ECI’s Native Packet Transport Brings Simplification with MPLS-TP

ECI Telecom introduced five new Native Packet Transport (NPT) platforms with multidimensional flexibility (capacity, interfaces, protocols) for handling both Ethernet and native TDM traffic in metro networks.

ECI's Native Packet Transport leverages MPLS Transport Profile (MPLS-TP) for handling of packet and TDM traffic, which will continue to co-exist in metro network for a long while. The company said MPLS-TP is ideally suited for the metro because it is simple to operate and manage, because it is scalable to large networks, and because it is lower cost than IP/MPLS + CES (circuit emulation service).  MPLS-TP brings all of the traffic engineering benefits of MPLS, but does not require running the control plane on

thousands of network elements (NEs) across the metro.

ECI’s Native Packet Transport platforms are managed by the company's existing LightSoft  network management system, which ensure unified multi-layer management for     MPLS, WDM and TDM.  The NMS offers GUI-based operation, enabling the packet transport      network to be as easily managed as existing TDM-based transport networks.

"There is no question that data traffic is exploding around us. The NPT was developed to help realize the promise of low cost packet transport, without compromises in functionality. With the NPT, we are addressing our customers’ needs for a simplified solution able to cost-effectively handle both packet and TDM traffic. ECI is once again proving our commitment to be a partner for growth to our customers, by providing tailored solutions that meet their pain points and lower the TCO for the ever-changing transport environment," stated Alon Moshes, Head of the Packet Transport Line of Business, ECI Telecom. ​

http://www.ecitele.com/

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Plexxi Unveils its SDN Switch with LightRail Optical Interconnect

Plexxi, a start-up based in Cambridge, MA, introduced a Software-defined Networking (SDN) data center switch that creates network connections by implementing efficient topologies based on actual workload needs and by scaling with a proprietary "LightRail" optical interface between switches.

Plexxi is targeting cloud and virtualized data centers. The aim is "a system that directly manifests workload-optimized solutions in the real, physical network, creating a network that delivers to applications what they need, when they need it – every time, all the time."

The Plexxi solution consists of two initial products:

• Plexxi Control is server-based software that dynamically and continuously computes connectivity for actual workload needs. It provides SDN-based affinity-driven network orchestration, management, and control software. The multi-tier SDN controller architecture uses distributed processing at the edge of the network for scale and performance and centralized knowledge for topology planning and optimization, achieving incremental performance as the network grows.
• Plexxi Switches provide standard high-performance, low-latency 10Gb and 40Gbps Ethernet access connections, but interconnect with each other via Plexxi's high density, high capacity "LightRail" optical interface. The patent-pending LightRail interconnect system provides 400 Gbps of dynamically assignable core capacity per switch, scaling linearly with each switch, achieving, for example, 100 Tbps in a 250-switch network. The LightRail interface eliminates additional layers in a data center network.

Plexxi Switch 1 starts at $64,000 including all inter-switch optics and cabling; Plexxi Control starts at $5,000 per Switch. Monthly pricing options are available.

"Big data, mobile and XaaS are bringing on new application connectivity requirements and more intense workloads at an accelerating pace. Legacy network switching architectures cannot respond to application needs," said David Husak, CEO of Plexxi. "Networking doesn't have to be this hard or frustrating. With 97 percent of the cost and complexity invested in today's networks providing zero value, Plexxi is on a mission to replace this mess with a complete SDN system for the data center – designed from the ground up – that makes networking simple, efficient and transparent."

Plexxi is backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Matrix Partners and Northbridge Venture Partners.  The company has raised over $48 million in funding to date.

http://www.plexxi.com

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Redknee to Acquire NSN's Business Support Systems

Redknee agreed to acquire Nokia Siemens Networks’ Business Support Systems (BSS) business, which provides real-time charging, rating, policy, and customer care solutions to more than 130 communication service providers, for EUR 15 million  in cash at closing, plus a maximum of EUR 25 million for certain performance-based cash earn-outs expected to be paid over 12 to 36 months post-closing.

NSN claims half of the top 100 global mobile operators are users of its BSS platform.

The deal includes customer and supplier contracts, intellectual property rights, fixed assets and associated liabilities, along with BSS employees.  Nokia Siemens Networks plans to retain a small number of broader customer contracts that include elements of BSS for GSM-R and mobile broadband related mediation.

The employees expected to transfer to Redknee are mainly based in Berlin, Germany; Bangalore, India; and Wroclaw, Poland.

Redknee is also a supplier of software and services that help operators to monetize the value of each subscriber transaction. Its revenue generating solutions provide advanced converged billing, rating, charging and policy for voice, messaging and new generation data services to over 90 network operators in over 50 countries. Redknee is based in Missisagua, Ontario, Canada.

"This planned transaction supports our transformation to focus on mobile broadband. Both Redknee and Nokia Siemens Networks have a reputation for high quality and customer commitment, which provides a common foundation for Redknee to build the BSS business in the future. We will work with Redknee to ensure a smooth transfer of the business and to provide some mobile broadband specific elements of the BSS portfolio to our customers," stated Rajeev Suri, CEO of Nokia Siemens Networks.

http://www.redknee.com
http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

• Earlier this week, Nokia Siemens Networks will sell its Optical Networks business unit to Marlin Equity Partners.
• In November 2011, DragonWave and Nokia Siemens Networks reached a deal by which DragonWave acquired NSN's microwave transport business, including its associated operational support systems (OSS) and related support functions, in a transaction potentially worth up to EUR 110 million.

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Emulex to Acquire Endace, Providing Entry to Network Visibility

Emulex announced an offer to acquire Endace, a supplier of  network visibility infrastructure, for approximately $130 million in cash.

Endace, which is based in New Zealand, supplies Intelligent Network Recorders which capture, index and record 100-percent of network traffic while scaling from 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps.  Endace's proprietary web-based application enables engineers to visualize, search and retrieve network traffic from any Endace Recorder anywhere across the network.  In addition to network probes, Endace also offers a 40/100 LAN/WAN network visibility fabric.

Emulex supplies Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters, 10Gb Ethernet Network Interface Cards, Ethernet-based Converged Network Adapters, controllers, embedded bridges and switches, and connectivity management software for servers. Emulex is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California.

Emulex said the combination of its software-defined convergence architecture and Endace’s network visibility infrastructure will provide organizations with new and innovative ways to solve the challenges of network complexity and ensure application-level performance at speeds of 10Gbps and above.

"This acquisition provides Emulex with a strategic entry point into the network performance management space at a disruptive point in time, as speeds move to 10Gb, making network visibility from end-to-end a critical requirement in a converged network environment,” said Jim McCluney, chief executive officer (CEO), Emulex. "Acquiring Endace aligns with our software-defined convergence strategy, doubles our total addressable market and places Emulex in another high-margin, high-growth market. Excluding transaction related expenses, we expect the acquisition to be neutral to our non-GAAP earnings per share for fiscal 2013 and accretive at the beginning of fiscal 2014."

http://www.Emulex.com
http://www.endace.com

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Qualcomm Atheros Cuts Size of NFC Chip by 50%

Qualcomm Atheros unwrapped a new ultra-low power near field communication (NFC) system-on-chip (SoC) for mobile devices.

The QCA1990 boasts an overall footprint that is 50 percent smaller than current NFC chips, making it the smallest on the market.

It can be paired with Qualcomm Atheros' WCN3680 1-stream, dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi/Bluetooth 4.0/FM chip, the QCA1990 will enable seamless user experiences in the mobile, computing and consumer electronics markets. It also offers platform-level integration with the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 and next-generation processors and modems to seamlessly enable NFC on Qualcomm's OEM partner smartphones and tablets.

"Qualcomm Atheros believes NFC will be another key element of an enriched experience for smartphone and tablet consumers. As consumers continue to adopt functions like mobile payments and contactless data exchange, Qualcomm intends to be at the forefront of delivering simple, easy-to-use solutions to OEM partners," said David Favreau, vice president of product management, Qualcomm Atheros. "

http://www.qca.qualcomm.com

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Verizon Wireless' LTE Marks 2nd Anniversary

December 5th marked the second anniversary since the launch of Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE  network.  The company noted the occasion by listing some of its most current operational statistics:

• More than 11 million LTE customers
• More than 35% of data traffic now carried on the LTE net
• More than 440 markets with LTE coverage in the U.S.
• 20 other mobile operators participating in its LTE in Rural America program.

http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2012/12/verizon-wireless-4G-LTE-two-year-anniversary.html

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Spirent Collaborates with InCNTRE, IU's Software-defined Networking Lab

Spirent Communications is working with Indiana University’s Software Defined Networking (SDN)/OpenFlow research organization, InCNTRE, to develop the conformance test suites within OFTest, an open source based test solution for OpenFlow networks.

OFTest is a Python-based conformance-testing framework, built on Open Networking Foundation’s (ONF) OpenFlow standards. It is designed to test the conformance of Ethernet switches in high-security and IP-based mobile networks.

Spirent said its iTest, an integrated test authoring and execution solution built for testers, developers and automation teams, is providing automation support for OFTest.

“OpenFlow is an important technology for meeting the demands being placed on today’s networks, and conformance testing is critical to the success of  OpenFlow in the marketplace,” said Matt Davy, executive director of InCNTRE at Indiana University. “We are pleased to collaborate with Spirent on developing OFTest to ensure it can be used to validate that Ethernet switches conform to the OpenFlow standard.”

http://www.spirent.com/Networks-and-Applications/OpenFlow
http://incntre.iu.edu/openflow

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CipherCloud Raises $30 Million for Cloud Tokens and Encryption

CipherCloud, a start-up based in San Jose, California, announced $30 million in new venture funding from Andreessen Horowitz for its cloud protection.

CipherCloud provides cloud encryption and tokenization gateways to help enterprises to securely adopt cloud applications by eliminating concerns about data privacy, residency, security and regulatory compliance. The company said it is currently protecting 1.2 million cloud application users and 100 million customer records for more than 40 enterprise clients across eight countries.

The CipherCloud product portfolio supports popular cloud applications including Salesforce, Force.com, Chatter, Google Gmail, Microsoft Office 365, and Amazon AWS.

Customers include top firms in banking, insurance, healthcare and technology, as well as government agencies.

CipherCloud’s existing investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures and T-Venture, the venture capital arm of Deutsche Telekom.

"When I founded CipherCloud it was clear to me that the entire enterprise market was accelerating its move to the cloud," said Pravin Kothari, the company's CEO. "Our vision has been to create solutions that enable organizations to safely and securely complete their cloud journey while maintaining a high level of security and retaining control of their information.”

http://www.ciphercloud.com

• Prior to founding CipherCloud, Pravin Kothari was Founder, CTO, and Interim-CEO of Agiliance, a leading Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) software company. Previously, he was Co-founder and VP Engineering of ArcSight

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Broadcom Ticks Up its Financial Guidance for Q4

Broadcom narrowed its financial guidance for the fourth quarter of 2012 toward the higher end of its previously stated range, or approximately $2.00 to $2.10 billion, due to slightly better-than-expected revenue in ots Mobile & Wireless business.

The company said its Product Gross Margins should also be up slightly compared to the previous quarter, while expenses are down approximately $5 to $15 million from Q3 '12, due to lower-than-expected headcount costs.

http://www.broadcom.com

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CenturyLink Installs Infinera's DTN-X for 100G Backbone

CenturyLink has deployed Infinera's DTN-X platform, featuring 500 Gbps long haul super-channels, on its nationwide fiber optic backbone.

The deployment marks a significant Tier-1 win for Infinera's next gen platform.  Financial terms were not disclosed.

Infinera said its DTN-X platform enables CenturyLink to enhance its nationwide next generation backbone transport network to support critical video, mobile, and cloud IP services, and extend its ability to deliver up to 100 Gigabit Ethernet services (GbE) tothe company’s data centers and customer facilities around the country.

The DTN-X uniquely delivers 500 Gbps FlexCoherent super-channels and integrates 5 Terabits per second (Tbps) of OTN switching per chassis.

"Our experience with the Infinera DTN platform has demonstrated a system based on quality, ease of use, proven technology and reliability. As a customer since 2004, we look forward to including the DTN-X as part of our next generation network and achieving the same positive results as we have in the past," stated Matt Beal, CenturyLink senior vice president - corporate strategy, product development and chief technology officer.

http://www.infinera.com
http://www.centurylink.com

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Telefónica to Deploy Alcatel-Lucent's 7950 Core Router

Telefónica will deploy the new Alcatel-Lucent 7950 Extensible Routing System (XRS) in Argentina and the Czech Republic.

Telefónica is one the first service providers worldwide to deploy Alcatel-Lucent's new core router.  Financial terms were not disclosed.

The new 7950 XRS family - based on the company's 400G FP3 chipset – supports five times the density of today’s core routers and slashes power consumption by 66 percent compared to typical core routers. Telefónica also will benefit from a common operating system (SR OS) across the Alcatel-Lucent router portfolio.  The solution  features a common network management system – the 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM) – offering seamless support across the 7950 XRS family and the Service Router portfolio.

Enrique Blanco, Telefónica’s Global Chief Technology Officer said: “This collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent is part of a far-reaching network modernization effort which will give us one of the most powerful and efficient IP networks. In order for us to dramatically increase our network capacity and intelligence to address our customers’ fast evolving demands we needed the support of a new, truly disruptive solution. The Alcatel-Lucent XRS met this requirement.”

Federico Guillén, President Alcatel-Lucent Spain and Global Account Manager for Telefónica said: “We are gratified that Telefónica has turned to Alcatel-Lucent to play such an important role in the transformation of their IP networks around the world. With the introduction of the 7950 XRS core router, our IP portfolio offers truly best-in-class capabilities across the board, and we look forward to the opportunity to take Telefonica’s IP network to the next level.”

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

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Infonetics: LTE Infrastructure Spending Up 30% in Q3

The global market for LTE infrastructure grew significantly in Q3 2012, but this was not enough to offset the overall decline in wireless equipment spending, which was down 4.7% from the previous quarter and down 4.0% from the year-ago quarter, according to Infonetics' newly released 3rd quarter 2012 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE and WiMAX) Infrastructure and Subscribers market share and forecasts report.

"We saw strong LTE activity in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea in the third quarter, contrasted by weak activity in the BRIC countries, for a total 30% bump in LTE equipment sales worldwide," notes Stéphane Téral, principal analyst for mobile infrastructure and carrier economics at Infonetics Research. "LTE was indeed the lone bright spot this quarter, as the rest of the mobile infrastructure market dragged the overall market down, led by a sharp drop in CDMA gear. Despite the current lethargy, we anticipate a strong pipeline moving forward, with 2013 fully charged with a good mix of 2G, 3G, and LTE equipment purchases. China Mobile alone has a nationwide TD-LTE rollout plan of 100,000 eNodeBs."

Some highlights:

• Nokia Siemens Networks jumped from #4 to #2 in the LTE equipment market after more than doubling its LTE revenue in 3Q12, significantly closing the gap with market leader Ericsson and passing Alcatel-Lucent and Huawei
• From the year-ago 3rd quarter, global LTE infrastructure sales are up 131%
• Infonetics forecasts LTE subscribers to grow nearly 5-fold to top 51 million worldwide in 2012
• The Global Mobile Suppliers Association expects 166 commercial LTE networks by year end
• CDMA2000 continued its freefall in 3Q12, down 16% sequentially and down 46% year-over-year, reflecting the beginning of the long declining tail curve
• The WiMAX ecosystem is shrinking, with fewer vendors continuing to support the technology as they stake their long-term futures on LTE.

http://www.infonetics.com

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China Development Bank Extends US$20 Billion to ZTE for Vendor Financing

China Development Bank (CDB)  will expand its financing facility for ZTE to US$20 billion.

Citing the uncertain economic recovery in the United States and the debt crisis in Europe as primary factors that weaken growth in the global telecommunications market, CDB said its financial support could help ZTE achieve a stronger market position internationally.

"We sincerely thank the CDB for their commitment to ZTE’s development of overseas operations,” Mr. Hou said. “ZTE is in a leading position in the worldwide telecommunications industry, and has a comprehensive strategy to address markets globally.  ZTE will leverage the CDB’s financial support and grasp the opportunities in the markets for 4G, fixed broadband, enterprise networks and terminals, consolidate our advantages and migrate to the higher value solutions, as we aim to achieve a global top-3 position before 2015.”

In 2005, CDB supplied an initial US$8 billion credit facility to ZTE.  In 2009, the facility was increased to US$15 billion.

http://wwwen.zte.com.cn/en/press_center/news/201212/t20121204_372570.html


In October 2012, despite higher revenue overall for the first nine months of 2012, ZTE reported a preliminary loss of between RMB1.65 billion and RMB1.75 billion, a reversal of between 254.42% and 263.78% compared to the same period of a year earlier.   For the most recent quarter (ended 30 September 2012), ZTE's revenue decreased by approximately 13% as compared to same period last year.

ZTE apologized to shareholders for the poor results and cited four factors for its weaker performance: 

(1) the current global economic and industry trends, 

(2) the recognition of low-margin contracts in the third quarter, 

(3) a delay in some projects of overseas clients, and 

(4) a change in the procurement mode of domestic operators.  

In China, ZTE was hit by, a change in the operators’ procurement mode and the timing of their investments. 

In the international market, ZTE said operators slowed down their pace of investments because of a weakening global economy.  ZTE's gross profit decreased significantly due to the recognition of some lower-margin contracts.  In Africa, where the company was previously able to achieve higher-margin business, the overall market was undergoing a transitional stage, resulting in fewer new contracts.

ZTE also acknowledged that its results were adversely affected by operations in Iran.  The company noted that these operations are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Commerce.

The company outlined several steps to address these problems:

• ZTE's management has agreed to cut their own compensation collectively.
• ZTE will raise its level of responsiveness to the internal and external environment
• ZTE will conduct a review of its product portfolio and of its regional operations
• ZTE will put profit at the center of its focus and be committed to increasing the profitability of contracts and reducing the losses of unprofitable businesses.
• ZTE will reduce its selling costs and research and development expenses.
• ZTE will eliminate offices that record losses for a long time and which have limited prospects of a turnaround.
• ZTE will consolidate products that offer little development potential,
• ZTE will exercise headcount control and conduct organizational change.

ZTE said its new strategy calls for more resources on its terminals business in North America and Europe.  The company will proactively pursue opportunities in the wireless and wired broadband segments in emerging markets including China and Asia Pacific. 

http://wwwen.zte.com.cn

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World Conference on International Telecommunications Underway in Dubai

Speaking at the I.T.U.'s World Conference on International Telecommunications is underway this week in Dubai to renegotiate the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs), a binding global treaty that facilitates global interconnection and interoperability of information and communication services.

The ITRs have not been revised since 1988.

ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré said the conference should not been seen as undercutting the freedom of expression.  In his opening speech on Monday,  Touré  said "One of the most persistent myths [about WCIT-12] concerns freedom of expression, and it has been suggested that this conference might in some way act to restrict the open and free flow of information. In Article 33 of the ITU’s Constitution, however, Member States recognize the right of the public to correspond by means of the international service of public correspondence. And the ITRs cannot contradict that provision, or indeed any other article in the ITU Constitution."

The U.S. government has previously stated its opposition to significant changes to the ITRs, saying that ITR should apply only to “recognized operating agencies,” which are those entities providing telecommunications services to the public, and thus preventing the treaty from expanding to include private networks, data processing and other activities.

This week, Google launched  a public campaign to "Keep the Internet Free and Open."

http://www.itu.int/en/wcit-12/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.google.com/intl/en/takeaction/

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CenturyLink Launches savvisdirect Cloud Services

CenturyLink  launched savvisdirect, a suite of cloud services aimed at businesses of all sizes.  The savvisdirect portfolio includes Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, on-demand virtual servers, storage services and application development platforms. 

CenturyLink said its strategic advantage in cloud services comes from its national fiber network and the resources of savvis, the data center and consulting company it acquired last year.

"Practicality and reliability are central to the always-on and consumption-based experience of savvisdirect," said Andrew Higginbotham, president, savvisdirect. "By offering a unique, frictionless approach to cloud, our goal is to make cloud adoption – from learning to purchasing to onboarding – simple and affordable. This is a cloud every business can use."

Savvis has also launched a  Symphony Cloud Storage service built on the EMC Atmos platform and compatible with the EMC Atmos API framework,  The company has also introduced a Symphony Cloud Storage Partner Ecosystem featuring solutions from vendors such as Riverbed, which modernizes data protection and archiving; Oxygen Cloud, which enables smart file access on mobile devices for enterprises; and Panzura, which enables storage consolidation for global network-attached storage (NAS), archive and backup use cases.  Savvis' cloud storage is hosted in data centers in London, Singapore, Toronto, Washington, D.C., and Santa Clara, California. Symphony Cloud Storage complements the VMware-based Savvis Symphony suite of enterprise cloud solutions.

http://www.centurylink.com
http://www.savvisdirect.com/

• In 2004, Savvis (formerly DiamondNet) acquired the assets of Cable & Wireless USA, which included 3,000 marquis enterprise customers, 15 data centers, and significant consulting experience from Exodus Communications, a Tier 1 backbone.

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Fujitsu Simplifies Ethernet Service Management

Fujitsu announced a new release of its NETSMART 1500 software featuring Ethernet Service Provisioning, Traffic Engineering and Service Assurance capabilities to help network operators deploy popular MEF E-Line and new E-Access services.

The new NETSMART 1500 software offers GUI (Graphical User Interface)-driven tools using standardized MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum) terminology.  The interface enables point-and-click route selection of Connection Oriented Ethernet (COE) paths.

Fujitsu said its updated software uniformly manages all layers of a packet optical network integrating SONET, SDH, ROADM and Connection Oriented Ethernet (COE) into a single network management application, allowing service providers to most efficiently manage their network resources from the photonics layer to the packet layer. The NETSMART 1500 software will implement the associated profiles for user defined bandwidth and CoS/QoS across all FLASHWAVE packet optical networking platforms, automatically accounting for the different functionality and release levels of those various elements.

http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/telecom/

http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/telecom/products/netsmart-1500.html

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NoviFlow Debuts 100Gbps OpenFlow 1.1 Switch

NoviFlow, a start-up based in Montreal, released a 100Gbps Open Flow 1.1 compatible switch designed to bring network virtualization and programmability to large data centers, network operators, cloud and financial service providers.

The NoviKit 100 leverages EZchip's NP-4 Network Processor.  Key features include:

• High performance NoviWare 100 OpenFlow 1.1 switching software – with demonstrated performance rates of 100 Gbps
• OpenFlow-based SDN,  including full support and implementation for the OpenFlow 1.1 specification
• Additional statistics not defined in the OpenFlow standard e.g. summary counters and ability to display error logs, ideal for testing and troubleshooting
• Integration with the market leading NP-4 network processor from EZchip Semiconductor
• A compact 1.5U box, stand-alone or rack-mounted, with modular 1 and 10 Gbps port expansion options.
• Command Line Interface (CLI) configuration
• Dynamic configuration loading and reporting via XML
• Lab tested by a tier one Systems Integrator

"OpenFlow has proven itself in real-world SDN deployments by leading companies such as Google. Now, we’re giving OpenFlow a high-performance boost,” said Dominique Jodoin, President and CEO of NoviFlow Inc. “General purpose CPUs are great for many applications, but today’s major data center operators demand switching solutions with genuine wire-speed performance. At NoviFlow, we combine the benefits of virtualization and programmability with processors that can handle complex network flows to make it possible for data centers to keep up with today’s exponentially growing networking demand."

http://noviflow.com

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Procera Supplies Traffic Management for King Saud University

King Saud University (KSU) has deployed Procera Networks' PacketLogic platform for network traffic management and user awareness.

The university has over 100,000 students and nearly 10,000 faculty members.  The school, which boasts one of the most advanced campus networks in the region, has seen packet traffic grow by more than 50% year-over-year. This creates a strong need for real-time granular traffic visibility, reporting, and bandwidth management.

“The network managers at KSU need to guarantee high standards of network traffic control and security, coupled with the ability to manage utilization of network resources so that important educational applications are given the highest priority. KSU needed a solution that not only provided control but also enhanced visibility into network and application usage to ensure the best use of network resources,” said Angus MacCormick, regional director at Procera (Middle East, Turkey & Africa).

http://www.proceranetworks.com
http://ksu.edu.sa/

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Nokia Siemens to sell Optical Business to Marlin Equity Partners

Nokia Siemens Networks will sell its Optical Networks business unit to Marlin Equity Partners for an undisclosed sum.

Marlin, a Los Angeles California-based private investment firm with over US$1 billion of capital under management, will form a new optical company to be headquartered in Munich, Germany with operations around the world.  This new optical company will be led by its existing management team with Herbert Merz nominated as chief executive officer.

Up to 1,900 employees – mainly in Germany, Portugal and China – from the optical business unit and related functions are expected to transfer to the new company.  The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2013.

NSN's optical networking unit is known for its long-haul and ultra-long-haul transmission platform.

Nokia Siemens Networks said the deal is another step in its transformation into a mobile broadband specialist.

“During 2012 Nokia Siemens Networks has made tremendous progress in the transformation of our company to being the world’s mobile broadband specialist. Our strategic focus on our core markets has enabled us to concentrate our energy and investment in areas such as LTE where we have strengthened our global leadership position,” said Rajeev Suri, chief executive officer at Nokia Siemens Networks. “This transaction builds on that momentum and aims to provide a new home for the Optical Networks business with the focus, resources and strategic flexibility to address the opportunities in the optical market.”

http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
http://www.marlinequity.com/

In October, Marlin Equity Partners acquired  Sycamore Networks' Intelligent Bandwidth Management business, which includes optical networking and multiservice access solutions deployed in fixed line and mobile networks around the world.

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Broadcom Samples 28nm Knowledge-based Processor

Broadcom introduced its eigth generation knowledge-based processor for high-touch packet services in 3G/4G mobile mobile infrastructure, data center and enterprise platforms.

The Broadcom NLA12000 Series, which is the first to use 28 nanometer (nm) technology, offers significantly faster performance for increased classification, forwarding
and security processing throughout the network -- the company cites up to 24x greater performance than competing solutions.  The latest processor is also aimed at emerging applications, including Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Open Flow, in routers, switches, service gateways, security appliances and mobile infrastructure equipment.

Significantly, Broadcom said its NLA12000 Series KBPs breaks new ground by integrating low-power NetRoute algorithmic search technology in a heterogeneous manner.  This enables deterministic performance and low latency independent of database or signature complexity, with support for up to 2 million IPv6 routes.

The 28nm process technology also unlocks significant power savings.

Some other key features:

• The new chip handles up to 2.4 billion decisions per second (BDPS) to address growing line rates for IPv4 and IPv6 packets.
• High-speed serial links for enhanced communication from KBP to system packet processors 
• Includes 12.5 Gbps SerDes for 300 Gbps aggregate bandwidth
• Dual-port mode for off-the shelf network processors, FPGAs and customer ASICs
• Improved search flexibility with Context Buffers and Key Processing Unit (KPU)
• Range Encoding Engine (REE) delivers efficient database compaction for access control lists
• Support for on-chip associated data for search tables to enable lowest system latency 

Sampling is underway with production volumes slated for 1H 2013.

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