Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Marvell intros 400G/800G PAM4 DSPs for Active Electrical Cables

Marvell introduced its Alaska A PAM4 DSP family for Active Electrical Cables (AECs) designed for data center interconnects by hyperscale customers.

The new Alaska 400G/800G DSPs, fabricated in 6nm process, leverages Marvell’s PAM4 DSP technology to improve signal integrity in copper, short reach AECs to address emerging 100G/lane adoption in cloud data center interconnect architectures. 

The new Alaska 400G/800G DSPs add to Marvell’s comprehensive portfolio of high speed transceivers, including line card retimers, gearboxes and MACsec PHYs supporting rates up to 800G, and active optical cable (AOC) interconnect solutions. 

Marvell said its Alaska A DSPs for AECs can compensate for >40db of loss, which enables longer reach and thinner cables, both of which are key requirements for high density data center deployments. The Marvell AEC platform includes a complete cable reference design for 400G and 800G AECs and software stack with CMIS5.0 support as well as proven interoperability with leading switch and NIC platforms. Marvell’s Alaska A platform brings Marvell’s PAM4 DSP leadership coupled with the state-of-the-art cable manufacturing and assembly expertise of leading cable manufacturers. This combination delivers best-in-class AECs as well as the scalability and supply assurance to meet the critical requirements of cloud customers.

“100G/lane-enabled products are the next inflection point for data centers, as artificial intelligence, machine learning and other data-intensive workloads grow,” said Achyut Shah, senior vice president and general manager of Marvell’s PHY business unit. “Achieving the reach needed for AI accelerators and server to top-of-rack links and switch-to-switch interconnects requires an active electrical cable (AEC) solution because of the reach limitations and cable thickness challenges of passive direct attach offerings at 100G/lane. We are working with all major cable vendors and cloud operators on end-to-end AEC solutions based on our  Alaska A DSPs to enable 100G serial-based next-generation data center deployments.”

Marvell also confirmed that it is working with leading data center cable manufacturers, including Amphenol, Celestica, Luxshare-tech, Molex, TE Connectivity, and Volex.

Marvell samples first 1.6T Ethernet PHY with 100G PAM4 I/Os in 5nm

Marvell has begun sampling the industry's first 1.6T Ethernet PHY with 100G PAM4 electrical input/outputs (I/Os) in 5nm, enabling next-generation 100G serial-based 400G and 800G Ethernet links for high-density switches. The doubling of the signaling rate creates signal integrity challenges, driving the need for retimer devices for high port count switch designs. It's critical that retimer and gearboxes used for these applications are extremely power...

Marvell samples 50G PAM4 DSP chipset for 5G optical fronthaul

Marvell has begun sampling the industry’s first 50Gbps PAM4 DSP and TIA chipset solution for 5G fronthaul.Key features of the new Marvell AtlasOne chipset:PAM4 digital core for optimal performance across a range of applications.Marvell’s companion IN5662 TIA for linearity while maintaining ultra-low noise and power.The industry’s first PAM4 DSP integrated Direct Modulated Laser driver in mainstream CMOS technology.Industrial temperature range support...


Marvell samples 800G Multimode Electro-Optics Platform

Marvell is now sampling a 800Gbps or 8 x 100Gbps multimode platform for short-reach optical modules and Active Optical Cable (AOC) applications. 

The new 800G platform, which includes Marvell's PAM4 DSP with a multimode transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and Driver, enables faster data center speeds scaling to 800Gbps, using conventional cost-effective vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) technology over multimode fiber. 

"As a pioneer in PAM4 DSP technology for data centers, Marvell is the first in the industry to offer a cost-effective, plug-and-play platform solution that supports 800G speeds using VCSEL technology and multimode fiber," said Lian Qin, associate vice president, Optical and Copper Connectivity Group, Marvell. "With this industry-first 800G multimode platform solution, we are transforming today's data centers to deliver the required bandwidth to support the data centers of tomorrow."


PAM4 DSPs

The Marvell Spica PAM4 DSP is the industry's first 800Gbps or 8x100Gbps PAM4 DSP to support 800G optical modules in QSFP-DD800 and OSFP form factors. Spica is a field-proven, low-power, high-performance PAM4 DSP, optimized for optical transceiver modules applications, with various package options for all major module form factors. Spica DSPs are optimized for both multimode and single-mode applications.

Multimode Driver

The Marvell IN5614DV is a 56GBaud low power VCSEL linear driver for PAM4 optical modules or Active Optical Cables. The TIA is optimized for routing with a channel pitch aligned to the VCSEL optics driving over multimode fiber.

Multimode TIA

The Marvell IN5669TA is a 56GBaud low power VCSEL TIA for PAM4 optical modules. It features a wide dynamic range to meet the different performance and link requirements for optical applications and excellent signal integrity necessary for PAM4 modulation schemes.

https://www.marvell.com/company/newsroom/marvell-introduces-industrys-first-800g-multimode-electro-optics-platform-for-cloud-data-centers.html

Molex ramps 400G ZR QSFP-DD coherent optical transceivers

Molex is ramping production of its commercially available 400G ZR QSFP-DD pluggable coherent optical transceivers.

Molex’s 400G ZR is among the first standards-based, pluggable coherent optical modules to be commercially available in volume. In addition, the 400G OpenZR+, which is slated for availability in Q2, extends reach from 120km to about 600km at low power consumption to enable 12.8T in 1RU switch or router chassis.

Molex also completed experimental verification of 400 Gb/s data transmission over DCI ZR distances in a 75 GHz spaced DWDM link with amplification in an Open Line System (OLS). Using the compact, cost-effective Molex 400G ZR QSFP-DD transceiver modules in conjunction with 75 GHz OLS increases bandwidth capacity of optical fibers in a DCI application and can decrease the cost per bit significantly.

Molex is collaborating with Marvell on a 400G QSFP-DD optical module based on the Marvell® Deneb™ Coherent DSP (CDSP) while fully supporting the OpenZR+ Multi-Source Agreement (MSA).



Qualcomm debuts Wi-Fi 7

Qualcomm unveiled its FastConnect 7800 chipset offering Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth connectivity and High Band Simultaneous Multi-link technology that leverages two Wi-Fi radios for four streams of high band connectivity in 5GHz and/or 6GHz bands. FastConnect 7800 supports all multi-link modes and with HBS Multi-Link, consumers can experience minimized latency and interference, jitter-free connections, and blazing fast speeds using 320MHz channels in increasingly available 6GHz spectrum, or 240MHz channels of globally available 5GHz spectrum.

"With FastConnect 7800, Qualcomm Technologies reasserts its leadership by defining the future of wireless connectivity. Introducing the first Wi-Fi 7 solution to the industry might be enough for some, but with the introduction of HBS Multi-Link we take performance to the next level, shattering expectations for speed and latency," said Dino Bekis, vice president and general manager, Mobile Compute and Connectivity, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "Coupled with up to 50% lower power consumption** and Intelligent Dual Bluetooth with advanced Snapdragon Sound capabilities, FastConnect 7800 is simply the best client connectivity offering in the industry.”

Key Wi-Fi features include:

  • Peak speed: 5.8Gbps (via single 320MHz or paired 160MHz channels) or 4.3Gbps where 6GHz spectrum may not be available.
  • Sustained low latency: less than 2ms
  • Key Wi-Fi Features:
  • HBS Multi-Link
  • 4-Stream DBS extended into the high bands
  • Full Wi-Fi 7 feature support, expected to be the first Wi-Fi 7 solution to ship in commercial products
  • Spectrum support: 5GHz, 6GHz, as well as 2.4GHz
  • Battery life: system enhancements drive 30-50% power savings** for the most demanding sustained Wi-Fi use cases
  • Modulation: 4K QAM
  • Standards: 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7 – certification expected upon program launch), 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 6), 802.11ac Wave 2, 802.11a/b/g/n), 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 6), 802.11ac Wave 2, 802.11a/b/g/n.

Key Bluetooth features include:

  • Bluetooth 5.3, LE Audio and ANT+ support
  • Dual Bluetooth support
  • Snapdragon Sound technology to deliver:
  • 16-bit 44.1khz CD Lossless Bluetooth audio quality
  • 24-bit 96kHz high resolution Bluetooth audio quality 
  • 32kHz super wideband voice support for crystal clear calls
  • Gaming mode, with 68ms low latency audio for lag-free gaming and a voice channel for in game chat
  • Stereo recording for creators, enabling recorded content with stereo sound
  • Robust connectivity even in very busy RF environments
  • LE Audio for personal audio sharing and broadcast for listeners to share streams or join others


Vertical Systems Group: U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD

Vertical Systems Group announces that eight companies achieved a position on the year-end 2021 U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD (in rank order based on circuit share): Lumen, Zayo, Verizon, AT&T, Arelion (formerly Telia Carrier), Windstream, Crown Castle and Cox. 

This new benchmark measures U.S. market presence for wavelength providers selling retail and wholesale services. LEADERBOARD companies each have a one percent (1%) or higher share of U.S. wavelength circuits. A wavelength circuit provides a Layer 1 dedicated bidirectional gigabit-speed optical fiber connection between two sites.

“U.S. demand for wavelength services is rising to support mission-critical applications that require assured performance, deterministic latency and gigabit speed connectivity,” said Rick Malone, principal of Vertical Systems Group. “Our forecasts show double digit growth this year, driven by high demand for 100 Gbps wavelength circuits.”

U.S. Wavelength LEADERBOARD Research Highlights

  • Customer demand for retail wavelength circuits exceeded wholesale deployments in 2021.
  • Revenue for U.S. Wavelength Services is projected to grow at a 13% CAGR between 2021 and 2026. This projection incorporates the effects of the COVID pandemic, including installation disruptions and chip shortages.
  • Six providers on the U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD also hold a rank position on the latest U.S. Fiber Lit Buildings LEADERBOARD – Lumen, Zayo, Verizon, AT&T, Crown Castle and Cox. Additionally, Windstream achieved a Challenge Tier citation.
  • Five U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD providers are also top ranked on the Mid-2021 U.S. Ethernet LEADERBOARD – Lumen, Verizon, AT&T, Windstream and Cox. Zayo has a Challenge Tier citation.

https://www.verticalsystems.com/2022/02/23/2021-us-wavelength-leaderboard/

IP Infusion supplies white box OS for NTT's 8K120p video

IP Infusion provided its OcNOS white box network operating system (OS) to NTT for its development of uncompressed 8K120p video transmission technologies using the IOWN All-Photonics Network (APN). 

NTT recently announced its development of the world’s first-ever ultra-low latency video-transmission technology that supports uncompressed 8K120p video. Using a disaggregation configuration, it has succeeded in sending and receiving 8K120p video as SMPTE ST 2110 streams, which is the equivalent of doubling the current standard frame rate of 8K video. This achieves ultra-low latency video transmission with a delay of less than 1 ms between the video input at the transmitting end and video output at the receiving end. 

“IP Infusion supports the IOWN concept proposed by NTT,” said Atsushi Ogata, President and CEO of IP Infusion. “As a technology partner in research, development and implementation, we are helping NTT to realize this IOWN concept. We are very proud to have collaborated on the development of NTT’s world-first ultra-low latency video-transmission technology, which supports uncompressed 8K120p video, by providing our OcNOS white box network OS, which enables flexible setting of network configurations, and eliminates vendor lock-in to reduce costs. Going forward, we will continue working with NTT to develop and commercialize this technology.”

OcNOS is the industry’s first full-featured modular extensible network OS for white box open networking solutions offering advanced L2/L3 features and L1 DWDM/OTN functions that include extensive switching and routing support ranging from MPLS to PTP (Precision Timing Protocol) and APIs/protocols for SDN (Software Defined Networking). OcNOS features hybrid, centralized or distributed network support; scalable, modular high-performance network; and a robust data plane built on merchant silicon.

https://group.ntt/en/newsrelease/2022/02/22/220222a.html

Mitsubishi Electric samples 50Gbps DFB laser diode for 5G base stations

Mitsubishi Electric will begin sampling its 50Gbps distributed-feedback (DFB) laser diode for 5G base stations.

Key features

  • Frequency-response characteristics are compatible with 4-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM4) for multilevel signal modulation, supporting transmission rates up to 50Gbps. Also, its industry-leading operating temperature range of -40°C to 90°C eliminates the need for any temperature-control unit, helping to reduce power consumption by mobile base stations.
  • The new diode’s package is compliant with the TO-56 CAN industry standard and is compatible with the SFP56 compact-transceiver standard adopted for Mitsubishi Electric’s 25Gbps DFB laser diode (model ML764AA58T; production discontinued).

http://www.MitsubishiElectric.com/news/

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Ericsson demos 5G Dynamic Radio Resource Partitioning

Ericsson demonstrated Dynamic Radio Resource Partitioning, a 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) Slicing solution that will enable six mobile network operators (MNOs) to deliver customized 5G services with guaranteed performance.

Each MNO sharing DNB’s network has access to the full spectrum asset to achieve the best possible speed, while simultaneously ensuring the pooled spectrum is efficiently used and maximized among all other MNOs. The Ericsson solution optimally provisions each MNO in order to ensure a good end-user experience. This allows each MNO to offer services that meet the Service Level Agreements (SLA) and provides guaranteed resources as configured.

Dynamic Radio Resource Partitioning is one of the features of Ericsson 5G RAN Slicing, a software solution that dynamically allocates spectrum resources at millisecond scheduling and supports multi-dimensional service differentiation handling across slices. In short, RAN Slicing optimizes radio resources, strengthening end-to-end slicing capabilities for dynamic resource management and orchestration. This ensures fast and efficient delivery of services as well as high-quality user experience required by diverse use cases.

Malaysia’s Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) will be the first commercial network in the world to deploy the solution.

David Hägerbro, Head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, says, “Ericsson’s first-in-the-world application of our Dynamic Radio Resource Partitioning technology catering for six MNOs on one 5G network is an example of our commitment to providing a world-class 5G network to Malaysia. This technology solution enables all six MNOs to deliver customized 5G services with guaranteed performance. This innovation also allows each MNO to differentiate its offering to consumers on the shared 5G network.”

https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/2/2022/3/ericsson-demonstrates-worlds-first-5g-dynamic-radio-resource

EVG and Teramount target wafer-level silicon photonics packaging

EV Group (EVG), a leading supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, announced a collaboration with Teramount on implementing wafer-level optics.

The collaboration will leverage EVG's nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technology, expertise and services with Teramount's PhotonicPlug technology.

Under this collaboration, standard CMOS wafers that implement silicon photonics chips will be post processed using EVG's NIL technology to implement optical elements such as mirrors and lenses for Teramount's unique "self-aligning optics". This enables flexible beam extraction from the chips and easy connection to a large number of optical fibers. Furthermore, it enables wafer-level optical inspection capabilities for enhancing silicon photonics wafer manufacturing.

The collaboration is being carried out within EVG's NILPhotonics Competence Center at its headquarters in St. Florian, Austria. The NILPhotonics Competence Center provides an open access innovation incubator for customers and partners across the NIL supply chain to collaborate to shorten development cycles and time to market for innovative photonic devices and applications. Through the collaboration with Teramount, EVG provides process development and production services, as well as expertise in both CMOS and photonics manufacturing, thus accelerating the commercialization of Teramount's PhotonicPlug technology.

"Our joint work with EVG has been very successful in producing this innovative synergy between wafer-level optics and silicon photonics wafer manufacturing," said Hesham Taha, CEO of Teramount. "By offering this capability to the industry, Teramount solves one of the major hurdles to further adoption of optical connectivity, which is critical for so many applications that require high-speed data transfers and low power consumption."

"Teramount's PhotonicPlug silicon photonics packaging technology is a truly novel approach to improving optical performance, and we are excited to be a partner in helping to bring it to the market," stated Markus Wimplinger, Corporate Technology Development and IP Director at EV Group. "This is just the latest example of innovative technology developed with the support of EVG's process and equipment know-how through our NILPhotonics Competence Center, where we help our partners and customers turn new ideas into innovative products."

http://www.EVGroup.com

http://www.teramount.com

Nokia and AT&T target 5G uplink with distributed massive MIMO

AT&T is working with Nokia Bell Labs in testing distributed massive MIMO (DmMIMO) to significantly increases uplink capacity and speeds in 5G networks without requiring an overly complex solution. Specifically, Nokia is collaborating with AT&T on the validation of DmMIMO and testing the proof-of-concept technology in the AT&T labs. Bell Labs’s DmMIMO simulations have demonstrated increases in 5G uplink capacity between 60% and 90% compared to similarly configured systems with a single panel. While other techniques come at the expense of downlink capacity, DmMIMO would produce sizable increases in uplink capacity without sacrificing performance.

DmMIMO allows devices to leverage signal propagation to multiple cells or antenna panels in a network when establishing a link, thereby turning noise into a useful signal and increasing the uplink throughput. The data transmission is pieced together from multiple antenna panels and cell sites through distributed baseband processing. The processing load between the cell site radio units and the central processing unit is split in a novel way, reducing the fronthaul capacity to cell sites and hence lowering the cost.

Nishant Batra, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, Nokia, said: “Addressing uplink speeds is becoming critical as consumers are increasingly becoming content creators as well as content consumers, video conferencing has become a cornerstone of the teleworking era, and many of the applications in the industrial internet of things require higher uplink speeds. When 5G-Advanced networks come online, we will see the network enhanced in multiple dimensions, expanding and extending its capabilities. Even today, with the focus on 5G mid-band spectrum rollouts in the U.S., there are opportunities for technologies like this that can maximize available resources. We feel distributed massive MIMO will be a critical element of networking in the 5G-Advanced era to help meet these demands with significant gains in uplink without a hit to downlink performance. Three decades ago, Bell Labs and AT&T invented MIMO, so it is only fitting that we continue this groundbreaking work together for the next generation of MIMO.”

Andre Fuetsch, Executive Vice President & CTO Network Services, AT&T, said: “AT&T and Nokia have a long history of working together on new network technologies, and I welcome this strategic collaboration for the development of distributed massive MIMO technology. Newer applications in the 5G-Advanced timeframe, such as eXtended Reality (XR), are expected to be more demanding on the uplink compared to regular broadband traffic. Technologies such as distributed massive MIMO show potential to improve uplink capacity in the right scenarios. DmMIMO is also a technology that shows potential for the next generation of wireless networks. Therefore, this strategic technology collaboration with Nokia may help provide learnings with long-term benefits to both companies.”


Nokia adds liquid cooling to AirScale base stations

Nokia has added a Liquid Cooling option to its AirScale base station portfolio. 

The company calculates that liquid cooling can significantly reduce the energy required to cool a base station. Cooling system energy consumption can be reduced up to 90 percent and base station CO2 emissions up to 80 percent compared to traditional active air-cooling systems. 

Commercial products will be available from Q3 2022. Nokia also announced that AT&T is piloting the solution in a live network trial in Philadelphia, U.S.

Joe Taylor, VP Implementation, Provisioning & Optimization at AT&T, said: “AT&T is committed to tackling climate change, enhancing the efficiency of our network, and reducing our operational carbon footprint. We’re pleased to work with Nokia as we take a more sustainable path and to trial its liquid-cooled base station in our network. We firmly believe that sustainability is one of the biggest factors impacting the world right now and is a key differentiator in business. We’re eager to continue aligning with like-minded, innovative companies like Nokia that are developing ground-breaking solutions to combat climate change.”

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “There is no green without digital and the commercial availability of Nokia’s liquid cooling technology across our AirScale portfolio highlights our commitment to leading the industry to become more sustainable through digitalization. Our innovative, game-changing solution reduces energy consumption, costs, and carbon emissions and helps mobile operators become more environmentally responsible. 5G networks and technologies will play a critical role in making other industries more sustainable and we must all play our part to minimize our footprint and accelerate the use of green electricity.”

Qualcomm integrates 5G AI processor in a modem-RF system

Qualcomm unveiled its 5th generation modem-to-antenna 5G solution featuring 10 Gigabit 5G download performance enhanced with an AI processor.

The Snapdragon X70 5G Modem-RF System introduces the Qualcomm 5G AI Suite, designed for AI-powered optimizations of sub-6 GHz and mmWave 5G links for improved speeds, coverage, latency, mobility, link robustness, and power efficiency.

Key features:

  • 5G modem-RF system family capable of supporting every commercial 5G band from 600 MHz to 41 GHz, offering flexibility to OEMs for designing devices capable of supporting global operator requirements
  • Global band support and spectrum aggregation capabilities including world’s first 4X downlink carrier aggregation across TDD and FDD, mmWave-sub-6 aggregation
  • Standalone mmWave support to allow MNOs and service providers to deploy services such as fixed wireless access and enterprise 5G, without needing sub-6 GHz spectrum
  • Unmatched uplink performance and flexibility with uplink carrier aggregation and switched uplink support across TDD and FDD
  • True global 5G multi-SIM including Dual-SIM Dual-Active (DSDA) and mmWave support
  • Upgradeable architecture allowing rapid commercialization of 5G Release 16 features through software updates


Qualcomm intros 5G M.2 Modules for laptops

Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon X65 and X62 5G M.2 Modules for laptops and desktop PCs. The modules were developed in collaboration with Foxconn Industrial Internet and Quectel. 

Based off the reference designs announced in May 2021, the modules are powered by the Snapdragon® X65 and X62 5G Modem-RF Systems. These turnkey modules begin with the world’s first 10-gigabit 5G and 3GPP Release 16-compliant modem, delivering high power efficiency, spectrum aggregation, and global 5G with both sub-6 and extended-range mmWave. Sampling is underway. 

“Qualcomm Technologies is making an intelligently connected world possible through our leadership in connectivity and high-performance, low-power computing. This announcement of the Snapdragon X65 and X62 5G M.2 Modules is further evidence that we are committed to enabling the ecosystem and proliferating the 5G opportunity beyond smartphones,” said Gautam Sheoran, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We’re committed to leading the proliferation of 5G beyond smartphones and remaining at the edge of innovation, providing our customers with premium speed, reliability and deployment time.”

“We believe the birth of Snapdragon X62 and X65 5G M.2 Modules comes from one of our best cooperations,” said Kevin Liu, vice president, Foxconn Industrial Internet. “The 5G-driven future will inspire opportunities far beyond our imagination. Through continuous and substantial R&D investment, we are committed to providing the most comprehensive technologies and solutions to our partner to create more opportunities that make up the connected world smarter, and more, completely changing the experience of the future.”


Dell'Oro: $15B optical transport equipment market dips 2% in 2021

The Optical Transport equipment market declined 2 percent for the full year 2021 due to weaker market conditions across many countries in the Asia Pacific region including China, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group. The Optical market in other regions—North America, Europe, and Latin America—expanded in the year.

“The Optical Transport market outside of Asia Pacific improved in the year, following a momentary slow down caused by the pandemic in 2020,” said Jimmy Yu, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “It was a noticeably strong year for optical systems in all the other regions. In fact, with the exception of Asia Pacific, optical revenue in 2021 surpassed the pre-pandemic levels in each of the regions. The biggest issue facing the industry is the ongoing component shortage and supply chain bottlenecks. Without these issues, the optical market would have grown at a much higher rate,” added Yu.

Additional highlights from the 4Q 2021 Quarterly Report:

  • Optical Transport revenue in Asia Pacific declined 11 percent in the year due to lower sales across the region. China, which contributes two-thirds of the region’s revenue, declined approximately 9 percent in 2021.
  • Optical Transport revenue in North America, Europe, and Latin America grew 12 percent, 6 percent, and 19 percent, respectively.
  • The top equipment manufacturers by revenue share for markets outside the Asia Pacific region were Ciena, Huawei, Nokia, Infinera, and Cisco with a combined share exceeding 80 percent.
https://www.delloro.com/news/15-billion-optical-transport-equipment-market-declined-2-percent-in-2021/

stc tests 1-terabit channel optical transport with Nokia

stc  announced the successful completion of the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region’s first 

stc has condected a trial of a 1-Terabit high-capacity channel using Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Interconnect – Modular (PSI-M) solution. The test was conducted over stc's network in Riyadh.As part of the trial, Nokia PSI-M was directly installed in stc’s data center rack and used AC power supply. Nokia’s 1830 PSI-M is a compact, high capacity, modular optical networking platform, optimized for Data Center Interconnect (DCI) applications over metro, regional and long haul. It is designed to address the growing demand for DCI applications and the need to transport new high bandwidth services such as 400GbE and 800GbE from the latest generations of routers.

Badr Al-Lhieb, Infrastructure Sector VP, stc, said: "We are thrilled at the successful completion of this crucial trial. We are committed to providing the best possible network experience to our subscribers. Nokia’s industry-leading solutions will help us address the current capacity requirements and quickly scale as the requirement grows while keeping our costs in control. We look forward to working with them on this initiative."

Khalid Hussain, Head of stc Customer Business Team at Nokia, said: "The growing data consumption across consumers and enterprises is pushing the network capacity limits for service providers. This trial effectively demonstrates how service providers, like stc, can benefit from 1830 PSI-M to quickly scale and enhance the network capacity limit by using the existing infrastructure and without making significant investments.”



FCC seeks comment on BGP vulnerabilities

The FCC is seeking public comment on any steps that the Commission should consider taking to help protect and strengthen the nation’s communications network and other critical infrastructure from vulnerabilities posed by BGP.

The FCC observes that a bad network actor may deliberately falsify BGP reachability information to redirect traffic to itself or through a specific third-party network, and prevent that traffic from reaching its intended recipient. The FCC says Russian network operators have been suspected of exploiting BGP’s vulnerability to hijacking, including instances in which traffic has been redirected through Russia without explanation.

Specifically, the FCC is seeking comment on the extent to which Internet Service Providers, public Internet Exchange Providers, and providers of interconnected VoIP service have deployed BGP routers in their networks.  Do content delivery networks, and providers of cloud services operate BGP routers in their networks as well?  What other types of entities operate BGP routers?  

https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-launches-inquiry-internet-routing-vulnerabilities



Ericsson suspends deliveries to Russia

Ericsson is suspending deliveries to Russia.  Reuters cited a memo by Borje Ekholm, Ericsson CEO, confirming the decision and stating the company is studying the impact on its business.

Russia's MTS builds private net based on Ericsson for mining company

 Russian communications service provider Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) is to deploy an Ericsson-powered 5G-ready dedicated network for gold and silver producer Polymetal at the Nezhdaninskoye gold deposit in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). This is expected to be the first commercial Private LTE network in Russia for remote monitoring and managing critical processes in difficult geographic and weather conditions.The Ericsson Dedicated Networks solution...

Tele2 deploys 25,000 5G-ready Ericsson base stations in Russia

Tele2 has now deployed 25,000 5G-ready base stations from Ericsson across Russia over the past 18 months. The update, which covers all 27 regions of Russia, has increased capacity and enhanced network performance by a factor of 1.7. The deployment reflects about 50 percent of the five-year network modernization deal reached during MWC 2019 in Barcelona and follows the first 5G zone in the center of Moscow in August 2019. Sebastian Tolstoy,...

MTS Russia selects Ericsson MINI-LINK microwave radios

МТS will deploy Ericsson's MINI-LINK microwave solutions across several regions of Russia as part of the development of its converged transport network. Solutions include the high-speed MINI-LINK 6000 family with distributed architecture, as well as the MINI-LINK 6366 module solution. They will be deployed in the Central, Far Eastern, Siberian and Southern Federal Districts of Russia. Anatoly Iliyaich, Eastern Europe and Central Asia VP Networks,...

Russia's MTS extends contract with Ericsson

MTS, Russia’s largest communications service provider, has extended its long-standing partnership with Ericsson to include a large-scale network modernization of its 2G/3G/4G infrastructure over large parts of central Russia. Specifically, Ericsson will supply MTS with Ericsson Radio System products and solutions for modernization of several thousand sites across 16 districts in central Russia. The project will continue until 2026. Ericsson is now...



Monday, February 28, 2022

Orange names its 5G Stand Alone vendors

Orange has chosen the following industrial partners for its 5G Stand Alone networks across Europe:

  • Ericsson’s 5G SA core network for Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg and Poland
  • Nokia’s 5G SA core network for France and Slovakia, and Nokia’s Subscriber Data Management for all countries
  • Oracle Communications for 5G core signaling and routing in all countries

For other network functions, in particular the radio, a software update of the existing equipment will be carried out.

Orange also announced plans for a Network Integration Factory to test and validate technical chains, the performance of end-to-end services and to conduct tests with users. The carrier expects 5G SA tests and trials in 2022, with commercial launches from 2023.

https://www.orange.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022/orange-selects-suppliers-its-5g-stand-alone-5g-sa-networks-europe

Intelsat demos private cellular over satellite using Azure 5G core

Intelsat has demonstrated a private cellular network with Microsoft Azure Private Multi-Access Edge Compute and FlexEnterprise, Intelsat’s satellite-based global connectivity service.

The demonstration creates a private LTE service using Azure Private 5G Core deployed on an Azure Stack Edge device. Connectivity to the internet and Azure services is enabled by Intelsat’s FlexEnterprise. Via the private cellular network, users can access local enterprise resources via SIM-authenticated connections to the Azure Stack Edge and access remote resources through the FlexEnterprise connection, the IntelsatOne global network and Azure. Additionally, the LTE network powers a Wi-Fi access point and IoT applications.

“As enterprises look to private cellular networks to improve the reach, security, and quality-of-service over Wi-Fi-only local networks, the ability to support deployments at any site is crucial to creating a fully connected organization,” said Jean-Philippe Gillet, SVP Global Sales Media & Networks, Intelsat. “The applications demonstrated here with Microsoft highlight the increased automation and standardization of enterprise data processing services that globally-available private cellular networks will enable. Support for high-bandwidth, low-latency networks is central to Intelsat’s vision of an end-to-end ecosystem for a global software-defined 5G network.”

“At Microsoft, we are committed to enabling an ecosystem of satellite operators through collaborations such as this one with Intelsat. As the world continues to move to 5G, Microsoft’s Azure Orbital platform, together with our Azure hyper-scale computing platform, allows operators to deploy and maintain faster, easier, and more cost-effective solutions anytime and anywhere, ” said Tom Keane, corporate vice president, Mission Engineering.

https://www.intelsat.com/newsroom/intelsat-collaborates-with-microsoft-to-demonstrate-private-cellular-network-using-intelsats-global-satellite-and-ground-network/


DISH tests VMware RAN Intelligent Controller

DISH Networks will trial VMware’s RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) as the platform on top of which RAN applications will run. DISH is already using VMware Telco Cloud Platform to run RAN workloads.

VMware RIC is a multi-RAN, multi-cloud platform that abstracts the underlying RAN infrastructure and can host both near-real-time applications (xApps) and non-real-time applications (rApps). These apps enable new capabilities – automation, optimization and service customization – that fuel innovation across a telco network.

DISH expects a rich ecosystem of xApps and rApps to take shape — almost like an App Store for the RAN. 

Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager of VMware’s Service Provider and Edge business unit, said, “DISH is building a first-of-its-kind network that will move the entire industry forward. We’re excited to be a part of the journey as we continue to work with DISH and its ecosystem partners to launch the first Open RAN-based 5G network in the United States.”

https://about.dish.com/news-releases?item=123548

VMware builds two RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs)

VMware announced two RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs), new capabilities for its Telco Cloud Platform RAN, and several key partnerships aimed at helping service providers smoothly transition to Open RAN.“When it comes to Open RAN, the genie is out of the bottle. The potential benefits of increasing innovation while reducing operational expense are compelling. As such, VMware is pushing to accelerate the transformation of the RAN along with Open...