Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Cisco: 1.4 billion 5G connections in 3 years



Cisco is predicting 1.4 billion 5G connections by 2023.

Thomas Barnett introduces some key findings of the Cisco Annual Internet Report. One interesting finding - average data rates for 5G smartphones are expected to soar to 575 Mbps over the next few years.

The full Cisco report is posted here.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/executive-perspectives/annual-internet-report/index.html


Nokia to acquire Elenion for silicon photonics

Nokia agreed to acquire Elenion a start-up developing silicon photonics-based System-on-Chip solutions that can be produced in a CMOS foundry. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Elenion, which was founded in 2014 and is based in New York City, develops highly integrated, low-cost silicon photonics technologies for short-reach and high-performance optical interfaces and has pioneered a design toolset which enables a greatly simplified, low cost, scalable manufacturing process. The Elenion platform simplifies integration with optical chipsets, lowers power consumption, improves port density and helps to lower the overall cost per bit for network operators.

Nokia said Elenion's state-of-the-art silicon photonics design platform improves product costs by bringing simplification and scale to the optical supply chain. It is expected to bring time-to-market and cost advantages to Nokia’s broad portfolio of networking solutions.

Sam Bucci, Head of Optical Networking at Nokia, said: “As a world-class provider of silicon photonics solutions, advanced packaging and custom design services, Elenion provides a strong strategic fit for Nokia. Its solutions can be readily integrated into Nokia’s product offerings and address multiple high growth segments including 5G, cloud and data center networking. When combined with Nokia, Elenion technologies will accelerate the growth and scale of Nokia’s optical networking business, while enabling us to cost-effectively address new markets.”

Larry Schwerin, CEO of Elenion Technologies, said: “Nokia is an industry leader in networking systems, including advanced coherent optical interfaces and hyperscale datacenter solutions. Elenion benefits by having its technology incorporated into an industry-leading portfolio and with a company offering solutions across a wide array of networking applications. Nokia’s strong optical industry leadership, size, scale, global reach, and ongoing commitment to investment in key technologies vastly accelerates the adoption of Elenion silicon photonics technology.”


Elenion debuts Silicon Photonic BGA Packaged Coherent Optical Sub-Assembly

Elenion Technologies, a start-up developing silicon photonics-based System-on-Chip solutions, announced its next-generation Coherent Silicon Transmitter and Receiver CSTAR optical BGA platform for transmission of up to 600G on a single wavelength, as well as new small form factors for compact pluggable modules such as OIF 400G ZR QSFP-DD.

The CSTAR-200 is a DSP agnostic, coherent optical engine that enables pluggables such as CFP2-DCO and on-board applications, from data center interconnect to long haul in 100/200G coherent optical communication links.

“We are excited to be partnering with Elenion on our award winning CFP2-DCO. Elenion’s CSTAR platform allows us to offer differentiated coherent solutions to our customers,” said Siraj ElAhmadi, President & General Manager, Menara Networks.

The CSTAR platform comprises a multi-chip-module (MCM) and integrates Elenion’s advanced Silicon Photonics and RFICs. Integrated into a non-hermetic BGA package, CSTAR offers the next generation coherent optical engine for todays and future 100 to 600Gb/s Network applications.

“From the beginning at Elenion, we’ve built our silicon photonic chips in a production CMOS fab, which enables us to build complex optical devices. Having leveraged on-chip complexity to eliminate all of the isolators, lenses, and other free space optics from our package, Elenion is taking these chips and having them assembled in a production electronics-attach environment, reusing the infrastructure investment from the ASIC industry. We believe that this is a milestone for the silicon photonics industry, and represents an inflection point with regard to the cost of packaging for silicon photonics and integrated photonic components in general,” said Michael Hochberg, CTO, Elenion.

Ciena adds to its 5G portfolio

Ciena added several new products and capabilities in its 5G Network Solutions portfolio including the introduction of new, open and programmable routers that enable soft and hard slicing with Segment Routing and FlexE switching for converged 4G and 5G xHaul over a common wireline infrastructure.

Highlights of the rollout include:

  • 5168 Router: an xHaul network slicing router enabling Cloud RAN architectures with support for CPRI/eCPRI/RoE/ORAN, Adaptive IPTM and high-density 10/25GbE to 100/200GbE aggregation
  • 5166 Router: a cost-effective network slicing router implementing Ciena’s Adaptive IP and optimized for 10/25GbE to 100/200/400GbE aggregation
  • 5164 Router: a cost-effective network slicing router implementing Ciena’s Adaptive IP and optimized for 10/25GbE to 100/200GbE aggregation

In addition, the Blue Planet Intelligent Automation software portfolio has been enhanced for 5G automation, including these new solutions and capabilities:

  • Vendor-agnostic network slicing features, which allow operators to automate end-to-end creation of dynamic, SLA-based virtual networks that are optimized to meet specific needs of users to derive new revenue from 5G networks
  • Dynamic Planning capabilities, powered by federation and advanced software automation, to deliver an accurate, real-time view of an operators’ network and service inventory, which simplifies network planning to support small cell deployments, speeding the delivery of 5G

“Ciena has been at the forefront of creating some of the industry’s most advanced wireline networks and our open 5G Network Solutions build on that heritage, giving operators the ability to choose the right solutions for their needs and to create a more adaptive network. Operators can now move to 5G with minimal risk and the ability to rapidly generate a greater return on their investments,” stated Steve Alexander, Chief Technology Officer, Ciena.

Intel outlines "Horse Ridge" cryogenic quantum control chip

Intel Labs, in collaboration with QuTech ‑ a partnership between TU Delft and TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) ‑ outlined key technical features of its new cryogenic quantum control chip codenamed "Horse Ridge". The research is aimed at integrating silicon spin qubit devices and cryogenic controls in a streamlined package.

Some highlights:

Scalability: The integrated SoC design, implemented using Intel’s 22nm FFL (FinFET Low Power) CMOS technology, integrates four radio frequency (RF) channels into a single device. Each channel is able to control up to 32 qubits leveraging “frequency multiplexing” – a technique that divides the total bandwidth available into a series of non-overlapping frequency bands, each of which is used to carry a separate signal. Leveraging these four channels, Horse Ridge can potentially control up to 128 qubits with a single device, substantially reducing the number of cables and rack instrumentations previously required.
Fidelity: Increases in qubit count trigger other issues that challenge the capacity and operation of the quantum system. One such potential impact is a decline in qubit fidelity and performance. In developing Horse Ridge, Intel optimized the multiplexing technology that enables the system to scale and reduce errors from “phase shift” – a phenomenon that can occur when controlling many qubits at different frequencies, resulting in crosstalk among qubits.

Intel outlined these details in a research paper released at the 2020 International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco. The paper unveils key technical capabilities of Horse Ridge that address fundamental challenges in building a quantum system powerful enough to demonstrate quantum practicality: scalability, flexibility and fidelity.

“Today, quantum researchers work with just a small number of qubits, using smaller, custom-designed systems surrounded by complex control and interconnect mechanisms. Intel’s Horse Ridge greatly minimizes this complexity. By systematically working to scale to thousands of qubits required for quantum practicality, we’re continuing to make steady progress toward making commercially viable quantum computing a reality in our future,” stated Jim Clarke, director of quantum hardware, Intel Labs.

CommScope adds Open Interfaces and Virtualization for 5G Small Cells

CommScope announced open interfaces, virtualized RAN functions, and new radio points for its OneCell small cell for operators to deploy 5G networks in enterprises and venues.

Key enhancements

  • 5G mmWave and sub-6 GHz bands support: The addition of these bands to the OneCell RP5000 Series of radio points enables operators to address 5G in-building needs. This includes 28 GHz and 39 GHz mmWave bands, CBRS and C-band in the US, and 3.5 GHz bands in Europe and the rest of the world.
  • Virtualized 5G NR baseband functions: this allows baseband functions to run on x86-based server platforms anywhere in the network to support 5G network slicing – virtual end-to-end networks customized for each application requirement. For example, capacity-related functions can be centralized for efficient pooling, while data and media delivery can be pushed to the edge for low latency.
  • O-RAN 7.2x fronthaul interface: This allows fronthaul over Ethernet. CommScope implements further innovations such as single cell operation across multiple radio points to maximize user QoE, and cell virtualization to increase spectral efficiency. These are critical to meeting the requirements of enhanced mobile broadband and ultra-reliable low latency communication 5G use cases.
  • Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) framework support: This enables native management of OneCell under the O-RAN Alliance’s O1 Operations and Maintenance (OAM) interface specification. ONAP simplifies on-boarding, provisioning, orchestration and management for operators by providing a common framework across all network elements and services.

“CommScope fully supports open interfaces to stimulate innovation,” said Upendra Pingle, vice president of Distributed Coverage and Capacity Solutions for CommScope’s Venues and Campus Networks segment. “We are delivering solutions for in-building cellular coverage that enable operators to realize the potential of their 5G networks for all types of subscribers and use cases.”

Cradlepoint debuts 5G wireless edge solutions for business

Cradlepoint introduced a portfolio of 5G solutions for enterprise wireless services.

The new products combine Cradlepoint's NetCloud platform with a clean-sheet-of-paper design for its new 5G modems and antenna systems. Enterprise-class capabilities focus on network availability, security, and manageability. Specific capabilities include: combining LTE, Gigabit-Class LTE and 5G in a single wireless WAN; support for all variants of 5G – low-band and mid-band (Sub-6Ghz) and high-band (millimeter wave) – across major wireless operators; interoperability with existing customer SD-WAN and router infrastructures; and delivering the entire network management lifecycle – from ease of deployment to simplified operations and troubleshooting.

Telstra is the launch partner for the first Cradlepoint 5G solution, the W2000-Series 5G Wideband Adapter, which is the 5G wireless edge solution for Telstra’s Enterprise Wireless service. Customer trials are scheduled to begin in April 2020.

“Our new NetCloud-powered portfolio of 5G wireless edge solutions represents another industry first for Cradlepoint,” explained George Mulhern, chairman and CEO of Cradlepoint. “We are excited to have Telstra – Australia’s leading mobile operator – as our worldwide launch partner for our new W2000-Series 5G Wideband Adapter. They share our strong belief that business customers are looking to embrace 5G to enable new and disruptive business applications and capabilities, but not at the cost of impaired network availability, security, and manageability.”

Creadlepoint's forthcoming W-Series 5G Wideband Adapters are controlled and managed by the Cradlepoint NetCloud Service and are based on the company’s software-defined modem technology. Specific models include:

  • W2000-Series 5G Wideband Adapter for low-band and mid-band (Sub-6Ghz) deployments comes in both an indoor unit (IDU) and a rugged outdoor unit (ODU). Telstra customer trials of this model are scheduled to begin from April 2020 and on other wireless operators starting in mid-2020. 
  • W4000-Series 5G Wideband Adapter is designed for millimeter-wave cellular networks with a rugged outdoor unit (ODU) design that can be directionally mounted on exterior walls, poles, and rooftops. The W4000-Series is slated for Q3 2020 availability.
  • 5G Modular Modem (Sub-6Ghz) provides a field-upgradable pathway to 5G for Cradlepoint 5G Ready dual modem routers. 
Availability is planned for later in 2020.

ADVA reports one of its best quarters with revenue rising 15% yoy

ADVA reported Q4 2019 revenues of EUR 151.1 million, up by 4.7% from EUR 144.3 million in Q3 2019 and up by 14.9% from EUR 131.5 million in the same year-ago period. Revenues for Q4 2019 were at the upper end of the guidance corridor the company provided on October 24, 2019, of between EUR 142 million and EUR 152 million.

Pro forma operating income for Q4 2019 was EUR 10.3 million (6.8% of revenues), up from EUR 7.4 million (5.1% of revenues) in Q3 2019 and above EUR 8.1 million (6.2% of revenues) in the same year-ago period. Pro forma operating income for Q4 2019 was also at the upper end of the company’s guidance range of between 5% and 7% of revenues. At quarter-end, the company’s cash and cash equivalents totaled EUR 54.3 million, representing a substantial increase of 41.3% compared to EUR 38.4 million at the end of Q3 2019.

“Today, we report one of the best results in our 25-year company history,” commented Uli Dopfer, CFO, ADVA. “Both of our two key metrics were at the upper end of our guidance range, and year-over-year we increased revenues significantly by 14.9%. On an annualized basis our revenue grew by more than 10% – an excellent result that even exceeded our self-imposed goals and was supported by satisfactory profitability. We are finalizing our restructuring and preparing for the uncertainty caused by COVID-19. It is currently difficult for us to assess what impact the crisis in China will have on our 2020 results. The city of Wuhan is an important center for photonic components and subsystems, and the isolation of the region will lead to delays in the global supply chain. We expect that despite the healthy order backlog, some of the order fulfillment and revenue recognition will shift from Q1 2020 to later quarters. However, in light of the positive order entry and strong demand, we are very confident of further increasing annual revenues and profitability compared to 2019.”

“Numerous factors that caused market uncertainty and tension in the past year will continue to be relevant in 2020. However, we adjusted very well to the new boundary conditions and once again showed that the DNA of our company guarantees stable and reliable results even in difficult times,” said Brian Protiva, CEO, ADVA. “Despite the trade tensions, we held our course and developed our business with great discipline. Throughout the year we were able to sequentially increase our revenues and gain market share in certain segments. ADVA is in an excellent position for the coming years. We have created a solid basis in all three technology areas and see interesting growth scenarios as a result of transformational change disrupting our markets.”

KDDI tests Nokia's 5G core standalone

Japan's KDDI Corporation completed a 5G core standalone (SA) network trial using Nokia’s 5G AirGile cloud-native core solution. The test was conducted independently of previous generations’ mobile network architecture.

Nokia said its 5G AirGile cloud-native core can be rolled out in a traditional network environment or a cloud environment and is fully compliant with 3GPP Release 15 5G core functions.

In this trial, Nokia applied a service-based architecture to the 5G control plane, moving control functions completely into a cloud-based environment which provides operators with improved scalability, velocity and flexibility.  A full 5G SA core will support enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC) and Ultra Reliable Low Latency Connectivity (URLLC).

Ribbon names Bruce McClelland as CEO (formerly ARRIS)

Ribbon Communications announced the appointment of Bruce McClelland as its President, Chief Executive Officer and a director. McClelland previously served as CEO of ARRIS International plc, where he most recently led the sale of ARRIS to CommScope for $7.4 billion in April 2019.  While at ARRIS, Mr. McClelland managed the successful acquisition and integration of the Ruckus Wireless and Brocade ICX Campus switching businesses from Broadcom Inc., a major step in diversifying the ARRIS business beyond the service provider market into the broader enterprise market, while strengthening the company’s wireless technology capabilities. 

Mr. McClelland said, “I am honored to lead the Ribbon team during this exciting time in the Company’s history with the transformational merger with ECI on the near-term horizon. I look forward to bringing my knowledge and expertise to the combined company, working closely with the Ribbon Board and executive management team to create a premier workplace and winning culture for our employees while driving long-term value for our customers and stockholders.”

Ribbon also announced the appointment of Stewart Ewing and Krish Prabhu to its Board of Directors. Ewing most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of CenturyLink, Inc.  He joined CenturyLink as its Vice President of Finance in 1983 and assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer in 1989.   During his 28 years as CFO, he played a significant role in CenturyLink’s acquisition strategy, negotiating all stages of purchase agreements, legal and regulatory matters and integrating the acquired companies into CenturyLink’s corporate structure and philosophy.

Prabhu most recently was Chief Technology Officer and President of AT&T Labs.  During his tenure, he was responsible for the company's global technology direction, including network innovation, product development and research, intellectual property organization and global supply chain organization.  Prior to this, Mr. Prabhu served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Tellabs. Earlier in his career, he held various leadership positions at Alcatel.

Ribbon to acquire ECI , expanding from voice to optical, SDN, NFV

Ribbon Communications agreed to acquire ECI Telecom Group for 32.5 million shares of Ribbon common stock and $324 million of cash.   ECI stockholders will also receive approximately $31 million from ECI’s sale of real estate assets. This

ECI is a global provider of end-to-end packet-optical transport and SDN/NFV solutions for service providers, enterprises, and data center operators. The privately held company was founded in 1961, currently has approximately 1,700 employees, and is headquartered in Petah Tikva, Israel. ECI serves over 300 global customers with over 100 new customer wins in the last three years. ECI’s total revenue was $376 million and Adjusted EBITDA was $23 million for the twelve months ended September 30, 20193.

The companies said their merger will create a powerful, leading-edge solutions provider with anticipated combined annual revenue of over $900 million, serving customers in more than 140 countries, and 4,000 employees worldwide.  Ribbon expects the combination to position the company for growth by expanding its product portfolio beyond solutions primarily supporting voice applications to include data applications and optical networking.

Ribbon’s corporate headquarters is expected to remain in Westford, Massachusetts.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

SD-WAN Observations 2020 with Aruba's Kishore Seshadri



Two key observations about the rapidly evolving SD-WAN market from Kishore Seshadri, VP/GM, SD-WAN, Aruba.

First, centralize where you can, distribute where you must.
Second, look to SD-WAN for interconnecting hub sites.

https://nginfrastructure.com/sd-wan/


Qualcomm debuts Snapdragon X60 Modem-RF

Qualcomm introduced its third-generation 5G smartphone solution – its Snapdragon X60 Modem-RF System with support across a mix of frequency bands (mmWave, sub-6 GHz including low bands), band types (5G FDD and TDD), and deployment modes (SA and NSA).

Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) enables operators to deploy 5G on low frequency FDD bands already in use for LTE. 5G FDD-TDD carrier aggregation support in Snapdragon X60 then allows the operator to increase capacity and coverage. Additionally, with mmWave-sub6 aggregation, operators can dramatically increase their peak throughput to surpass 5.5 Gbps.

Highlights of the Snapdragon X60:

  • 5nm process node for the 5G baseband chip packs higher power efficiency into a smaller footprint.
  • Support for 5G FDD-TDD sub-6 carrier aggregation helps networks maximize their spectrum resources for coverage and peak speeds.
  • Support for 5G TDD-TDD sub-6 carrier aggregation allows SA networks to double peak speeds (compared to Snapdragon X55).
  • mmWave-sub6 aggregation unlocks a gamut of options for operators to achieve the best of both worlds – network capacity and coverage.
  • The new Qualcomm QTM535 mmWave antenna module introduced with Snapdragon X60 is smaller than the previous generation and allows new, sleek mmWave smartphone designs, with improved mmWave performance.

https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2020/02/18/introducing-snapdragon-x60-raising-global-5g-performance-bar-worlds-most

Infinera announces XR optics partnerships with II-IV and Lumentum

Infinera announced a collaboration with II-VI, a global leader in optical communications modules, to bring to market XR optics-based networking solutions. The companies said partnership will result in the introduction of a family of easily deployable, pluggable XR optics offerings applicable across a wide variety of market applications.

Infinera said XR optics enables radically more efficient and cost-effective solutions for the transport networking challenges operators face in delivering new 5G, enhanced broadband, and cloud-based business services. Infinera's XR optics technology, which is optimized for hub-and-spoke traffic patterns, is powered by independently routable Nyquist subcarriers and coherent optical aggregation capabilities. XR optics technology enables a single high-speed transceiver to simultaneously send and receive independent data streams to/from numerous low-speed transceivers.

“We are excited to partner with II-VI to introduce this revolutionary point-to-multipoint solution that is expected to help network operators realize unprecedented savings,” said Dr. Dave Welch, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Infinera. “We are experiencing growing interest from our customers in XR optics, and collaborating with a leader like II-VI underscores the value of this innovation and our commitment to bring it to market with a broad-based coalition of top-tier suppliers.”

“We are looking forward to leveraging our highly integrated laser technology platform, coupled with our industry-leading optics and module expertise, together with Infinera’s coherent subcarrier aggregation DSP and transmission expertise, to achieve next-generation coherent transceiver solutions,” said Matthias Berger, Vice President, Coherent Optics Business Unit, II-VI Incorporated. “This collaboration will enable us to jointly deliver digital coherent optics in small pluggable form-factors and with low power consumption.”

In addition, Infinera announced a separate partnership with Lumentum to bring to market XR optics-based networking solutions. The partnership will result in the introduction of a family of easily deployable, pluggable XR optics offerings applicable across a wide variety of market applications.

“We are delighted to partner with Lumentum to introduce this revolutionary point-to-multipoint solution designed to help network operators benefit from unprecedented savings,” said Dr. Dave Welch, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Infinera. “Lumentum has been an important team player, recognizing the value of XR optics and committed to bringing this innovative solution to market.”

“Collaborating with Infinera leverages our deep experience in high-speed coherent components and pluggable modules to bring an innovative solution like XR optics to market,” said Beck Mason, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Lumentum’s Telecom Transmission Business. “The XR optics concept aligns with our core strategy to provide scalable and flexible coherent optical network solutions that enable higher speeds for next-generation transport networks.”

Infinera's XR Optics delivers coherent optical subcarrier aggregation

Infinera introduced a point-to-multipoint coherent optical subcarrier aggregation technology with the potential to significantly reduce the number of transceivers required in an access network while eliminating intermediate aggregation.

Infinera's XR optics technology, which is optimized for hub-and-spoke traffic patterns, is powered by independently routable Nyquist subcarriers and coherent optical aggregation capabilities. With coherent subcarrier aggregation (CSA) capabilities, XR optics technology enables a single high-speed transceiver to simultaneously send and receive independent data streams to/from numerous low-speed transceivers.
Subcarriers can be flexibly sized. For example, 4 X 25G subcarriers defined in a 100G QSFP-28 transcrivers; or 16 X 25G subcarriers defined in a 400G QSFP-DD transceiver.

The company says that by leveraging these capabilities, network operators will be positioned to significantly reduce the number of transceivers in the network, eliminate the need for costly intermediate aggregation devices, and more efficiently optimize transport infrastructure for hub-and-spoke end-user traffic flows.

Initial areas of focus include DAA fiber deep networks, 5G X-haul, DSL/PON backhaul, and fiber-enabled business services.

XR optics is designed to be integrated into a variety of form factors, including industry-standard pluggables, from low-speed interfaces with a single subcarrier to high-speed (400G+) interfaces with numerous subcarriers.
https://www.infinera.com/innovation/xr-optics

ADVA unveils compact 100G edge demarcation solution

ADVA introduced its FSP 150-XG400 Series edge demarcation solution for businesses and mobile network operators (MNOs).

The new product family is specifically engineered to deliver MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet 100 Gbps demarcation and 10 Gbps service aggregation.

The new product family offers an environmentally hardened design in a 1RU or 2RU form factor. It offers 1, 10, 25, 40 or 100GbE interfaces. Each device comes with carrier-class Ethernet OAM and Y.1564 feature sets, including unique full line-speed activation testing for services up to 100 Gbps.  It also supports hardware-based timing for ultra-precise frequency and phase synchronization for radio access networks.

The ADVA FSP 150-XG400 Series supports network overlay capabilities for the delivery of MEF services over IP networks. It also provides standard SDN interfaces and can be directly controlled from open source and commercial SDN controllers. Able to withstand an extended temperature range, the ADVA FSP 150-XG400 Series avoids the high cost of air conditioning, enabling ease of deployment even in extreme environments.

“The arrival of 5G is bringing unprecedented data speeds, but mobile applications can only be as fast as the backhaul network. That’s why MNOs are now looking to upgrade their access infrastructure from 10Gbit/s to 100Gbit/s line rates. Our FSP 150-XG400 Series supports a smooth and extremely cost-effective migration to higher capacity while also enabling the distribution of precise network synchronization that next-generation services require,” said Stephan Rettenberger, SVP, marketing and investor relations, ADVA. “With their compact, ETSI-compliant design, our FSP 150-XG400 devices remove the need for deep shelves and excessive rack height units. This makes it easy and affordable to seamlessly upgrade from 1Gbit/s to 10Gbit/s or even 100Gbit/s service delivery. What’s more, the new solutions feature integrated testing capabilities, so operators don’t have to bother with expensive high-bitrate testing equipment.”

“Our newest product family removes all the roadblocks and makes the task of transforming metro networks simple. With our FSP 150-XG400 Series delivering high-density demarcation and aggregation, businesses can expand and embrace the potential of IoT, and operators can deliver the next level of resilient SLA-based Carrier Ethernet services,” commented James Buchanan, GM, Edge Cloud, ADVA. “No other solution available offers such high port count, full testing capabilities and comprehensive network synchronization features with this level of design density. Our devices also provide proven OAM capabilities as well as fully automated service activation. Whether you need high-speed connectivity for cloud-centric business applications or building your enterprise IoT architecture, our FSP 150-XG400 Series has you covered.”

https://www.adva.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/20200218-adva-unveils-industrys-most-compact-100g-edge-demarcation-solution

Federated Wireless offers CBRS via AWS Marketplace, Azure

Federated Wireless, which offers Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum management services, introduced a Connectivity-as-a-Service offering that lets U.S. enterprises buy and deploy private 4G and 5G networks with a single click in AWS Marketplace.

Federated Wireless said its new private wireless Connectivity-as-a-Service reduces the complexity of enterprise adoption of 5G private networks with one-click provisioning in AWS Marketplace and seamless integration with Internet of Things (IoT) applications provided by the AWS Partner Network (APN). AWS-enabled private networks are an ideal secure solution for industrial and manufacturing IoT environments in which device types, locations and densities are widely varied and wireless interference using legacy Wi-Fi networks is both extremely common and highly detrimental to business performance.

Separately, Federated Wireless announced a Connectivity-as-a-Service offering with Microsoft Azure Marketplace. This end-to-end managed service provided by Federated Wireless includes discovery, planning, design, build, operation and support, enabling enterprises to reap the benefits of 5G with minimum risk and capital expenditure.

Federated Wireless cites the following benefits for its Connectivity-as-a-Service:

  • Simplicity – Enterprises can order with one click the business connectivity services they need, with Federated Wireless delivering and managing the network and facilitating endpoint management
  • Flexibility – Enhanced ecosystem of solutions and partners to enable choice
  • Reliability – Proven five 9s service level agreement for unsurpassed network reliability and performance
  • Cloud Scale – Consistent, automated applications and streamlined processes for improved efficiency with infinite scalability
  • Control – Comprehensive visibility into network performance and usage allows IT management to set granular network policies while maintaining secure control of networks and data
  • Low Cost – High performance and reliability of 4G/5G technology delivered at enterprise Wi-Fi costs

“This announcement builds on our long history of collaboration with AWS, with which we launched joint solutions in November 2017 and 2018,” said Iyad Tarazi, CEO of Federated Wireless. “AWS has been a critical strategic collaborator in development and delivery of this industry-first new service, which will fundamentally change the way that U.S. enterprises procure, deploy and manage private wireless networks. We look forward to continuing to work closely with AWS to accelerate this revolution in private networking.”

Dynamic spectrum sharing with 3.5 GHz CBRS network



A tremendous amount of mid-band spectrum is opening up for enterprises, mobile network operators, cable operators, and new players, Kurt Schaubach, CTO of Federated Wireless, thanks to dynamic spectrum sharing with Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS).

 This video covers:
* The CBRS ecosystem and commercial rollout timeline
* Who is Federated Wireless and what are its key technologies
* How CBRS creates access to spectrum for densification of existing networks and entry for new players
* CBRS in 4G and 5G scenarios

Orange and Telxius to backhaul Google's Dunant transatlantic cable

Orange and Telxius will provide terrestrial backhaul extensions in France and in the US for Google's Dunant submarine cable, which is expected to enter service in late 2020.

Under this agreement, Orange and Telxius offer co-location services at their respective Cable Landing Stations in Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez (France) and Virginia Beach (US).

From its Saint- Hilaire-de-Riez (85) Cable Landing Station, Orange will enable terrestrial connection to Telxius up to Paris, while Telxius will connect Orange to Ashburn from Virginia Beach.

This collaboration represents a strong transatlantic bridge as both companies can effectively provide multi- terabit capacity on this Europe-US route. It also reinforces Orange and Telxius’ respective positions to support the development of new digital usages for their international customers in Europe and America and bolsters the international leadership position of both companies on the wholesale market to better address the needs of content-providers and third-party operators.

“We are pleased to announce this agreement with Telxius, which will allow us to provide our customers with very high capacity end-to-end services, as well as network redundancy, on the strategic transatlantic route. We will be operating two fiber pairs of over 30 terabits per second between France and the USA. It is a valuable extension to Orange’s global network joining our Atlantic and Mediterranean routes to Africa, the Middle East and Asia with guaranteed best in class quality of service,” said Jerome Barré, CEO of Orange Wholesale and International Networks.

https://telxius.com/en/orange-and-telxius-are-teaming-up/

Google's Dunant cable leverages SDM for 250 Tbps capacity

Google's Dunant submarine cable system, which will link the U.S. and France, will be the first subsea cable to leverage space-division multiplexing (SDM), enabling 250 terabits per second capacity.

In a blog posting, Vijay Vusirikala, Director of Network Architecture and Optical Engineering at Google, says SDM will increase cable capacity in a cost-effective manner.

Dunant's design uses twelve fiber pairs and power-optimized repeaters. Whereas traditional subsea cables are powered from the shore end and rely on a dedicated set of pump lasers to amplify the optical signal for each fiber pair, SDM allows pump lasers and associated optical components to be shared among multiple fiber pairs.

https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/infrastructure/a-quick-hop-across-the-pond-supercharging-the-dunant-subsea-cable-with-sdm-technology

Orange joins Google's Dunant transatlantic cable project

Orange is joining Google's Dunant transatlantic project, which is a 6,600km submarine cable connecting the United States to the French Atlantic coast. The system is expected to be ready for services late 2020.

As the French landing partner, Orange will build and operate the landing station on the French Atlantic coast and provide the backhaul service to Paris. In parallel, Orange will benefit from fiber-pairs with a capacity of more than 30 Tbps per pair.

Google to build private "Dunant" cable from Virginia to France

Google is planning a new transatlantic subsea cable system linking the east coast of the United States to Europe to bolster its global network.

Dunant, which is named in honor of Swiss businessman and humanitarian Henri Dunant, will be a four-fiber pair cable system spanning over 6,400km from Virginia Beach to the French Atlantic coast.

Google has selected TE SubCom to build the Dunant submarine cable system. Activation is expected in late 2020.

Henri Dunant was the founder of the Red Cross and recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize.

Zayo joins Microsoft Airband initiative for rural broadband

Zayo Group has joined the Microsoft Airband Initiative, which partners with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) working on broadband access solutions for rural unserved communities through a mix of technologies that includes TV white spaces (TVWS). As part of the agreement, Zayo will provide backbone fiber solutions via its existing network to ISPs to deliver high speed internet.

Zayo has deep, dense fiber networks in every major market in the U.S. including Tier 1, 2, 3 and 4 cities. In addition, Zayo’s long haul networks connect multiple markets, traversing rural areas in more than 30 states, either in place or under construction.

“When underserved areas gain access to high-speed internet, everyone benefits,” said Brian Daniels, senior vice president of Strategic Networks at Zayo. “Broadband provides access to educational, employment and healthcare resources at the family level as well as facilitating economic development in the communities in which they live. Combining our large mobile infrastructure builds and our ever expanding K-12 education networks provides Zayo an unparalleled platform to support the Airband Initiative. We look forward to working together with Microsoft -- and with rural service providers -- on this innovative initiative to close the digital divide.”

http://www.zayo.com/microsoft-airband

Radisys and KDDI demo RAN slicing

Radisys and KDDI Research demonstrated RAN slicing involving different traffic streams with different latency requirements on a single Radio Unit (RU) connected to multiple Centralized Units/Distributed Units in a disaggregated network topology.

The demonstration included the creation of a network slice for eMBB (Enhanced Media Broadband) service that spanned a pair of Distributed Units (DU) in an edge cloud site and a Centralized Unit User Plane (CU-UP) in a regional cloud site. This allows an architectural construct of a Network Slice consisting of Intelligent Edge and regional cloud with functionalities to host a 5G service. While eMBB is a high-speed data service, another network slice was created for Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communication (URLLC) service employing another pair of DUs in the edge cloud.
Key features of the demonstration include:

  • Network slicing to implement workloads for 5G services both edge and regional clouds
  • Showcasing two important 5G services: eMBB and URLLC
  • Creating multiple slices in a single cell

For this demo, Radisys provided an end-to-end configuration consisting of:

  • 5G NR (New Radio) gNodeB in Standalone mode operating in sub-6 GHz frequency range along with RAN controller
  • 5G Core Network including Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF) and User Plane Function (UPF)
  • eMBB and URLLC service functionality portioned in edge and regional clouds

“Our deep partnership with KDDI Research is evident with this critical demonstration of advanced network slicing where we connected multiple CUs and DUs to a single RU,” said Arun Bhikshesvaran, CEO, Radisys. “This demo goes beyond the typical single DU and RU binding and really brings to the forefront how mobile operators will manage their networks with intelligent edge deployments and scale into regional clouds to optimize efficiency and operational costs in order to realize the benefits of 5G disaggregation.”

Orange Business picks Ekinops and Dell for uCPE

Orange Business Services has chosen Ekinops and Dell Technologies as partners for a new universal customer premise equipment (uCPE) solution.

The uCPE solution, which is a result of co-innovation between companies, combines Enterprise Branch Server IT and Virtualization Management. It uses hardware provided by Dell Technologies OEM | Embedded & Edge Solutions running middleware built by Ekinops. It will allow enterprises to consolidate their site connectivity and functionality with virtual network functions (VNF) management.

Enterprises can install VNFs remotely to a uCPE deployed at any site. A single box can run multiple network functions, such as routers, SD-WAN, firewalls and WAN optimization, allowing customers to provision new sites and services much more quickly. The Ekinops VNF certification program currently has certified over 30 third-party VNFs.

“Our global enterprise customers require increased flexibility in terms of connectivity solutions and infrastructure optimization. This uCPE solution developed with Ekinops and Dell Technologies will give enterprises further choice in terms of deployment and reinforces our ecosystem-based approach. We believe that flexible solutions such as these are essential for customers looking to run an increasing number of services at the Edge,” said Anne-Marie Thiollet, Vice President, Connectivity Business Unit, Orange Business Services.

“The combination of our middleware and VNFs with the powerful uCPEs and global presence of Dell will ensure the best possible quality, performance and support for Orange enterprise customers. We are committed to help service providers adopt software-defined networking, and our growing line of software products has proven to be at the cutting edge, as this announcement attests,” said Didier Brédy, Ekinops CEO.

“Our uCPE range offers an ideal solution for service providers who are looking to modernize operations for connecting branch locations to the WAN, reduce complexity and foster business impact,” said Sanjay Tyagi, Vice President and General Manager, EMEA OEM | Embedded & Edge Solutions, Dell Technologies.

http://www.orange-business.com

Dell sells RSA for $2.075 billion

Dell Technologies agreed to sell its RSA subsidiary to a consortium of investors led by Symphony Technology Group (STG), Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (Ontario Teachers’) and AlpInvest Partners (AlpInvest). The deal was valued at $2.075 billion in cash.

RSA provides risk, security and fraud teams with the ability to holistically manage digital risk, including threat detection and response, identity and access management, integrated risk management and omnichannel fraud prevention. The company claims more than 12,500 customers.

“As one of the world’s elite security brands, RSA represents a great opportunity for solving some of the rapidly developing customer challenges that go along with digital transformation,” said William Chisholm, Managing Partner at Symphony Technology Group. “We are excited and fully committed to maximizing the power of RSA’s talent, expertise and tremendous growth potential and continuing RSA’s strategy to serve customers with a holistic approach to managing their digital risk.”

“This is the right long-term strategy for Dell, RSA and our collective customers and partners,” said Jeff Clarke, Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman, Dell Technologies. “The transaction will further simplify our business and product portfolio. It also allows Dell Technologies to focus on our strategy to build automated and intelligent security into infrastructure, platforms and devices to keep data safe, protected and resilient.”

Telco Security Alliance share threat intelligence

The Telco Security Alliance, whose members include AT&T, Singtel and Telefónica, announced new collaborative efforts to detect and eliminate threats from customer environments.

The hope is that by continuously sharing the latest threat intelligence and indicators of compromise (IoCs) related to cybersecurity threats and global attack campaigns, operators can help organizations as the threat landscape evolves.

Telco Security Alliance threat intelligence is derived from multiple sources including anonymized data from alliance member security operations centers and security investigations. By pooling valuable information on new malware campaigns and indicators of compromise from ongoing attacks, our customers gain a more global and complete view of cybersecurity developments that may impact operations.

Joint threat intelligence sharing will allow our security analysts to take more proactive means to combat malicious activities. We will accomplish this by writing and pushing signatures for newly discovered malware and phishing campaigns across customer products and environments down to individual endpoints. The different feeds serving the threat intelligence instruments will utilize the AT&T Alien Labs® Open Threat Exchange® (OTX™) platform.

The Telco Security Alliance formed by AT&T, Etisalat, Singtel, SoftBank and Telefónica, is the first global security alliance between telecom operators. The alliance aims to improve each member’s ability to respond rapidly to cybersecurity threats. The Telco Security Alliance aims to help enterprises and government agencies address the growing threat of cyber-attacks and the evolving threat landscape. AT&T, Singtel and Telefónica are the first Telco Security Alliance members to participate in the threat intelligence sharing initiative but expansion to other members is planned.

“Access to global actionable threat intelligence has become increasingly crucial as cyber threats traverse sovereign boundaries,” said Chng Tien San, Global Head of Alliances at Trustwave, a Singtel company. “Trustwave helps enterprises perform continuous threat detection and response, and we look forward to our continued collaboration with the Telco Security Alliance as we collectively help businesses embrace digital transformation securely.”

“Our customers demand us to deliver contextualized threat intelligence, delivering as many details as possible to reveal undetected attacks. By leveraging the Alliance members’ most relevant IoCs into one single platform, it will allow us to improve our detection and response, and the emerging playbooks will let our analysts focus on the analysis and investigations of the advanced threat defeating techniques,” said Sebastián García de Saint-Léger, Telco Sector manager at ElevenPaths, Telefónica’s cybersecurity unit.

“This relationship supports the global fight against cybercrime,” said Jaime Blasco, AVP of Product Development for AT&T Cybersecurity. “This initiative already proved valuable to AT&T’s visibility into current threats, and as we continue to work together, our focus is on utilizing this relationship to deliver better threat intelligence to our customers.”