Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Cisco tunes its predictive analytics engine

Cisco is bringing together new predictive technologies with its broad portfolio of observability, visibility and intelligence technologies to improve reliability and performance across all operational scenarios. 

The idea is to offer a predictive analytics engine that leverages telemetry data with predictive models developed with customers across a variety of industry segments to predict user experience issues, providing problem solving options. 

“The future of connectivity will rely on self-healing networks that can learn, predict and plan,” said Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO, Cisco. “Our research for predictive networks has been tested and developed with customers, and early adopters are seeing major benefits saving them time and money. The industry has been waiting for secure, proactive networking and only Cisco can do it right.”

https://www.cisco.com/c/m/en_us/solutions/predictive-networks/index.html

T-Mobile US pushes 5G Home Internet

One year after launching its fixed 5G Home Internet service, T-Mobile unveiled a number of incentives to accelerate the business under the slogan "Internet Freedom":

  • Free Test Drive. Customers can try Home Internet for 15 days, worry-free. If they like it, great! If not, return the gateway and owe nothing. It’s 100% On Us. Because it’s wireless, they can keep their old provider while testing the T-Mobile service.
  • T-Mobile will cover break-up fees with the old broadband provider. T-Mobile will cover all early termination fees up to $500.
  • Price Lock. A customer’s price is locked in at just $50 per month, with no monthly taxes or fees, for as long as they are a customer. 

Some additional notes from the company's online event:

  •  The T-Mobile 5G Home Internet service is now available to approximately 40 million homes and businesses across the country.
  • T-Mobile's 5G network currently has 110 MHz of nationwide spectrum available in the sub 6-GHz bands.
  • The average downlink speed on the 5G Home service is 140 Mbps.
  • Average usage is 300~400 GB per month. About 10% of customers use 1 TB per month

“The Un-carrier was created to fix a stupid, broken wireless industry, and while we aren’t done, we’ve undoubtedly changed it for good. Now, with Internet Freedom, we’re taking on Big Internet and bringing the Un-carrier movement to broadband,” said Sievert. “Broadband customers are the least satisfied in America – the fees, the contracts, the price hikes, the terrible customer service. It’s ridiculous, and it looks a lot like the wireless industry a decade ago. Today, that all starts to change because the Un-carrier is here to disrupt broadband for good.”

https://www.t-mobile.com/

T-Mobile US expands its Fixed Wireless Access service

T-Mobile expanded the footprint of its Mobile Home Internet service to nearly 3 million more homes in 54 cities across four states: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. “We launched T-Mobile Home Internet just a year ago, and already, we’ve disrupted the home broadband industry for good. We’re making fast, reliable, 5G Home Internet available to more than 30 million households across the country. And in Q4 of last year, we were the...

The need for agility in today's enterprise networks

https://youtu.be/GEzfAWhcpjA

The rate of change in enterprise networks continues to accelerate. Business are facing great amounts of stress to adapt to changing customer patterns, changing employee patterns, and all while managing security threats. Donna Johnson, SVP of Marketing at Cradlepoint, shares insights from ONUG Spring 2022.

Cradlepoint expands 5G enterprise portfolio

Cradlepoint, now a division of Ericsson, introduced its second-generation 5G product portfolio featuring low-band to millimeter-wave solutions. external adapters and integrated 5G routers. Some highlights:R1900 Ruggedized 5G Mobile Router: a built-for-5G mobile router optimized for in-vehicle networks.E3000 5G Enterprise SD-WAN Router:  5G-optimized with a choice of high-speed fiber and 2.5 Gbps Ethernet WAN ports. It has an expansion slot for...

AT&T ties in with Ericsson's Cradlepoint for 5G SD-WAN

AT&T and Cradlepoint, which is now a division of Ericsson, are expanding their joint 5G offerings for businesses.The new solutions combine clean-slate-designed Cradlepoint 5G wideband adapters and routers, and its NetCloud Service, with AT&T’s nationwide wireless broadband network, data plans, and an AT&T management option for Cradlepoint devices. Cradlepoint's  W-Series Wideband Adapters provide a cloud-managed 5G modem for...

Cradlepoint offers Ruggedized 5G Edge Router

Cradlepoint introduced its new R1900 Ruggedized 5G Edge Router, powered by a Cradlepoint NetCloud subscription service that includes cloud-delivered software, endpoints, training, and support. The R1900 router, which is optimized for in-vehicle networks, is the first product to utilize Cradlepoint's second-generation 5G architecture. It supports nationwide coverage (low-band) and capacity (mid-band) networks at speeds up to 1Gbps as well as gigabit...

AT&T begins offering fixed 5G for businesses

AT&T is adding fixed 5G wireless solutions for business customers.AT&T will offer new fixed wireless router options from Sierra Wireless and Cradlepoint.“It is now almost a full year since the global pandemic accelerated remote work adoption by almost a decade – and throughout the rapid evolution of related business needs, AT&T has been there to enable continued success,” said Mo Katibeh, Chief Product and Platform Officer, AT&T Business....

Ericsson completes Cradlepoint acquisition

Ericsson completed its previously-announced acquisition of Cradlepoint for approximately US$1 billion.Cradlepoint will operate as a stand-alone subsidiary within Ericsson and continue to build on the current market momentum as 5G is speeding up digital transformation and increasing the need for advanced connectivity services for enterprises. Cradlepoint will be part of Ericsson’s Business Area Technologies & New Businesses.Ericsson acquires Cradlepoint...


T-Mobile US offers Cradlepoint's E320 5G router and NetCloud Service

 T-Mobile US is partnering with Cradlepoint, part of Ericsson, to deliver an enterprise-grade custom-designed all-in-one 5G router for T-Mobile Business Internet customers. 

The new solution combines Cradlepoint’s custom-designed E320 5G router and NetCloud Service with T-Mobile's nationwide 5G footprint and managed services capabilities. Security management features include firewall and intrusion prevention. 

“5G offers incredible opportunities for businesses and governments to drive innovation, reinvent their operations, and transform how they serve their customers. Until now, they have been stuck with other internet provider offerings and technology that are low on satisfaction,” said Callie Field, President, T-Mobile Business Group. “T-Mobile is the only provider with a network large enough and fast enough to meet the needs of diverse organizations. The Un-carrier is the first and only provider that can offer enterprise-grade 5G fixed wireless from coast to coast, and together with another proven 5G technology leader in Cradlepoint, businesses can expect a powerhouse solution.”


Google acquires Raxium for MicroLED display technologies

Google has acquired Raxium, a start-up based in Fremont, California developing single panel MicroLED display technologies. Financial terms were not disclosed.

On its website, Raxium claims to have developed the world’s highest performance ultra-high density
monolithic RGB µLED displays measuring ~3.5 um per pixel, as compared with Super AMOLED displays at ~50 um per pixel.

https://www.raxium.com

https://blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/google-acquires-raxium/

Reducing time to root cause detection

https://youtu.be/OhAYsa45eD8

At the ONUG Spring 2022 event, a key topic of discussion was the critical staff shortages faced by IT departments. Optimizing network operations has become a priority. 

 John Heinz, Director of Sales Engineering at Augtera, discusses how machine learning and automation can reduce time to root cause detection and thus help alleviate the staffing shortage.

3 forces driving innovation in enterprise Networks



https://youtu.be/SKLKD3wdAfA

What are the 3 biggest forces driving innovation in enterprise networks today? Cost, Cloud, and Connectivity, answered Shekar Ayar, CEO of Arrcus. 

Here’s a perspective from ONUG Spring 2022 on how a modernized routing stacking can drive transformation across all three of these forces.

Arrcus cites 80% growth in bookings in Q1

Arrcus, a privately-held company that develops networking software for core-to-edge network infrastructure, reported an 80% YoY growth in books for Q1 2022.The company cited its largest seven-figure recurring revenue software subscription transaction with a leading financial services company.In addition, Arrcus announced two new executive appointments. Sanjay Kumar has been appointed vice president of marketing and product management and Sreekanth...

Arrcus develops Virtualized Distributed Routing 

Arrcus has been awarded a U.S. patent in support of its VDR (Virtualized Distributed Routing) solution. Specifically, the patent addresses the punt path between the control plane and line card and creating a virtual VLAN tag for each front panel interface. Previous patents awarded to Arrcus in VDR cover topics such as router state database for distributing routes to line cards, handling punt path using VXLAN, and using BGP-SPF as an underlay instead...

Arrcus awarded 10th networking patent for Segment Routing

Privately-held Arrcus, which offers hyperscale networking software for core-to-edge infrastructure, announced continuing momentum and strong business growth, closing 2021 with a tripling of its year-over-year bookings from 2020 to 2021. Arrcus also announced its 10th US patent in the area of hyperscale networking, this one for speeding up Segment ID allocation – a critical factor in accelerating internet traffic and content delivery over the...

2022 Predictions from Thought Leaders

The following media comprises interviews and other content related to 2022 industry predictions. Views expressed are those of the presenting individuals and companies and may not necessarily represent views of Converge! Network Digest or AvidThink.https://ngi.how/marvell-na-pred-2022https://ngi.how/marvell-rn-pred-2022https://ngi.how/mef-kv-pred-2022https://ngi.how/jn-friday-pred-2022https://ngi.how/gf-pred-2022https://ngi.how/alkira-pred-2...

GlobalConnect Carrier deploys Infinera’s ICE6 optical engine over 3rd party line system

GlobalConnect Carrier has deployed Infinera’s ICE6 technology across its live international long-haul network using GlobalConnect’s existing third-party line system.

Leveraging Infinera’s ICE6 optical engine technology on the GX Series Compact Modular Platform, GlobalConnect achieved error-free transmission at 800G over 770 km on its international backbone between Stockholm and Malmö.

Infinera notes that GlobalConnect has also leveraged ICE6 over its Swedish national backbone network, which uses Infinera’s XTM Series metro and regional packet optical platform.

“GlobalConnect continues its rapid acceleration of digitizing Northern Europe and selecting technology vendors with innovative advancements to help us meet the needs of our customers,” said Martin Højriis Kristensen, Market Director at GlobalConnect Carrier. “This achievement with Infinera marks a key milestone for us as we continue to upgrade our network. With technologies like ICE6, Infinera will continue to play a key role in our network evolution.”

“Delivering open optical solutions is a foundation of Infinera’s innovative technology, and we are pleased to demonstrate this on GlobalConnect’s live international and national backbone networks,” said Nick Walden, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Infinera. “Infinera’s industry-leading ICE6 technology is deployed worldwide over a variety of existing line systems to provide network operators like GlobalConnect open, scalable, and flexible services to meet growing bandwidth demands regardless of the installed optical line system.”

https://www.infinera.com/press-release/globalconnect-carrier-delivers-high-speed-800g-transmission-with-infineras-ice6-technology

Ericsson opens Global Utilities Innovation Center in Texas

Ericsson opened a Global Utilities Innovation Center at its facility in Plano, Texas to engage with partners addressing real-world connectivity challenges for utility companies.

The Global Utilities Innovation Center is integrated with Ericsson’s state-of-the art device testing lab a short distance from the Plano site, where utilities and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) partners can test interoperability of their field and IoT devices over mission-critical networks in a safe and secure environment. As a fully functional end-to-end operational lab, the center contains a physical representation of a utility smart grid, enabling real-world demonstrations of end-to-end private networks operations across the power grid from generation and transmission to distribution to end users.

“Utilities require mission-critical networks that have to be secure, reliable, and increasingly sustainable,” says Per Wahlen, Head of Business Development at Ericsson North America. “This center is a state-of-the art facility where we can work closely with utility companies, exploring new 4G and 5G use cases and delivering end-to-end solutions. At each point, you can see the benefits of the latest generations of cellular wireless networks in enhancing security, resilience, and efficiency of the power infrastructure.”

https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/6/2022/5/ericsson-launches-global-utilities-innovation-center

Lumentum posts strong revenue of $395.4 million

Lumentum reported net revenue for its fiscal third quarter of 2022 of $395.4 million, with GAAP net income of $26.0 million, or $0.35 per diluted share. Net revenue for the fiscal second quarter of 2022 was $446.7 million, with GAAP net income of $56.7 million, or $0.75 per diluted share. Net revenue for the fiscal third quarter of 2021 was $419.5 million, with GAAP net income of $225.5 million, or $2.85 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for the fiscal third quarter of 2022 was $88.9 million, or $1.19 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for the fiscal second quarter of 2022 was $120.2 million, or $1.60 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for the fiscal third quarter of 2021 was $99.7 million, or $1.26 per diluted share.

"Our results were at the high end of our guidance on all metrics in the third quarter due to solid execution on a global basis," said Alan Lowe, President and CEO.  "Demand for our products continues to accelerate, and we now expect demand to outpace component supplies by more than $100 million in the fourth quarter.  Our fourth quarter revenue is expected to increase from the third quarter, primarily driven by Telecom product shipments."

Mr. Lowe added, "I am highly optimistic about our outlook and believe market inflections beneficial to Lumentum in our addressable markets will drive double-digit revenue growth in fiscal 2023 and beyond."

https://investor.lumentum.com/events-and-presentations/presentations/default.aspx




 

Fastly searches for a new CEO

 Fastly's Board of Directors has initiated a search to identify the next CEO to replace Joshua Bixby, who will step down as CEO and from the Fastly Board of Directors once the transition is complete.

“I am incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished during my time at Fastly. We’ve expanded our platform to capture current and future growth and built a world-class leadership team that can confidently take us into the future,” said Joshua Bixby, CEO of Fastly. 

Under Bixby’s leadership, Fastly’s revenue increased at a 33% CAGR from 2019 to 2021, with total customer count growing at a 27% CAGR and enterprise customer count at a 24% CAGR. Fastly has expanded its presence from 26 countries and 55 markets in Q1 2020 to 34 countries and 75 markets in Q1 2022.

Bixby has served as CEO since February 2020 and prior to that held the role of President from May 2017 to February 2020. He has been on the executive leadership team at Fastly since December 2015 and previously served in a part-time advisory role beginning in 2013. During his tenure as Fastly’s CEO, Bixby oversaw the successful acquisition of Signal Sciences and the launch of Fastly’s new Next-Gen WAF. He also recruited seasoned senior leadership team members including Fastly’s current CFO, CRO, CMO and CPO.

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Equinix tests 400G to link Paris-London data centers over Zayo

 Equinix is testing a 400G connection between its data centers in London (Slough) and Paris on Zayo’s subsea fiber network. 

As part of the trial, Zayo deployed a 500G optical channel on its 800G-enabled, DWDM network. The company used the additional bandwidth to deploy an extra 100G wave for enhanced monitoring capabilities, creating increased visibility to ensure the consistent viability of the network. The connection was able to withstand full-load testing without any traffic loss.

Zayo said the 400G technology produced many benefits by reducing hardware from four separate 100G optical cards to just one 400G card. This resulted in a simple application with fewer handoffs between the customer and Zayo, reducing the potential points of failure. Equinix streamlined operations by having fewer circuits to manage and operate its network while reducing costs. These achievements mark key differentiators for customers who build their networks around high bandwidth capacity.

As part of the trial, Zayo also reduced power consumption per gigabit by 40% compared to prior generation hardware. In addition to reducing energy costs for customers, the achievement aligns with commitments by both Zayo and Equinix to sustainable business practices and efforts to reduce environmental impacts. Zayo has also achieved efficiencies in hardware and equipment usage.

Zayo also confirmed that it is working to deliver 400G wavelength services across the majority of its U.S. and European routes by the end of 2022.

“As the first global data center platform to trial 400G, we see tremendous potential in how it will help power our next generation of services,” said Muhammad Durrani, Senior Director, Global Network Architecture, Equinix. “Our success in this trial is about more than faster speeds; it’s about the outcomes it will enable for our customers, such as achieving the low-latency requirements of critical devices transforming everything from transportation to healthcare.”

“At Zayo, not only are we focused on our customers’ connectivity needs today, we are preparing for their speed, latency, and capacity needs of tomorrow while simultaneously driving efficiencies and simplifying the overall network design,” said Yannick Leboyer, Zayo’s COO, Europe. “Equinix is sitting at the epicenter of several trends that are reshaping the industry – from digital transformation and big data to IoT and AI. Together, we’re future-proofing the ecosystem to help companies grow and innovate.”

Zayo carries 800G wavelength over 1,044km

Zayo has deployed the world’s longest known terrestrial 800G optical wavelength in a commercial network — 1,044.51 km along a fiber route stretching from Springville, Utah to Reno, Nevada. The transmission is powered by Infinera’s ICE6 800G coherent technology.In recent months, Zayo has been making major investments in the company’s fiber network throughout North America and Western Europe, including 31 high-capacity, 400G-enabled long-haul routes...

Zayo expands fiber network in Seattle-Tacoma area

Zayo announced an expansion of its network infrastructure in the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington.As part of the expansion, 400G wavelength capacity will be available between Seattle and Spokane by the end of June 2022, adding crucial IT bandwidth to a key route between two major Washington cities.Zayo is also rolling out a new product offer to new and existing customers in the greater Seattle-Tacoma area. The offer, called Shielded Internet Access,...

Zayo lays out its 400G upgrade plan

Zayo announced the planned deployment of thirty-one high capacity, 400G-enabled long haul routes across North America and Western Europe. The significant network update is expected through Q1 of 2022. Up to 800G transmission will be available in select areas as Zayo deploys significant speed enhancements in anticipation of future network needs.“400G is rapidly becoming the prevailing requirement for networks and Zayo is breaking new ground with its...

Zayo deploys Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 between Dublin and Amsterdam

 Zayo announced the deployment of Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e) technology between Dublin, Ireland and Amsterdam, Netherlands.“This deployment demonstrates Zayo’s commitment to adopting innovative technologies that allow us to provide customized, state-of-the art network solutions to our customers,” said Jesper Aagaard, Managing Director of Zayo Europe. “This collaboration with Ciena enhances Zayo’s already extensive coverage throughout...


DISH Wireless picks Samsung for 5G Open RAN rollout

DISH Network has selected Samsung Networks for the deployment of 5G O-RAN-compliant virtualized RAN (vRAN) solutions and radio units in markets across the U.S. Financial terms of the multi-year contract were not disclosed.

Specifically, Samsung Networks will supply its 5G and RAN solutions, vRAN software and a variety of O-RAN compliant radio units, including Massive MIMO radios.

Samsung’s vRAN can operate on any commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) server, while still delivering performance on par with traditional hardware-based equipment. With its cloud-native architecture, DISH Wireless’ Open RAN deployment is based on open interfaces, allowing for multi-vendor interoperability and various deployment scenarios. The Samsung radios will also support all of DISH’s Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) spectrum bands (including n71, n29, n66, n70, n48 and n77).


In addition, DISH and Samsung’s collaboration will extend to retail 5G devices.

“Samsung’s 5G solutions will play an integral role in our network expansion, giving us the flexibility to deploy our cloud-native network with software-based solutions that support advanced services and operational scalability,” said John Swieringa, president and chief operating officer, DISH Wireless. “We look forward to working with Samsung, whose industry leadership in vRAN and O-RAN innovation will help support our vision of delivering open, interoperable cloud-based 5G services to consumers and enterprises across the U.S.”

“Samsung is excited to join this 5G journey with DISH, a pioneer in bringing new experiences to households and businesses around the country, leveraging openness and virtualization that sit at the heart of network evolution,” said Mark Louison, executive vice president and head of the Networks Business, Samsung Electronics America. “Our advanced 5G vRAN and radio solutions bring telco-grade quality and cloud-based agility together, building on these benefits to enable more customers to experience the full value of commercial 5G Open RAN.”

https://www.samsung.com/global/business/networks/insights/press-release/0502-dish-wireless-selects-samsung-electronics-for-5g-open-radio-access-network-rollout/

KT activates 5G Standalone (SA) service with Samsung

KT activated Korea’s first commercial 5G SA network in collaboration with Samsung.For this commercial launch, Samsung provided KT its end-to-end 5G network solutions from Radio Access Network (RAN) to Core. KT facilitated a smooth transition to 5G SA by using Samsung’s 5G RAN and Core, which can support 5G SA and NSA simultaneously. “Samsung is proud to play a leading role in placing Korea at the forefront of network technology innovation,”...



NTT DOCOMO selects Samsung as 5G supplier

NTT DOCOMO has selected Samsung Electronics as a 5G network solution provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.Samsung's range of solutions will include O-RAN-compliant solutions.“As a leading mobile operator, our goal is to provide our customers the best possible services for creating innovative, fun and exciting experiences and finding solutions to social issues,” said Sadayuki Abeta, General Manager of the Radio Access Network Development Department...


Samsung wins huge 5G contract with Verizon

Samsung Electronics America has won a contract valued at approximately US$6.6 billion (7.9 trillion won) to supply network infrastructure to Verizon. The announcement was made in a financial disclosure posted by Samsung in Korea. The contract runs through 2025. The contract is likely the largest 5G infrastructure deal to date for Samsung and likely comes as a loss to one of Verizon's European suppliers. http://dart.fss.or.kr/dsaf001/main.do?rcpNo=20200907800091 Samsung...

Samsung claims biggest share of Korea's 5G rollout

Equipment from Samsung Electronics Co. represents the largest share the recent 5G network rollouts from all three mobile operates in Korea. Korean operators have been transmitting 5G signals in Seoul and metropolitan areas since December 1, 2018 using 5G base station radios and 5G core solutions from Samsung’s Networks Business unit. Specifically, Samsung has supplied 5G core solutions and more than 53,000 5G radio base stations to Korea’s three...

Marvell and Samsung collaborate on Massive MIMO chip

Samsung Electronics and Marvell have  jointly developed a new System-on-a-Chip (SoC) to power Samsung’s Massive MIMO and other advanced radios.The new SoC supports 5G and 4G networks simultaneously, and it can also save up to 70 percent in chipset power consumption compared to previous solutions.“We are excited to extend our collaboration with Marvell to unveil a new SoC that will combine both companies’ strengths in innovation to advance 5G...