Keysight adds 400GE Network Cybersecurity Test Platform

 Keysight Technologies introduced its APS-M8400 Modular Network Cybersecurity Test Platform, an 8-port 400GE Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density (QSFP-DD) network security test platform for data center network equipment manufacturers (NEM) and operators.

Keysight’s APS-M8400 is a modular, 400GE network security test platform that aggregates compute and field programmable gate array (FPGA) resources to deliver hyperscale application and cybersecurity test and validation. Key benefits:

• Industry leading 400GE port density: The APS-M8400 offers the ability to test 8 x 400GE QSFP-DD.
• 
  Ease of management: The APS-M8400 provides a centralized, “single pane of glass” management of up to 16 compute nodes reducing the management learning curve and simplifying system upgrades and maintenance.
• Flexible testing options: The APS-M800 offers flexible aggregation of compute and FPGA resources to optimize the performance and scalability requirements for any simulated workload, using one or multiple 400GE test interfaces.
• Hyperscale performance: The APS-M8400 can drive hyperscale application and cybersecurity test performance, including encrypted traffic loads, to effectively emulate the rigorous demands put upon data center and service provider infrastructure. This platform can generate up to 3+ Tbps of Layer 4-7 traffic, 5+ billion concurrent connections, 2.4 Tbps of transport layer security (TLS) traffic, and 2.4 million TLS connections per second.
• Scalable solution: The APS-M8400 is designed as a “pay-as-you-grow" solution, allowing users to build out a system that supports today’s test needs and spending constraints, with the flexibility to add capacity as requirements change and budgets allow.

Ram Periakaruppan, Vice President and General Manager, Keysight's Network Test and Security Solutions, said: “Data center NEMs and operators face conflicting demands to produce solutions that support ever increasing data volumes and traffic speeds driven by new standards like 400GE, while protecting systems against a growing, dynamic cybersecurity threat landscape - all without breaking the bank. Keysight’s APS-8400 meets these teams where they are, delivering hyperscale application and cybersecurity test loads via an industry leading 8 x 400GE of test port density in a flexible solution that allows users to add test capacity as demands and budgets change."

https://www.keysight.com/us/en/products/network-test/network-test-hardware/aps-100400ge-series.html

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Nokia selects Keysight for 6G sub-Terahertz testbed

NOKIA Bell Labs has selected Keysight’s sub-Terahertz (THz) test bed to verify the performance of 5G advanced and 6G transceiver (TRX) modules. 

Modules to be tested use the radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) technology, including power amplifiers, transceivers, and antennas on a glass substrate, needed to support the extreme data throughput and reliable backhaul transmission requirements of 5G advanced and 6G.

NOKIA selected Keysight technology to accelerate research and development critical to supporting 5G-Advanced and 6G use cases that leverage millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-terahertz frequency spectrum to wirelessly transmit large amounts of data across short distances. 

Keysight’s 6G test bed was chosen to verify, under both linear and nonlinear conditions, the performance of TRX modules, power amplifiers, and antennas. Nokia designed these network infrastructure components by leveraging complex modulation technology and spectrum in D-Band (110 GHz to 170 GHz) and E-Band (60 GHz to 90 GHz).

Peter Vetter, NOKIA Bell Labs Core Research President said: “Working with Keysight enables us to make significant progress in developing next generation wireless technology. Cross-industry collaborations are important in co-innovating technology that merges physical, digital, and human domains to create immersive experiences that support meaningful interactions.”

Giampaolo Tardioli, Vice President for 6G and Next Generation Technology at Keysight said: “Keysight is pleased to work with NOKIA Bell Labs to advance the development of wireless communications technology and further metrology standards for sub-terahertz frequencies. Our partnership with NOKIA to design technology across multiple domains supports our common goal of realizing sustainable solutions that underpin a ubiquitous connectivity fabric built on 5G-Advanced and 6G communications.”

Shahriar Shahramian, RFIC & Packaging Lab Leader at NOKIA Bell Labs said: “NOKIA Bell Labs relies on Keysight’s design, validation, and optimization solutions, as well as measurement science expertise, to reach the levels of performance necessary to fulfill the promise of many 6G use cases. Keysight’s 6G sub-THz test bed enables Nokia to verify error vector magnitude (EVM) performance, which is foundational to high data throughput in TRX modules that support higher-order modulation formats.”

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EXFO acquires EHVA, a Photonics Integrated Circuit test company

EXFO has acquired EHVA, an innovative Photonics Integrated Circuits (PICs) and system automation company based in Quebec City, Canada. Financial terms were not disclosed.

EHVA, which is a spin-off from the Center for Optics, Photonics, and Lasers (COPL) at Université Laval in Quebec, combines manufacturing intelligence with wafer-to-single device capabilities to deliver scalable solutions for PIC testing and manufacturing. 

EXFO said the acquisition will accelerate its advanced capabilities in PIC testing, enabling delivery of automated, turnkey end-to-end testing of optical components from lab applications to high-volume and high-speed manufacturing.

EHVA’s process software suite  integrates EXFO’s advanced swept continuous laser scanning technology into customer manufacturing settings for exceptional testing reliability and efficiency, delivering a fully-automated solution that helps avoid production bottlenecks. This seamless integration is critical, given the diversity in PIC designs used for varied applications and the lack of standards for PIC technology which poses added challenges for automated testing.

https://www.ehva.ca/

https://www.exfo.com/en/ehva/

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VIAVI hits revenue of $335.3 million, up 7.8% year-over-year

VIAVI reported net revenue of $335.3 million  for its fourth fiscal quarter ended July 2, 2022.. GAAP net income was $16.5 million, or $0.07 per share. Non-GAAP net income was $55.8 million, or $0.24 per share.

"I am pleased with VIAVI's performance in the fiscal year 2022. We generated record revenue, close to $1.3 billion, and record operating profit, exceeding our strategic plan goals that we set out three years ago before the pandemic, global supply chain issues, and inflationary pressures," said Oleg Khaykin, VIAVI's President and Chief Executive Officer.

Khaykin added, "I am also pleased with VIAVI's performance and momentum during the fiscal Q4 2022, resulting in record revenue and record fourth quarter profitability driven by Fiber-to-the-Home deployment, 400GbE network and data center upgrades, and the investments in O-RAN network expansions."

Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA customers represented 38.7%, 38.7% and 22.6%, respectively, of total net revenue for the quarter ended July 2, 2022.

As of July 2, 2022, the Company held $564.9 million in total cash, short-term restricted cash and short-term investments.

https://investor.viavisolutions.com/overview/default.aspx

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Quantifi Photonics raises $15M for optical test systems

Quantifi Photonics, a start-up based in Auckland, New Zealand, announced US$15 million in Series C funding for its solutions for the high-density photonic test market.

Quantifi Photonics plans to offer fully integrated test systems for optical transceivers, silicon photonics and co-packaged optical devices that are emerging from R&D labs onto high-volume production lines. At this year's OFC, the company released a 288-channel optical power meter. Quantifi Photonics plans to grow its R&D and manufacturing teams and expand its sales and customer support capabilities in the USA and Europe to capitalize on the significant growth in optical communication networks around the world.

Intel Capital, the venture capital arm of Intel Corporation, led the round which was fully supported by existing investors.

"Intel Capital's investment will help us carry out our strategy and seize the market for the high-value test instruments required to support the rapidly growing transceiver market, which is projected to exceed US $14B by the year 2026," said Dr. Andy Stevens, CEO and co-founder of Quantifi Photonics.

"Silicon photonics is a key technique in the future of the semiconductor and telecommunications industries, especially with the increasing bandwidth requirements for data center and 5G/6G applications," said Sean Doyle, Managing Director at Intel Capital. "The Quantifi Photonics team has the potential to supply critical test and measurement solutions to the market at large."

"By working extremely closely with customers such as Intel, we understand their challenges and can begin to anticipate what they might need in 6, 12 or 24 months' time. As a result, we're rapidly developing a new generation of high-density test solutions that are critical to unlocking the potential of 800G technologies," says Dr. Stevens.

https://www.quantifiphotonics.com

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Keysight intros cloud-based Open RAN Architect Test

The Keysight Open Radio Access Network Architect (KORA) test solutions are moving to cloud-based deployment. In addition, the company’s LoadCore software for testing 5G Core (5GC), is now available as a metered, pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solution in AWS Marketplace to allow customers to scale costs with usage.

KORA is Keysight’s suite of test solutions that verify the functionality and performance of end-to-end O-RAN wireless infrastructure. A component of KORA, Keysight's LoadCore 5GC testing software enables customers to perform network capacity tests, measure device data throughput and model a wide variety of end-user behavior and mobility scenarios. A scalable 5GC network performance validation solution, LoadCore can verify that delivered connectivity service remains stable under various demanding conditions such as sudden spikes in network usage caused by disasters or other major events.

“As a cloud-based pay-as-you-go offering, users can purchase and provision KORA test solutions immediately to fit their testing needs,” said Kalyan Sundhar, vice president and general manager of 5G Edge to Core Solutions at Keysight. “This is an exciting new delivery model that offers customers the flexibility and scalability to use Keysight’s test solutions in the environment they want, in the cloud.”

https://www.keysight.com

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Spirent debuts CF400 security and application delivery test platform

Spirent Communications introduced its CF400 Appliance for the validation of hyperscale networks and security controls.

Spirent’s CF400 Appliance is the industry’s first network security and application delivery test platform to provide 400G of application traffic and 200G of encrypted traffic performance testing capabilities, including full HTTP/3 testing in a single appliance. The ability to combine the CF400 with previous platforms enables customers to grow their test capabilities gradually and protect their existing investments without forklift upgrades.

“Cloud computing, IoT and a hyper-connected digital economy have been straining enterprise IT resources and rapidly increasing the performance demands from today’s security solutions. Organizations are under tremendous pressure to make the right security investments to ensure their networks are scalable and secure for their business-critical applications,” said Spirent’s Sashi Jeyaretnam, Sr. Director of Product Management for Security Solutions. 

“The Spirent CF400’s modular appliance architecture provides the flexibility to stack multiple appliances together in a single test system to validate the performance limits of multi-terabit-scale, app-centric infrastructures. The solution greatly simplifies high-performance security testing, especially with its automated goal-seeking capabilities which automatically determine peak performance, allowing users to greatly reduce test time to determine best performance for their unique configuration and traffic loads,” said Jeyaretnam.

https://www.spirent.com/newsroom/press-releases/spirent-cf400-appliance-delivers-accelerated-scalable-network-performance

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Anritsu and AeroGT Labs partner on 5G MIMO OTA testing

Anritsu and AeroGT Labs are collaborating on 5G Multiple-In Multiple-Out (MIMO) Over-the-Air (OTA) test platforms to characterize, test, and optimize antennas. The platforms perform single- or multiple-use antenna performance and reliability tests on products, such as vehicles, mobile devices, and similar designs, in a simulated environment before commercialization.  

Vehicle antenna performance is vital in advanced autonomous driving vehicles and critical automotive safety features, such as eCall. In modern vehicles, there is a minimum of 15 onboard antennas that link communications, entertainment, self-driving, and safety subsystems. They must be tested singularly and simultaneously to ensure proper operation and their ability to coexist.   

The turnkey systems integrate solutions from General Test Systems (GTS) and the Anritsu MT8821C and MT8000A. 

"The millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency range is characterized by high-performance and robust reliability and is ideal for 5G MIMO OTA applications," said Steve Wong, Chief Marketing Officer for AeroGT. "While performing OTA MIMO measurements in a mmWave anechoic chamber is necessary to obtain reliable and accurate measurements, a myriad of other instrumentation, such as vector network analyzers, signal generators, and automation software, is required and must be integrated to form a fully functional system.

http://www.anritsu.com

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Keysight delivers 800G test solution for 112 Gbps Serial data interfaces

Keysight Technologies introduced an 800G compliance test solution for validating 112 gigabit per second (Gbps) serial data center interfaces. The new 112 Gbps conformance test solution leverages Keysight’s M8040A 64 GBaud high performance bit error ratio tester (BERT) with a N1060A Digital Communication Analyzer (DCA) for receiver testing and Keysight’s Infiniium UXR-Series real-time oscilloscope for transmitter testing. 

Interfaces capable of supporting speeds of at least 100 Gbps and per lane are critical to realizing the benefits of 800G deployments. Keysight’s 112 Gbps conformance test platform enables optical transceiver manufacturers to accurately verify both the transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) of designs that support connectivity speeds of 100 Gbps or greater.

Keysight said its fully automated 112 Gbps conformance test solution enables users to:

• perform flexible, precise and repeatable testing across a variety of implementation scenarios, to minimize development schedules.
• leverage a wide range of test cases for validating compliance to the latest specifications defined by both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF).
• simplify and accelerate testing of multiple interfaces, including chip-to-chip, chip-to-module, cabled and backplane.

The solution includes automated test software for verifying the following:

• receiver in conformance to IEEE 802.3ck specifications (M8091CKPA)
• transmitter in conformance to IEEE 802.3ck specifications (N1091CKCA and D90103CKC)
• transmitter in conformance to OIF-CEI-112G PAM4 specifications (N109212CA and D9050CEIC)

Keysight expands 800G test solutions with multimode interfaces

Thursday, February 03, 2022  800G, Keysight, Test  

Keysight Technologies expanded its portfolio of 800G test solutions for the optical transceiver ecosystem. The latest addition to Keysight’s existing portfolio of 800G test solutions are new design and validation solutions that support multimode interfaces, which are critical for an energy efficient data center infrastructure. The 800G multimode test solutions uniquely support high-speed data interconnect speeds of up to 100 Gbps.

In December 2020, Keysight launched industry-first 800G test solutions to help speed development of next generation data center technologies. The 800G multimode test solutions enable users to verify the performance of a wide range of optical transceiver modules and components, including vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), photodiodes, modulator drivers, transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) and physical layer (PHY) chips.

The extended portfolio supports 400G and 800G design validation, in accordance with standards defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), across the entire product lifecycle, from early research and development to manufacturing. Industry-leading test capabilities from Keysight include:

• Multimode component characterization using Keysight’s N4373E lightwave component analyzer
• Conformance and interoperability validation using Keysight’s N1077B 64Gbaud multimode optical and electrical clock recovery solutions
• Transceiver module performance evaluation using Keysight’s A400GE-QDD and G800GE layer 1 multiport test solutions.

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Viavi builds up its Open RAN test suite

Viavi Solutions announced extensions to its Open RAN test suite, including:

• RIC Test. TeraVM RIC Test validates the performance of the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) when presented with a wide range of RAN scenarios, tests the functionality of rApps and xApps, and provides the means to generate the data needed to train AI models.
• Test in the Cloud. VIAVI allows any node – O-RU, O-DU, O-CU, RIC and Core – and complete end-to-end testing to be performed in public, private and edge cloud environments.
• Test as a Service. VIAVI now provides a Test as a Service (TaaS), offering the support to maximize your engineering productivity and provide access to the right tools and expertise to enable the rapid delivery of high performance and ultra-reliable cellular communications products.
• TMLite. The capabilities of the flagship TM500 Network Tester are now available in a streamlined version on a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) server, enabling vendors to deploy focused functional test tools earlier in the development cycle, and allow smaller vendors to gain access to the TM500 family with a more compact package. The TMLite is built around the latest third-generation AMD EPYC processors which offer high compute and input/output flexibility per server, enabling multiple carriers of 4G and 5G at RF and Open Fronthaul.

VIAVI also highlighted the following partnerships:

• Capgemini. VIAVI has collaborated with Capgemini, through Capgemini Engineering in Portugal, to deliver an industry-leading 5G and O-RAN lab test capability, powered by VIAVI's O-RAN Lab as a Service (LaaS) to ensure successful network integration of 5G networks and accelerate Lab-to-Live trials for Open RAN.
• Ericsson. VIAVI will be delivering geolocation capabilities as a Non Real-time RIC Application (rApp) on the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform, a service management and orchestration product which enables any mobile network, purpose-built or Cloud RAN / Open RAN, to be intelligently automated.
• Rohde & Schwarz. VIAVI and Rohde & Schwarz are partnering to offer an integrated solution for conformance testing of O-RAN Radio Units (O-RUs), including the O-RU Test Manager which provides a seamless user experience.

"Open RAN is moving out of the lab into the real world, facing the messy complexities of mapping theoretically sound technologies and architectures to a wide diversity of implementation scenarios," said Sameh Yamany, Chief Technology Officer, VIAVI. "VIAVI has harnessed its decades of leadership in test tools for cellular and virtual networks, our critical role in industry organizations such as the O-RAN ALLIANCE, and our relationships with other major vendors to ensure our customers have access to tailored and best-of-breed solutions."

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Openreach deploys VIAVI automated testing

Openreach is using Viavi Solutions to automate testing the quality and speed of the Openreach "Full Fibre" broadband network

The deployment uses Viavi's Fusion, a virtual performance monitoring system, to deliver an on-demand network "speedometer" of the performance that end users can achieve. This will be the first time that proactive network testing of end user speeds has been deployed in fibre access networks across the UK independent of the customer's internet connection.

VIAVI Fusion incorporates both hardware and software, which will be used to rapidly isolate and troubleshoot faults on the network. Diagnostics will be automated for any issues as they're raised by Openreach's Communications Provider (CPs) customers. In addition, customer service will be enhanced as contact center procedures will be automated, equipping operators with near real-time test results for rapid pass/fail interpretation. This allows further troubleshooting to be focused on the root cause, whether inside the Openreach network, or back with the CPs.

A key element of Fusion is its smart small form-factor pluggable (SFP) capability, enabling micro-probes plugged into thousands of nodes across the country. These probes enable automated throughput testing from all CPs ingress points to end-user premises, for millions of consumers. Now in its fourth generation of technology, VIAVI smart SFP technology supports 1G & 10G line rates across a variety of physical standards.

Trevor Linney, Network Technology Director at Openreach said: "As the country's largest digital infrastructure provider, we recognise that service and broadband reliability has become more integral to everyday life especially when millions of people switched to working and schooling from home. Last year, we saw our broadband usage more than double with 50,000 Petabytes (PB) of data being consumed across the country. We're also seeing record numbers of people signing up to our ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband with over 1.5 million customers taking up the service to-date. It's therefore crucial that we continue to meet our already strong service performance by identifying and preventing faults before customers report them. The deployment of VIAVI's automated testing solution is one part of the overarching technical innovative solutions we've adapted to help determine potential issues we detect on our network in near real-time or when a request comes through from our CP customers."

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Keysight expands 800G test solutions with multimode interfaces

Keysight Technologies expanded its portfolio of 800G test solutions for the optical transceiver ecosystem. The latest addition to Keysight’s existing portfolio of 800G test solutions are new design and validation solutions that support multimode interfaces, which are critical for an energy efficient data center infrastructure. The 800G multimode test solutions uniquely support high-speed data interconnect speeds of up to 100 Gbps.

In December 2020, Keysight launched industry-first 800G test solutions to help speed development of next generation data center technologies. The 800G multimode test solutions enable users to verify the performance of a wide range of optical transceiver modules and components, including vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), photodiodes, modulator drivers, transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) and physical layer (PHY) chips.

The extended portfolio supports 400G and 800G design validation, in accordance with standards defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), across the entire product lifecycle, from early research and development to manufacturing. Industry-leading test capabilities from Keysight include:

• Multimode component characterization using Keysight’s N4373E lightwave component analyzer
• Conformance and interoperability validation using Keysight’s N1077B 64Gbaud multimode optical and electrical clock recovery solutions
• Transceiver module performance evaluation using Keysight’s A400GE-QDD and G800GE layer 1 multiport test solutions.

“An ever-increasing growth in data traffic, compounded with data centers’ need to reduce their energy footprint, has prompted Keysight to launch the new 800G multimode test solutions,” said Dr. Joachim Peerlings, vice president of Network and Data Center solutions at Keysight Technologies. “These new solutions will help reduce power consumption in data center equipment. Energy conservation and efficiency in data centers has a significant positive impact on the health of the planet.”

https://www.keysight.com/us/en/about/newsroom/news-releases/2022/0203-nr22015-keysight-extends-high-speed-digital-800g-test-portf.html

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Keysight adds test for Time Sensitive Networking based on Avnu

Keysight Technologies added an integrated test package to the IxNetwork Ethernet test solution that enables manufacturers to ensure that chipsets and devices are in compliance with the Avnu Alliance base time sensitive networking (TSN) test plan for IEEE 802.1AS-2020, the standard for the transport of timing over local area networks.

The Avnu tests are designed for test programs that assess a product's conformance to specifications defined in the suite of standards known collectively as TSN and the basis for Avnu certification.

Keysight’s IxNetwork solution helps chipset and device manufacturers ensure their devices adhere to new TSN standards for silicon to deliver high-performing gear that interoperates with other standards-conforming devices on an Ethernet network. The TSN capabilities in IxNetwork are used to test and benchmark scenarios in the TSN ecosystem, which span across relevant IEEE standards. Each IxNetwork test port emulates hundreds of Ethernet endpoints with realistic behavior. Test scenarios are executed with the IxNetwork graphical user interface (GUI) or application programming interface (API) scripting to characterize performance bottlenecks and resiliency.

“Keysight’s compliance package, based on the latest Avnu TSN test plans, will help Avnu members and test houses advance the TSN ecosystem toward open interoperability,” said Gary Stuebing, vice president and chairman of Avnu Alliance. “These test plans encompass the base TSN compliance requirements to support many different applications and usages of TSN. As promoter members of Avnu and active working group contributors, Keysight experts were instrumental to this thorough collaborative effort.”

“Validation of TSN standards are increasingly important to ensure devices on Ethernet networks work together at the component level,” said Ram Periakaruppan, vice president and general manager, Keysight’s Network Test and Security Solutions group. “Keysight, as a member of Avnu Alliance, has played a key role in standardizing test methodologies for TSN. The addition of this test package to IxNetwork enables chipset and device manufacturers, across a range of markets, to deliver high quality interoperable devices to their customers.”

https://www.keysight.com/us/en/home.html

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Keysight supplies 5G device test solution to KT

KT Corporation, formerly Korea Telecom, selected Keysight’s 5G device test solution to verify advanced 5G new radio (NR) features critical in delivering 5G services.

Specifically, KT has selected Keysight’s Protocol Research & Development (R&D) Toolset to accelerate the launch of 5G mobile devices that support the latest 5G NR specifications defined by 3GPP, the global standards organization. This includes 3GPP Release 16 specifications, which device makers use to support advanced 5G features.

“Keysight is pleased to strengthen our collaboration with KT, a company currently supporting more than five million 5G subscribers in Korea,” said Cao Peng, vice president and general manager for Keysight’s wireless test group. “Keysight’s early availability of 3GPP Rel-16 test and conformance verification capabilities enables KT to deliver advanced wireless connectivity services, benefitting both consumers and enterprises.”

Keysight’s Protocol R&D Toolset uses a flexible user interface that enables KT to create and execute test cases that verify 5G NR signaling protocols. The toolset also enables KT to debug errors and fully analyze results in frequency range 1 (FR1) spectrum for both 5G NR non-standalone (NSA) and SA mode.

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Credo tests DSPs with Teledyne LeCroy

Credo has selected Teledyne LeCroy's SierraNet M648 Network and Fabric test platform for testing their designs and validating their evolving Digital Signal Processing (DSP) devices for 50Gbps to 400Gbps Ethernet.

Key features of the SierraNet M648 test platform:

• Full NRZ or PAM4 deep buffer line-rate capture for 10/25/50Gbps Ethernet traffic
• Detailed Speed Negotiation and Transmitter Training analysis
• Complete Forward Error Correction (FEC) observation
• Comprehensive multi-state impairment capabilities for error recovery and validation testing

"Our evaluation of SierraNet platform was highly successful.  We immediately saw the value in accelerating our product development," said Phil Sun, Vice President of Architecture at Credo. "Testing with Teledyne LeCroy will help ensure first time right solutions and overall customer satisfaction." 

https://teledynelecroy.com/

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Keysight unveils Silicon Photonics Test System

 Keysight Technologies introduced a silicon photonics test system that enables semiconductor manufacturers to speed delivery of silicon photonics wafer production with stable and repeatable test capabilities.

The new NX5402A Silicon Photonics Test System integrated with Keysight PathWave Semiconductor Test software technology (part of Keysight PathWave Test software) delivers:

• One-stop: Provides proven measurement technologies and direct support capabilities including integrated optical and electrical test capabilities and Keysight-developed fiber alignment and positioning system based on Keysight’s measurement science.
• Fully automated: Eliminates manual operations with PathWave Semiconductor Test software which is compatible with Keysight’s SPECS software, enabling one-pass silicon photonics testing.
• Volume production ready: Factory automation software, safety interlock and clean room ready features support manufacturing use, providing high throughput testing based on multi-channel optical and electrical test architecture, as well as optimized fiber alignment.
• Demonstrated system performance: Maintains high accuracy, repeatability and reproducibility from laboratory to fabrication, delivering advanced wafer-level photonic calibration, as well as reliable performance monitoring with built-in automatic system diagnostics.

"Ahead of the growing market demand for silicon photonics, Keysight is excited to announce the first test solution for silicon photonics volume production market,” said Shinji Terasawa, vice president and general manager of Keysight’s Wafer Test Solutions group. “Our NX5402A test system is the first solution that combines Keysight’s expertise in electrical and optical measurement with Keysight’s fiber alignment and positioning system integrated by PathWave Semiconductor Test software."

http://www.keysight.com

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EXFO completes going-private transaction

EXFO completed its previously-announced going-private transaction and subordinate voting shares of EXFO will be voluntarily and imminently de-listed from the Toronto Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ.

A corporation controlled by Germain Lamonde acquired all the issued and outstanding subordinate voting shares of EXFO, other than the subordinate voting shares held by the purchaser, for US $6.25 per subordinate voting share in cash.

"As we're about to write a new chapter in EXFO's 36-year history, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to shareholders, customers and employees around the world as we heard you loud and clear with your overwhelming support and confidence in our going-private transaction," said Germain Lamonde, EXFO's founder and majority shareholder. "EXFO has built a tremendous reputation as a disruptive innovator and partner of choice with best-of-class support and service on a global basis. Although a competitor created unnecessary noise during this privatization process to reduce the competitive environment, I can assure all customers that EXFO is emerging stronger and more determined than ever to continue making a difference in your networks while expanding our leadership in the telecom test and service assurance industry."

https://www.exfo.com/en/

 

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VIAVI posts revenue of $310.9 million, up 16.6% yoy

VIAVI reported quarterly revenue of $310.9 million, up $44.3 million or 16.6% year-over-year. GAAP net loss was $(1.9) million, or $(0.01) per share. Non-GAAP net income was $52.8 million, or $0.22 per share.

"VIAVI had a strong finish to fiscal year 2021 with a record $1.20 billion in revenue and non-GAAP EPS at $0.83.  Fiscal Q4 posted record revenue and non-GAAP profitability for a June quarter as it exceeded the high end of the guidance range in revenue, non-GAAP operating margin and non-GAAP EPS," said Oleg Khaykin, VIAVI's President and Chief Executive Officer. "NSE's 13.5% year-on-year growth and record revenue was driven by the continued market rebound and strong demand for Fiber and Wireless products.  OSP revenue was in-line with our guidance, up 27.8% from a year ago levels reflecting continued strength in Anti-Counterfeiting."

Khaykin added, "We expect fiscal year 2022 to be a strong year for VIAVI with 5G deployment and Fiber network upgrades driving NSE revenues and OSP benefiting from the continued strong demand for Anti-Counterfeiting and 3D Sensing products. Overall, we expect fiscal year 2022 to achieve higher levels of revenue and non-GAAP profitability."

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Viavi introduces 800G FLEX XPM test module

Viavi Solutions announced the expansion of the VIAVI ONT solution portfolio with the 800G FLEX XPM Module  the first fully integrated test product for pluggable 800G transceivers that utilize 100G electrical lane speed, with integrated test applications. 

The company said its 800G FLEX XPM Module provides a wide range of critical test and measurement capabilities that manufacturers need to design and validate 800G optical modules based on 100G electrical signaling. The module has been designed for IC development and validation test, 800G transponder testing and vendor selection, system verification test, and manufacturing test. Key features include: support for 2x400GE, 8x100GE, 4x200GE and 1x800G unframed; dynamic skew; forward error correction (FEC) validation; and automation integration with the VIAVI ONT family.

"Working with the major equipment manufacturers and service providers around the globe, we've seen clearly that 800G is moving faster toward implementation than it was a year ago," said Tom Fawcett, Vice President and General Manager, Lab & Production Business Unit, VIAVI. "VIAVI's leadership in optical network test ensures that these customers can rely on our solution for the critical validation of conformance, performance and interoperability, helping them with speed to market."

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Tektronix and Anritsu offer PCI Express 5.0 testing

Tektronix, in collaboration with Anritsu, introduced  a new PCI EXPRESS 5.0 transceiver (Base and CEM) and reference clock solution for pre-compliance testing. The collaboration between Tektronix and Anritsu enables receiver verification, complementing a world-class transmitter and reference clock test suite.

The PCI EXPRESS 5.0 Base Specification boasts bandwidth of 128 GB/s and the upcoming PCI EXPRESS 6.0 specification will push this to 256 GB/s and include multi-level PAM4 signaling.

The PCI EXPRESS 5.0 transceiver and reference clock solution from Tektronix was developed and continues to be aligned with the 5.0 Base specification, 5.0 CEM specification, and 5.0 test specifications.

Key features include:

• PCI EXPRESS 5.0 (32 GT/s) automated Base & CEM transceiver solution running on DPO700000SX series 70 GHz real time oscilloscope and MP1900A Signal Quality Analyzer-R series (BERT) from Anritsu
• New Receiver automation software from Tektronix with highly efficient algorithms for stressed eye calibration at 32 GT/s & 16 GT/s
• State-of-the-art tool support including SigTest Phoenix with highly parallelized processing to reduce overall test time
• Multiple form factors (M.2 & U.2) and Clocking Architectures (CC, SRNS, SRIS)
• Follows real time evolution of the 5.0 Base specification with 32 GT/s uncorrelated jitter and pulse width jitter measurements implemented to optimize A/D range and minimize noise
• Addresses the increasing challenges of 100 MHz reference clock jitter and signal integrity measurements through full integration with the Silicon Labs "PCIe Clock Jitter" tool and Tektronix's DPOJET tool
• Industry first pre compliance test fixtures for PCIe 5.0 CEM testing

The companies note that the server/storage industry is rapidly transitioning to PCI EXPRESS 5.0 due to new requirements imposed by 400G Ethernet, cloud AI and modeling (co-processors), storage capacity, and NAND-based storage. This rapid progression brings an entirely new problem set for test and measurement traditionally split into Base silicon level validation and CEM compliance testing with the PCI-SIG.

"Electronics designers today demand future-proofing to protect their innovations' longevity into tomorrow," says Takeshi Shima, senior vice president at Anritsu corporation. "Providing a solution through Gen6 gives our customers a sense of our commitment to stay with them on the cutting edge of development."

"As PCIe becomes faster and more complex with the emergence of the Gen5 standard, engineers are faced with new design challenges, shorter time-to-market windows, new standards specifications to understand and apply, and new compliance testing requirements," says David Bouse, PCI EXPRESS systems engineer at Tektronix. "It is vital to have a comprehensive test equipment and software solution in place prior to workshop certification. Our PCIe 5.0 test and debug solution can easily guide the engineer through compliance testing and debug to ensure their design meets new standards with a high degree of confidence."

http://news.tektronix.com/2021-02-25-Tektronix-introduces-PCI-Express-R-5-0-transceiver-and-reference-clock-solution

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