectivity, mmWave and security.

ST and GF will receive significant financial support from the State of France for the new facility. This facility will strongly contribute to the objectives of the European Chips Act, including the goal of Europe reaching 20% of worldwide semiconductor production by 2030. 

“This new manufacturing facility will support our $20 billion+ revenue ambition. Working with GF will allow us to go faster, lower the risk thresholds, and reinforce the European FD-SOI ecosystem. We will have more capacity to support our European and global customers as they transition to digitalization and decarbonization” said Jean-Marc Chery, President and CEO of STMicroelectronics. “ST is transforming its manufacturing base. We already have a unique position in our 300mm wafer fab in Crolles, France which will be further strengthened by today’s announcement. We continue to invest into our new 300mm wafer fab in Agrate (near Milan, Italy), ramping up in H1 2023 with an expected full saturation by end 2025, as well as in our vertically integrated silicon carbide and gallium nitride manufacturing.”

https://www.investors.gf.com


What's hot at OFC22? GlobalFoundries on Co-packaged optics

The proof-point for co-packaged optics are here, says Anthony Yu, VP of Computing and Wired Infrastructure, GlobalFoundries. Yu discusses GlobalFoundries' newly unveiled next generation silicon photonics platform and active design wins with major customers, including collaborations with Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Marvell, NVIDIA, Ayar Labs, Lightmatter, PsiQuantum, Ranovus and Xanadu.The Consortium for Onboard Optics (COBO) has been instrumental...


Ekinops reports H1 revenue of €63.3 million, up 25%

Ekinops reported Q2 2022 revenue s consolidated revenue stood at €35.5m, vs. €27.6m a year earlier. At constant scope and exchange rates, quarterly growth stood at +24%.

Over H1 2022, revenue amounted to €63.3 million, vs. €50.8 million in H1 2021, an increase of €12.5m. This solid level reflects robust growth of +25% relative to H1 2021 and +20% relative to the H2 2021, which traditionally contributes more.

Ekinops noted growth in all of its business lines (Optical transport, Access and Software & services). In the wake of 2022, the Optical transport activity was particularly buoyant, with robust growth of +31% relative to H1 2021, thanks to the success of 200 Gbps and 400 Gbps WDM systems.

Over the period, momentum in Access solution sales was also strong in all regions, with +21% growth compared to H1 2021.

Driven by the success of SDN (Software Defined Networks) solutions, network functions virtualization (VNFs – Virtual Network Functions), Services activity, including the contribution of SixSq's activities, revenue generated by sales of software and services, which constitute a factor for improving profitability, jumped by +47%, representing 15% of H1 revenues.

By geography, revenues wereup +29% in France and strong sales momentum in international business, including +48% in North America. International sales momentum was upbeat over H1 2022, with revenue up +22% and strong growth in all regions. International business accounted for 65% of total revenue over H1 2021 (vs 67% a year earlier). Business volumes totaled €12.8 million in North America, representing strong growth of +48% relative to H1 2021 (+33% in US dollar), driven by demand for Optical transport equipment. Ekinops reached, for the first time, 20% of its revenue in North America in H1 2022 (vs. 17% in the previous year).

At mid-year, EMEA (Europe, excl. France, Middle-East and Africa), which accounts for 38% of business, generated revenue of €24.3 million, up +6% relative to H1 of the previous year.

Didier Brédy, Chairman and CEO of Ekinops, stated: "After a dynamic 2021 for Ekinops, this beginning of 2022 is marked by a clear acceleration in demand growth. Illustrating this dynamism, all our business lines show strong growth, with strong traction in our Optical transport solutions, particularly in North America. This momentum puts us ahead of our target set at the time of the OTN technology acquisition in 2019, namely, to triple our sales over 5 years for this business line. Beyond the excellent growth in sales, my greatest satisfaction is the tremendously positive feedback from our largest customers regarding our ability to deliver on schedule while the unprecedented components crisis is raging. From the beginning of the Covid crisis, we have chosen to use our balance sheet to increase our inventory, to buy certain risky components 12 to 18 months in advance, while we would buy those 6 months ahead before the crisis. These choices have proven to be right ones as they generate goodwill from our customers and allow us to win market share."

https://www.ekinops.com/news/corporate/ekinops-delivers-record-h1-revenue-at-63-3-million-up-25-q2-growth-at-29

Thursday, July 7, 2022

Orange France installs Passive Optical LAN from Nokia

Orange is deploying a passive optical LAN (POL) solution from Nokia at over 20 sites in France including the new Orange Headquarters, Bridge, in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris.

The POL solution replaces the existing copper-based LAN, connecting more than 5,000 end points including Wi-Fi and hard-wired terminals.

Philippe Gacougnolle, Orange France Director of the Internal Network Domain said: “Moving to POL for our intra office connectivity can save significant energy costs and reduce emissions which is essential to help Orange meet its ambitious environmental goals”

Stephane Azoulay, Nokia Head of Orange France Account said: “Switching from traditional LAN to POL technology means a more compact solution, with less energy consumption and much better performance proving the best possible user experience. We’re proud to have been selected by Orange for this important project.”

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2022/07/07/nokia-and-orange-france-deploy-passive-optical-lan-solution-over-20-sites/



Saturday, July 2, 2022

Google Cloud region opens in Paris

A new Google Cloud region has opened in Paris, France.

The new France region (europe-west 9) launches with three cloud zones and Google Cloud's standard set of services including Compute Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine, Cloud Storage, Persistent Disk, CloudSQL, and Cloud Identity. In addition, it offers core controls to enable organizations to meet their unique compliance, privacy, and digital sovereignty needs.

https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/infrastructure/google-cloud-region-in-paris-france-now-open

Oracle inaugurates data center in Paris, now 38 cloud regionsworldwide

Oracle opened its second cloud region in France in La Courneuve, Paris.  All Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services are available in the Oracle Cloud Paris region to support regulatory compliance requirements, which are especially critical in banking and the public sector. Available services include Oracle Autonomous Database, Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes, and Oracle Cloud VMware Solution. The company already operates a data center...


Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Nokia launches 5G Innov Lab in France

Nokia launched a 5G Innov Lab platform with the objective of testing and integrating 5G industrial uses, using an open and transversal approach; and brings together various entities, including Airbus Secure Land Communications, Augmented Acoustics, Digital Immersion, IMT, SNEF Lab, Nokia Bell Labs, and Paris-Saclay Hardware Accelerator.

The 5G Innov Lab platform will rely on a 5G private network comprised of  different frequencies  (2.6GHz TDD, 26GHz, and the 3.8 – 4.2GHz band, with three major focus areas:

  • Research and innovation
  • Industrial and vertical use cases
  • 5G experiments on the 26GHz band

The 5G Innov Lab platform is part of the France Recovery plan. 

Pierre-Gaël Chantereau, President of Nokia in France, said: "5G will play a critical role in the transformation of the industry and verticals and this Nokia-led platform will enable the development in France of new use cases, with the support of all partners. France has many assets, supported by both historical and new players, and the cooperation of these actors is essential to accelerate developments and guarantee our competitiveness at the European and global levels.”

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2022/06/21/nokia-launches-in-france-the-5g-innov-lab-platform-to-test-and-integrate-future-5g-use-cases/

Monday, June 20, 2022

Bouygues Telecom picks Ericsson for 5G SA core network

Bouygues Telecom has select the cloud-native Ericsson Dual Mode 5G Core for its network in France.

When fully operational, the end-to-end (spanning both Bouygues Telecom’s core and RAN networks) 5G SA network will facilitate use cases across Bouygues Telecom’s entire customer base: from individual consumer subscribers to enterprise and industry customers, and other use cases where secure high-end public, hybrid or dedicated 5G networks are needed.

Benoît Torloting, CEO, Bouygues Telecom, says: “This agreement with Ericsson, a long-standing partner, heralds the implementation of a key step for Bouygues Telecom in the deployment of 5G. This 5G Standalone core network will enable us to offer our consumer and enterprise customers the best of technology from 2023 on. Bouygues Telecom is proud to support them in their digital transition with the quality and security of its network."

Franck Bouétard, Head of Ericsson France, says: “This agreement with Bouygues Telecom reaches a new milestone to accelerate the digital transformation in France and take full advantage of 5G technology for both consumers and enterprises with the 5G Standalone mode.”

https://www.ericsson.com/en/news/2022/6/end-to-end-ericsson-sa-5g-for-bouygues-telecom

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Cato opens SASE PoP in Marseilles

Cato Networks inaugurated its Marseilles point of presence (PoP), its twentieth PoP in EMEA. 

With the new PoP, Cato extends enterprise-grade threat prevention, data protection, and global traffic optimization to the sites and users in Southern France. Cato already operates a PoP in Paris. The Cato SASE Cloud delivers a full suite of converged security capabilities -- Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), IPS as a Service, and Next Generation Anti-malware (NGAM). All available from 70+ PoPs worldwide, servicing 150+ countries, and interconnected by Cato's global private backbone that uses built-in WAN optimization to far outperform legacy MPLS services.

"With the rise of ransomware, cyberthreats, and the need for secure and optimized, global application access, Cato has seen strong demand for our cloud-native SASE platform," says Luca Simonelli, vice president of EMEA sales, "The Marseilles PoP helps meet that demand extending the reach of the Cato SASE Cloud while extending the cloud platform's resiliency within France. The expansion is just part of our strategic plan to continue investing in the EMEA region."

https://www.catonetworks.com/

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Orange France picks Ericsson for 5G converged charging

Orange France signed a five-year agreement with Ericsson for providing the monetization platform used by Orange France’s 5G subscribers.

The cloud-native Ericsson Charging solution will serve nearly 28 million of Orange France’s customers, roamers-in and private mobile radio users and 20 million IoT devices based on a container-based deployment using Ericsson Cloud Native Infrastructure Solution (CNIS). Ericsson Charging will be integrated with legacy business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) billing platforms.

Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon, CTO Orange France, says: “Ericsson Charging solution will provide us with advanced technology and the ability to accelerate our time to market for new products and services, delivering optimized operational costs, and improving our overall customer experience with real-time information.”

Franck Bouétard, head of Ericsson France, says: “Orange France wants to drive its evolution to a full converged charging system for their 5G network. The Ericsson Charging solution enables them to realize, create, and capitalize on new digital opportunities”.

  • In 2019, Ericsson was selected by Orange France as its Business Support Systems (BSS) provider for real-time online charging system to modernize and standardize charging systems for prepaid and hybrid users. 

Monday, May 9, 2022

France's SNCF picks Kontron and Ribbon for optical upgrade

Kontron Transportation has been awarded the Transilien SNCF Voyageurs Optical Transport Network (OTN) project to upgrade SNCF's communications network. The project involves replacing obsolete WDM  equipment in the Paris region with Ribbon's WDM, including OTN switching technology, part of its IP Wave portfolio.

The project includes:

  • A multi-tier core-aggregation-access OTN switching architecture, based on Ribbon's 9904X Metro OTN and 9901X Access OTN switches
  • A high availability network management system (NMS) with disaster recovery protection
  • Professional services support of Kontron deployments including training and skills transfer.

"We are delighted to extend our relationship with our longtime partner Kontron Transportation to help one of the largest and most important transportation companies in Europe upgrade their communications network to the latest in WDM including OTN switching technology," said Sam Bucci, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Ribbon's IP Optical Networks Business Unit. "As an integral part of our IP Wave portfolio, our Optical solutions support some of the world's most vital critical infrastructure sectors including large railway operators like SNCF Voyageurs, helping them dramatically improve their network performance, capacity and reliability."

"This is a significant milestone on the way to switching from conventional transmission to optical technology on mission-critical networks," said Richard Bussienne VP Mission Critical Networks Kontron Transportation Western Europe. "We are proud, that SNCF Voyageurs selected Kontron Transportation and our partner Ribbon for this important project."



Saturday, January 29, 2022

Christel Heydemann to take charge as CEO of Orange

by Benedict Chua, Associate Editor

Orange’s Board of Directors, appointed Christel Heydemann as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Stéphane Richard who served as chairman and CEO of the company since March 2011. Richard resigned in November, pending the appointment of a new CEO, following  a verdict reached by the Paris Appeal Court that found Richard guilty of the misuse of public funds. Heydemann will take over with effect from 4 April 2022.

Given the Board’s decision to separate the roles of Chairman and CEO, on the new Chief Executive’s arrival Stéphane Richard will continue in the role of Non-executive Chairman until a new Chairman is in post and at the latest until 19 May 2022, the date of Orange’s Annual General Meeting.

Christel Heydemann is currently Executive Vice President Europe Operations and a member of the Executive Committee of Schneider Electric. A graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, she began her career in 1997 at Boston Consulting Group. In 1999, she joined Alcatel where she was entrusted with a range of roles and responsibilities, specifically in the context of the merger of Alcatel and Lucent. In 2011, she was appointed to Alcatel-Lucent’s Executive Committee as Director of Human Resources and Transformation. In 2014, she joined Schneider Electric as the Director of Strategic Alliances and in April 2017 she was appointed as Executive Vice President of Schneider Electric France and subsequently Executive Vice President Europe Operations in May 2021.

Stéphane Richard commented: “I am delighted to welcome Christel Heydemann and wish her full success as CEO of Orange. Working alongside the Group’s employees, I am convinced that her personal and professional qualities will enable her to meet the challenges the future holds for the Group. Christel’s involvement as a Board member and her long experience at Alcatel and then Schneider Electric means she has an excellent understanding of the challenges and opportunities of the digital future and the critical role this will play in the decades ahead. I am certain that her vision, her pragmatism and her ability to bring out the best in every situation will be of enormous value to Orange. Finally, I would also like to thank Anne-Gabrielle Heilbronner and Bernard Ramanantsoa for their exemplary and rigorous work throughout the selection process in the best interests of the Group.”

Commenting on her appointment, Christel Heydemann said: “I would like to thank the Board members for their confidence. As a member of the Board for nearly five years, I have gained a solid understanding of the technological challenges and opportunities that lie before us. I know that these are significant, but it is equally a huge honour to be able to contribute to the development of one of the leading players in our industry and Orange will have my total commitment as we set about this task. I also know I can count, as my predecessor has been able to, on the dedication of all the company’s teams to see Orange through to success. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank my colleagues at Schneider Electric. These past seven years building a more durable world through technological innovation have been truly exciting and have further convinced me of the central role that digital will play in the transformation of our society.”

https://www.orange.com/


Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Orange reaches 6 million fiber customers in France

Orange connected its 6 millionth fiber customer in France this week.

2021 was an exceptional year for Orange in terms of fiber deployment. At the end of 2021, using its own funds and in partnership with local authorities, Orange had deployed fiber to 63% of the 29 million premises eligible for FttH in France. With a 20% increase in the number of premises in one year, France is now Europe’s leading country for fiber.

Fabienne Dulac, CEO of Orange France says "With 6 million customers, I am delighted about the widespread adoption of fiber. This result reflects the full mobilization of all the Orange France technical and sales teams and those of its partners across all our regions. Over half of all Orange internet customers in France now enjoy Fiber in the home or in their place of work. This success is based on our position as the leader in the deployment and our ability to connect 10,000 customers every day".

Orange Chairman and CEO, Stéphane Richard, said: "Orange and France gambled on optical fiber over ten years ago now. A gamble that has paid off as France is currently the leading European country for fiber with it now available to 70% of the country, a feat made possible in large part by the men and women at Orange who have already deployed 63% of the existing FttH lines. Every day, our employees and partners help to build the network we will use for the next 50 years".

https://www.orange.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022/orange-reaches-6-million-fiber-customers-france-and-confirms-its



Monday, January 17, 2022

Equinix announces its 10th data center in Paris

Equinix unveiled plans for its 10th data center in Paris.  

The new site, named PA10, will be part of the Equinix Saint-Denis campus. Phase 1 of PA10 is due to provide 3,775 m2 of colocation space and 1,525 cabinets of capacity. Upon completion of all planned phases, the full site is expected to generate 5,775  m2 of colocation space with ~2,250 cabinets.

PA10 is targeted to utilize 100% renewable energy. New sustainability technology employed at the data cente will recover heat from customer equipment and transfer it to the urban heating network, and in turn, heat the local community swimming pool. The rooftop of the new site will be home to a greenhouse of 430 m² in which fruit and vegetables will be grown. A hydroponic system aims to reduce water consumption by using a water recovery system and only irrigating the cultivated areas. The greenhouse will also utilize the heat recovery technology in place at PA10. The rooftop garden will help retain rainwater and reduce the amount of water directed to the sewer, in addition to reducing waste heat emissions.

Régis Castagné, Managing Director for France at Equinix, explains: "For a long time, the digital revolution has been seen as the cause of change in society. Its importance during the pandemic is an illustration of this: not only did it allow us to continue to work, learn, or be entertained, but it was also essential for economic recovery. At Equinix, we're working to support this shift, spearheading innovations to address the environmental impact of digital. Indeed, it has become a societal issue that requires, among other things, increased dialogue between industry and local authorities to hasten progress in this area."

"In support of the Choose France initiative, today's investment and expansion serves to bolster the country's digital infrastructure capabilities, providing local and multi-national corporations with a foundational source of differentiation and the global platform needed to thrive in today's digital economy," notes Charles Meyers, President and CEO at Equinix. "Equinix is connecting digital leaders, enabling them to simplify operations, improve customer experience and accelerate the launch of new products and services."



Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Video: Upperside's SD-WAN + SASE conference in Paris

Demand for secure connectivity to branch offices and remote workers is driving the SD-WAN + SASE market to new levels and the pandemic is accelerating this trend.

This week, industry leaders gathered virtually and in-person at Upperside's SDWAN + SASE 2021 conference in Paris to discuss competing architectures, new ways to deliver SASE, and how Service Providers can make money with these new services.  Roy Chua, Founder and Principal, AvidThink, provides an on-site report.

https://www.uppersideconferences.com