FCC reviews Next Gen TV (ATSC 3.0)

The FCC is seeking public comment on Next Generation Television (“Next Gen TV” or “ATSC 3.0”)  and on the scheduled sunsets of two rules concerning broadcast TV.

Next Gen TV is the newest broadcast TV transmission standard, developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), which promises to enable broadcasters to deliver an array of new video and non-video services and enhanced content features to consumers. ATSC 3.0 merges the capabilities of over-the-air (OTA) broadcasting with the broadband viewing and information delivery methods of the Internet, using the same 6 MHz channels presently allocated for DTV service. 

The greater spectral capacity of ATSC 3.0, along with it IP delivery, will allow broadcasters to provide consumers with a higher quality television viewing experience, such as ultra-high-definition (UHD) picture resolutions and immersive audio. It also has the potential to enable broadcasters to reach viewers on both home and mobile screens. In addition, ATSC 3.0 will allow broadcasters to offer enhanced public safety capabilities, such as geo-targeting of emergency alerts to tailor information to particular communities and emergency alerting capable of waking up sleeping devices to warn consumers of imminent emergencies, as well as greater accessibility options, localized content, and interactive educational children’s content.

https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-seeks-comment-deployment-next-generation-tv-technology

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WSJ: AT&T, Verizon Raise Prices and Test Consumer Budgets

The Wall Street Journal comments on recent price hikes from AT&T and Verizon, mostly concerning mid-range, monthly plans.  Both carriers increased the price of certain older wireless plans by up to $6 for single lines and $12 for family plans.  Meanwhile, T-Mobile is constrained in its ability to raise prices by the regulatory agreement related to its acquisition of Sprint.

Company officials expressed confidence that consumers will accept the price increases and/or move to unlimited data plans, however they declined to comment on how much additional revenenue will be generated.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-t-verizon-raise-prices-and-test-consumer-budgets-11656156781?mod=hp_lead_pos3

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Video: Emulation fabrics for SmartNICs

https://youtu.be/feIX3PpgbbQ

Builders of advanced data center networks powered by SmartNICs will be interested in understanding traffic patterns and measuring performance of their systems. 

Rezvan Stan, Senior Engineering Manager, Keysight, talks about the emulation of complex data center topologies.

Get up to speed on SmartNICs by downloading our complimentary 2022 SmartNICs and Infrastructure Acceleration Report https://ngi.how/ia-2022

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ITRI cites advancements in magnetic memory technology

Taiwan's government-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), in collaboration with TSMC and academic partners, announced the development of Spin Orbit Torque Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (SOT-MRAM) array chips.

Dr. Shih-Chieh Chang, General Director of ITRI's Electronic and Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories, pointed out that the use of lower voltage and current in the memory can lead to higher efficiency. Therefore, ITRI and TSMC developed SOT-MRAM technology that incorporates high write efficiency and low write voltage, achieving a writing speed of 0.4 nanoseconds and a high endurance of 7 trillion reads and writes. The memory also offers a data storage lifespan of over 10 years. In the future, it can potentially be integrated into the advanced processes of embedded memory, which has outstanding prospects in applications such as AI, automotive electronics, and high-performance computing chips.

ITRI has also collaborated with National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) to develop magnetic memory technology that can perform across a wide operating temperature range of nearly 400°C. Both developments are pivotal for industries to move towards next-generation memory technology.

In the ITRI-NYCU collaboration, both parties have worked to develop high-efficiency operating technology for MRAM and jointly presented the R&D results at this year's IEEE Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circuits, one of the leading events in the global semiconductor industry. The newly developed Spin-Transfer-Torque MRAM (STT-MRAM) adopts ultrathin composite films and magnesium spacers to boost writing speed, reduce latency, minimize writing current, and improve endurance. The multi-functional magnetic memory has optimal data access performance and stability across a wide operating temperature range between 127°C and -269°C. This is the first of its kind to pass verification tests and will offer enormous potential for applications such as quantum computers and aerospace.

https://www.itri.org.tw/english/ListStyle.aspx?DisplayStyle=01_content&SiteID=1&MmmID=617731531241750114&MGID=111062708280270049

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Telefónica and NTT DATA demo private 5G for logistics management

Telefónica and NTT DATA are executing a private 5G proof of concept (PoC) with CIE Automotive, a global automotive supplier. 

At its facilities in Itziar (Guipúzcoa), a 5G intralogistics management platform has been developed and is being implemented as an integrating and enabling solution for the automation of the transport of finished products from the end of the production line to the warehouse.

The objective of the solution is to increase the flexibility, efficiency and traceability of internal logistics processes through the intelligent management of multiple sensors and mobile devices, such as AGVs (automated guided vehicles) and AMRs (autonomous mobile robots).

Jon Ezkerra, R&D project coordinator of the CIE Automotive group, highlights that “The proof of concept being developed in collaboration with Telefónica and NTT Data will be validated in one of the automated welding cells for the manufacture of fuel rails at the CIE Norma plant located in Itziar (Gipuzkoa) and will connect through the use of 5G technology with the plant’s management system to perform intra-logistics movement via AGVs, will allow connection through the use of 5G technology, with the plant’s management system to carry out intra-logistical movement by means of AGVs, establishing the continuous flow of supply and collection of finished product packaging for stacking at height in the warehouse.”

Andrés Escribano, director of New Business and Industry 4.0 at Telefónica Tech, said: “This initiative will allow us to bring logistics automation solutions to many of our customers in a simple and flexible way. The application of 5G connectivity will help to solve the challenges faced in this field of Industry 4.0.”

https://www.telefonica.com/en/communication-room/telefonica-and-ntt-data-integrate-5g-in-cie-automotives-internal-logistics/

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UScellular and Ericsson 5G performance using drones

UScellular and Ericsson have begun 5G testing using drones.

Initial visual line of sight trials were conducted in Beloit, Wis., using a drone that was flown between two of UScellular’s commercial 5G towers. The drone was outfitted with a 5G smartphone and RF measurement equipment designed to capture performance metrics such as signal strength and quality, upload and download speeds, and latency throughout the flights at various altitudes. Data was gathered using both low and high band spectrum, and the goal of the initial trial was to gather and analyze network connectivity and speed data in the air, compare it to the speeds experienced on the ground and ultimately understand what is required for the future use and success of 5G connected drones.

“Testing our wireless connections at altitude can set the stage for future connectivity of drones in the air, providing command and control capability along with enabling real-time image and data sharing to be easier, faster and safer,” said Narothum Saxena, vice president of technology strategy and architecture at UScellular. “We believe that our network can help drones fly in an optimal way if they have connectivity, and with Ericsson’s support, we will continue to drive innovation that can help enhance our customers’ wireless experience.”

“Drone technology offers a wide scope of new opportunities in today’s market. Our testing with UScellular is a huge step for advanced connected drones use cases that will benefit society and businesses,” said Jossie Prochilo, Vice President and Key Account Manager, UScellular Account for Ericsson North America. “Ericsson Connected Drone Testing and Ericsson Device Analytics enables service providers to move forward with proven solutions and provides UScellular with an industry-leading set of capabilities for connected drone testing to support the commercial operation of drones over 5G networks.”

https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/6/2022/6/uscellular-and-ericsson-team-up-on-drone-connectivity-to-test-5g-network-performance-at-altitude

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Edgecore launches hospitality solution based on TIP OpenWiFi

Edgecore Networks introduced a full-stack OpenWiFi hospitality solution for ISP and MSP customers based on TIP OpenWiFi software.

Edgecore’s ecCLOUD and Wi-Fi AP both use the latest version of TIP OpenWiFi 2.0, released for commercial use. TIP OpenWiFi 2.0 utilizes uCentral, a lightweight agile communications framework that can dramatically cut cloud hosting costs. In addition, TIP OpenWiFi’s open architecture enables Edgecore to work with application service providers to develop services including Smart Indoor Location Solution, network quality of experience (QoE), network security and other services. The Smart Indoor Location Solution is now available for trial use, and the world's first hospitality- and MDU-dedicated TIP OpenWiFi AP, EAP104, will be available for test appointments from now on, being officially launched in Q3 2022.

Edgecore’s ecCLOUD enterprise controller that can manage hundreds of thousands of Wi-Fi Access points (APs) from both Edgecore as well as any other hardware vendor with compatible OpenWiFi software. In addition, Edgecore’s EAP104, the world's first open hospitality and multi-dwelling 

Edgecore said it has actively led the way adopting the Telecom Infra Project’s (TIP) OpenWiFi to unlock limitations and create an OpenWiFi compatible infrastructure with commercial expansion value, rewriting the nature of hospitality Wi-Fi networks. ISPs and MSPs are now no longer bound by a single vendor but can flexibly choose mixing and matching from different cloud controllers, Wi-Fi APs, and switches.

“Edgecore’s full-stack OpenWiFi hospitality solution unbinds ISPs and MSPs from closed network infrastructures and introduces unlimited innovation possibilities and business potential. As one of the earliest and active TIP OpenWiFi partners, Edgecore Networks will keep working with TIP to grow the OpenWiFi ecosystem together globally.” said Tengtai Hsu, Vice President of Edgecore Networks.

http://www.wifi.edge-core.com 

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Telstra Wholesale deploys ADVA FSP 150 for Rapid Mobile Activation

Telstra Wholesale is leveraging ADVA FSP 150 technology to provide its Rapid Mobile Activation service. The new capabilities enable Telstra Wholesale’s communication service provider (CSP) customers to quickly provision Ethernet connectivity and deliver greater levels of resilience. 

With Telstra Wholesale’s new offering, CSPs across Australia can install their customer premises equipment using Ethernet over mobile. End users then have faster access to services while they wait for fiber to be provisioned. Once fiber is in place, the mobile service becomes a backup so that Layer 2 services are available even in the event of a fiber outage. The new capabilities are enabled by the ADVA FSP 150-XG300 Series of 10Gbit/s multi-layer demarcation, aggregation and edge computing devices. The technology delivers zero-touch provisioning at the network edge with fully automated activation and advanced security controls. It enables Telstra Wholesale to provide a differentiated service that offers a unique competitive advantage.

“Our new Rapid Mobile Activation is changing the way our customers deliver business internet and other services. Using the power of our mobile network and the LTE capabilities of ADVA’s edge solution, we’re making it quick and easy for CSPs to meet booming demand for enterprise connectivity. We’re also creating another layer of redundancy for enhanced availability,” said Glenn Osborne, executive, wholesale segment at Telstra InfraCo. “Ethernet Access customers will benefit greatly from these innovative mobile capabilities, particularly businesses that are moving locations or need connectivity sooner and value the added resilience of mobile backup, which will prove invaluable as they digitize their operations.”

“Our long-standing partnership with Telstra Wholesale has brought Ethernet services with ever greater levels of quality and reliability to businesses throughout Australia. Now our innovation and support are helping empower CSPs with unprecedented scale, speed and efficiency. Rapid Mobile Activation lets Telstra Wholesale’s customers bring enterprises online in as little as eight working days. It also relieves end users from the cost and complexity of configuring their own mobile backup,” commented Erik Lindberg, VP of sales, APAC at ADVA. “Telstra Wholesale is streamlining activation processes while also making connectivity more robust. At a time when IoT technology is coming into its own, the new service will open up a world of opportunities across a wide range of industries.”

http://www.adva.com

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Tibit raises $30 million for 10G and 25G PON

Tibit Communications announced $30 million in series C funding to support its its 10G PON manufacturing capacity and 25G PON program.

The investment will be used immediately to accelerate Tibit's 25G ASIC program, which will build upon its successful 10G ASIC and MicroPlug™ OLT product line. 25GS-PON will be the next big step in PON access speeds for enterprise, multi-gig residential services and 5G wireless connectivity. Tibit is a founding member and contributor to the 25GS-PON MSA, the 25 gigabit PON standard which now includes almost 50 carriers, system vendors and solution providers worldwide (www.25gspon-msa.org). Tibit's increased investment in 25GS-PON today will establish the Tibit MicroPlug OLT product line as a cornerstone platform for the next big step in fiber broadband access speeds.

The funding round includes Tibit's current investors Liberty Global (LGI), Swisscom Ventures, Intel Capital, Ciena, Juniper Networks and Solasta Ventures.

The Series C investment will also scale Tibit's manufacturing capabilities to meet demand fueled by its successful solution partnerships, game-changing innovations in simplifying PON and control of its own OLT ASIC silicon.

"Tibit has been well positioned to take advantage of the tailwinds from operators investing in 10G PON fiber deployments, which have led to incredible momentum for the company in the marketplace and strong investor support. This funding will enable us to grow our 10G manufacturing capabilities and develop an innovative 25G solution," said Richard Stanfield, President and CEO of Tibit.

https://tibitcom.com/

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Lumentum locks in wafer supply deal with IQE

 IQE plc,  a leading supplier of compound semiconductor wafer products and advanced material solutions, announced a mult-year supply agreement with IBM. The deal includes the supply of epiwafers supporting 3D Sensing, LiDAR for automotive, and optical networking applications.

Americo Lemos, Chief Executive Officer of IQE, commented: “Our partnership with Lumentum is in alignment with our strategy to strengthen our customer relationships and to enter into long-term agreements securing wafer supply. Lumentum and IQE are industry leaders in the 3D Sensing space, and this partnership is underpinned by IQE’s unrivalled technology portfolio. We look forward to our continued collaboration and expansion of our business relationship into new market segments.”

Alan Lowe, Chief Executive Officer of Lumentum, added: “I am pleased to extend our fruitful partnership with IQE into the future. They supported our ramp to high volumes in the consumer space, where we have shipped more than 1 billion large scale VCSEL arrays. As we start to ramp high volumes of differentiated solutions into even more demanding applications in the coming years in the automotive, extended reality, and industrial spaces, I’m sure our partnership will continue to flourish.”

https://www.lumentum.com/en/media-room/news-releases/iqe-announces-multi-year-strategic-supply-agreement-lumentum

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Aligned plans 3rd data center in Salt Lake City

Aligned Data Centers announced plans for SLC-03, a new data center on its hyperscale campus in West Jordan, Utah. The Build-to-Scale project will add more than 100 MW of capacity to the campus in order to meet hyperscale demand for Aligned’s scalable and sustainable infrastructure. 

“Our newest Build-to-Scale customer requires not only rapid construction timelines to keep pace with their accelerated growth, but seamlessly scalable, sustainable infrastructure that supports their environmental commitments, which are some of the most aggressive in the world,” states Andrew Schaap, CEO of Aligned. “This is our fourth hyperscale data center in the Salt Lake City metro area – a market we entered just three-and-a-half years ago. Our expansion in the Silicon Slopes is a testament to Aligned’s continuous ability to deliver critical capacity quickly – wherever our customers require it.”

https://www.aligneddc.com/aligned-expands-salt-lake-metro-area-campus-with-third-hyperscale-data-center/

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Scintil Photonics raises $14M for silicon photonic integrated circuits

Scintil Photonics, a supplier of advanced silicon photonic integrated circuits with monolithically integrated lasers and optical amplifiers, secured €13.5M ($14.4M) in second round funding. The company is based in Grenoble, France.

Robert Bosch Venture Capital (RBVC) led the round, with historic shareholders Innovacom, Supernova Invest and Bpifrance, through its Digital Venture fund, reinvesting to bring the company’s total funding to €17.5M ($18.8M), to date.'

Scintil Photonics will use the funds to take its industrialization program to the next level and speed up the global commercialization of its products that boost communications in data centers, High-Performance Computing (HPC) and 5G networks. 

Scintil Photonics’ optical communications aim to significantly enhance traditional high-speed system and chip interconnections. The company’s Augmented Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuit (IC) product is a single-chip solution consisting of active and passive components, all made entirely from standard silicon photonics processes available at CMOS commercial foundries, and where III-V optical amplifiers and lasers are integrated on the backside of advanced silicon photonic circuits. This unique all-in-one integration of amplifiers and lasers enables ultrahigh-speed communications, due to extensive parallelization and higher bit rates, e.g., from 800 G to 3,200 Gbit/sec with very compact chips. 

“Scintil Photonics’ monolithic integration of III-V Lasers into silicon photonic chips is a key enabler for next-generation telecom, datacom and sensing,” says Ingo Ramesohl, managing director at RBVC. “The CMOS-compatible process allows for higher design freedom, lower losses and a smaller footprint at low cost. We are excited to partner with Scintil Photonics as it uniquely unlocks further miniaturization and integration of Photonic Integrated Circuits.” 

Scintil Photonics raises EUR 4 million for 800G transceiver prototype

Sunday, September 22, 2019    

Scintil Photonics, a start-up based in Grenoble, France, announced EUR 4 million in first-round funding for its work in silicon photonic fully integrated circuits. The company said the funding will be used to develop prototypes (800 Gbps transceiver photonic circuits) in commercial semiconductor foundries in order to sample strategic customers in the data center market. The team and development partnerships, including those with CEA-Leti in France...

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Continuous-Wave Wavelength Division Multiplexing MSA gets underway

Wednesday, June 24, 2020  MSA, Optical, WDM  

A new Continuous-Wave Wavelength Division Multiplexing Multi-Source Agreement (CW-WDM MSA) consortium has been established to define and promote specifications for multi-wavelength advanced integrated optics. The CW-WDM MSA said it will solely focus on specifying the laser source instead of the full communications link, and is not targeted at any specific application. Such an approach allows developers to fully optimize optics to their customers’...

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Italy's Azcom picks Keysight for O-RAN testing

Azcom Technology, a provider of wireless solutions and certification services, has selected Keysight Open Radio Architect (KORA) solutions for verifying Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) equipment.

Based in Italy, Azcom uses KORA solutions to validate performance and compliance of O-RAN Radio and Distributed Units (O-RU and O-DU) implementation to specifications set by the O-RAN ALLIANCE, as well as to verify interoperability between these network elements. Azcom also uses the KORA test tools to perform O-RAN pre-certification and badging testing. 

Keysight’s end-to-end test capability enables Azcom to develop the company’s O-RAN compliant 5G O-RU with support across multiple standards, including 5G New Radio (NR), 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT).

“As a provider of cutting-edge product engineering services to global customers for more than two decades, Azcom is excited to expand its use of Keysight’s software-centric emulation, test and validation tools,” said Davide Denti, 5G RU product manager at Azcom. “Keysight’s Open RAN Studio Player is a highly versatile and easy-to-use tool. Keysight’s open RAN solutions enable Azcom to accelerate the development of proprietary solutions as well as efficiently provide leading certification services critical to the rapid advancement of the open RAN community.”

http://www.keysight.com

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Linux Foundation kicks off Open Programmable Infrastructure Project

The Linux Foundation has launched a new Open Programmable Infrastructure (OPI) Project aimed at establishing an open ecosystem for next-generation architectures and frameworks based on DPU and IPU technologies.

The OPI Project aims to define the architecture and frameworks for the DPU and IPU software stacks that can be applied to any vendor’s hardware offerings. The OPI Project also aims to foster a rich open source application ecosystem, leveraging existing open source projects, such as DPDK, SPDK, OvS, P4, etc., as appropriate.  

The project intends to:

• Define DPU and IPU, 
• Delineate vendor-agnostic frameworks and architectures for DPU- and IPU-based software stacks applicable to any hardware solutions, 
• Enable the creation of a rich open source application ecosystem,
• Integrate with existing open source projects aligned to the same vision such as the Linux kernel, and, 
• Create new APIs for interaction with, and between, the elements of the DPU and IPU ecosystem, including hardware, hosted applications, host node, and the remote provisioning and orchestration of software

With several working groups already active, the initial technology contributions will come in the form of the Infrastructure Programmer Development Kit (IPDK) that is now an official sub-project of OPI governed by the Linux Foundation. IPDK is an open source framework of drivers and APIs for infrastructure offload and management that runs on a CPU, IPU, DPU or switch. 

In addition, NVIDIA DOCA , an open source software development framework for NVIDIA’s BlueField DPU, will be contributed to OPI to help developers create applications that can be offloaded, accelerated, and isolated across DPUs, IPUs, and other hardware platforms. 

Founding members of OPI include Dell Technologies, F5, Intel, Keysight Technologies, Marvell, NVIDIA and Red Hat with a growing number of contributors representing a broad range of leading companies in their fields ranging from silicon and device manufactures, ISVs, test and measurement partners, OEMs to end users. 

“When new technologies emerge, there is so much opportunity for both technical and business innovation but barriers often include a lack of open standards and a thriving community to support them,” said Mike Dolan, senior vice president of Projects at the Linux Foundation. “DPUs and IPUs are great examples of some of the most promising technologies emerging today for cloud and datacenter, and OPI is poised to accelerate adoption and opportunity by supporting an ecosystem for DPU and IPU technologies."

https://opiproject.org

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Edgecore intros 400G disaggregated cell site gateway (DCSG)

Edgecore Networks announced a new flagship 400G disaggregated cell site gateway (DCSG).  

The Edgecore CSR440 offers an open and disaggregated platform that hosts software components from different NOS vendors, such as RtBrick, ADVA, IP Infusion, and Capgemini, which enable the device to act as an access or aggregation router in the network, or also fit a role in Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) applications.

The CSR440 provides a combination of 1/10/25Gbps, 50/100Gbps, and 100/400Gbps interfaces, utilizing a  server-grade, 8-core, hyper-threading Intel Xeon processor and a Broadcom Qumran2a chipset to deliver 800Gbps switching capacity and advanced features with powerful processing power. 

The CSR440 supports IEEE 1588v2 full timing features with Class C accuracy and is capable of providing an 802.1CM Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) interface, supporting SRv6 technology and eCPRI encapsulation for upcoming xHaul applications and deployments. In addition, the CSR440 400G ports support high-powered optics, allowing operators to extend their service range and expand their market size.

“Edgecore's flagship 400G Cell Site Router CSR440 brings high-bandwidth connectivity to the access edge of our customer networks. Customers who are upgrading their network infrastructure using the temperature-hardened CSR440 can meet 5G backhaul and xHaul requirements at remote cell sites. Together with Edgecore’s software partners supporting the CSR440, we are accelerating the adoption of open networking for 5G and BNG applications,” said Nanda Ravindran, VP of Product Management, Edgecore Networks.

“The introduction of Edgecore's 400G Cell Site Router offers higher bandwidth to wireless and wireline Service Providers,” said Atsushi Ogata, President and CEO, IP Infusion. “Edgecore and IP Infusion together provide cost-effective, higher performance solutions that enable new applications for innovative services.”

“Edgecore’s new 400G DCSG is a key milestone in disaggregated 5G networking. With our feature-rich Ensemble Activator NOS running on the Edgecore CSR440, carriers can deploy an agile, scalable multi-vendor mobile architecture built on best-in-class components and capable of unprecedented capacity,” said Mike Heffner, SVP and GM of Edge Cloud, ADVA. “Edgecore is a company that shares our commitment to openness and collaboration. Now it’s offering a way to escape the constraints of closed proprietary systems while also addressing soaring data demand.”

http://www.edge-core.com

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EdgeConneX raises $1.7 billion for its data centers

EdgeConneX has secured a series of sustainability-linked financings totaling $1.7 billion for its data center business worldwide. 

The financings include EdgeConneX first-ever securitization and multi-currency term loan to further the company’s global growth. 

“The investment-grade rating for the asset-backed securities demonstrates the financial strength of EdgeConneX and confirms the confidence and quality of the EdgeConneX edge business model,” states Joe Harar, CFO at EdgeConneX.  “This new financing affords the company high flexibility to not only invest in our core infrastructure in a sustainability-minded way but also to support our high growth customers that need green, sustainability-linked solutions hyper-locally and at hyperscale globally.”

The international multi-currency term loan issuance forms an integral part of EdgeConneX sustainability strategy to fund the development of more energy-efficient data centers across the globe in new and existing markets, reducing carbon emissions, and providing green energy solutions to its customers. EdgeConneX goal is to be a carbon-, waste- and water-neutral data center provider by 2030 and develop and operate a data center platform powered by 100% renewable energy.

http://www.edgeconnex.com

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Vodafone to deploy Oracle Dedicated Region in its own data centers

Vodafone has awarded a multi-year agreement to Oracle to modernize the operator’s European IT infrastructure and accelerate its transition to the cloud. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Vodafone will modernize and migrate a large number of its systems to OCI Dedicated Region, a fully managed cloud region that brings all of Oracle’s public cloud services into Vodafone’s own network and data centers. This will provide a dedicated cloud platform for Vodafone to modernize its thousands of Oracle databases as well as to support and scale its mission-critical OSS and BSS systems, including CRM and order management.

Oracle will deploy OCI Dedicated Region in Vodafone’s main data centers that manage its European IT and network operations. The deployment of public cloud services directly inside Vodafone’s own network and data centers will enable the operator to flexibly modernize, manage and automate its critical systems using new technologies such as autonomous services, and more easily meet the latency and performance requirements of these applications.

Vodafone will also have close access to compute resources that enable it to dynamically augment and scale services in multiple geographies according to changing business requirements, while reducing operational costs and meeting data residency regulations.

“Telecom companies are reimagining their business models to innovate and monetize new opportunities at speed and at scale,” said Clay Magouyrk, executive vice president, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “Vodafone is at the forefront of this thinking, and we are excited to bring the power of OCI to Vodafone’s data centers to support the company and its partners as they fast-track this vision and deliver the next generation of connected services.”

“Now more than ever, telecom companies need to quickly adopt new technologies to deliver new innovative products at speed while continuing to meet evolving regulatory requirements. Our partnership with Vodafone is based on achieving this balance, providing a cloud platform that enables Vodafone to modernize and consolidate its existing infrastructure while also building a foundation for a digital future. We are looking forward to partnering with one of the telecom sector’s digital trailblazers as we help shape the next generation of communication services and business models,” said Jonathan Tikochinsky, executive vice president, global strategic clients, Oracle.

https://www.oracle.com/news/announcement/vodafone-partners-with-oracle-to-accelerate-technology-modernization-2022-06-21/

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Cerebras sets a new record for largest AI model

Cerebras Systems announced an ability to train models with up to 20 billion parameters on a single CS-2 system.

The Cerebras WSE-2 is the largest processor ever built, boasting 2.55 trillion more transistors and 100 times as many compute cores as the largest GPU. 

By enabling a single CS-2 to train these models, Cerebras reduces the system engineering time necessary to run large natural language processing (NLP) models from months to minutes. It also eliminates one of the most painful aspects of NLP — namely the partitioning of the model across hundreds or thousands of small graphics processing units (GPU).

“In NLP, bigger models are shown to be more accurate. But traditionally, only a very select few companies had the resources and expertise necessary to do the painstaking work of breaking up these large models and spreading them across hundreds or thousands of graphics processing units,” said Andrew Feldman, CEO and Co-Founder of Cerebras Systems. “As a result, only very few companies could train large NLP models – it was too expensive, time-consuming and inaccessible for the rest of the industry. Today we are proud to democratize access to GPT-3XL 1.3B, GPT-J 6B, GPT-3 13B and GPT-NeoX 20B, enabling the entire AI ecosystem to set up large models in minutes and train them on a single CS-2.”

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SoftBank tests Altaeros' autonomous aerostat for base station

SoftBank has completed initial testing of Altaeros' ST-Flex autonomous aerostat with a base station as the payload. 

Operational and telecom tests were performed at Hokkaido Spaceport, Taiki Town, Hokkaido, Japan. Learn more about ST-Flex: 

SoftBank and Altaeros first launched the ST-Flex on May 2, 2022 and performed evaluation tests through May. ST-Flex carried SoftBank's base station system, which was equipped with its proprietary cylindrical antenna that realizes communication area footprint fixation, to a height of 816 feet (249m), where it was connected to their ground equipment via optical fiber and power conductors embedded in the tethers. F

"We are incredibly excited to have completed the first international launch of the ST-Flex," said Altaeros CEO, Ben Glass. "Successful testing of SoftBank's Footprint Fixation Technology on the ST-Flex is a huge milestone which will further the development and effectiveness of many aerial telecommunications platforms to help bring critical services around the world." 

https://www.softbank.jp/en/corp/news/press/sbkk/2022/20220622_01/ 

http://www.altaeros.com 

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Dell'Oro: Small cell demand remains strong

Small cell radio access network (RAN) revenues advanced 15 percent year-over-year in the first quarter, growing at a faster pace than the broader small cell plus macro RAN market, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group.

“The fact that small cell investments are still advancing at a rapid pace even as the operators are intensifying their 5G macro roll out efforts show that small cells are now an essential part of the broader RAN toolkit,” said Stefan Pongratz, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “Helping to explain this output acceleration is the shift towards 5G and the shrinking gap between macro and small cell deployments, especially with upper mid-band 5G,” continued Pongratz.

Additional small cell highlights from the 1Q 2022 RAN report:

• Top 5 suppliers in the quarter include Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, ZTE, and Samsung.
• Nearly all the small cell growth is driven by public 5G – small cell LTE revenues declined in the quarter and private 5G small cell investments are still negligible.
• Global small cell RAN revenues remain on track to surpass $5 B in 2022.

https://www.delloro.com/news/small-cells-still-growing-faster-than-macro-ran-in-1q22/

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