NTT to test Open All Photonics Network wavelength interconnects

NTT, in collaboration with Ciena, Fujitsu, and NEC Corporation (NEC), will conduct Open All Photonics Network (APN) proof-of-concept (PoC) trial of on-demand wavelength technologies.

NTT said the work is based on the Open All Photonics Network (APN) Functional Architecture document published by the IOWN GF earlier this year.

The network nodes defined in the Open APN Functional Architecture can be constructed from the Open ROADM MSA’s standard components, which are available from global optical product vendors such as Ciena, Fujitsu, and NEC. To prove the viability and operability of Open APN, NTT will conduct a PoC jointly with Ciena, Fujitsu, NEC, and other companies in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022. The PoC will validate wavelength connection creation/deletion functions and evaluate the performance of optical communications in terms of throughput, delay, and jitter.

The PoC should prove that Open APN is implementable and operable with products already available in the global market and encourage many organizations in the world to build and implement Open APN.

While conventional ROADM products are designed to create optical connections between telecommunication carriers’ sites, an Open APN creates connections between all endpoints, including customer sites. This difference leads to the need for new functions as listed below:

• A function for automatically designing and provisioning wavelength connections that satisfy service requirements by cooperation and coordination of terminals deployed in user sites and carrier equipment, and functions for selecting the best transmission mode, etc.
• A function for configuring and managing optical wavelength end points of terminals deployed in user sites and a function for passing and blocking optical signals in carrier equipment based on the authentication status of each terminal
• A function for adapting different types of optical fibers to be connected in the same optical wavelength

NTT has developed the above functions and started a field test in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The test should validate their operability under various conditions, such as fiber length and loss levels in a real environment. As the test will also utilize the outcome from Open ROADM MSA and Telecom Infra Project Open Optical & Packet Transport6, it should demonstrate how the results from the three organizations can be combined to build open and disaggregated infrastructures.

https://group.ntt/en/newsrelease/

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OpenLight releases 800G DR8 Photonic Integrated Circuit

OpenLight, a start-used based in Mountain View, California, released its first 800G DR8 photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design targeted at datacenter interconnect transceivers.

OpenLight said its on-chip laser integration and high-speed InP-based modulators removes the need for the procurement and attachment of additional lasers into a PIC, offering scalability with high-speed performance and cost at scale to tackle complex designs. The device is built on Tower Semiconductor’s silicon photonics production process (PH18DA) and is a fully validated PIC design with an associated circuit model and available test datasets. The 800G DR8 PIC sample kits are now available.

OpenLight has fabricated and tested these wafers using the world's first open silicon photonics foundry platform with integrated lasers offered by Tower Semiconductor. 

“As the number of users and devices per user continue to increase, the demand for bandwidth and higher data rates will only grow multifold. We are seeing an uptake in the adoption of silicon photonics and believe our first-of-its-kind 800G DR8 PIC design and available tested samples will help customers quickly design optical transceiver modules and enable faster time to market for emerging datacom needs,” said Dr. Thomas Mader, Chief Operating Officer at OpenLight. "Together with Tower, we are able to consistently offer scalable design solutions and support the industry’s move to 800G and beyond for datacenters with integrated lasers."

“Our partnership with OpenLight continues to add new, silicon-proven IP to Tower’s existing open foundry offering enabling customers to accelerate development of next generation silicon photonics products with fully integrated lasers,” said Dr. Marco Racanelli, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Tower Semiconductor’s Analog Business Unit. “The process technology and PDK are available to Tower customers along with regularly scheduled shuttle runs while higher order IP such as the 800G reference design announced here, is available through our partner OpenLight"

https://www.openlightphotonics.com

Synopsys and Juniper form joint venture for silicon photonics

Monday, April 04, 2022  Juniper, Silicon Photonics, Synopsys  

Synopsys and Juniper Networks are establishing a joint venture company focused on open silicon photonics for applications such as telecom, datacom, LiDAR, healthcare, HPC, AI, and optical computing. The new company's open silicon photonics platform will include integrated lasers, optical amplifiers, and a full suite of photonic components to form a complete solution that will be accessible through a Process Design Kit (PDK). The platform promises...

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Tower Semi and Juniper develop silicon photonics process 

Tuesday, December 21, 2021  Israel, Juniper, Silicon Photonics, Tower Semiconductor  

Tower Semiconductor and Juniper Networks announced a silicon photonics (SiPho) foundry-ready process with integrated III-V lasers, amplifiers modulators and detectors. Potential applications include optical connectivity in datacenters and telecom networks, as well as AI, LiDAR and other sensors. The new platform co-integrates III-V lasers, semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA), electro-absorption modulators (EAM) and photodetectors with...

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O-RAN Alliance completes Global PlugFest Fall 2022

The O-RAN Alliance highlighted the success of its Global PlugFest Fall 2022, which was completed in 6 venues across Asia, Europe, and North America, with 106 participating companies.

“Testing and integration at O-RAN PlugFests show increasing maturity of O-RAN technology in all regions,” said Linsheng Liao, O-RAN TIFG Co-chair and Senior Project Manager of CMRI. “Comparing the PlugFest results year to year, we are pleased to see major progress made by the O-RAN ecosystem in conformance and interoperability tests, as well as more advanced end-to-end and network automation scenarios. O-RAN PlugFests greatly contribute to developing commercially available O-RAN networks.”

PlugFest in Japan, hosted by NTT DOCOMO, KDDI, Rakuten Mobile, SoftBank, YRP and YRP R&D Promotion Committee took place at multiple sites in large metropolitan area. Activities focused on:

• Lab tests and field trials of latency assurance with Near-RT RIC for E2E network slicing
• Conformance, IOT, E2E testing, including Open Fronthaul and security verification
• Field tests of mmW backhaul system using O-RAN Fronthaul
• Multi-vendor vRAN integration
• Near-RT RIC demo with xApp and E2 nodes
• Open source demo realizing vRAN application deployment with OpenStack Tacker

In addition to the hosts, participants included AMD AECG, Anritsu, ComWorth, Dell Technologies, DKK, DZS, Fujitsu, HCL, Keysight Technologies, KYOCERA, NEC, NVIDIA, Red Hat, Spirent, TOYO, VIAVI Solutions and Wind River.

PlugFest in South Korea hosted by LG Uplus focused on:

• 5G O-RAN in-building field trial
• 5G O-RAN Lab validation
• Test scenarios including fronthaul conformance test, E2E test, analysis of fronthaul and midhaul interfaces
• Validation of RIC use case with xApp/rApp and the open interfaces (O1, A1, and E2)

In addition to the hosts, participants included Ciena, DELL Technologies, ETRI, Innowireless, Juniper Networks, Keysight Technologies and Viettel High Technology Industries.

PlugFest in South Korea hosted by SK Telecom focused on:

Open Fronthaul interface conformance testing for O-DU and O-RU

O-RAN specified interoperability testing between O-DU and O-RU

Evaluation of O-RAN based private 5G systems through O-RAN specified E2E tests

Performance and functional testing in live indoor environments

In addition to the hosts, participants included ETRI, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HFR, Intel and Keysight Technologies.

O-RAN Global PlugFest Fall 2022 in Europe

Deutsche Telekom, EANTC, EURECOM, Orange, TIM, Vodafone and BT have teamed up together with Telecom Infra Project (TIP) to host the Joint European O-RAN & TIP PlugFest Fall 2022. The PlugFest was hosted in four European labs, namely EURECOM in Sophia Antipolis, i14y Lab in Berlin, Orange Lab in Paris and TIM Innovation Lab in Torino.

The joint PlugFest has demonstrated complementarities and synergies between O-RAN and TIP as well as between the labs. Test scenarios focused on:

• Conformance testing of Open Fronthaul interface of O-RU and O-DU
• End-to-end multi-vendor integration with functional and performance testing
• xApps/rApps integration with Near/Non-RT RICs and xApps/rApps functional verification
• O-Cloud platform performance testing

In addition to the hosts, participants included Aarna Networks, Accelleran, ADVA Optical Networking, Analog Devices, Anritsu, Aspire Technology, Azcom Technology, Calnex Solutions, Capgemini Engineering, Dell Technologies, DZS, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, highstreet technologies, JMA Wireless, Juniper Networks, Keysight Technologies, Mavenir, Microamp Solutions, MTI, NEC, Net AI, Nokia, Open Networking Foundation, Radisys, Red Hat, Rimedo Labs, Rohde & Schwarz, SIAE MICROELETTRONICA, SOLiD, Spirent, VIAVI Solutions, VMware and VoerEir.

PlugFest in North America hosted by CableLabs at the Kyrio OTIC Lab focused on:

• Multi-vendor O-RAN end-to-end system under test, based on the O-RAN E2E test specification, demonstrating cell capacity for signaling and user-plane traffic load. Moreover, the Fronthaul delay impact on user peak throughput was measured using Fronthaul impairment emulators.
• Demonstration of O-CU interoperability, based on the O-RAN IOT test specifications, verified traffic scenarios across emulated F1 and Xn interfaces, as well as the open F1 and Xn protocol implementation. In addition, the O-CU demonstrated successful interoperability for F1AP and XnAP global, elementary, and mobility procedures.
• Near-RT RIC testing for conformance to the O-RAN E2 interface specification (E2AP, E2 SM, E2 SM RC, and E2 SM KPM procedures) were verified following the E2 test specification. Moreover, a QoS xApp was integrated and tested.

In addition to the hosts, participants included Calnex Solutions, Capgemini Engineering, Lumentum Holdings, Radisys Networks, Sunwave Communications, VIAVI Solutions and Xena Networks.

PocFest in North America hosted by UNH-IOL, hosted by AT&T and DISH, took place in four labs:

• University of New Hampshire InterOperability Lab
• TIP Community Lab at Meta, Menlo Park CA
• POWDER Lab and NSF PAWR SITE with the University of Utah
• COSMOS Lab and NSF PAWR SITE with the Rutgers University, Columbia University, NYU Wireless

Activities focused on testing of conformance and performance of O-RU devices, measurements of energy saving and efficiency, integration of AI/ML for resource pooling and slicing, testing of RIC, xApps, SMO, and end-to-end interoperability testing.

In addition to the hosts, participants included AMD, Anritsu, Calnex, DZS, Fujitsu, HCL, Intel, Keysight Technologies, NEC, Radisys, Rohde & Schwarz, VIAVI Solutions, VVDN, VMware, Vodafone, Wind River and Xena.

https://www.o-ran.org

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Alcatel Submarine Networks activates Private 5G at factory in Calais

Alcatel Submarine Networks has activated a private 5G network on its submarine systems production and assembly site based in Calais. 

The deployment is described as the largest private industrial 5G network in Europe to date. The network will provide coverage to the 50,000 sqm of the Calais site. Eventually, 11 buildings as well as the loading docks will be covered by 59 5G small cell antennas (57 indoor emission points and 2 outdoor emission points).

Strategic partners include Nokia, Iliad, Free Pro, Sopra Steria and BSCA.

The inauguration took place in the presence of Alain Biston, President of ASN, Patricia Fornet, Director of Industrial Operations at ASN, Thomas Reynaud, CEO of Iliad Group (Free) and Pierre-Gaël Chantereau, CEO of Nokia France.

https://web.asn.com/en/press-release/industry40.html?did=D000000001EZ&utm_campaign=manufacturing_enterprise&utm_source+=twitter&utm_medium=organic+&utm_term=37c468c1-2192-4875-adcc-0c0c79a6088c

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Keysight adds 400GE Network Cybersecurity Test Platform

 Keysight Technologies introduced its APS-M8400 Modular Network Cybersecurity Test Platform, an 8-port 400GE Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density (QSFP-DD) network security test platform for data center network equipment manufacturers (NEM) and operators.

Keysight’s APS-M8400 is a modular, 400GE network security test platform that aggregates compute and field programmable gate array (FPGA) resources to deliver hyperscale application and cybersecurity test and validation. Key benefits:

• Industry leading 400GE port density: The APS-M8400 offers the ability to test 8 x 400GE QSFP-DD.
• 
  Ease of management: The APS-M8400 provides a centralized, “single pane of glass” management of up to 16 compute nodes reducing the management learning curve and simplifying system upgrades and maintenance.
• Flexible testing options: The APS-M800 offers flexible aggregation of compute and FPGA resources to optimize the performance and scalability requirements for any simulated workload, using one or multiple 400GE test interfaces.
• Hyperscale performance: The APS-M8400 can drive hyperscale application and cybersecurity test performance, including encrypted traffic loads, to effectively emulate the rigorous demands put upon data center and service provider infrastructure. This platform can generate up to 3+ Tbps of Layer 4-7 traffic, 5+ billion concurrent connections, 2.4 Tbps of transport layer security (TLS) traffic, and 2.4 million TLS connections per second.
• Scalable solution: The APS-M8400 is designed as a “pay-as-you-grow" solution, allowing users to build out a system that supports today’s test needs and spending constraints, with the flexibility to add capacity as requirements change and budgets allow.

Ram Periakaruppan, Vice President and General Manager, Keysight's Network Test and Security Solutions, said: “Data center NEMs and operators face conflicting demands to produce solutions that support ever increasing data volumes and traffic speeds driven by new standards like 400GE, while protecting systems against a growing, dynamic cybersecurity threat landscape - all without breaking the bank. Keysight’s APS-8400 meets these teams where they are, delivering hyperscale application and cybersecurity test loads via an industry leading 8 x 400GE of test port density in a flexible solution that allows users to add test capacity as demands and budgets change."

https://www.keysight.com/us/en/products/network-test/network-test-hardware/aps-100400ge-series.html

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PsiQuantum adds ex-Cisco Roland Acra as Chief Business Officer

PsiQuantum named Roland Acra  as Chief Business Officer responsible for the company’s business strategy, including commercial, global market expansion, quantum applications and software development.

Acra previously held the role of Chief Technology Officer at Cisco until earlier in 2022. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Data Center Business Group. In this role, he led the development and marketing of several generations of Data Center switching products, blade and rack server products, and introduced several industry-first software platforms for Data Center predictive analytics, assurance, and insights.

In addition to his corporate leadership background, Roland’s experience also extends to building and scaling new companies from inception. He was President and CEO of Arch Rock Corporation, a category leader in IPv6 wireless mesh networks and energy data analysis which, following acquisition, played a significant role in the formation of Cisco’s Smart Grid Business Unit. Roland was also President and CEO of Procket Networks, a leading-edge provider of Internet backbone core and edge routers.

https://www.psiquantum.com

PsiQuantum claims 50X improvement in run-time efficiency

Saturday, December 03, 2022  PsiQuantum, Quantum, Silicon Valley, Start-Ups  

PsiQuantum, a start-up based in Palo Alto, California, has developed a technique it claims to be 50X more efficient in the run-time efficiency of compiled applications in fault-tolerant quantum computers.The company says its technique specifically targets algorithms for error-corrected quantum computers, as opposed to non-error-corrected NISQ systems. ‘Active volume compilation’ reduces the time taken to run a given application, through more efficient...

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Ciena supplies link between Argentina and Uruguay for Dedicado

 Dedicado, the largest private national telecommunications company in Uruguay, has deployed Ciena's 6500 Packet-Optical Platform powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e) coherent optical technology in a terrestrial and submarine high-capacity network to Argentina. The network can deliver up to 25.2 Tbps between the countries at rates up to 800G.

Additionally, Dedicado improves operational efficiencies with the deployment of a single technology across both terrestrial and submarine links and increases network capacity with the deployment of 600G and 800G wavelengths. 

Dedicado is also utilizing Ciena’s industry-leading Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller, which uses advanced analytics and open interfaces to provide real-time network intelligence and visibility into the performance of the network in order to ensure a high connectivity experience.

https://www.ciena.com

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MEF issues first SASE standard and Zero Trust Framework

MEF published the first Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) standard defining SASE service attributes, a framework and common definitions, and a Zero Trust framework that together allow organizations to implement dynamic policy-based actions to secure network resources for faster decision making and implementation for enterprises.

• SASE Service Attributes and Service Framework Standard -- This standard specifies service attributes to be agreed upon between a service provider and a subscriber for SASE services, including security functions, policies, and connectivity services. The standard defines the behaviors of the SASE service that are externally visible to the subscriber irrespective of the implementation of the service. A SASE service based upon the framework defined in the standard enables secure access and secure connectivity of users, devices, or applications to resources for the subscriber. MEF’s SASE standard (MEF 117) includes SASE service attributes and a SASE service framework.
• Zero Trust Framework for MEF Services --The new Zero Trust Framework for MEF Services (MEF 118) defines a framework and requirements of identity, authentication, policy management, and access control processes that are continuously and properly constituted, protected, and free from vulnerabilities when implemented and deployed. This framework also defines service attributes, which are agreed between a subscriber and service provider, to enable service providers to implement and deliver a broad range of services that comply with Zero Trust principles.

MEF said its new SASE standard aligns stakeholders on common terminology and service attributes when buying, selling, and delivering SASE services, and makes it easier to interface policy with security functions for cloud-based cybersecurity from anywhere. MEF’s Zero Trust framework defines service attributes to enable service providers to implement and deliver a broad range of services that comply with Zero Trust principles.

“Enterprises are challenged to compare feature sets and solutions when selecting SD-WAN, SSE, and SASE services, including Zero Trust Network Access, which can result in incomplete service offerings that don’t meet needs and expectations. At the same time, service providers want to offer a complete, unified SASE service that includes networking and security under a single pane of glass,” said Pascal Menezes, MEF Chief Technology Officer. 

According to the July 2022 SASE & SD-WAN 5-Year Forecast Report from Dell’Oro Group, the SASE-related technologies market will exceed $13 billion by 2026. SASE has quickly gained traction due to its work-from-anywhere cloud approach to security and networking. The MEF SASE service standard and Zero Trust framework have been developed by the industry’s top managed security and service providers to make it easier to bring to market robust, easy-to-understand, easy-to-manage SASE services for the enterprise. The new standards include:

“With SASE still at an early stage and generating confusion, I applaud MEF’s standardization efforts. In the near-term, they are contributing vocabulary and aligning conceptual frameworks that are vital to getting the industry to rally behind common, interoperable approaches,” said Mauricio Sanchez, Research Director for Network Security & SASE/SD-WAN research at Dell’Oro Group. “In the long-term, I see the resulting standards help make multi-vendor SASE a reality and accelerate overall adoption.”

https://www.mef.net/news/mef-introduces-first-sase-standard-and-zero-trust-framework/

Video: Standardizing SD-WAN and (soon) SASE

Sunday, August 07, 2022  MEF, SD-WAN, Spirent, Video  

SD-WAN evolved independently with a number of big players and, as a result, all of their solutions are different, notes Dave Larson, GM and CTO of Spirent.SASE, as an extension of SD-WAN, brings a new set of monetization possibilities.MEF is about using standards and APIs to level of playing field.https://youtu.be/wwWMah7y...

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Edgecore builds a server/switch with Intel's Tofino and Xeon silicon

Edgecore Networks introduced a Server Switch with 32x 100G QSFP28 ports in 2U form factor and powered by dual Intel scalable Xeon processors and a P4 programmable Intel Tofino switch chip.

The CSP-7550 is a server-switch offers 4 open PCIe slots that can be used for various FPGA, Smart NIC, AI/ML etc PCIe cards for adding new types of functions and capabilities. 

The CSP-7550 includes eight DDR4 DIMM slots per CPU, with local storage options including two SATA III or PCIe. In addition, the CSP-7550 supports an optional FPGA card, which has a high-speed connection to the Tofino chipset. With the FPGA card, the CSP-7550 is able to support extra-large tables for hundreds of millions of session entries or provide tens of GBs of high-speed buffering for Hierarchical Quality of Service (HQoS).

Potential applications include high-performance network visibility monitoring, hardware-enhanced virtualized security, and mobile LTE/5G gateway applications. The CSP-7550 could also function as a Server Load balancer (SLB), Network Packet Broker (NPB), Broadband Network Gateway (BNG), or 5G User Plane Function (UPF). The new server-switch solution delivers high-performance and flexibility in cloud data centers and at the edge, enhancing computing, switching, and storage applications to meet the demands of modern network deployments.

Nanda Ravindran, Vice President of Product Management of Edgecore, said, “Network operators are starting to embrace open network solutions and requiring more powerful platforms for high-performance computing. CSP-7550 Server-switch with enhanced CPU capacity and performance enables value-added application development to address continuously expanding network requirements. Edgecore offers greater choice and flexibility for network operators to build modern networking infrastructures for the multi-cloud and mobile-centric world."

“As the industry is gearing towards programmable infrastructure, we are pleased to offer multi-terabit performance with Intel Tofino Expandable Architecture optimized for customers evolving edge-to-cloud requirements, such as load balancing, security, telco user plane functions and broadband gateways,” said Barry Davis, General Manager of Marketing and Software Planning at Intel. 

https://www.edge-core.com/productsList.php?cls=1&cls2=679

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Lightpath expands fiber backbone across the NY region

Driven by the 5G network rollout of a major wireless provider, Lightpath is expanding its fiber infrastructure across the New York Metro region, in total adding over 300 route miles. The expansion also serves thousands of additional enterprise, education, and government customers.  

The announcement is an aggregation of numerous builds throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Long Island. Manhattan alone will see over 50 route miles of new network, including express fiber routes up and down the borough. Expansions in other areas, including Brooklyn and Queens, will further densify Lightpath's network to reach more customers, as well as support the 5G wireless deployment.    

"5G wireless network deployments require incredibly dense fiber networks to backhaul and aggregate the massive bandwidths that they support. Expanding our fiber footprint in New York Metro to accommodate 5G is going to bring our network to thousands of new organizations," explained Chris Morley, CEO of Lightpath. "Lightpath already had the largest and deepest, by far, all-fiber network in New York Metro (among competitive fiber providers) and now we will be able to serve even more customers in the market."

Lightpath's traction serving the wireless industry has continued its blistering pace in 2022. In May, Lightpath announced over 2,000 wireless sites active or in-process, which was an increase of almost 1,000 sites over the previous year. Since May, this number has grown to over 2,500 sites throughout the Lightpath footprint. 

New York Metro expansion area customers will have access to the entire portfolio of Lightpath all-fiber solutions, including Optical Transport up to 800 Gbps, Ethernet, Internet Access, Private Networks, Dark Fiber, SD-WAN,  Security Solutions, Voice Services, and other Managed Services.

https://lightpathfiber.com/our-network

Lightpath builds high-fiber-count Miami network

Wednesday, November 02, 2022  Lightpath  

Lightpath disclosed plans to build a high-fiber0count fiber network in Miami. Lightpath's entry into Miami will kick off with a 55-mile subterranean network of new, high-count fiber in early 2023. All together, the company is planning 135 route miles.The Miami Central Business District (CBD) network will be customer-ready in January 2023, while two rings to the north and west of the CBD will come online in April 2023. During the initial...

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Lightpath now connects 2,000 wireless towers

Thursday, May 05, 2022  Lightpath, Mobile  

Lightpath, which operates an all-fiber network in the New York and Boston metro regions, now connects 2,000 wireless towers.  This represent a doubling of on-net wireless sites in the last 12 months.Carriers can choose flexible connectivity including 10G optical, dark fiber, or custom connectivity, with optical transport services now riding on Lightpath's state-of-the-art Ciena network. Additionally, Lightpath offers carriers geographically...

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Aligned Data Centers to acquire ODATA data centers in Latin America

Aligned Data Centers agreed to acquire ODATA, a data center service provider offering scalable, reliable, and flexible IT infrastructure in Latin America, from Patria Investments and other selling stakeholders. Financial terms were not disclosed.

In connection with the acquisition, Aligned, which is majority owned by funds managed by Macquarie Asset Management, entered into a definitive agreement to receive a structured minority investment in ODATA from funds managed by SDC Capital Partners.

ODATA operates data centers in Brazil (4), Colombia (1), Mexico (1), and Chile (2).

“The acquisition combines a significant growth runway for expansion and a proven ability to deliver capacity at maximum speed, with regional expertise and partnerships, enhanced fiscal resources, and a resilient supply chain, to deliver a world-class data center platform that meets the demands of our global hyperscale and enterprise customers,” states Andrew Schaap, CEO of Aligned Data Centers. “We’re excited to welcome Ricardo and the ODATA team to the Aligned fold and look forward to fostering our joint commitments to customer centricity and operational excellence as we embark on the next phase of innovation and growth.” 

https://www.aligneddc.com 

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Intelsat's Galaxy 35 and 36 launch on Ariane 5

Intelsat's Galaxy 35 and Galaxy 36 geosynchronous satellites were successfully launched aboard Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana.

Galaxy 35 and Galaxy 36 are part of five satellites that Intelsat contracted Maxar to build for the C-band transition. In addition to the five C-band satellites Intelsat has ordered from Maxar in 2020 to support their C-band spectrum transition, the company also contracted Maxar to manufacture its next-generation Intelsat 40e geostationary communications satellite, currently in assembly.

“With yet another successful launch, Intelsat has demonstrated its continued commitment to its media customers,” said Intelsat CEO Dave Wajsgras. “The continued refreshment of the Galaxy fleet will provide broadcast viewers with quality programming all across North America.”

https://www.intelsat.com

https:/www.maxar.com

Intelsat Galaxy 31 and Galaxy 32 satellites successfully launched

Sunday, November 13, 2022  Intelsat, Satellites, SpaceX  

 On Saturday, November 12th, SpaceX successfully launched Intelsat's Galaxy 31 and Galaxy 32 geosynchronous communications satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.Intelsat's Galaxy 31 and Galaxy 32, which were manufactured by Maxar, will ensure service continuity to Intelsat’s North American media customers.Galaxy 31 will replace Galaxy 23 at 121 degrees west and will begin service in early 2023....

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SpaceX launches Intelsat Galaxy 33 and 34 GEO satellites

Saturday, October 08, 2022  Intelsat, Satellites  

Intelsat Galaxy 33 and Galaxy 34 geosynchronous communications satellites were successfully launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 7:07 p.m. EDT on October 8th.Galaxy 33 will be the replacement satellite at 133 degrees west once it is in service in early November. The satellite will provide service continuity for distribution to cable headends throughout the United States.Galaxy 34 will replace...

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Aqua Comms names Jim Fagan as next CEO

Aqua Comms has appointed Jim Fagan as its new CEO, effective 1 May 2023, replacing Nigel Bayliff, who leaves the business on 30 April 2023.

Fagan currently serves as  Chief Strategy & Revenue Officer at GCX. He was previously with Telstra, Pacnet and Rackspace based in Asia and USA.

Aqua Comms provides services on seven subsea fibre cables connecting North America to Ireland, UK and onwards to northern Europe and soon on the new EMIC1 route opening up from southern Europe to India.

https://aquacomms.com/latest-news/aqua-comms-dac-announces-appointment-of-new-chief-executive/

Aqua Comms signs with Telecom Egypt for EMIC-1 subsea cable

Monday, June 20, 2022  Aqua Comms, Subsea  

Aqua Comms has signed a crossing and landing agreement with Telecom Egypt for the Europe Middle-East India Connect 1 (EMIC-1) subsea cable, which will connect the key European hubs of Barcelona, Marseille and Genoa with Salalah, Oman and Mumbai, India,.Telecom Egypt will provide EMIC-1, which is a new intercontinental subsea cable and terrestrial fibre system, a seamless optical path between East Africa, Asia, and Europe. EMIC-1 will land in Ras...

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Aqua Comms activates CeltixConnect-2 and North Sea Connect

Sunday, March 27, 2022  Aqua Comms, Subsea  

Aqua Comms confirmed the launch of CeltixConnect-2 (CC-2) and North Sea Connect (NSC) as part of its ownership of the Havhingsten cable system, which links Ireland, the UK and the Nordics.CC-2 is Aqua Comms’ second unrepeated system between the key data hubs of Ireland and the UK, with diverse landings into the Isle of Man (IOM). Together with CC-1 the new system brings resilient, high fibre count, capacity connectivity between these key hubs for...

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Havhingsten Cable System links Ireland, UK and the Nordics

Thursday, March 24, 2022  ASN, Subsea  

Construction has completed on the Havhingsten cable system linking Ireland, the UK and the Nordics. Partners in the project include Aqua Comms, Bulk Fiber Networks, a leading builder and operator of fiber network infrastructure, and Meta. The subsea cable was built by Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN).The Havhingsten cable system runs across the Irish Sea from north of Dublin, Ireland to south of Blackpool on the west coast of the UK, with a section...

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Comcast lights 10G connection powered by DOCSIS 4.0

Comcast activated the first multigigabit, symmetrical Internet connection powered by 10G and full duplex DOCSIS 4.0, connecting a business location in the Philadelphia region to its live network.  The test involves a DOCSIS 4.0-enabled 10G node and multiple cable modem.

Comcast anticipates offering 10G-enabled services to customers in the second half of 2023.

“This live trial combines years of technology innovation and versatility to create a clear path to next-generation speed, reliability and performance for all the homes in our footprint, not just a select few,” said Charlie Herrin, President, Technology, Product, Experience at Comcast Cable. “What excites us most about 10G technology is the ability to continue our longstanding commitment to delivering our best technologies to everyone we serve.”

“We started this year with the announcement of our world-first test of 10G modem technology capable of delivering multi-gig speeds to homes and, as of today, 10G is a reality with the potential to transform and evolve the Internet as we know it,” said Elad Nafshi, EVP and Chief Network Officer at Comcast Cable. “It’s been an incredible year of progress, and we look forward to continuing to refine and harden our 10G technology as we work to make this service—and all its incredible benefits—available to all customers in the years ahead.”

https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/comcast-live-10g-connection-4-gig-symmetrical-speeds

Comcast demos 10G technologies

Thursday, April 28, 2022  10G, Comcast, Optical  

Comcast reached download speeds faster than 8 Gbps and upload speeds faster than 5 Gbps during a 10G event at CableLabs headquarters.For the demo, Comcast connected a 10G-enabled Virtualized Cable Modem Termination System (vCMTS) linked by more than 80 kilometers of fiber to the demonstration site. The fiber terminated into a production switch, which connected to what is believed to be the world’s first fully functional 10G-enabled Full Duplex DOCSIS...

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CableLabs cites 10G milestones

Monday, January 24, 2022    

CableLabs cited a number of 10G milestones achieved in 2021:CableLabs recently published its first set of specifications for a new device, called the Coherent Termination Device, that enables operators to take advantage of coherent optics technologies in fiber-limited access networks. Typically used for long-haul, metro and submarine networks, coherent optics technologies enable operators to use their existing fiber assets more efficiently when teamed...

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Microsoft acquires Lumenisity, a developer of hollow core fiber

Microsoft has acquired Lumenisity Limited, a start-up based in the UK developing hollow core fiber (HCF). Financial terms were not disclosed.

Lumenisity’s next generation of HCF uses a proprietary design where light propagates in an air core, which has significant advantages over traditional cable built with a solid core of glass, including:

• Increased overall speed and lower latency as light travels through HCF 47% faster than standard silica glass.
• Enhanced security and intrusion detection due to Lumenisity’s innovative inner structure.
• Lower costs, increased bandwidth and enhanced network quality due to elimination of fiber nonlinearities and broader spectrum.
• Potential for ultra-low signal loss enabling deployment over longer distances without repeaters.

Microsoft said it made the acquisition to optimize its global cloud infrastructure and serve its Cloud Platform and Services customers with strict latency and security requirements. 

https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2022/12/09/microsoft-acquires-lumenisity-an-innovator-in-hollow-core-fiber-hcf-cable/

• Earlier this month, Lumenisity completed the development of the world’s first dedicated HCF manufacturing facility in Romsey, UK. The state-of-the art building spans 40,000 sq ft and will enable scaled up production of HCF technology in the future.

Lumenisity unveils Hollow Core Double Nested Antiresonant Nodeless Fiber 

Thursday, March 10, 2022  Fiber, Lumenisity  

Lumenisity Limited, a start-up based in Romsey, United Kingdom, announced a new generation of hollowcore fibre with the lowest attenuation of any hollowcore fibre reported to date. The company says its new product surpasses the attenuation of conventional germanium-doped single-mode fibre (SMF) in the O and C bands. Specifically, Lumenisity’s new Hollow Core Double Nested Antiresonant Nodeless Fiber (DNANF) achieves attenuations of <0.22...

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Comcast tests Lumenisity's hollowcore fiber

Wednesday, April 20, 2022  Comcast, Fiber, Hollowcore, Optical  

Comcast confirmed its first deployment of advanced hollowcore fiber optics.Comcast connected two locations in Philadelphia, which enables network engineers to continue to test and observe the performance and physical compatibility of hollowcore fiber in a real-world deployment. Comcast successfully tested bidirectional transmission (upstream and downstream traffic traveling on a single fiber), used coherent and direct-detect systems (allowing for...

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BT begins testing hollow core fibre

Tuesday, June 01, 2021  BT  

BT kicked off trials of hollow core fibre at the BT Labs in Adastral Park, Ipswich, in a collaborative project with Lumenisity, a Southampton University spin out company, and Mavenir.BT researchers are conducting the trials at BT’s research and engineering campus, using a 10-kilometre-long hollow core fibre cable provided by Lumenisity. The new fibre has a hollow, air filled centre that runs the entire length of the cable. It will be used to test...

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euNetworks deploys Lumenisity's hollowcore fibre

Wednesday, September 21, 2022  Fiber, Lumenisity, UK  

euNetworks Fiber UK has deployed a new ultra low latency route between Basildon and London that connects the ICE data centre to Interxion LON1 and LON2 and then onwards to Slough. The new route is over 45km long and includes 14 km of Lumenisity's CoreSmart hollowcore cable, which is compatible with regular single mode fibre.The route is the longest commercial deployment of hollowcore fibre technology to date and its use is exclusive to euNetworks...

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