Friday, January 6, 2023

NTT refines its Coherent Ising Machine

Scientists from the NTT Research Physics & Informatics (PHI) Lab and Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have presented a new algorithm that successfully combines amplitude control feedback and Zeeman terms to overcome inherent limits of a Coherent Ising Machine (CIM). (The Ising model is a mathematical abstraction of magnetic systems composed of competitively interacting spins, or angular momentums of fundamental particles.)

“We are pleased with the results of our ongoing collaboration with Dr. Aonishi’s Lab at Tokyo Institute of Technology and with this research in particular, which expands the CIM’s reach to a wider array of practical applications,” said PHI Lab Director Yamamoto. “It is important that theoretical work and numerical simulation models of the CIM keep pace with the scale of experimental results; there is more to do, but the work represented in this article is a significant step in that direction.”

NTT notes that have been various attempts to harness a CIM’s optical pulses, which are mutually coupled by dissipative circuits rather than unitary gates, to solve combinatorial optimization problems, such as the traveling salesman problem, lead optimization in drug discovery, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) optimization for wireless communications and compressed sensing for medical imaging. In the laboratory realm, a landmark result of an experimental measurement feedback CIM with 100,000 spins was achieved in 2021. The theoretical schemes proposed in this article, by contrast, apply to modeling methodologies that simulate the behavior of a physical CIM, which allow scientists to study a CIM without needing to build one. Some of the article’s more technical findings concern the performances of those models. The primary takeaway, however, is that the proposed amplitude control scheme increases the performance for a 16-spin CIM with Zeeman terms, especially when those terms are competing against mutually coupling coefficients.

https://ntt-research.com/ntt-research-and-tokyo-tech-algorithm-enhances-performance-and-scope-of-coherent-ising-machine/

etisalat tests 100G PON with Nokia

Etisalat UAE has hosted a Nokia Bell Lab’s PON proof of concept (PoC) demonstration that achieved speeds up to 100 Gbps on a single wavelength -- four times faster than the most advanced 25G PON implementations today.

Nokia leverages digital signal processing (DSP) techniques to achieve 100 Gbps on a single wavelength. Nokia believes 100G could be commercially available in the 2030s.

The Nokia Bell Labs 100G PON prototype is the world’s first application of flexible rate transmission in a PON network. Flexible rate transmission works by grouping fiber modems (ONUs) that exhibit similar physical network characteristics (e.g., loss or dispersion) and makes data transmission more efficient. Using flexible rate transmission results in lower latency on a PON and cuts power consumption in half -- two essential characteristics for fiber networks that have a rapidly growing role in the massive delivery of fixed and mobile broadband services.

Marwan Bin Shakar, Senior Vice President/Access Network Development, etisalat by e& said: “Fiber networks are fast evolving into becoming the backbone of the entire telecommunications sector as they play an important role in delivering any service to any end point, including residences, businesses, and cell sites. As their use case evolves, they must become quicker, smarter, and more cost-effective. We are thrilled to have showcased a working prototype for 100G PON with Nokia. Our partnership with Nokia is a demonstration of our commitment to maximise value for our customers and bring positive change to their lives in the age of digitalisation. Through our partnership, we are looking forward to continuing our efforts in bringing in the best-in-class solutions to our customers and enabling the adoption of innovative technological solutions within the UAE and the region.”

Samer Makke, Head of the Customer Team for etisalat by e&, UAE, at Nokia, said: “etisalat by e& is a pioneering operator in the region and we are proud to have demonstrated our industry-first prototype technology with the company. Fiber broadband continues to evolve and will play a critical role in enabling services for enterprise customers, premium consumers, and supporting 5G rollouts. 10G XGS-PON is now mainstream; the first 25G city is a reality; and 50G and 100G are being developed. This just shows the unlimited potential of fiber broadband.”

http://www.nokia.com

AT&T targets fiber access with BlackRock JV

AT&T and BlackRock Alternatives have formed a joint venture to deliver fiber access outside of AT&T’s traditional 21-state wireline service footprint. 

The newly formed joint venture — Gigapower, LLC — will deliver fiber services to internet service providers (ISPs) and other businesses using a commercial open access platform. The Gigapower fiber deployment will be incremental to AT&T’s existing target of 30 million-plus fiber locations, including business locations, by the end of 2025. Combined with existing efforts within AT&T’s 21-state footprint, this capital efficient network deployment will advance efforts to bridge the digital divide, ultimately helping to provide the fast and highly secure internet people need. This network expansion will also help spur local economies in each of the communities in which Gigapower operates.

“Now more than ever, people are recognizing that connecting changes everything” said John Stankey, CEO of AT&T. “With this joint venture, more customers and communities outside of our traditional service areas will receive the social and economic benefits of the world’s most durable and capable technology to access all the internet has to offer.”

“Fiber is the lifeblood of digital commerce,” said Bill Hogg, CEO of Gigapower. “We have a proven team of professionals building this scalable, commercial open access wireline fiber network. Our goal is to help local service providers provide fiber connectivity, create the communications infrastructure needed to power the next generation of services and bring multi-gig capabilities to help close the gap for those who currently are without multi-gig service.”

Qualcomm and Iridium to bring 2-way satellite to Android

At CES 2023, Qualcomm unveiled Snapdragon Satellite, bringing satellite-based two-way capable messaging for premium Android smartphones. 

Snapdragon Satellite will provide global connectivity using mobile messaging from around the world1, starting with devices based on the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform.

The service will be supported by the fully operational Iridium satellite constellation using its L-band spectrum. Qualcomm will provide Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems.

“Robust and reliable connectivity is at the heart of premium experiences. Snapdragon Satellite showcases our history of leadership in enabling global satellite communications and our ability to bring superior innovations to mobile devices at scale,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, cellular modems and infrastructure, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Kicking off in premium smartphones later this year, this new addition to our Snapdragon platform strongly positions us to enable satellite communication capabilities and service offerings across multiple device categories.”

Beyond smartphones, Snapdragon Satellite can expand to other devices, including laptops, tablets, vehicles and IoT. As the Snapdragon Satellite ecosystem grows, OEMs and app developers can differentiate and offer unique branded services taking advantage of satellite connectivity. 

Snapdragon Satellite is planned to support 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), as NTN satellite infrastructure and constellations become available.

“Iridium is proud to be the satellite network that supports Snapdragon Satellite for premium smartphones,” said Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium. “Our network is tailored for this service – our advanced, LEO satellites cover every part of the globe and support the lower-power, low-latency connections ideal for the satellite-powered services enabled by the industry-leading Snapdragon Satellite. Millions depend on our connections every day, and we look forward to the many millions more connecting through smartphones powered by Snapdragon Satellite.”

Thursday, January 5, 2023

Intel refreshes mobile processor portfolio

Intel is kicking off 2023 with the introduction of 32 new 13th Gen Intel Core mobile processors featuring up to 14 cores (6 Performance-cores, 8 Efficient-cores) and enhanced Intel Thread Director.

Key features:

  •  Up to 5.6 gigahertz (GHz) turbo frequency – the highest clock speed available for the laptop market – delivering up to 11% faster single-thread performance3 and 49% faster multitask performance over the previous generation.4
  • Up to 24 cores (8 Performance-cores, 16 Efficient-cores), 32 threads and enhanced Intel® Thread Director.
  • Full memory support of up to 128 GB total for DDR5 (up to 5,600 megahertz) and DDR4 (up to 3,200 MHz).
  • Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) for up to 6x faster internet speeds with no legacy Wi-Fi channel interference.5
  • The latest in Bluetooth connectivity with Intel Bluetooth LE Audio and Bluetooth 5.2 supporting up to 2x faster speeds and multiple device connections with lower power consumption.
  • Thunderbolt 4 support, delivering transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps and PC connectivity to multiple 4K monitors and accessories.
  • Improved integrated graphics experience based on improved driver stack and key learnings from Intel’s work with discrete graphics.
  • Overclocking capabilities on all HX and HK SKUs.

Intel also introduced new desktop processors running at up to 5.6 GHz, 24 cores/32 threads. 

“The 13th Gen Intel Core mobile processor family delivers unrivaled, scalable performance for leadership platforms across all laptop segments,” said Michelle Johnston Holthaus, executive vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group at Intel. “With our industry-leading technologies and unmatched global partner ecosystem, people can expect a high-caliber mobile experience in new and unique form factors – so they can game or create from anywhere.”



Airgain releases 5G FWA reference design

Airgain released an outdoor 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) reference design that supports the latest 5G-NR 3GPP REL-16 standards with 4×4 MIMO on DL and 2×2 MIMO on UL and is designed to meet IP67 outdoor requirements. 

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

CommScope broadens home networking with OpenWrt

CommScope launched its portfolio of HomeVantage home networking solutions featuring advanced, open-source firmware stacks. The HomeVantage portfolio consists of gateways and modems for PON, DOCSIS, Ethernet and Wi-Fi extenders, including support for the emerging Wi-Fi 7 standard.

The new line up brings capabilities from the open-source RDK and OpenWrt communities along with carrier-grade enhancements to meet the specific requirements of the service provider industry.

Specifically, HomeVantage solutions support containerized applications that enable an efficient delivery of value-added services and applications on the home gateway, with the flexibility to add and remove applications without the need to update the gateway platform software. The HomeVantage portfolio is supported by CommScope Home Network’s HomeAssure service delivery platform, which can fully manage the capabilities of the broadband devices, including containerized application orchestration, Wi-Fi management and other advanced services.

“With more than 70 million RDK devices deployed globally, service providers continue to trust CommScope Home Networks to enhance open-source platforms and develop high quality, secure solutions that improve the consumer experience,” stated Ken Haase, vice president of product management, CommScope Home Networks. “By broadening our portfolio to include OpenWrt and solutions in development by the prpl Foundation, the HomeVantage portfolio enables service providers to consistently deliver new, developing consumer services to the home – no matter what the access technology may be.”

CommScope notes that it has been involved in the evolution of RDK-B since its inception and currently holds two board seats on the prpl Foundation Board of Directors.

https://www.commscope.com/

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Samsung readies first 12nm-Class DDR5 DRAM

Samsung Electronics is nearing production of 16-gigabit (Gb) DDR5 DRAM built using the industry’s first 12-nanometer (nm)-class process technology.  Product evaluation has been completed ensuring compatibility with AMD.

Samsung said the development was made possible through the use of a new high-κ material that increases cell capacitance, and proprietary design technology that improves critical circuit characteristics. Combined with advanced, multi-layer extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, the new DRAM features the industry’s highest die density, which enables a 20 percent gain in wafer productivity. 

Samsung’s 12nm-class DRAM will help unlock speeds of up to 7.2 Gbps. The new DRAM consumes up to 23 percent less power than the previous DRAM.

“Our 12nm-range DRAM will be a key enabler in driving market-wide adoption of DDR5 DRAM,” said Jooyoung Lee, Executive Vice President of DRAM Product & Technology at Samsung Electronics. “With exceptional performance and power efficiency, we expect our new DRAM to serve as the foundation for more sustainable operations in areas such as next-generation computing, data centers and AI-driven systems.”

http://www.samsung.com

Monday, January 2, 2023

Intel marks first EUV light at Fab 34 in Ireland

Intel celebrated first light from a new extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system at its Fab 34 site in Leixlip, Ireland.

The EUV scanner, which was supplied by ASML, generated its 13.5-nanometer wavelength light for the first time. The activation represents the first use of a high volume EUV scanner in Europe. 

Intel said the milestone ushers the way its Intel 4 technology, with manufacturing of products such as Meteor Lake expected in 2023.

https://www.intel.ie/content/www/ie/en/newsroom/news/first-euv-light-marks-key-milestone-intel-4-europe.html

Qualcomm: Digital divide remains at 37% globally

 An estimated 37% of the global population remains without access to high-speed internet and other digital technologies, according to an ITU white paper called Measuring Digital Development – Facts and Figures 2021. The three greatest obstacles are:

  • The lack of internet connectivity where people live, work, or learn,
  • The lack of affordability, and
  • The lack of digital skills to navigate the connected world.

Qualcomm argues that 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) has become an alternative to fiber for fixed broadband, because it is a highly affordable solution for households and businesses due to lower deployment costs and increased market competition.

Qualcomm 5G technology has the potential to close the digital divide and create transformational change, particularly for disadvantaged and underserved populations,” said Kirti Gupta, Vice President, Technology & Economic Strategy, Qualcomm Incorporated. “As a leader in advanced 5G solutions, it is our responsibility to ensure the world understands the importance and potential of this technology. With everyone pulling in the same direction, the world will benefit greatly from the widespread implementation of 5G mobile and FWA technology.”

A 26-page presentation from Qualcomm on 5G FWA and the Digital Divide is posted here.

https://www.qualcomm.com/content/dam/qcomm-martech/dm-assets/documents/5G-and-the-Digital-Divide.pdf

Digital Realty appoints Andy Power as CEO

Digital Realty  appointed Andrew P. Power as its Chief Executive Officer, replacing William Stein who has departed from his role as CEO and resigned from the Board of Directors. 

Power has served as President of Digital Realty since November 2021 and as the Company's CFO since 2015, with responsibility for global portfolio operations, technology development and innovation, service provider and enterprise customer solutions, asset management and information technology as well as the Company's financial functions across Digital Realty's global platform. Prior to joining Digital Realty, Mr. Power held positions of increasing responsibility in investment banking, having most recently served as Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Mr. Power was also a member of the lead underwriting team that advised Digital Realty on its initial public offering in 2004.

"I am honored to be named Digital Realty's CEO, and I want to thank Bill for all that he has contributed to Digital Realty and for nearly two decades of partnership," said Mr. Power. "I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this irreplaceable platform and our enormously talented and driven colleagues into the future. As CEO, I look forward to meeting the needs of our growing customer base and supporting our dedicated employees as we deliver on our strategic priorities, strengthen our value proposition and improve the core growth of our portfolio."

Mr. Power will remain President of Digital Realty and will continue to serve as CFO, with plans to announce a permanent successor in early 2023.

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

SpaceX launches first batch of next-gen Starlinks

SpaceX launched 54 Starlink satellites in the first phase of its upgraded network. SpaceX said its new

FCC license allows it to deploy satellites to new orbits that will add even more capacity to the network.

The satellites were carried to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Falcon 9 first stage booster previously launched GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, and five earlier Starlink missions.

The mission was SpaceX's 60th launch of 2022.

http://www.spacex.com


Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Nokia and Huawei sign patent agreement

Nokia announced an extension of its patent license agreement with Huawei. 

The terms of the agreement remain confidential between the parties.

https://www.nokia.com


  • In November 2021, Nokia reached the milestone of 4,000 patent families declared as essential to 5G standards. At the time, Nokia said its patent portfolio was built on more than €130 billion invested in R&D since 2000 and over three decades of driving cellular standardization and contains around 20,000 patent families (each patent family consists of multiple individual patents).

Monday, December 19, 2022

Blueprint: Building wholesale networks with OTN

by Chris Janson, Product Marketing Manager, Optical Networking

As we ring in the new year, the transformation of business digitalization continues. We see enterprises increasingly dependent upon networks of highly connected devices and systems to control everything from customer transactions to just-in-time manufacturing. About a year ago, IDC outlined its predictions for 2022 digital transformation. In their report, they foresaw 50% of organizations had transformation plans in place by the end of 2022, and a year later, 90% of organizations would be prioritizing investments in digital tools that augment physical facilities. 

These things come as no surprise to those watching enterprises and their use of technology. Large retailers like Amazon continue to invest in regional warehouses with highly automated inventory control systems. Governments continue to roll out digital systems to control things like municipal parking lots and tax payments. Driving this adoption is the desire to provide better service at lower cost, taking advantage of enabling technologies such as IoT devices and handheld computing power in nearly everyone’s hands (i.e., your smartphone). The result is far-flung entities and their digitalized operations have one thing in common: the need for highly reliable and secure network connectivity. 

Implications for network connectivity

A common thread through any enterprise’s digitalized architecture is the need to connect independent devices and compute or storage capacity. This network aggregates mobile and IoT wireless devices onto an IP-optical wireline network. Modern cellular architecture offers high capacity, low latency, and very resilient performance which must be matched by the backbone network. At layer 3, IP-MPLS routing offers a powerful ability to steer traffic flows exactly where needed and while router capacity continues to grow in pace with demand, there will be a need to perform multiplexing and switching at lower network layers, in the physical backbone network. 

This backbone network needs to be capable of scale and capacity growth matched to the needs of the enterprise. Thirst for capacity has been expanding exponentially for years, demanding that IP-optical networks expand correspondingly. This need for scale has been met through higher capacity routing as well as higher capacity DWDM optical transport systems. Fiber capacities now commonly exceed 400Gbps per wavelength, with some systems now exceeding 1Tbps per wavelength. 

Line capacity is but one performance metric. Service providers must also consider the need for service flexibility, assurance, and security. Flexibility delivers various service protocols and speeds needed by each customer while ensuring performance at defined service level agreement tiers. At the same time, the service must be highly resilient to outages. The service also needs to be secure from theft and intrusion. Some large enterprises will insist that their traffic is logically, if not physically, separated from other user’s traffic. Encryption needs to be provided at the transport layer, which is safe from harvest now, and decrypt later attack in the presence of a practical quantum computer. 

Opportunity for service providers: retail or wholesale

These elements form simple requirements that a service provider needs to meet to enjoy a sizable market share in providing differentiated services to various enterprise customers. For the typical communication service provider (CSP), the question becomes: should they operate as a retail provider or partner with another provider as a wholesale provider? 

For reasons from regulation to the practicalities of customer support, a CSP may decide to set up as a wholesale service provider, working with a retailer to provide last-mile connectivity and customer support for local enterprise markets. This is a very practical solution that can help the CSP capture revenue which otherwise may be lost. Optical transport technology makes this business arrangement very practical to deploy and operate. 

OTN makes it practical

Optical Transport Networking, standardized in ITU-T G.709, provides a set of tools that service providers can deploy to help their wholesale business operate seamlessly. An Optical Transport Network (OTN) is ideally suited to provide an end-to-end solution for various service requirements that demand security, scalability, low latency and high availability. OTN improves network efficiency and utilization and can carry any traffic type including legacy services. The enhancement includes components common to DWDM systems – transponders, optical mux/demux modules, amplifiers – but OTN adds switching and grooming capabilities at layer 1. Multilayer optimization is achieved by using an optimal mix of electrical grooming and photonic transport for increased scalability and flexibility.

OTN incorporates coherent electro-optics to optimize reach and capacity over large metro, regional and long-haul networks as well as to scale solutions in the core. At the network edge, OTN solutions need to be compact, versatile and extend services all the way to customer premise sites to provide carrier-grade service demarcation with end-to-end service assurance. Modern OTN networks provide advanced control plane options for carrier-grade restoration and protection and are managed by advanced network automation and management tools.

In delivering a high-value, SLA-aware solution, OTN offers powerful yet practical tools for premium wholesale and business services with flexibility, security and guaranteed performance. The business services can span from network edge through metro aggregation and core for end-to-end connectivity. OTN delivers efficient aggregation and multiplexing of services that avoids cascading and complexity while supporting any topology mesh with fast service rollout. OTN services are flexible, with client interface and protocol versatility, using any-to-any service connectivity, and SLA-aware provisioning. OTN services are also reliable, with multi-failure restoration, secure through hard traffic isolation within the OTN payload, guaranteed latency and deterministic bandwidth. 

As one example, the use of OTN in a wholesale network allows the operator to slice capacity in any optical line among various user classes, each with its SLA. Traffic slices can be isolated appropriately from each other, using a combination of layer 2 switching for soft isolation and layer 1 OTN for hard isolation within the same optical data unit (ODU). An example of this is shown in figure 1, where various sub-rate services are soft-isolated within ODUFlex 1, while the entire ODUFlex 2 slice is hard-isolated from the rest of the ODU4. This way, the end user performance is ensured as determined by their respective SLAs. 

A service provider who deploys an end-to-end OTN solution is well-positioned to deliver the range of connectivity services demanded by modern enterprises. Whether operating directly with the enterprise, through a retail service provider, or a combination of both routes to market, OTN helps service providers optimize their market share and revenue.

About the author

In his current role with Nokia, Chris Janson follows trends in optical networking technology and their application to finance, healthcare, utilities, government and educational customers. Mr. Janson has been a speaker at many conferences including Interop 2014, Internet2 annual technology meetings, and a 2015 series of executive forums sponsored by CenturyLink and CIO magazine. 

He has also shared his work through many webinars, written publications, on-line videos and articles. Mr. Janson also serves on the boards of directors of the Rural Telecommunications Congress and the non-profit OpenCape Corporation. He holds an MBA from Boston University and Bachelor of Science in engineering from Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Huawei and Orange achieve 157 Tbps over 120km fiber link

Huawei and Orange achieved a new world record optical transmission of 157 Tbps over a 120 km fiber on the Orange network in South West France. 

In June 2022, Huawei released the industry's first ultra-broadband Super C + Super L solution able to provide 12 THz of spectrum () over a fiber using C band (C for Conventional wavelengths) and L band (L for long wavelengths). In this testing, the total bandwidth was extended to 18 THz by using in-house technologies for S band (S for short wavelengths) and relying on the transmission expertise of Huawei's French R&D Center. A total number of 240 wavelengths were used to provide a total transmission capacity of 157 Tbit/s, based on Huawei's advanced high-order constellation shaping modulation algorithm.

Gilles Bourdon, Vice President for Wireline Networks & Infrastructure, Orange Innovation, declared: "Facing the continuous increase of traffic demand, obtaining more spectrum and therefore more value from our existing assets is crucial. It is even more important as spectral efficiency of such optical systems reaches a theoretical limit. The testing proves the capability of our fiber infrastructure to offer 50 % more spectrum and thus effectively address one of our key topics: the experience and connectivity of our customers."

Richard Jin, President for the Optical Business Product Line, Huawei, declared: "Huawei has long been committed to strategic investments, research and technological breakthroughs in the optical communications domain, as illustrated by the excellence of our optical research teams, such as the one in Paris. We are delighted to collaborate with an operator as innovative as Orange to contribute, together, to the creation of the network of the future."

https://www.huawei.com/en/news/2022/12/optical-innovation-orange

Oracle opens cloud region in Chicago

 Oracle opened its 41st global region and fourth in the U.S. in Chicago, Illinois.

The new Chicago region will offer over 100 OCI services and applications, including Oracle Autonomous Database, MySQL HeatWave, OCI Data Science, Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes, and Oracle Analytics.

Oracle said its new facility has been designed to enable high availability, data residency, and disaster protection. OCI offers layers of security to help ensure resources are provisioned securely for every customer, a zero trust architecture for maximum isolation of customer tenancies, and many integrated customer security services that are offered at no extra charge.

In addition, the Oracle Cloud Chicago Region is designed to help meet the security and compliance needs of customers in both the commercial and public sectors. OCI’s architecture is designed to allow cloud regions to be deployed within separate secure and isolated realms for different uses. The Chicago area is the location of an existing Oracle Cloud Region with DISA Impact Level 5 authorization for use by U.S. government organizations to store and process Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and National Security Systems (NSS) information. Oracle currently operates several independent realms serving the U.S. and U.K. governments, and Oracle has announced that it plans to offer a sovereign cloud realm for the European Union in 2023.

“As the home to more than 20 percent of the Fortune 500, 60 percent of all U.S. manufacturing, and the world’s largest financial derivatives exchange, the U.S. Midwest is a global innovation hub across key industries,” said Clay Magouyrk, Executive Vice President, OCI. “These industries are increasingly seeking secure cloud services to support their need for high-speed data transfer at ultra-low latency. We are excited to open the new Chicago region to help our Midwest customers and partners easily and securely move their mission-critical workloads to the cloud.”

The company also noted its extensive network of more than 75 global and regional OCI FastConnect partners. CoreSite and Digital Realty are the host partners for the new Oracle Cloud Chicago Region’s FastConnect locations. Partners available at launch for the Oracle Cloud Chicago Region include Megaport, Equinix, CoreSite, and Digital Realty.

Currently available Oracle Cloud Regions:

  • Asia Pacific: Tokyo (Japan), Osaka (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), Chuncheon (South Korea), Mumbai (India), Hyderabad (India), Sydney (Australia), Melbourne (Australia), Singapore (Singapore)
  • Americas: San Jose (United States), Phoenix (United States), Ashburn (United States), Chicago (United States), Toronto (Canada), Montreal (Canada), São Paolo (Brazil), Vinhedo (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Querétaro (Mexico)
  • Europe: Frankfurt (Germany), London (United Kingdom), Newport, Wales (United Kingdom), Zürich (Switzerland), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Marseille (France), Stockholm (Sweden), Milan (Italy), La Courneuve, Paris (France), Madrid (Spain)
  • Middle East: Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Abu Dhabi and Dubai (U.A.E), Jerusalem (Israel)
  • Africa: Johannesburg (South Africa)
  • Government: Two general U.S. Government regions, three U.S. Department of Defense specific Government regions, several U.S. National Security regions, and two United Kingdom Government regions (London and Newport, Wales)

 https://www.oracle.com/news/announcement/oracle-opens-cloud-region-in-chicago-2022-12-15/

BT trials C-RAN in Leeds

BT announced a trial of cloud RAN technology in Leeds.

The pilot scheme led by BT Wholesale, part of the company’s Enterprise unit, will enhance coverage and connectivity for those visiting, working or living in Leeds and serve as a proof of concept for future developments.The project has seen the first units installed at key locations in Leeds city centre and will allow BT to track how the infrastructure improves access in the area. The infrastructure is currently being used by the EE and Three networks for the trial.

C-RAN technology uses specialist software which has the potential to be used in smaller, more compact units including existing street furniture.  

Alex Tempest, Managing Director, BT Wholesale, said: “The introduction of this new technology highlights BT’s commitment to delivering innovative solutions that benefit residents, businesses, and visitors, whilst also supporting economic growth across Leeds and the wider UK.

 https://newsroom.bt.com/bt-trials-state-of-the-art-5g-technology-in-leeds/

EE deploys Ericsson’s Massive MIMO radios at key UK sites

EE, part of the BT Group, has begun deployment of Ericsson’s ultra-lightweight radios  to deliver improved 5G energy efficiency and network performance across the UK.EE’s first deployments of the equipment are in London, with sites in Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, and Belfast to follow this year. The improved technology will be expanded to more urban and suburban areas in the future, where Ericsson is a key partner for EE. Operating within EE’s...

BT to combine Enterprise and Global units to create BT Business

 BT Group  will be combining its Global and Enterprise units into a single B2B unit, BT Business. The combined business unit would have generated FY22 pro-forma revenues of approximately £8.5 billion and EBITDA of over £2 billion, and it is expected to deliver at least £100m of gross annualised savings by the end of FY25. 

BT Business will be led by Bas Burger the current CEO of BT’s Global unit. Bas joined BT Group in 2008 and prior to the Global role was responsible for BT Americas. Before joining BT Group, Bas was executive president and a member of the management committee of Getronics NV, where he ran global sales, channels and partnerships, developing the company’s international business. He was also CEO and managing director of KPN Entercom Solutions.

BT said the reorganistion will create a simpler corporate structure with three customer facing units: Consumer supporting UK consumers; BT Business supporting business and public sector customers; and Openreach delivering UK nationwide fixed access infrastructure. 

BT Group Chief Executive Philip Jansen said:

“BT Group is a leading provider of B2B connectivity and related services to UK and multinational corporations, government and public sector organisations worldwide, as well as UK SMEs1 and SoHos2. BT Enterprise is the market leader in the UK, with a market share of 30% underpinned by BT Group’s fixed and mobile network leadership, the strength of the BT brand, and national sales, service and distribution. BT Global serves many of the world’s largest companies and is consistently rated as a leader for its networking and security services and has ambition to be the leading provider of secure multi-cloud connectivity.”

“By combining the two units, BT Business will bring the Group’s combined assets, products, capabilities and brand to the service of all of our 1.2m business customers who will benefit  from faster innovation and delivery. Bas is an excellent leader and I’m confident he will build on the plans already underway and drive the combined business back to growth.”

“Throughout the past two very challenging years, Bas and Rob have provided outstanding leadership. Covid accelerated a shift in the market as people and businesses changed the way they worked, whilst macro-economic factors have disrupted supply chains and put pressure on businesses and the public sector globally. Despite this, we’ve made progress and our customer satisfaction scores have improved, in some cases to an all time high. I am grateful to Bas and Rob for laying the foundations that enable us to take this next step in BT Group’s transformation.” 

https://newsroom.bt.com/bt-group-to-combine-enterprise-and-global-units-to-create--bt-business/

euNetworks appoints Stephanie Lynch-Habib to President

euNetworks announced the appointment of Stephanie Lynch-Habib as President.

Stephanie joins euNetworks following more than 25 years working in the telecom and technology industry. Most recently she was Chief Revenue Officer at InterCloud in Paris, responsible for driving growth opportunities for the business. Before joining InterCloud Stephanie led the global marketing and communications strategy of the GSMA, the global organisation representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries. She has also held the position of Chief Marketing Officer at Colt, responsible for marketing strategy and prior to that, spent 16 years with AT&T EMEA, holding numerous senior marketing, sales, and strategy roles. While at AT&T, Stephanie was a founder of the AT&T European Women's Network.

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Stephanie to euNetworks,” said Paula Cogan. “She’s a great addition to the team and fills a critical position in the business. I am excited for the contributions that Stephanie will make to euNetworks as I move to take up the role of Chief Executive Officer of euNetworks in January. Along with Stephanie’s global leadership experience, her advocacy, and efforts for strong women representation in the telecom sector is commendable and we welcome her contribution to euNetworks’ diversity and inclusion focus as well as in the wider industry.”

euNetworks appoints Paula Cogan as CEO, Brady Rafuse as Chair

euNetworks announced the appointment of Paula Cogan as its Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 January 2023. Paula currently holds the position of President, euNetworks. Paula will succeed CEO Brady Rafuse, who will become Chairman of euNetworks’ Board of Directors, with the existing Chairman Neil Hobbs remaining on the Board of Directors as a Non Executive Director.Cogan previously held various senior leadership positions in companies such as British...


Starlink hits 1 million subscribers

SpaceX confirmed that its Starlink service now has more than 1,000,000 active subscribers.

In the United States, Starlink is priced at $110/month with a one-time hardware cost of $599.




WATCH: Elon Musk expects Starlink to hit 500,000 subscribers in a year

"Think of Starlink as filling the gaps between 5G and fiber connectivity... reaching 3-5% where connectivity is limited" stated Elon Musk in a virtual keynote for MWC Barcelona.Some highlights1,500 Starlink satellites are currently in serviceover 5MW of combined power from the solar arrays on each satelliteThe Starlink constellation is currently carrying 30 Tbps of dataBy August, there will be global coverage except for the polesCurrently offering...