Fujitsu's new 1FINITY Ultra Optical System delivers 1.2 Tbps wavelengths

Fujitsu unveiled its new 1FINITY Ultra Optical System capable of delivering 1.2 Tbps on a single wavelength, with future upgrade to 1.6 Tbps. 

Fujitsu will launch the new platform in the first half of 2023, starting with customers in Japan, North America, as well as throughout Europe where Fujitsu recently expanded availability of its full line of optical, wireless and networking software solutions.

The next generation 1FINITY Ultra Optical System features a digital signal processor (DSP) using latest semiconductor processes and liquid cooling technology with twice the cooling capacity of conventional technology.  The newly developed high performance coherent DSP and ultra-high-speed CDM (Coherent Driver Modulator) enable 135 Gbaud capabilities.

The platform also leverages Fujitsu’s continuous C+L ROADM architecture able to handle multiple wavelength bands in a single product, as well as Forward Raman amplification, a technology developed Furukawa Electric in which signal light and excitation light propagate in the same direction in an optical fiber, and the transmission distance is extended by Raman excitation of the signal light.  

Fujitsu also noted its new 1FINITY Ultra Optical System can significantly reduce carbon emissions compared to similar platforms, while maintaining high data rates of 1.2 Tbps on a single wavelength and 40% greater reach.

Moving forward, Fujitsu plans to offer services using machine learning to optimize network operations and resources for use in combination with Fujitsu’s “Virtuora Network Control Solution” for wide-area network operation and management. 

https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2023/0222-01.html

Read More

DISH rolls out Virtual Open RAN with Samsung

The DISH Wireless 5G network is rolling out the first  shipment of 24,000 Open RAN-compliant radios and 5G virtualized RAN (vRAN) software solutions from Samsung.

Samsung confirmed an acceleration of the DISH network deployment across the U.S., which is poised to provide reliable and fast nationwide coverage to DISH Wireless network users. For this rollout, Samsung provided its comprehensive portfolio of 5G solutions, including its virtualized distributed unit (vDU), virtualized central unit (vCU) and Open RAN-compliant 5G radios, which support the DISH spectrum bands. Samsung also built new dual-band and tri-band Open RAN-compliant radios specific for this deployment.

“Samsung is a key player in the DISH Wireless Open RAN ecosystem, created in collaboration with additional Open RAN leaders like Dell, VMware, AWS and others,” said Marc Rouanne, EVP and Chief Network Officer, DISH Wireless. “Samsung’s 5G vRAN solutions and our shared innovation process allow DISH Wireless to continue the DISH 5G multi-vendor, open and interoperable cloud-native network buildout, as we progress to covering 70 percent of the U.S. population.” 

“DISH Wireless is an innovator in mobile technologies and we are thrilled to reach new heights of connectivity together, validating the immense potential that virtualization and openness can bring to the industry,” said Junehee Lee, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business, Samsung Electronics. “This milestone advances the wide-scale deployment of Samsung’s vRAN in the U.S. and we look forward to continuing our work with DISH Wireless to accelerate 5G expansion and lead the delivery of next-generation connectivity across the country.”

https://www.samsung.com/global/business/networks/insights/press-release/0222-dish-wireless-launches-virtual-open-ran-5g-network-with-samsung/

Read More

Nubis emerges from stealth with XT1600 optical engine

Nubis Communications, a start-up based in New Providence, New Jersey, emerged from stealth to unveil its an optical engine optimized for machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML/AI) networks. 

Nubis' underlying technology building block is a 16 x 112 Gbps (full duplex) Silicon Photonics engine with integrated modulator drivers and transimpedance amplifiers. This 2D-tileable optical engine supports over 500 Gbps per millimeter of full-duplex edge I/O density, pitch-matched to the bandwidth density of modern SerDes. 

Nubis said its patented fiber array technology enables a density improvement of 10x from today’s front-panel pluggable transceivers without the need to bundle multiple optical streams onto the same fiber, maintaining the full parallelism needed for all-to-all mesh connectivity between ML/AI servers. With a power consumption under 4 pJ per bit, Nubis’ platform provides a 4x power savings over today’s technology. The ultra-low power and ultra-high density are critical to the continued growth of ML/AI clusters in power-constrained data centers where AI models are growing at a rate of 35x every 2 years.

Nubis is sampling its first product. The XT1600 has a total capacity of 1.6 Tbps optical transmit and 1.6 Tbps optical receive carried over 16 fiber pairs, allowing full fan-out and flexible assignment as sixteen independent 100-Gbps full-duplex channels, four separate 400 Gbps full-duplex channels, or two 800 Gbps full-duplex channels. The XT1600 engine is optimized for unretimed direct-drive operation, connecting directly with host ASIC SerDes designed for copper links. This direct-drive approach dramatically lowers the power, size, and cost of the optical solution. Nubis plans to announce later this year additional products utilizing its technology across different use cases, including retimed pluggable modules, active optical cables and co-packaged optics modules.

The company, which was founded in 2020 by industry luminary Peter Winzer and a cross-functional team of industry experts, has raised over $40 million from Matrix Partners and other leading investors to fully fund the development of their first product to volume production.

“Our customers have consistently told us that the power and size of conventional optics are unsustainable,” said Dan Harding, CEO of Nubis Communications. “They are building the largest and highest performing data interconnect clusters in the world and are depending on us to deliver optics that are orders of magnitude denser, lower power, and more efficient to enable their network build-outs.”

https://www.nubis-inc.com

Read More

Effect Photonics intros pico tunable laser assembly QSFP28 100G ZR

EFFECT Photonics introduced a Pico Tunable Laser Assembly (pTLA) to address the growing demand for 100G coherent transceivers in access networks. 

The new pTLA supports both commercial- and industrial-temperature (C-temp and I-temp) operating ranges and is designed specifically to address the 100G coherent network edge, The pTLA will allow coherent pluggables to be deployed more easily and cost effectively in the access domain and will feature optimal laser performance, size and power consumption for a standard QSFP28 form-factor. Furthermore, EFFECT Photonics’ new pTLA utilizes the existing microelectronics ecosystem to allow manufacturing at scale as well as complementary coherent products and services, such as DSPs for those providers in need of a complete transceiver solution.

“Today’s operators need a network edge aggregation strategy that offers the best combination of capacity, cost-effectiveness, and performance to evolve network access effectively, and 100G coherent pluggable optics offer just that,” said Roberto Marcoccia, CEO, EFFECT Photonics. “EFFECT Photonics’ new Pico Tunable Laser Assembly will be the only purpose-designed tunable laser assembly to serve this emerging market, helping to easily scale up network edge aggregation capacity and benefit from coherent technology.”

http://www.effectphotonics.com

Read More

Samsung announces 5G NTN modem for smartphone-to-satellite

Samsung Electronics has secured standardized 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN) modem technology for direct communication between smartphones and satellites, especially in remote areas. The company plans to integrate this technology into the company’s Exynos modem solutions, accelerating the commercialization of 5G satellite communications and paving the way for the 6G-driven Internet of Everything (IoE) era.

Samsung did not cite the source of its technology acquisition.

"This milestone builds on our rich legacy in wireless communications technologies, following the introduction of the industry’s first commercial 4G LTE modem in 2009 and the industry’s first 5G modem in 2018," said Min Goo Kim, executive vice president of CP (Communication Processor) Development at Samsung Electronics. "Samsung aims to take the lead in advancing hybrid terrestrial-NTN communications ecosystems around the world in preparation for the arrival of 6G."

For highly reliable NTN communication with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, Samsung has developed and simulated 5G NTN standard-based satellite technology using its Exynos Modem 5300 reference platform to accurately predict satellite locations and minimize frequency offsets caused by the Doppler shift. Based on this technology, Samsung’s future Exynos modems will support two-way text messaging as well as high-definition image and video sharing.

Additionally, Samsung plans to secure a standardized NB-IoT NTN technology for use in its next-generation modem platforms. With integrated satellite connectivity, Samsung’s NB-IoT solutions will eliminate the need for a separate high-power wireless antenna chip inside smartphones, providing mobile device makers with much greater design flexibility.

Read More

Arrcus and VMware partner on end-to-end slicing

Arrcus is spotlighting its telco cloud work with VMware at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2023.

The Arrcus and VMware solution combines the Arrcus Connected Edge (ACE) platform with VMware Telco Cloud Platform architecture, providing CSPs with end-to-end slicing for 5G, from radio access network (RAN) to multi-access edge computing (MEC) to core networks. This capability leverages Arrcus’ advanced traffic engineering technology, enabling CSPs to set different policies and service level agreements (SLAs) for unique customers and applications on various slices of their networks.

Network automation is another key CSP benefit of the joint solution. And CSPs can create instances across RAN, 5G core, (MEC)/edge and transport networks. The Arrcus-VMware solution also delivers a service assurance platform for transport network, 5G core and RAN telemetry, so CSPs receive metadata on key network parameters.

“CSPs need truly modern infrastructure to gain the greatest value from their 5G investments,” said Arrcus CEO and Chairman Shekar Ayyar. “Arrcus’ ACE platform and our partnership with VMware provide CSPs with an agile network overlay to automate network operations, expedite the delivery of new services on and monetize their 5G infrastructure.”

“VMware brought software-defined networking to service providers,” said Lakshmi Mandyam, vice president of product management and partner ecosystem, service provider and edge, VMware. “VMware’s Telco Cloud Platform, in concert with innovator Arrcus, is transforming 5G networks with virtualization and SDN, distributed computing, cloud technology, automation and agility.”

Read More

Mavenir intros containerized Open vRAN on Red Hat

Mavenir launched its Open Virtualized RAN (Open vRAN) solution running on Red Hat OpenShift for cloud deployment, running on general purpose, common-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware.

The solution complies with O-RAN Alliance’s O-Cloud specifications, using the O-RAN O2 interface to allow Mavenir’s cloud-native network functions (CNF) to manage the resources provided by Red Hat OpenShift. The integrated offering provides a full stack solution to operationalize Open RAN, including life cycle management, orchestration, and automation, to lower the barrier to entry for service providers and enterprises deploying 4G and 5G public and private networks with real-time use cases that require on-premises equipment. The solution is being deployed by three tier-1 service providers in global markets including Asia, North America, and Europe.

BG Kumar, President, Access Networks, Platforms and MDE, Mavenir, said, “This collaboration with Red Hat allows Mavenir to address the requirements of operators and enterprises needing hybrid or multi-cloud solutions, as well as those looking for a solution that runs on-premises but benefits from the automation and orchestration of a cloud deployment.”

“Red Hat is building a bridge for customers to embrace the Open RAN movement, connecting business needs with the underlying technologies with our open source expertise. Red Hat OpenShift offers a consistent and flexible cloud-native foundation to accelerate application development and Open RAN deployments across any network landscape,” said Honoré LaBourdette, Vice President, Telco, Media, Entertainment & Edge Ecosystem, Red Hat. “By supporting the Mavenir Open vRAN solution on Red Hat OpenShift, service providers are better equipped to meet unique network requirements on a trusted, agile open source platform.”

Read More

Keysight launches test platform for 5G RedCap spec

Keysight Technologies introduced a streamlined network emulator designed to provide protocol, radio frequency, and functional testing of all cellular internet of things technologies, including RedCap. 

The new E7515R solution based on Keysight's 5G Network Emulation Solutions platform, a streamlined network emulator specifically designed for protocol, radio frequency (RF), and functional testing of all cellular internet of things (CIoT) technologies, including RedCap. The E7515R expands Keysight’s 5G Network Emulation Solutions portfolio, the industry’s most robust, which is used in mobile device validation across the workflow, from early design to acceptance and deployment.

The 5G RedCap specification introduces support for wireless devices with reduced 5G capabilities. These devices are less complex, and consume less power, allowing them to address new CIoT use cases such as industrial sensors and wearables such as smartwatches. Like other cellular devices, RedCap devices require time-consuming and expensive certification from accredited labs before they can be released to the market. By performing lab validation ahead of time to identify and correct design issues, device and module manufacturers can shorten the certification process for RedCap and other CIoT devices.

Mosaab Abughalib, General Manager of Keysight’s Wireless Device Development R&D Group, said: “With the introduction of the E7515R solution, Keysight is providing chipset, module, and device makers with a proven test solution that enables the development workflow of the next generation 5G New Radio (NR) RedCap devices. The E7515R solution is optimized for the development of devices that do not require full 5G NR capability, which allows our customers to maximize their return on investment.”

Read More

Rivada signs manufacturer for its laser-connected space network

Rivada Space Networks has signed Terran Orbital's wholly owned subsidiary Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, to manufacture 300 low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites for its "network in the sky".

RSN will offer access to a secure satellite network with pole-to-pole reach, offering end-to-end latencies similar to or better than terrestrial fiber. The RSN network combines inter-satellite links with advanced onboard data routers creating an optical backbone in space to deliver an ultra-secure and highly reliable global data network for business operations in the telecom, enterprise, maritime, energy and government services markets.

Rivada Space Networks Executive Chairman Declan Ganley said: "With this contract, Rivada is one step closer to launching a global network dedicated to the wholesale sale of connectivity and capacity at market rates, making truly global connectivity-as-a-service a reality." He added: "The constellation we are building with Terran Orbital in combination with our patented Open Access Wireless Market Platform allow us to offer a network with unprecedented flexibility to users around the world. It will be instrumental in driving the next leg of the ongoing communications revolution." 

www.rivadaspace.com

Read More

Ciena unveils 1.6 Tbps WaveLogic 6 coherent optics

Ciena introduced its latest generation, WaveLogic 6 coherent optics, supporting up to 1.6Tb/s single-carrier wavelengths for metro ROADM deployments, 800Gb/s over the longest links, and energy-efficient 800G pluggables across 1000km distances. Ciena expects to begin shipping WaveLogic 6 in the first half of 2024. 

Highlights

• WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e), Ciena’s performance-optimized solution, integrates new coherent DSP innovations to provide the highest capacity over fiber, supporting 1.6Tb/s single-carrier wavelengths for metro ROADM networks, 800Gb/s across the longest links, and 15% improvement in spectral efficiency compared to the previous generation. WL6e will also deliver significant economic benefits, including a 50% reduction in space and power per bit compared to Ciena’s industry-leading 800G technology today. The first coherent optical solution operating at 200GBaud, WL6e will maximize coverage of 800Gb/s connectivity across networks.
• WaveLogic 6 Nano (WL6n), Ciena’s footprint-optimized solution, powers 400G-800G coherent pluggables to drive cost, power, and space efficiencies in 400G long-haul and 800G metro/regional applications, as well as interoperable 800ZR DCI applications. With Ciena’s unique engineering innovations, WL6n can also deliver a fit-for-purpose 800LR design, bringing coherent technology inside the data center campus for the first time.
• WL6 will be supported across a range of Ciena’s optical and routing and switching platforms. 
• WL6 will also be made available for use in third-party solutions.

“The last few years have irreversibly changed our expectations of networks, showing the critical importance of enabling greater connectivity to help fuel our digital lifestyles. At the same time, we all need to do more to help the environment. As the pioneer in coherent optical technology, and the first to bring coherent 40G, 100G, 400G and 800G to the industry, we continue to set the standard in optical transport and push the limits of innovation by creating solutions that significantly reduce cost per bit, improve network performance, and drive energy efficiency,” states Scott McFeely, Senior Vice President, Global Products and Services, Ciena.

https://www.ciena.com/about/newsroom/press-releases/ciena-unveils-wavelogic-6

Read More

Amazon launches AWS Telco Network Builder

Amazon introduced AWS Telco Network Builder, a fully managed network automation service that enables CSPs to deploy, run, and scale their telco networks on AWS faster and more easily. 

To start, a CSP populates their network architecture (e.g., routing requirements, location of deployment, specific NFs) as a template in the service’s console using telecom industry standard language, making it intuitive and easy to begin. AWS Telco Network Builder translates the customer’s network specifications into a cloud-based network architecture, streamlining programming requirements across multiple software vendors and accounting for the network’s geographic footprint. 

AWS Telco Network Builder automatically maps the provided topology to network services, provisions the necessary compute and storage resources, and connects the NFs to create an operational telco network. Customers can then reuse the uploaded templates to replicate that network architecture in new regions. As customers change their network configuration or run software updates, AWS Telco Network Builder handles lifecycle management for the NFs, performs updates to the NFs, and adjusts related infrastructure. 

Together, AWS Telco Network Builder and Amazon CloudWatch provide a comprehensive view of the NFs and AWS infrastructure, so customers can efficiently monitor and manage their networks to identify and remediate issues more quickly. AWS Telco Network Builder also integrates with popular third-party, end-to-end orchestrators for CSPs to maintain continuity across existing telco network operations and business systems. With AWS Telco Network Builder, customers only pay for the AWS products and services they use, so they can quickly scale their network based on business requirements.

“The telecom industry is undergoing a transformation as CSPs navigate building their telco networks in the cloud,” said Jan Hofmeyr, vice president of Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). “Some of the biggest challenges CSPs face as they look to migrate include manually configuring and then managing these complex networks, which impedes growth and stifles innovation. Groundbreaking in the value it provides to the telecom industry, AWS Telco Network Builder removes the burden of translating a customer’s desired telco network into a cloud architecture, empowering them to easily modernize and quickly scale to meet demand while freeing time and capital to build new offerings, expand coverage, and refocus on invention.”

AWS Telco Network Builder is generally available today in US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), Asia Pacific (Sydney), Europe (Frankfurt), and Europe (Paris), and with availability in additional AWS Regions coming soon.

AWS also announced a number of customers and partners using AWS Telco Network Builder, including: Amdocs, Cloudify, Infosys, Mavenir, and O2 Telefónica.

https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/new-aws-telco-network-builder-deploy-and-manage-telco-networks/

Read More

T‑Mobile and AWS to offer 5G advanced network solutions

T-Mobile and AWS agreed to pair T-Mobile's 5G Advanced Network Solutions portfolio with AWS cloud-based services and scalable, pre-integrated applications leveraging 5G edge compute.

The companies will also collaborate on customizable, use case specific offerings as part of the new Integrated Private Wireless on AWS program. These offerings help businesses get the performance and applications they need for their unique use cases – for example, monitoring worker safety on remote industrial campuses, performing predictive maintenance on manufacturing equipment, or ensuring faster aircraft turnaround times at the airport.

“T-Mobile and AWS are coming together to do what industry-leading companies do best – make things easier for customers,” said Callie Field, President, T-Mobile Business Group. “Businesses need a combination of connectivity and compute that fits into their current infrastructure. With our flexible 5G network deployment options and AWS’s cloud compute capabilities, we can quickly provide customers a right-sized solution to make their applications – new and existing – perform like never before.”

“AWS and T-Mobile share a common desire to work backwards from customer feedback to deliver innovation,” said Adolfo Hernandez, Vice President, Telco Industry at AWS. “One of the biggest challenges in galvanizing industries and revenue for 5G services has been the lack of flexible 5G solutions that meet the compute and connectivity needs for customers. Together with T-Mobile's innovative suite of 5G Advanced Network Solutions and our Integrated Private Wireless Program, we have the power to meet customers where they are."

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/business/t-mobile-and-amazon-web-services-join-forces-on-5g-advanced-network-solutions

Read More

Europe’s 6GTandem project gets underway

 The 6GTandem consortium aims to co-design novel dual-frequency operation and a new highly integrated and distributed radio transceiver architecture to deliver energy-efficient services for future 6G applications, and enhance Europe's position in telecommunications. The project is funded by the European Union and Switzerland. Work was started in January 2023 and will run over the next three-and-a-half years.

Participating companies and organizations include: Technikon Forschungs, Ericsson, KU Leuven (University, Belgium), Infineon, Huber + Suhner, and Sweden's Chalmers University of Technology, Linköping University, and LUND University.

"We are excited to be part of this consortium," said Hannes Grubinger, Head of Product Management Cable Connectivity. "Our over 50+ year heritage in radio frequency, fiber optics and low frequency technologies in the communication, transportation and industrial markets has helped us gain valuable experience in connectivity solutions for infrastructure. We look forward to lending our expertise in electrical and optical connectivity to the 6GTandem project, working with other experts with the goal of bringing innovation to the next generation of mobile communication."

As published by 6GTandem, the key elements for the consortium include the development of a system defining an aligned tandem dual-frequency distributed MIMO architecture, medium-aware waveforms, transmission schemes and communication strategies, novel "radiostripe" hardware at 130GHz – 175GHz, an easily-deployable sub-THz infrastructure, and a combined low-frequency and sub-THz distributed MIMO system to support joint high-resolution sensing, high-accuracy positioning, and high-resilience and reliable communication.

https://horizon-6gtandem.eu

https://www.hubersuhner.com/en/company/media/news

Read More

Blueprint: Brazil looks to municipal Wi-Fi 6E

 by Atul Bhatnagar, president and CEO of Cambium Networks

Given its immense size and bountiful natural resources, Brazilians have long talked about their country as the “land of the future.” One unexpected area where Brazil is indeed taking the lead over the rest of the world is in the realm of Wi-Fi connectivity.

In December, Brazil became the first country in Latin America to test outdoor Wi-Fi 6E as part of a joint project in cooperation with the Municipality of São Paulo and the Campo Belo Gastronomia Association, and the results of the test will be eagerly monitored by service providers around the world. 

With the deployment of Wi-Fi 6E in the Campo Belo neighborhood of São Paulo, users are able to take advantage of the faster speeds and lower latencies than were available through Wi-Fi 6 and earlier iterations. In fact, this deployment delivers 10X the capacity of traditional Wi-Fi.  

This is a watershed moment for the spread of advanced broadband. For Brazil and other early adopters, Wi-Fi 6E finally puts the prospect of realizing multi-Gigabit speeds with a 6 GHz fixed wireless infrastructure within reach as Wi-Fi 6E extends the capacity, efficiency, coverage, and performance benefits of advanced Wi-Fi into the 6-GHz band, which allows for internet speeds of greater than 1Gbps.

While the United States approved the 6 GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi use in 2020, a decision that allowed the development and deployment of Wi-Fi 6E devices to move forward, this marks the first real-world study of its use. The insights these tests could provide around the true efficiency and data throughput of these congestion-free connections could prove substantial for others considering the spectrum.

Many service providers in the U.S. have been testing new 6 GHz equipment under experimental licenses granted by the FCC for the purposes of technical evaluation but not for commercial deployment. The outdoor network in São Paulo will now serve as a petri dish for the country to help officials in the U.S. and abroad better understand the benefits this Wi-Fi 6 technology provides and hopefully move us one step closer to a 6 GHz reality.  

This is a particularly exciting moment when you consider the potential impact of advanced internet technology on closing the digital divide for underserved communities around the world and, in this case, the daily life in Brazil, where about 50% of homes are still not connected to broadband. More broadly speaking, these and other multi-Gigabit wireless technologies entering the market will allow providers in the US and around the world to bring fast broadband to more people than ever before.

Read More

Mavenir and HPE collaborate on Open vRAN

Mavenir expanded its existing partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) by validating its Open vRAN DU software on the HPE ProLiant DL110 Telco server.

Mavenir’s O-RAN compliant, fully containerized Open vRAN solution works on open interfaces supporting O-RAN Split 7.2x and Split 2 configurations. It further disaggregates into a Distributed Unit (DU) and Centralized Unit (CU). These entities work as containerized network functions running on general purpose infrastructure and are designed to support multiple fronthaul splits simultaneously – making the vRAN solution an ideal choice for a future-proof strategy.

The HPE ProLiant DL110 Telco server is workload optimized for edge applications that require low power, high bandwidth and low latency such as 5G cellular processing (vRAN.) In addition, the server is open and standards-compliant, carrier grade infrastructure offering dense I/O capabilities with PCI2 Gen4 speed, acceleration and powerful compute driven by 3rd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processors.

“This milestone aligns with Mavenir’s mission to create network solutions built around virtualized software that can run on any cloud,” said Ramnik Kamo, EVP, CIO and CPO, Mavenir. “Adding HPE as an infrastructure partner strengthens Mavenir’s Open vRAN by expanding the technology ecosystem with a reliable, high performance hardware platform that meets the needs of the most demanding customers.”

Read More

Zain Kuwait builds National Cloud with Microsoft Azure

Zain Kuwait and its ICT solutions arm, ZainTech, is working with Microsoft to introduce a national cloud offering for public and private sectors in the country.

The collaboration will see the development of a cloud environment combining Microsoft’s extensive portfolio, Zain’s private cloud infrastructure, and ZainTech’s expertise, enabling data and applications to be shared between them. 

Zain said the new national cloud  in Kuwait can help organizations modernize their data centers by bringing cloud techniques, such as software-defined data centers, self-service, and elasticity based on virtualization, into their data centers. Using a single centralized perspective, the national cloud offering can enable organizations to efficiently manage compliance with proliferating standards and infrastructure that is expanding across on-premises, public cloud, and multi-cloud implementations.

Commenting on this collaboration, Hamad Al Marzouq, Zain Kuwait Chief Enterprise Business Officer said, “Cloud offerings are driving efficiencies that have never been experienced before, and the Kuwait government has been quick to realize its benefits and has been investing in cloud infrastructure accordingly. Our alliance with Microsoft and ZainTech is geared towards supporting and accelerating these developments further and comes from a shared vision of the benefits the flexibility of cloud offerings has on driving digitization in our country.

Read More

Vodafone develops 5G radio based on Raspberry Pi

Vodafone introduced a prototype 5G radio based on a credit card sized Raspberry Pi personal computer and an equally small, advanced silicon chipset. The unit is designed to extend 5G coverage in small businesses and households.

The new system, which was developed at  Vodafone’s new European R&D Centre in Málaga, combines a Raspberry Pi 4 with a small 5G compatible embeddable software-defined radio (SDR) circuit board, made by UK-based specialist, Lime Microsystems. 

Vodafone said it aims to make 5G-based mobile private networks (MPNs) more accessible to the 22 million small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Europe. It could also offer households extended coverage providing an additional fast broadband link at times when many residents are online simultaneously.

Santiago Tenorio, Vodafone’s Director of Network Architecture, said: “We looked at what Raspberry Pi did for computing, in terms of making it more accessible to people of all ages, and we wanted to do the same with 5G.”

Read More

ADVA cites high demand from telecom service providers

Citing very high demand from telecommunications service providers, ADVA reported revenues of EUR 195.7 million for Q4 2022, up by 9.0% from EUR 179.6 million in Q3 2022, also up by 24.1% compared to EUR 157.7 million in Q4 2021. Pro forma gross profit in Q4 2022 increased by 17.4%, reaching EUR 71.4 million (36.5% of revenues) compared to EUR 60.9 million (33.9% of revenues) in Q3 2022 and increased by 27.4% compared to EUR 56.1 million (35.6% of revenues) reported in Q4 2021. The margin increase was due to a reduction in freight costs and expedited fees associated with the semiconductor crisis.

Net income reached EUR 3.8 million in Q4 2022 and increased by 329.2% from EUR 0.9 million in Q3 2022 but decreased by 78.4% from EUR 17.5 million in Q4 2021.

"We’re proud to report a highly successful fiscal year, where we achieved the highest revenues in our company’s history. Despite ongoing challenges caused by the semiconductor crisis, bottlenecks in the supply chains, inflation and fears of recession, we were able to stay on course, comprehensively serving and supporting our customers with innovative communications technology, software and services,” said Christoph Glingener, CEO of ADVA. “Looking forward, we are optimistic about future growth prospects. We have a strong pipeline of new products and services and are well-positioned to benefit from the major trends in our industry. Our capabilities in software and services are strengthening, delivering increasing value to our customers and partners. Together with Adtran, we will continue to focus on cost management and operational efficiency while investing in key areas to enter new growth markets.”

“Today, we report financial results of a strong 2022 with revenue growth of 18% year-over-year. Considering the various macroeconomic challenges and ongoing constraints in global supply chains, we’re very pleased with our profitability, which came in as expected,” commented Uli Dopfer, CFO of ADVA. “We’re optimistic that global supply chains will ease during this year and that cash generation will improve. We also expect to benefit from our business combination with Adtran and see first revenue synergies in 2023. We remain committed to increasing software and service revenues, which will drive continued margins improvement.”

https://www.adva.com/en/about-us/investors/financial-results/conference-calls

Read More

Ericsson and Telia offer Northstar 5G for industrial enterprises

Telia and Ericsson are launching NorthStar – a 5G innovation program for industrial enterprises.

NorthStar aims to accelerate the 5G adoption and transformation of industries, thereby strengthening the country’s international competitiveness. 

The program will initially focus on customers´ innovation and R&D units in the automotive and transportation sectors and the first customer is AstaZero, an independent test environment for automated transport systems.

NorthStar’s 5G network utilizes Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core, and connects to Telia’s existing public 5G network, currently being rolled out across Sweden. Additionally, customers will be able to build their own networks at their own locations, for example test sites and R&D facilities, and connect them to the NorthStar network.

Anders Olsson, CEO at Telia Sweden, says: “Sweden is an industrial powerhouse with iconic brands that reach around the globe. Scaling digital solutions and turning new technologies into tangible business benefits is critical if these companies, and Sweden as a nation, are to remain competitive. Without access to robust and secure digital infrastructure, businesses risk falling behind. Through the NorthStar program, we welcome industrial players to collaborate and trial their solutions using the latest 5G technology, which will help accelerate the development of smart and sustainable transport solutions.”

Read More

Telefónica to open 5G mmWave at MWC Hall 3

Telefónica will operate a live 5G mmWave base station at its stand in the upcoming MWC 2023 in Barcelona. 

The 5G mmWave deployment will cover Hall 3 of the MWC Barcelona event using ample mmWave spectrum bandwidth secured by Telefónica from the recent Spanish spectrum auction. Ericsson is providing its mmWave radio AIR 5322 and high-capacity RAN Processor 6651 to enable the 5G millimeter coverage. The radio access network equipment is powered by Ericsson Silicon chipset. 

Qualcomm Technologies will showcase the broad range of global 5G mmWave devices powered by Snapdragon mobile platforms. 

Gerardo Rovira, director of Radio Access Telefónica Spain, says: “This first commercial deployment of 5G mmWave services we are launching together with Ericsson and Qualcomm, along with the massive spectrum that Telefónica has obtained in the last auction, is the last milestone in a series of 5G long term projects that Telefónica has been developing in collaboration with enterprises and institutions in the last 3 years, and it goes a long way in showing the commitment that Telefónica has in the development and leadership of a strong 5G ecosystem that will be a key factor in bringing compelling services for both the public and private sectors”

Read More