NL-ix powers its Internet Exchange with Nokia

NL-ix, the largest European distributed internet exchange provider, is deploying Nokia's 7750 SR-s platforms, powered by the FP5 routing silicon. The deployment will enable NL-ix to begin the rollout of 400GE and 800GE access and interconnection services for its cloud provider and national research and education network (NREN) customers.

This deployment of Nokia’s FP5 is one of the earliest in Europe. Its high capacity 400GE and 800GE capability will accelerate NL-ix’s ability to meet current and future customer demand for higher speed access and interconnection services at lower costs and with greater power efficiency. FP5 allows the delivery of more than three times the capacity as the Nokia FP4 hardware in the same space and power envelope.

The new deployment of the Nokia 7750 SR-14s will enable NL-ix to offer 800GE connectivity and increase the density of 400GE services in any of the more than 100 European data centers in which it operates. The IP deployment complements NL-ix’s European-wide low latency optical transport network provided by Nokia in 2021.

Mark Vanderhaegen, Director of Webscale Accounts at Nokia, said: “The rapid expansion of NL-ix makes it one of the largest and fastest growing internet exchange providers in the world. With this growth comes increasing customer demand for much higher speed access and interconnection. We are delighted that NL-ix has chosen Nokia’s market-leading IP routing platforms powered by FP5 silicon to upgrade its pan-European IP network infrastructure to 800Gb/s speeds.”

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Zayo activates 192-fiber subsea route between UK and Netherlands

Zayo activated its new Zeus subsea route connecting Lowestoft, UK and Zandvoort, Netherlands. 

At 192 fibres, Zeus contains the highest fibre count connecting the UK and mainland Europe -- the most dense, deeply-buried and robust cable available in the North Sea. Zayo utilized Ultra Low Loss (ULL) optical fibres, so wavelength throughput on a single channel between London and Amsterdam can reach up to 600G. Zeus offers a full C-band capacity of 2.65 petabits per second (Pbps) and C+L Band of 5.2 Pbps. Corning supplied the SMF-28 fiber.

The cable is buried between 2 and 3 metres under the seabed in comparison with half a metre for existing, outdated cables. The cable is guaranteed to be 100% dual-armored – all the way through the joints – to prevent interference. To ensure an optimal customer experience, Zayo continuously monitors Zeus via OTDR devices for rapid fault identification. In addition, Zayo will be leveraging a 24 X 7 guard vessel to monitor any activity along the path.

“Meeting the connectivity needs of tomorrow requires deploying the most advanced network today, and that’s exactly what we’ve built for customers who want a hyper-fast and ultra-reliable connection between the UK and mainland Europe,” said Jesper Aagaard, president of Zayo Europe. “Zeus is now the strongest connection available in the region. We utilized the best cable available, buried it deeper in the seabed than our competitors and made it even more reliable than alternatives. We are confident our customers will benefit from this project for years- and even decades- to come.”

“The North Sea is an extremely challenging body of water for a subsea project like Zeus. Not only are there harsh weather conditions and relentless currents, the seabed is littered with items, some as simple as a discarded aluminum can and some as formidable as unexploded bombs left over from the Second World War,” said Geir Holmer, CEO of JTD Associates and a key consultant on the project. “Not only did we overcome these challenges, we worked tirelessly with Zayo to ensure this route was built to last – making it the most resilient route across the North Sea. I’m proud to have been part of this project, and what it will enable.”

As part of the project, the team worked with the Royal Netherlands Navy to detonate a large, 80- year-old explosive that had been left on the seabed since World War II. The team also put sustainability first, working to limit disruption and preserve the ecology of the sea. 

https://www.zayo.com/resources/welcoming-zeus-the-new-connectivity-titan-of-the-north-sea/

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QuiX raises €5.5 million for photonic quantum processor

QuiX Quantum, a start-up developing a photonic quantum processor, announced a €5.5 million Seed Round investment from PhotonDelta, FORWARD.one and Oost NL.

QuiX, which is based in Enschede, Netherlands, has developed a low-loss, multimode, reconfigurable interferometer that functions as quantum photonic processor, allowing the user to perform arbitrary, controlled interference between a number of optical channels, in the classical or quantum domain. The processor consists of an optical chip on which the interference occurs, which is packaged in a plug-and-play control box. QuiX says its quantum photonic processor is fully calibrated and temperature stable. The company includes dedicated control software. 

Ewit Roos, CEO of PhotonDelta, said: “QuiX Quantum is one of the Netherland’s most exciting startups. In only three years it has become an industry leader and now, with this initial investment, it will be able to make a serious breakthrough in quantum computing. Photonics is an incredibly powerful new technology that has scores of applications. QuiX Quantum is showcasing how it can be applied to overcome some major hurdles in quantum computing and underscoring why it is so important that we build our own European photonics industry.”

https://www.quixquantum.com/news/quix-quantum-lands-eu5-5-million-for-development-of-worlds-most-powerful-photonic-quantum-computer

The Netherlands aims for photonic integrated circuit leadership with €1.1B fund

Monday, April 18, 2022  Netherlands, Optical, Start-Ups  

PhotonDelta, a cross-border ecosystem of photonic chip technology organizations,secured €1.1 billion in public and private investment. This includes €470 million from the National Growth Fund of the Netherlands, while the rest is co-invested by various partners and stakeholders. The aim is to transform the Netherlands into the leader of the next generation of semiconductors and photonic integrated circuits (PICs).The programme will run for six...

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The Netherlands aims for photonic integrated circuit leadership with €1.1B fund

PhotonDelta, a cross-border ecosystem of photonic chip technology organizations,secured €1.1 billion in public and private investment. This includes €470 million from the National Growth Fund of the Netherlands, while the rest is co-invested by various partners and stakeholders. 

The aim is to transform the Netherlands into the leader of the next generation of semiconductors and photonic integrated circuits (PICs).

The programme will run for six years and will enable PhotonDelta and its partners to further invest in photonic startups and scaleups, expand production and research facilities, attract and train talent, drive adoption, and develop a world-class design library. Currently, the PhotonDelta ecosystem currently consists of 26 companies, 11 technology partners and 12 R&D partners. The organization has jointly invested €171 million in promising photonics companies including Smart Photonics, PhotonsFirst, Surfix, MicroAlign, Solmates and Effect Photonics.

By 2030, PhotonDelta aims to have created an ecosystem with hundreds of companies, serving customers worldwide and a wafer production capacity of 100,000+ per year. 

Ewit Roos, CEO at PhotonDelta, said: "This investment is a game-changer. It will make the Netherlands the home of the next generation of semiconductors which will have a profound impact. The ongoing chip shortage highlights the pressing need to create its own production capabilities for strategic technologies. We will now be able to support hundreds of startups, researchers, producers and innovators to boost this industry that will be as impactful as the introduction of microelectronics a few decades ago."

"The Netherlands is considered a pioneer in the development of PIC technology, and thanks to the continuous support from the Dutch government, we have been able to build a full supply-chain around it that is globally recognised as a hotspot for photonic integration."

"Photonic chips are one of the most important technological breakthroughs of the last decade. Not only do they allow for the creation of devices that are faster, cheaper, more powerful and greener - they also enable radical new innovations like affordable point-of-care diagnostics or quantum computing to become a reality."

The PhotonDelta proposal has been submitted by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy in close collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), University of Twente (UT), Delft University of Technology (TUD), Holst Centre, TNO, IMEC, PITC, CITC, Holst Centre, OnePlanet, Smart Photonics,Lionix International, Effect Photonics, MantiSpectra, PhotonFirst, Phix, and Bright Photonics.

https://www.photondelta.com

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COVID cancellation: IBC conference in Amsterdam, December 3-6

 Due to the rising number of COVID cases in Holland, the in person IBC2021 event, which was due to take place on December 3-6 at The RAI in Amsterdam, has been cancelled.  A virtual version of the event will still take place.

IBC targets the international broadcast community. In 2019, IBC attracted more than 56,000 attendees from 150 countries around the world, exhibiting more than 1,700 of the world's key technology suppliers and showcasing a debate-leading conference. 

https://show.ibc.org/useful-info/ibc-digital

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VodafoneZiggo picks RedHat Openstack

VodafoneZiggo will deploy a hybrid cloud platform based on Red Hat OpenShift to unify its application infrastructure in the Netherlands, including its new standalone 5G core. The carrier has selected Red Hat OpenShift as its foundation for cloud-native applications across both the network and the business, with 5G Core as its first deployment. After a successful proof of concept, VodafoneZiggo enlisted Red Hat Consulting to support the production roll out of Red Hat OpenShift and to provide guidance for embracing agile development models like DevSecOps as well as moving to a more open, collaborative culture. 

VodafoneZiggo already had a common platform in place for its 4G mobile core and several business applications, built on Red Hat OpenStack Platform. 

“Through a flexible, open strategy, Red Hat strives to help service providers be more central to the digital value chain as they navigate changing industry and consumer dynamics. Red Hat helps drive open innovation around real-world needs in the telecommunications industry, bringing many of these innovations in cloud-native networking to Red Hat OpenShift. We are proud to provide VodafoneZiggo with a foundation to support a wide range of 5G use cases whilst helping minimize operational complexities and costs, ultimately powering diverse new services for people and businesses,” states Darrell Jordan-Smith, senior vice president, Industries and Global Accounts, Red Hat.

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Effect Photonics to open Boston office

EFFECT Photonics, which is a spin-off from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, announced plans to open an office in the Boston area. 

EFFECT says its US-based team will be a customer-focused expansion of the engineering, product testing & verification, customer support and marketing capacity to complement its European teams.

"Photonics is a global industry and we have the goal to be a global company. We are a fast growing organisation, offering compelling and innovative integrated photonic solutions. Expanding our geographic presence beyond The Netherlands, the UK and Taiwan, offers us the opportunity to be at the heart of one of our largest markets and to be closer to our customers and partners in the region,” states James Regan, CEO.

https://effectphotonics.com/effect-photonics-facility-in-the-us/

EFFECT Photonics raises $43 million for system-on-chip

Sunday, April 25, 2021  Academia, Funding, Netherlands, Start-Ups  

EFFECT Photonics, a developer of DWDM components based on its optical System-on-Chip technology, announced $43 million in Series-C funding.

EFFECT Photonics, which is a spin-off from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, has developed a photonic chip in which light signals can be generated, modulated, filtered, and detected. 

The first close of the investment round, was co-led by Smile Invest together with existing investor Innovation Industries Fund, exactly one year after announcing the tape-out of its Manta full photonic integration coherent PIC. Smile Invest are joined by existing investors including Innovation Industries Fund, Photon Delta, btov Partners, Brabant Development Agency (BOM) and individual investors. This new round of funding will be used to further expand the current product line of optical transceivers for among other things 5G networks, and to scale up production capacity. In addition, the R&D activities for the next generation of optical chips, with capacity of more than 400 gigabits per second, will also be ramped up.

Boudewijn Docter, one of the founders and President of EFFECT Photonics: “As a company, we have come a long way to make the photonics technology market-ready. We are pleased that Invest-NL is joining our other investors in helping us scale up our production and enabling us to bring additional products to market quicker”.

Ruud Zandvliet, Senior Investment Manager at Invest-NL: “The Netherlands has a unique ecosystem for photonics technologies. EFFECT Photonics is a leading player in this field, capable of developing complex, fully integrated photonic chips. This offers the company the opportunity be a leading player as a manufacturer of the next generation of transceivers. By joining this investment round, Invest-NL contributes to the availability of financing for upscaling and future R&D investments. This is a good example of the role Invest-NL plays in increasing the strength of scale-ups and is in line with our objective of making the Netherlands more sustainable and innovative.

https://effectphotonics.com/

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Nokia supplies optical transport for NL-ix

NL-ix, Europe’s largest distributed internet exchange, selected Nokia to provide metro access and backbone transport for all NL-ix customer traffic across Europe. 

Specifically, Nokia will supply its optical transport solutions to provide a new optical layer over NL-ix’s meshed interconnection fabric to enable seamless capacity growth link scaling. The new network will support client services from 1 Gbps to 400 Gbps. The deployment includes the Nokia 1830 PSS (Photonic Service Switch) and the Nokia PSI-M (Photonic Service Interconnect – Modular) family of WDM/OTN platforms, powered by its PSE-3s (Photonic Service Engine) coherent DSP technology.

Jan Paul Dekker, CTO at NL-ix, said: “This strategic partnership with Nokia highlights NL-ix’s commitment to delivering even higher capacity pan-European optical links between our POPs in the Netherlands and beyond. The modularity of Nokia’s next-generation optical transport solutions enables us to adapt and respond quickly to market demand and provide an even better quality of service and connectivity experiences for our customers. Nokia is a proven and trusted partner and is our preferred choice to transform our European optical backbone network.”

Mark Vanderhaegen, Director of Webscale Accounts at Nokia, said: “NL-ix is growing fast and attracting new members to become one of the largest internet exchanges in the world. The growth in international interconnection needs of its customers means that NL-ix requires higher capacity links between its European locations. Nokia is proud to have been chosen to provide its market-leading WDM/OTN technology and solutions to upgrade NL-ix’s optical transport network.”

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DT and Tele2 to sell T-Mobile Netherlands for EUR 5.1 billion

Deutsche Telekom and Tele2 AB will sell T-Mobile Netherlands to private equity funds advised by Apax Partners and Warburg Pincus for 5.1 billion euros. The deal follows DT's 0.7 billion euros divesture of its Dutch mobile tower business earlier this year.

T-Mobile NL is the leading mobile operator in the Netherlands with a market share of 42% in 2020 based on number of mobile SIMs. T-Mobile NL successfully entered the fixed market with the acquisition of Thuis in 2016 and further reinforced its market position by forming a strategic partnership with Open Dutch Fiber (owned by KKR and DTCP) in 2021. It now serves around 700,000 broadband customers as end of second quarter of 2021. 

“Through our dedicated value creation plan and T-Mobile NL’s unique challenger mind-set, we have successfully transformed T-Mobile NL into the fastest growing MNO in Europe. I am proud of what the entire Dutch Team lead by Soren Abildgaard has achieved through their relentless efforts and clear customer focus and I am thankful for the valuable support of Johan Andsjö as the leading member in the advisory board. In Apax and Warburg Pincus we are convinced we have found the perfect partners for T-Mobile NL to take the company to the next level of growth and continue the FMC Challenger Strategy,” said Thorsten Langheim, Board member for USA and Group Development Deutsche Telekom AG, and responsible for T-Mobile NL.

Upon closing of the transaction, Deutsche Telekom will receive approximately 3.8 billion euros net cash proceeds from the transaction and deconsolidate T-Mobile NL, which generated 2,008 million euros of revenues and 582 million euros of adjusted EBITDA AL in the last twelve months as of June 30, 2021. Cash proceeds to Deutsche Telekom are net of proceeds to 25 percent shareholder Tele2 and other debt items. 

Deutsche Telekom and Cellnex to combine Dutch tower portfolios

Thursday, January 21, 2021  Deutsche Telekom, Network Sharing  

 Deutsche Telekom and Cellnex Telecom will merge their respective Dutch mobile communications infrastructure companies into Cellnex Netherlands BV (Cellnex NL). Both companies will also become anchor investors in the newly established and independently managed Digital Infrastructure Vehicle (DIV), an investment fund focused on European digital infrastructure.

• Deutsche Telekom operates its Dutch telecommunications tower business in T-Mobile Infra BV, with ca. 3,150 towers and rooftop sites. 
• The business of Cellnex NL, a subsidiary of Cellnex, comprises 984 cell sites. 

The enlarged company, with ca. 4,310 sites including planned new build of 180 sites, will be the largest independent cell mobile tower company in the Netherlands.

T-Mobile Netherlands will continue to have full access to the contributed infrastructure through a long-term service agreement at arm’s length.

In a first step Deutsche Telekom is transferring T-Mobile Infra to the newly established and independently managed fund Digital Infrastructure Vehicle (DIV). 

Deutsche Telekom will receive a EUR 250 million cash payment out of the transaction and a shareholding in DIV in exchange for the T-Mobile Infra business. This translates into a capital commitment of Deutsche Telekom of ca. EUR 400 million to the fund. Cellnex has also agreed, as part of the transaction, to commit EUR 200 million of capital to DIV.

In a second step, DIV will contribute the received T-Mobile Infra business to Cellnex NL. In return, DIV receives approximately 38 percent economic interest in Cellnex NL.

In addition to the anchor investors Deutsche Telekom and Cellnex, DIV will be open to institutional investors. Deutsche Telekom intends to hold a limited partner stake of around 25 percent in the fund after the envisaged third-party investments.

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DELTA Fiber picks Nokia for optical transport network

DELTA Fiber, which serves about 900,000 addresses throughout the Netherlands, has selected Nokia to provide an optical transport network supporting 400G wavelengths to handle DELTA Fiber’s increased traffic and further expansion of its FTTH rollout. 

DELTA Fiber will use the Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Switch platforms, powered by Nokia’s Photonic Service Engine technology. This will support DELTA Fiber’s deployment of a new DWDM network, incorporating Nokia’s broad family of Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexers, enabling optimized core and metro applications to cover the entire country. The core network build is currently underway to support 19 sites and will be followed by the deployment of metro sites, covering approximately 75 locations.

This deal is part of a broader cooperation with DELTA Fiber to support its expansion plans, which also includes Nokia supplying XGS.PON access network and customer premise equipment.

John Wittekamp, CTO at DELTA Fiber, said: “Nokia’s highly scalable optical transport network will play a critical role in enabling DELTA Fiber to grow with the needs of its customers both today and in the future. With almost a doubling of traffic each year, we have put in place an aggressive goal to roll out FTTH over the next decade. The new network will address the requirements of exponential traffic growth without compromising reliability and resiliency of the network."

Rafael de Fermin, Senior Vice President Europe, IP/Optics, at Nokia, said: “We’re excited to expand our optical relationship with DELTA Fiber and increase Nokia’s footprint overall as its multi-domain supplier. The new optical transport network is key to ensuring a high-performance experience for DELTA Fiber’s customers through its new access networks.”

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EFFECT Photonics raises $43 million for system-on-chip

EFFECT Photonics, a leading developer of DWDM components based on its optical System-on-Chip technology, announced $43 million in Series-C funding.

EFFECT Photonics, which is a spin-off from the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, has developed a photonic chip in which light signals can be generated, modulated, filtered, and detected. 

The first close of the investment round, was co-led by Smile Invest together with existing investor Innovation Industries Fund, exactly one year after announcing the tape-out of its Manta full photonic integration coherent PIC. Smile Invest are joined by existing investors including Innovation Industries Fund, Photon Delta, btov Partners, Brabant Development Agency (BOM) and individual investors. This new round of funding will be used to further expand the current product line of optical transceivers for among other things 5G networks, and to scale up production capacity. In addition, the R&D activities for the next generation of optical chips, with capacity of more than 400 gigabits per second, will also be ramped up.

Boudewijn Docter, one of the founders and President of EFFECT Photonics: “As a company, we have come a long way to make the photonics technology market-ready. We are pleased that Invest-NL is joining our other investors in helping us scale up our production and enabling us to bring additional products to market quicker”.

Ruud Zandvliet, Senior Investment Manager at Invest-NL: “The Netherlands has a unique ecosystem for photonics technologies. EFFECT Photonics is a leading player in this field, capable of developing complex, fully integrated photonic chips. This offers the company the opportunity be a leading player as a manufacturer of the next generation of transceivers. By joining this investment round, Invest-NL contributes to the availability of financing for upscaling and future R&D investments. This is a good example of the role Invest-NL plays in increasing the strength of scale-ups and is in line with our objective of making the Netherlands more sustainable and innovative.

https://effectphotonics.com/

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Dutch report: Huawei backdoor into KPN's mobile network

The Dutch newspaper Volksrant published a report alleging that Huawei had full access to KPN's mobile subscriber traffic as far back as 2010. 

The report states that although KPN was aware that Huawei had gained uncontrolled and unauthorized access to the core of the KPN mobile network, the company did not disclose the security threat to the public. 

The story is picked up by other leading European news media.

For its part, Huawei has denied the allegations, saying it never had access to the prime minister's phone conversations nor those of anyone else in the country. 

https://www.volkskrant.nl/

https://www.huawei.com/nl/news/nl/2021/de-volkskrant-over-intern-rapport-kpn-onze-reactie

KPN picks Ericsson for 5G core

Thursday, October 15, 2020  Ericsson, KPN, Netherlands  

 KPN has awarded a five year contract to Ericsson to deploy dual-mode 5G Core software with full support services, including an accompanying systems integration program with third-line support services.

The secure cloud-native dual-mode Ericsson 5G Core will allow KPN to meet increasing data demands of customers in existing consumer markets, as well as pursue new 5G innovation opportunities in emerging enterprise segments supported by enhanced network slicing capabilities. 

Arun Bansal, President of Europe and Latin America, Ericsson, says: ”We are pleased to expand our 100-year partnership with KPN through our technology-leading 5G Core solutions. We will work closely with KPN to ensure that consumers and enterprises in the Netherlands can benefit from the emerging opportunities of 5G as it embraces digitalization. Ericsson’s cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core provides the cutting-edge, container-based, microservice architecture that will help KPN to both develop new business models as well as move onto the next level of network operational efficiency.”

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Open Dutch Fiber plans FTTH rollout across the Netherlands

Open Dutch Fiber, an independent platform majority owned by KKR and with DTCP as minority shareholder, will deploy Fiber-to-the-Home in the Netherlands across urban and higher population density areas.

The platform has an open architecture and will make wholesale fiber services available to all operators. Open Dutch Fiber will begin operations in Q2 2021 with a fully-funded commitment for an envisaged capital expenditure of approximately €700 million and construction agreements already in place.

Open Dutch Fiber has signed an agreement with T-Mobile Netherlands, the leading mobile operator and FMC challenger in the Netherlands. T-Mobile Netherlands, which currently has a mobile base of 6.8 million customers and a fixed base of 682,000, will be the anchor tenant for Open Dutch Fiber with a 20-year agreement.

Open Dutch Fiber will be led by Jordi Nieuwenhuis and Uwe Nickl, who previously were co-CEOs of Deutsche Glasfaser in Germany, which rolled out digital infrastructure to more than 1 million homes and 6,000 businesses. Prior to his role at Deutsche Glasfaser, Jordi co-founded Reggefiber in the Netherlands. They will be joined at Open Dutch Fiber by Michael Griffioen as CEO, who will oversee the company’s day-to-day operations.

Jordi Nieuwenhuis, co-founder of Open Dutch Fiber, said: "High-quality and reliable fiber connectivity is essential for the Netherlands and this has only been accelerated with the structural changes to working patterns of companies and citizens brought about by the COVID-19 crisis. We are building a digital infrastructure platform with open access to all operators, to ensure an efficient and rapid deployment of capital resources, while avoiding uneconomical overbuild. We look forward to making a significant contribution to the digitization of the Netherlands to benefit Dutch households and businesses.”

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Amazon commits to 50% capacity of offshore wind project in the Netherlands

Amazon announced its largest single renewable energy project yet -- a new offshore wind project in the Netherlands backed by the Crosswind Consortium, a joint venture between energy companies Shell and Eneco.

The Amazon-Shell HKN Offshore Wind Project, which is scheduled for operation by 2024, promises an overall capacity of 759 megawatts (MW). Amazon is purchasing over 50 percent of that capacity, a total of 380 MW, to power its operations in Europe. 

https://blog.aboutamazon.eu/sustainability/amazon-announces-its-largest-single-renewable-energy-project-yet

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KPN picks Ericsson for 5G core

 KPN has awarded a five year contract to Ericsson to deploy dual-mode 5G Core software with full support services, including an accompanying systems integration program with third-line support services.

The secure cloud-native dual-mode Ericsson 5G Core will allow KPN to meet increasing data demands of customers in existing consumer markets, as well as pursue new 5G innovation opportunities in emerging enterprise segments supported by enhanced network slicing capabilities. 

Arun Bansal, President of Europe and Latin America, Ericsson, says: ”We are pleased to expand our 100-year partnership with KPN through our technology-leading 5G Core solutions. We will work closely with KPN to ensure that consumers and enterprises in the Netherlands can benefit from the emerging opportunities of 5G as it embraces digitalization. Ericsson’s cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core provides the cutting-edge, container-based, microservice architecture that will help KPN to both develop new business models as well as move onto the next level of network operational efficiency.”

T

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Orange Business Services enables digital transformation for AkzoNobel

Orange Business Services by AkzoNobel, a paint company headquartered in the Netherlands with operations in 150 countries, to transform its global network and security infrastructure, converge information technology/operational technology (IT/OT) and enhance security. Orange is providing a range of services, including SD-WAN and LAN, multisourcing service integration (MSI), security and consulting services for AkzoNobel’s global connectivity transformation. Orange will also support AkzoNobel in centralizing its IT/OT network operations, connecting and managing its entire footprint from factory to store, across all regions.

In addition, Orange is establishing a CyberSOC as part of overseeing end-to-end security for both IT and OT. Powered by Orange Cyberdefense, this will pull together forensic security, security event analysis and risk analysis. Orange will also roll out additional security processes for the company’s network infrastructure, including for roaming users and third parties.

As AkzoNobel moves its applications to the cloud. Orange is providing robust, secure connectivity from digital workspaces to cloud-based applications for their global workforce.

“To operate more efficiently, we wanted to simplify our IT ecosystem partner landscape. Building on our more than 15-year successful track record with Orange, we knew we could count on them as our strategic IT services provider. Looking forward, we are eager to co- innovate with Orange around OT and data intelligence services to further boost our business,” said Dirk van der Heijden, Director Global IT Operations at AkzoNobel.

“We have a long and rich history with AkzoNobel in optimizing its infrastructure to provide a competitive edge. We are excited to continue our collaboration, finding secure and innovative ways to support growth and leverage valuable data insights for future innovations in their industry. It’s what we do to support our key customers: connect, protect and innovate,” said Frank Baggermans, Managing Director, Benelux at Orange Business Services.

AkzoNobel's portfolio of brands includes Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon. The company has been operating since 1792.

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KPN deactivates ISDN in Netherlands

KPN officially deactivated its ISDN service on 01-September-2019.

ISDN, which offers two high-quality 64 kbps channels over a single connection; was first introduced in the Netherlands in the early 1990s.

Other providers also offer ISDN services based on KPN’s (Wholesale) network. KPN is offering a grace period for these telecom providers to migrate customers to another service. KPN expects all lines to be phased out in the first quarter of 2020, after which ISDN will no longer be available as a service.

https://overons.kpn/en/news/2019/the-end-of-isdn

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Google to invest €1 billion in data centers in the Netherlands

Google disclosed plans to invest €1 billion in data centers in the Netherlands, including a new data center in Agriport and an expansion of its existing data center in Eemshaven.

Google said it is committed to 100% renewable energy for its operations.

The total investment by Google in data centers in the Netherlands since 2016 amounts to €2.5 billion.

Google plans EUR 600 million data center in Denmark

Tuesday, November 20, 2018  Data Center, Denmark, Google  

Google confirmed plans for a new data center in western Denmark, just outside Fredericia.

The new facility represents an investment of EUR 600 million. Google is securing Power Purchase Agreements with renewable energy sources in Denmark. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2021. This will be Google's fifth data center in Europe, joining sites in Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands and Belgium.

https://www.blog.google/inside-google/infrastructure/breaking-ground-googles-first-data-center-denmark/

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Automating Service Migration during Network Upgrades

Is it possible to fully automate the service migration for all clients during a major network upgrade?

Ruben Van Den Brink, Head of Network for Surf.Net, discusses the migration process to the eigth generation of the national research network serving the Netherlands.



https://youtu.be/7x0rDcEJsME

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Tata Communications acquires Teleena, an IoT specialist

Tata Communications has agreed to acquire Teleena, a Netherlands-based Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity specialist and mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE). Financial terms were not disclosed.

Tata Communications bought a 35% equity stake in Teleena in January 2017.

Teleena’s solution is a key part of the Tata Communications’ MOVE platform, which enables enterprises and device manufacturers to capture, move and manage information worldwide through borderless, secure and scalable connectivity. The acquisition gives Tata full access to Teleena’s technology portfolio, including its MVNE platform, its Operational Support System / Business Support System (OSS/BSS) solution, and the expertise of Teleena’s mobility and IoT industry specialists.

“The growth rate in the global mobility and IoT market is phenomenal: by 2021, enterprises’ spending on mobility alone is set to surpass USD 1.7 trillion,” said Anthony Bartolo, Chief Product Officer, Tata Communications. “Our vision is to create an environment where anything can be ‘born connected’. Providing everyone and everything in the world with seamless connectivity globally will support businesses’ digital transformation. The combination of the Tata Communications MOVE™ platform, and Teleena’s technology and talent, will help us fulfil this vision, and accelerate our growth in the mobility and IoT market.”

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