Mavenir intros Open RAN Intelligent Controller

Mavenir released its O-RAN alliance Radio Access Network Intelligent Controller (RIC), a next-generation network intelligence offering that enables the creation of differentiated services through open APIs.

Mavenir says its O-RIC offers Network Intelligence as a Service (NIaaS), providing deep, fine-grained insights about the network and enabling new class-of-service revenue streams by adaptively reacting in near-real time to dynamic changes in network, traffic, and load patterns. 

Mavenir’s O-RIC surpasses the capabilities of SON with two control loops:

• Non-RT O-RIC — Typically deployed in a centralized cloud, it builds advanced Machine Learning (ML) algorithms using long-term RAN data to define dynamic and adaptive policies to control and optimize network performance and configuration management decisions. Non-RT RIC can also be used in existing legacy networks, adding another performance layer through ML for policy control.
• Near-real time (Near-RT) O-RIC — Deployed at or towards the edge, it uses a low latency control loop that optimizes RAN activity at both the cell and individual user equipment (UE) level by hosting trained Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ML applications to infer and control Open RAN elements in near-RT. The near-RT O-RIC intelligently optimizes UE-level control-plane call processing and user-plane data transfer decisions. This level of granularity is not available in SON.

The company confirmed that its O-RIC is currently in deployment with two, tier one Communications Service Providers (CSPs).

"Creating real business value for next-generation Open RAN networks requires deep telco domain expertise and a disruptive approach to network intelligence," said Brandon Larson, SVP & GM of the Multimedia Business Unit at Mavenir. "As a pioneer in cloud-native solutions at a massive scale, Mavenir is leading the way with award-winning Open vRAN solutions, layered with O-RIC AI and ML algorithms and applications, which create operator customizable business outcomes based on target objectives to solve unique business problems and give control of the network back to the CSP."

https://www.mavenir.com/

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Comcast advances its 10G rollout

Comcast will launch its latest Xfinity 10G network upgrade to 10 million homes and businesses by the end of this month, providing the foundational network enhancements in place to begin deploying DOCSIS 4.0 and symmetrical multi-gigabit Internet options.

To date, and ahead of schedule, more than 40 markets across Comcast service areas have implemented network improvements including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and others. The full deployment of these technical capabilities will reach more than 50 million homes and businesses by 2025. In addition to fast speeds, DOCSIS 4.0 technologies will deliver even greater reliability and capacity to power multiple data-intensive applications.

“Streaming live sports, 4K gaming, hybrid work, and virtual reality have gone mainstream in just a few years, and gig speeds, capacity, reliability, and low latency are key factors making our connectivity experience superior to the competition,” said Dave Watson, CEO, Comcast Cable. “Our definition of reliability has to shift from merely being always-on, to powering multiple data-intensive applications across dozens of devices, and the investments we are making in our network are creating immediate benefits for our customers.”

Comcast also unveiled plans to rollout new WiFi features and a new device with cellular and battery backup to help keep customers connected even when the power goes out.

Later this year Comcast will also unveil new low latency features.

https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/comcast-multi-gig-rollout-xfinity-10g-network-upgrade

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Arrcus raises $50 million for its hyperscale networking software

Arrcus, a hyperscale networking software start-up based in San Jose, California, announced the close of a fresh financing round that brings to $50 million the total capital raised since the last venture financing round. 

Arrcus said it is seeing widespread adoption  of its Arrcus Connected Edge (ACE) platform as well as solutions based on ACE like SRv6 for 5G networks, Virtualized Distributed Routing (VDR), Hyperscale Datacenter switching and FlexMCN for multi-cloud connectivity.  The company has attracted customers in many verticals spanning enterprises, communications service providers and cloud operators.

“Leading global customers are making the shift to Arrcus’ disruptively innovative ACE platform for data center switching, 5G carrier routing and multi-cloud networking. As we continue gaining market momentum, we are pleased to welcome Prosperity7 as our new lead investor,” said Shekar Ayyar, CEO and chairman at Arrcus. “With its extensive global reach, Prosperity7 is a great investor and partner for us in its ability to support us in our rapid growth and future investment requirements.”

This Series D round of funding was led by Prosperity7 Ventures and joined by existing investors Clear Ventures, General Catalyst, Liberty Global and Lightspeed, as well as Silicon Valley Bank, which provided credit facilities. 

Arrcus notes the following highlights from 2022:

• 100%+ bookings CAGR at the end of 2022
• 100%+ customer expansion year-over-year, pointing to the growing need for Arrcus’ ACE disaggregated switching and routing solutions with substantial reduction in capital and operating costs for customer networks
• A 70% increase in global headcount

https://arrcus.com/

What’s next for multi-cloud routing and switching in 2023?

Sunday, January 15, 2023    

 As we look ahead to the future of routing and switching in 2023, how will telcos and cloud operators integrate their infrastructure? Are we headed to a big mash-up? Here are 3 predictions from Arrcus’ Shekar Ayyar .https://youtu.be/E7GEIQzLQVYCheck out other 2023 PredictionsSee what other experts have to say on NextGenInfra.io  - https://nextgeninfra.io/2023-predictions/Amplify your MWC 2023 presenceLooking to record your video...

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Nokia to manufacture GPON optical line terminals in India

In response to increasing demand from local customers in India as well as international markets, Nokia will begin manufacturing PON optical line terminals (OLTs) at its factory in Sriperimbudur near Chennai, India. 

Nokia is currently a participant in the Government of India’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, and is extending its production capacity into Chennai in response to growing demand. 

Sandy Motley, President Fixed Networks at Nokia, said: “The importance and criticality of high-speed broadband has never been more pronounced as it is today. As the momentum towards 5G networks and new hybrid usage models push operators towards increasingly distributed network architectures, service providers are investing in fiber to build out and upgrade their existing networks. Nokia is the leader in FTTx solutions globally and is innovating rapidly to introduce next generation PON solutions. We are happy to add the manufacturing capacity in India to better address increasing demand in the region and worldwide."

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Ericsson previews new 5G radios, including 600MHz Massive MIMO

 Ericsson previewed more than 10 new 4G and 5G radios in its RAN and Transport portfolio that will be showcased at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 Barcelona.

The launch includes a triple-band Radio 4485 for FDD (frequency-division duplexing) an a new range of wideband Massive MIMO radios. The new models are lighter and more energy efficient than existing products. Ericsson also touts new software features such as Interference Sensing, which optimizes mid-band Massive MIMO performance by minimizing inter-cell interference and increasing network capacity by up to 40 percent.

Portfolio additions include:

• Intelligent Cell Shaping: Ericsson-unique software with intelligent automation that improves coverage and boosts downlink speed at the cell edge by up to 35 percent
• Booster Carrier Sleep: energy-efficiency software feature that allows carriers to be switched on and off depending on the traffic load
• Energy efficiency features in mobile transport with MINI-LINK Radio Deep Sleep, which lowers radio energy consumption by up to 25 percent by hibernating radios in multi-carrier solutions when the capacity is not needed
• New cell site router, Router 6676: with high density of 25GE interfaces and is three-times more energy-efficient than the previous generation of routers. It supports Ericsson’s new remote radios and Massive MIMO radios with 25Gbps interfaces
• Underpinning the solutions is an Ericsson hardware and software co-design that allows the network to slash power consumption by up to 94 percent during low traffic compared to peak consumption.

Ericsson also introduced a new quad microwave radio MINI-LINK 6321 with 4.8 Gbps capacity, which is around 50 percent smaller and more energy efficient than the previous alternative for building a four-carrier MINI-LINK hop.

David Hammarwall, Head of Product Area Networks, Ericsson, says: “Capacity expansions, energy savings, and sustainability are central to service providers’ RAN evolution plans. Ericsson’s enhanced portfolio fulfills the key needs of service providers and is leading the industry towards Net Zero while capturing opportunities of data traffic growth. We expect these topics will be the center of attention in our discussions with customers at MWC Barcelona 2023 and beyond.”

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Dell'Oro: Global data center capex to hit $400B by 2027

Global data center capex is on track to reach $400 billion by 2027, according to a recently published report from Dell'Oro Group. 

“While the cloud hyperscalers will account for half the data center infrastructure spending by 2027, significant opportunities exist on-premises,” said Baron Fung, Research Director at Dell’Oro Group. “Enterprises will continuously optimize their IT deployments, balancing workloads in the multi-cloud with those on-premises. New applications will also demand infrastructure at the edge leading to the emergence of a new ecosystem. Furthermore, upcoming advances in new server architectures, accelerated computing, and sustainability will enable greater efficiencies in the data centers of the future,” explained Fung.

Additional highlights from the January 2023 Data Center IT Capex 5-Year Forecast Report:

• Worldwide data center capex is forecast to grow 11 percent by 2027.
• Macroeconomic factors may hinder near-term data center investments, although forthcoming data center architectures will stimulate long-term growth.
• Edge computing is forecast to comprise 8 percent of total data center infrastructure spending by 2027.

https://www.delloro.com/news/

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Comcast issues $1 billion 10-year green bond,

Comcast issued a $1 billion 10-year green bond to support its environmental efforts such as those currently underway or under consideration as part of its goal to be carbon neutral by 2035.

Proceeds from the green bond may be allocated to five investment areas, all of which contribute to Comcast's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, campuses, communities and cities, clean transportation, and circular economy adapted products, production technologies and processes. Comcast’s Green Financing Framework provides details on eligible green investments in these categories, in addition to the processes for project selection and progress reporting.

"We’re excited to have offered investors the opportunity to join us as we scale clean energy technologies and other decarbonization strategies across our business,” said Sara Cronenwett, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Environmental Sustainability at Comcast. “These investments bring great value to the broader community of Comcast shareholders, employees, and customers by helping to foster a cleaner, healthier environment.”

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Lumentum reports strong quarterly sales of $506M, up 13%

Citing robust networking demand and improved IC supply, Lumentum reported  net revenue for its fiscal second quarter of 2023 of $506.0 million, up 13% year-over-year, with a GAAP net loss of $31.7 million, or $0.46 loss per diluted share. Net revenue for the fiscal first quarter of 2023 was $506.8 million, with GAAP net loss of $0.4 million, or $0.01 loss per diluted share. Net revenue for the fiscal second quarter of 2022 was $446.7 million, with GAAP net income of $56.7 million, or $0.75 per diluted share. 

Non-GAAP net income for the fiscal second quarter of 2023 was $104.1 million, or $1.52 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for fiscal first quarter of 2023 was $119.2 million, or $1.69 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for the fiscal second quarter of 2022 was $120.2 million, or $1.60 per diluted share. 

"Our second quarter financial and operational performance was very strong, led by robust demand from our Telecom and Commercial Lasers customers. Non-GAAP operating margin and Non-GAAP earnings per share were both above the high end of our guidance range with revenue above the midpoint," said Alan Lowe, President and CEO. "These results reflect structural improvement in the long-term operating costs of the company, as we continue to execute on our synergy plan."

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

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Ice Norway powers 4G and 5G network with Mavenir

Ice Communications, Norway’s third largest mobile operator, has deployed a fully automated, cloud-native Converged Packet Core, supporting 4G, 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) and 5G Standalone (SA) network capabilities using Mavenir’s Cloud Automation for Telco framework.

The deployment includes the provision of Mavenir’s Cloud Automation for Telco framework for fully automated deployment of Cloud Platform and Network workloads, removing the need for error-prone manual processes. , and driving OPEX savings. Mavenir says its framework also orchestrates automatic configuration updates and in-service SW rolling upgrades, allowing improved service experience, as well as smooth and faster roll-out of innovative services. 

Eivind Helgaker, CEO at Ice Communications, said: “This deployment is integral for our company as we focus on growth and investing in the future of Norway’s networks. New use cases enabled by 5G SA are going to play a strategic role in how we grow our business and we are pleased to be working with Mavenir as our Converged Packet Core enabler, powering Ice to provide higher quality services to our customers while tapping into new technologies and innovations.”

Pardeep Kohli, President, and CEO at Mavenir, said, “Mavenir congratulates Ice in taking a forward looking approach and looking at 5G SA to unleash the full potential of 5G - moving away from complex, closed, legacy network infrastructures. Mavenir is excited to be part of Ice’s network transformation journey and we look forward to bringing strong subscriber experiences to the Norwegian market.”

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Verizon delivers managed Private Wireless for NFL

Verizon Business announced a five-year partnership deal with the National Football League (NFL) to deliver a Managed Private Wireless Solution across each of the 30 U.S. NFL stadiums. 

This solution includes full support for coach-to-coach communications on the field .

Verizon said its Managed Private Wireless solution was successfully piloted during all five international NFL games this season spanning across the UK, Germany and Mexico. This included deployment and management of the private wireless technology, testing and coordination and in-game operational support.

“In an NFL game, every moment matters – seconds matter – as the margin between winning and losing is miniscule. The backbone of world-class play on-the-field is communication,” said Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO, Verizon Business. “The NFL understands and leans into the power of innovation and technology and this Managed Private Wireless solution deployment is a testament to how the NFL uses the latest technology for the game.”

Verizon will showcase this solution in a 30-second commercial spot “Next Season Starts Now,” slated to air immediately following the Super Bowl LVII broadcast on Feb. 12. 

This solution is part of the broader Verizon Business Connected Venue approach, which is rooted in its 5G investment in more than 75 large public venues in the United States, including some of the most iconic major sports and music venues. 

https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-named-nfls-official-private-wireless-network

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Dell'Oro: Private Wireless projections revised downward again

Private wireless is not materializing as fast as initially expected, leading Dell'Oro Group to again revise its projections downward. This time the primary source is the traditional wide-area private wireless segments. On the bright side, private small cell RAN revenue projections remain on track to surpass $1 B by 2027.

"Even with revenues coming in below expectations, our long-term position remains unchanged – we still firmly believe that private wireless is a massive opportunity," said Stefan Pongratz, Vice President at Dell'Oro Group. "At the same time, market opportunity is not the same as a forecast and given the current progress, it will clearly take some time for the private wireless market to reach its full potential.  In fact, our current forecast is for private wireless to reach roughly 10 percent of its potential by 2027," continued Pongratz.

Additional highlights from the Private Wireless Advanced Research Report:

• Total private wireless RAN revenues – including wide-area (traditional and new) and small cells – are projected to grow at a 24 percent CAGR between 2022 and 2027. For reference, public RAN (Total RAN minus private RAN) is projected to decline at a 2 percent CAGR over the same time period.
• 5G is dominating in China while LTE is currently dominating outside of China – 5G NR is projected to surpass LTE by 2026.
• Preliminary findings suggest the largest public RAN suppliers, including Huawei, Ericsson, and Nokia, are well positioned in this initial private LTE/5G phase. Meanwhile, enterprises and operators appear more willing to try out non-traditional RAN suppliers in some private wireless settings.
• Risks are broadly balanced. On the upside, the 5G enterprise puzzle has still not been completely solved. The successful launch of private 5G services by suppliers with strong enterprise channels and/or the successful introduction of a new device could accelerate the demand for 5G in the enterprise. On the downside, 5G awareness is improving but it will take some time for enterprises to fully understand the value of private LTE/5G. Pricing also needs to evolve as the competitive landscape for turnkey solutions improve – some of the price points we see right now for 3- and 5-year leases run the risk of squelching penetration, especially in the mid-market Wi-Fi like segment. 

https://www.delloro.com/news/private-wireless-projections-revised-downward-again/

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Qualcomm debuts 5G NR-Light modem

Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon® X35 5G Modem-RF System, the first 5G NR-Light modem-RF system design for the gap in between high-speed mobile broadband devices and extremely low-bandwidth NB-IoT devices. 

NR-Light is targeted at 5G peripherals, including wearables, requiring long battery life.

In addition to Snapdragon X35, Qualcomm Technologies also announced Snapdragon X32 5G Modem-RF System, a modem-to-antenna solution built to lower complexity and fuel cost-efficient NR-Light devices.

Qualcomm claims 200 Mbps down and up to 100 Mbps up.

“Snapdragon X35 brings together key 5G breakthroughs expected from the world’s leading wireless innovator,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, cellular modems and infrastructure, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The world’s first 5G NR-Light modem features a cost-effective, streamlined design with leading power efficiency, optimized thermal, and reduced footprint. Snapdragon X35 is poised to power the next wave of connected intelligent edge devices and empower a wide spectrum of uses. We look forward to working with industry leaders to unleash what’s possible with a unified 5G platform.”

https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2023/02/qualcomm-introduces-the-world-s-first-5g-nr-light-modem-rf-system

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Dell'Oro: Campus switch sales to approach $100B over 4 years

Nearly $100 billion will be spent on campus switches over the next five years, according to Dell'Oro Group, which is now forecasting a “digestion period” in 2024, followed by a quick recovery and long-term growth.

“Despite rising concerns about the challenging macroeconomic environment and a tough comparison with the prior year, we expect campus switch sales to continue to grow in 2023, reaching a record revenue level by year-end,” said Sameh Boujelbene, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “ Extraordinary levels of backlogs and rising prices underpin our optimism for 2023. As we head into 2024, however, we expect the market to go through a correction period. Our most recent interviews with some of the Value-Added Resellers (VARs) and System Integrators (SIs) revealed that some of their customers have already started to ask them to put product delivery on hold until they “digest” the equipment they have on hand.

“Nevertheless, despite some short-term fluctuations in market performance caused by the unbalance between supply and demand, we expect sales to resume their long-term growth in 2024. Our interviews revealed that the fundamental growth drivers remain in place and that digital transformation initiatives will propel growth in the campus switch market for many years to come,” added Boujelbene.

Additional highlights from the Ethernet Switch – Campus 5-Year January 2023 Forecast Report:

• 5/5.0 adoption will accelerate but shipments are expected to comprise only less than 15 percent of total campus switch ports by 2027.
• Power-Over-Ethernet (PoE) ports are forecast to comprise more than half of the total campus switch port shipments by 2027.
• Despite some short-term headwinds, China is expected to gain four points of revenue share over our forecast period.
• The IT/OT convergence is expected to increase over our forecast horizon but adoption may take time given the very long 10-30 year lifecycle of industrial networking equipment.
• The introduction of artificial intelligence capabilities will continue to play a key role in vendors’ competitive positioning in the market.

https://www.delloro.com/news/campus-switch-sales-to-approach-100-b-between-2023-and-2027/

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Windstream powers Security Service Edge (SSE) with Cato

Windstream Enterprise introduced a managed Security Service Edge (SSE) solution powered by Cato Networks.

SSE can be quickly deployed to secure all endpoints, users and applications.

SSE from Windstream Enterprise, powered by Cato Networks, delivers the following integrated security capabilities:

• Secure Web Gateway (SWG), which protects users against phishing attacks and malicious websites.
• Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), which provides end-to-end traffic segmentation, restricting access to locations, applications and resources.
• Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), which provides secure remote access to applications on-premises and in the cloud for every user, device and location.
• Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), which controls access to cloud applications, extending enterprise security policies to the cloud and enabling regulatory compliance.
• Next-Gen Anti-Malware (NGAM) for protecting connected sites, cloud resources and users against known and unknown malware.
• Managed Detection & Response (MDR) for ongoing network monitoring and alerting on compromised endpoints.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for detecting and preventing sensitive data from leaving the organization, protecting critical information, customer data and intellectual property, and complying with industry regulations.
• Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) for monitoring network traffic and blocking malicious content, providing protection against a wide range of cyberthreats such as ransomware, lateral movement, vulnerability exploitation and other network-based attack.

“Cato provides the world’s first SSE platform that converges the capabilities of SWG, CASB, DLP, ZTNA, and FWaaS into a single, cloud-native software stack, allowing full visibility and consistent policy enforcement other vendors are still working to develop,” said Shlomo Kramer, co-founder and CEO of Cato Networks. “The combination of Windstream Enterprise’s market-leading service portfolio and delivery capabilities with Cato’s proven and mature SSE platform will accelerate our joint customers’ security stack consolidation and transformation journey.”

“Windstream Enterprise can automate all the elements of a modern security framework and increase the value by further automating SD-WAN network control, unified communications and more, giving customers a simple, single-pane-of-glass understanding of their entire environment,” said Michael Fiacco, chief revenue officer, Windstream Enterprise. “It’s this comprehensive delivery of integrated technology—backed by our industry-first service guarantees and our dedicated team of cybersecurity experts—that creates real value for our customers and helps them succeed in their businesses, on their terms.”

https://www.windstreamenterprise.com/sse

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Nokia expands Lab-as-a-Service for enterprises

Nokia is expanding its Lab-as-a-Service (LaaS) solution to include the validation testing of industrial user equipment and third-party devices connecting people and machines over Nokia digital automation cloud (DAC) and modular private wireless (MPW) networks. T

Nokia LaaS, which is supported by a dedicated device testing facility in Bangalore, India, will enable enterprise customers to assess how devices and equipment working over 4.9G/LTE and 5G private wireless networks, will support their implementation of Industry 4.0 use cases. Leveraging Nokia Digital Automated Cloud (DAC) and Modular Private Wireless (MPW) customers will be able to see how enterprise, third-party or Nokia Industrial devices such as handhelds, fieldrouters, dongles and wearables will connect machines and people and how that can advance their digitalization journey.

Device validation consists of standardized testing packages. Vertical segments will benefit from Nokia’s extensive network, connectivity knowledge and rapid access to a range of pre-tested validation services. Enterprises can ensure any device functions well within a Nokia private wireless environment, and guarantee they meet the performance requirements of any use case.

The new Nokia LaaS device validation capabilities complement an already extensive range of services supporting chipset, device manufacturers, communication service providers (CSPs) and enterprises who want to introduce new elements in their devices and networks. These include the development testing of equipment and applications, certification, proof of concept testing of solutions and features and factory acceptance testing.

Stephan Litjens, Vice President of Enterprise Campus Edge Solutions of Nokia, said: “Nokia is committed to supporting our enterprise customers to achieve their digitalization goals in the most intuitive ways. Device validation will be an essential part of Lab-as-a-Service, allowing them to accelerate service adoption. Enterprises will be able to experiment with devices, use cases, with no up-front investment, to see how they deliver the greatest value from their operations over private wireless networks using Nokia DAC or MPW. In addition, by opening the dedicated facility in Bangalore, we can extend these capabilities to even more enterprise customers across the world.”

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Lumen trims its fiber rollout target

Lumen Technologies reported revenue of $3.800 billion for the fourth quarter 2022, compared to $4.847 billion for the fourth quarter 2021 and compared to Modified1 Revenue of $4.022 billion for the fourth quarter 2021.

The company reported a net Loss of $(3.069) billion for the fourth quarter 2022, which included a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $3.271 billion, compared to reported Net Income of $508 million for the fourth quarter 2021. The reported diluted loss per share was ($3.08) for the fourth quarter 2022, compared to diluted earnings per share of $0.50 for the fourth quarter 2021. 

“This year brings significant change for Lumen as we pivot to growth with a new leadership team and an energized group of highly skilled employees to execute on our plan,” said Kate Johnson, president and CEO of Lumen. “In 2023 we will be investing in and optimizing Lumen as we drive our five core priorities: develop customer obsession, innovate and invest for growth, build a reliable execution engine, radically simplify Lumen, and further develop our culture.”

On a conference call, Lumen executives said the company is lowering its residential Quantum Fiber expansion target from 12 million to between 8 million and 10 million lines. The new plan is to focus on markets where the company can be profitable, rather than deploying fiber as quickly as possible.

Lumen also confirmed that Colt has exercised its option to acquire the Lumen EMEA business following the completion of a French consultative process. The parties expect to enter into adefinitive purchase agreement in the next couple of days. 

https://ir.lumen.com/events-and-presentations/event-details/2023/Lumen-Technologies-Inc-Q4-2022-Earnings/default.aspx#events-presentation

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Ekinops announces MEF 3.0 certification for Ethernet portfolio

Ekinops' entire Ethernet Access Device portfolio, supported by its unique OneOS6 network operating system, has been certified under the MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet compliance program of the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF).

This certification marks an important milestone in the validation of Ethernet related services supported by the OneOS6 network operating system, confirming its status as a uniquely consolidated system to support Layer 2 (L2), Layer 3 (L3), Voice, SD-WAN and Virtualized services.

MEF 3.0 certification is now available for various 1647 and 1651 platforms, supporting E-Line, E-Lan, E-Tree, E-Access and E-Transit services. Depending on the platform, it is possible to use the same hardware platform to deliver L2, L3 or SD-WAN services, thus reducing the amount of equipment which must be validated and maintained for various services.

“MEF certification is an important signal to the market that Ekinops’ family of Ethernet Access Devices conforms to some of the highest standards in the telecoms industry.” said Sylvain Quartier, VP Marketing and Product Strategy for Access at Ekinops. “Demonstrating that our devices are certified by independent and international standard bodies has never been more important. MEF 3.0 certification is a powerful hallmark that will instill confidence in our worldwide operator customer base.” 

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Bermuda's Paradise Mobile deploys Mavenir

Paradise Mobile, a newly established cloud-native Communications Service Provider (CSP) in Bermuda, is powering its 4G and 5G network with Mavenir.

Paradise Mobile’s brand new network is being built from the ground up with containerized, open, interoperable components and O-RAN based radios. Mavenir is providing Paradise Mobile a complete end-to-end network, including system integration. The network is being built with software components from Mavenir’s comprehensive portfolio, including:

• MAVcore: IMS, Voice, Converged Packet Core, and Messaging
• MAVapps: Digital BSS – Mavenir’s Digital Enablement Platform (MDE)
• MAVair: Open Virtualised Radio Access Network (Open vRAN), and the OpenBeam radio portfolio

Antonio Correa, Senior Regional VP at Mavenir, said, “Mavenir is pleased to be enabling Paradise Mobile to create an advanced, agile, and fully automated network that delivers increased efficiency and capacity across the markets that Paradise is launching in. Mavenir’s software driven, cloud-native mobile network components can be deployed with ease and flexibility, giving Paradise Mobile the ability to deploy new monetizable services with a quick time-to-market.”

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Verizon hits 1.26 Gbps upload speed with 5G mmWave

Verizon achieved an upload speed of 1.26 Gbps in lab testing of its 5G Ultra Wideband technology. The lab work and trials in the field focused on optimizing the customer experience, and used 20 MHz of LTE spectrum and 400 MHz of mmWave spectrum from the 28 GHz band. The trials used devices currently commercially available and were completed in a live network test environment.

“We have achieved remarkable speed in downloading using various combinations of spectrum in our world-class spectrum portfolio,” said Adam Koeppe, Senior Vice President of Technology Planning at Verizon. “This new achievement indicates how much additional performance we can unleash for our customers on the uplink as we aggregate different combinations of spectrum.”

Past trials have shown extraordinary download speeds with various combinations of spectrum reaching 4.3 Gbps download speeds by aggregating Verizon’s mid-band C-band spectrum with high band mmWave spectrum. 

Verizon won C-Band licenses for between 140-200 MHz in all available markets, and began in the first 46 areas deploying up to 60 MHz, quickly expanding to an additional 30 markets deploying up to 100 MHz in many of those. Over the next few years, as additional spectrum is cleared by satellite companies, Verizon will be able to deploy 5G Ultra Wideband on all available bandwidth that it has licensed, up to 200 MHz. Every piece of equipment being deployed today is capable of using the full 200 MHz of bandwidth. When the full breadth of spectrum is accessed, Verizon said customers can expect peak download speeds to reach 2.4 Gbps, up from the 900 Mbps experienced with 60 megahertz deployed.

Verizon holds a total of 2,035 MHz of spectrum – 294 MHz in Sub 6 GHz spectrum (low and mid band) and 1,741 MHz of mmWave spectrum (high band).

• Low band: Verizon’s low band spectrum (nationwide 700 MHz licenses and 850 MHz spectrum) continues to provide the best 4G LTE experience in the industry and now also supports nationwide 5G service, giving customers in over 2,700 markets access to 5G. Low band signals travel great distances and penetrate through walls and dense foliage very effectively.
• High band: Verizon’s mmWave build is a critical differentiator and the company continues to expand its mmWave footprint to deliver game changing experiences for the densest parts of the network. mmWave brings the benefits of highly predictable signal waves leading to greater efficiency and less interference for customers, and also boasts huge capacity. mmWave service is ideal to deliver 5G service in high-usage areas like cities, venues, and stadiums for years to come.
• Mid-band: Verizon’s mid-band spectrum assets include AWS, PCS, CBRS and C-band spectrum. C-band provides a valuable middle ground between capacity and coverage for 5G networks, and is enabling greater speeds than 5G on low band spectrum and greater coverage than mmWave spectrum for both mobility and home broadband solutions. The addition of C-band spectrum paves the way for Verizon to provide its differentiated service of 5G Ultra Wideband service to millions of customers, now covering more than 175 million and growing quickly.

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Dell'Oro: Data Center infrastructure spend to the $35B in 2027

Data center physical infrastructure (DCPI) revenues are forecast to grow at an 8 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2022 to 2027, to above $35 billion, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group. Macroeconomic uncertainty and lingering supply chain constraints are currently short-term headwinds, however, long-term growth is forecast to remain resilient supported by sustainability-minded cloud and colocation data center expansions and on-premises enterprise modernization.

“Next generation processors and accelerators, from the likes of AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA, are rapidly changing the power and thermal management requirements for data center physical infrastructure,” said Lucas Beran, Principal Analyst at Dell’Oro Group. “The Thermal Design Power (TDP) of these semiconductor components continues to rise, with TDPs of 350W and 400W for the latest generation of CPUs, and up to 700W for GPUs. And product roadmaps show further increases from here. This is ultimately leading to higher rack power densities, with architectural changes in backup power, power distribution, and thermal management required.

“At the same time, data center sustainability has risen to the top of decision making, planning, and design criteria in the industry. This has opened the door for a significant technology transition during this forecast period – the transition from air to liquid-based thermal management.  The two primary technologies, direct liquid cooling and immersion cooling (single-phase and two-phase), are forecast to grow significantly and reach $1.7 billion, or 24 percent, of thermal management revenue by 2027,” continued Beran.

Additional highlights from the Data Center Physical Infrastructure 5-Year January 2023 Forecast Report:

• DCPI revenue growth is forecast to remain resilient in 2023, growing 9 percent, supported by historically high DCPI vendor backlogs.
• Asia Pacific (Excluding China) is forecast to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period, followed by EMEA and China.
• Data Center Thermal Management is forecast to grow at the fastest rate of any market segment during the forecast period, surpassing $7 billion in vendor revenues in 2027.
• The Service Providers (Top 10 Cloud, Rest-of-Cloud, Colocation, and Telco) customer segment is forecast to grow at a double-digit CAGR during the forecast period, while the Enterprise customer segment (Large Enterprise, Rest-of-Enterprise) is forecast to grow at a much lower rate.

https://www.delloro.com/news/accelerated-computing-to-push-data-center-physical-infrastructure-market-to-35-billion-in-2027/

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