Canada's Rogers + Shaw merger reaches the finish line

After receiving final regulatory approval, Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications now expect to close their historic merger prior to the outside date of April 7, 202.

The deal, which was first announced in March 2021, is trasformative for Canada's communications market and builds on the legacies of JR Shaw and Ted Rogers, two of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs.

Rogers will pay approximately CAD$26 billion to acquire all of the shares of Shaw. The companies will also divest Shaw's Freedom Mobile to Videotron, a unit of Quebecor, for $2.85 billion.

“We are very pleased to move forward with this transformative merger and proudly deliver on our commitments to enhance and expand network coverage, connect underserved communities, and improve access for low-income Canadians,” said Tony Staffieri, President and CEO, Rogers. “Building on a shared legacy with Shaw, we will invest substantially to bring more choice, more value, and more connectivity to Canadians across the country.”

“Today begins an exciting new chapter for the future of connectivity in Canada,” said Brad Shaw, Executive Chair and CEO, Shaw. “In today’s telecommunications industry, we recognize that companies need even greater scale to compete and make ongoing investments for future technology. This merger will provide the scale necessary for the future success and competitiveness of the wireline business that Shaw has built over the past five decades.” 

Rogers today reaffirmed the company’s merger commitments, including:

• Investing $1 billion to improve connectivity for rural, remote, and Indigenous communities and unserved remote highways in Western Canada
• Investing $2.5 billion to expand and upgrade Rogers 5G network for consumers and businesses in Western Canada
• Investing $3 billion in technology and network services in Western Canada, including modernizing and expanding fibre-powered internet
• Creating 3,000 new jobs in Western Canada to support the multi-billion-dollar investment in networks, services, and technology
• Maintaining a Western Canada headquarters in Calgary
• Expanding our low-cost Connected for Success Internet program to eligible Canadians across Western Canada
• Introducing a new low-cost Connected for Success wireless program nation-wide for eligible Canadians
• Honouring a five-year price commitment for Shaw Mobile customers

https://assets.ctfassets.net/tzb4ihmthaev/1DHYe86b2YxhmFtEKbXt4w/d9c3d38e22d8104c9aa749b23277ee82/Shaw_Company_Overview_-_January_2023_FINAL.pdf

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Huawei's 2022 revenue holds steady, profits and assets drop

Huawei reported 2022 annual revenue of CNY 642.338 billion (approx US$92.379 billion), a YoY increase of 0.9% and in-line with company forecasts.

The company remained profitable, however the reports shows a significant drop in profits, margins, cash flow, working capital and total assets compared to the past few years.

In the annual report released on Friday, Huawei's Rotating Chairman Xu Zhijun writes:

"Plum blossoms tend to grow sweeter from a harsh winter’s freeze. Today, Huawei is like a plum blossom. While it’s true that we have considerable pressure ahead of us, we have what it takes to come out the other end – with opportunities to grow, a resilient business portfolio, a unique competitive edge, the enduring trust of our customers and partners, and the courage to invest heavily in R&D. We are confident in our ability to rise above any challenge that comes our way, laying a solid foundation for sustainable survival and development."

Additional highlights from Huawei's 176-page annual report:

• Huawei’s revenue from the Chinese market amounted to CNY403,999 million in 2022.
• In 2022, Huawei's R&D spend was about CNY161.5 billion, about 25.1% of the company’s annual revenue
• By the end of 2022, Huawei’s 400G solution had been deployed by more than 60 carriers around the world.
• In China, Huawei helped carriers build more than 30 all-optical cities using the optical cross-connect (OXC) and OTN optical-electrical converged solution, improving user experience on dual-gigabit networks and meeting enterprise customers’ requirements for digital transformation.
• In China, Huawei used the ultra-broadband ultra-stable converged backbone network architecture to help carriers build the world’s largest end-to-end 400GE IP backbone network, which boasts 99.9999% reliability
• Huawei's mobile HarmonyOS has already been deployed on 330 million Huawei devices. HarmonyOS 3 was officially launched in 2022, representing a full expansion of the Super Device feature, which is now available on 12 different device types, including smartphones, tablets, PCs, HUAWEI Vision products, earphones, smart watches, and head units.

https://www.huawei.com/en/annual-report/2022

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NTT offers Microsoft Sentinel Managed Detection and Response

NTT Ltd. launched a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) security service that combines human and machine expertise with leading technologies and threat intelligence to reduce the mean time to detect and respond to cyber attacks. Using analytics, machine learning, and threat intelligence, the service hunts for suspicious activities and minimizes false positives.

The MDR service is built on Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft’s leading next-gen security information and event management (SIEM) platform, powered by AI, automation, and threat intelligence. Sentinel enables organizations to collect data at scale across all users, devices, apps, and infrastructure, both on-prem and in multicloud environments.

This latest offering represents another step forward in NTT and Microsoft’s multi-year Strategic Alliance Agreement (SCA) signed in 2020. Since then, the two companies have collaborated to build advanced solutions in public, private and edge cloud, data & AI, digital & app innovation, modern workplace, and now most recently in security.

“Organizations are typically utilizing a patchwork of security technologies that lack alignment,” said Charlie Li, Senior Executive Vice President: Managed Cloud and Infrastructure Services, NTT Ltd. “This disjointed approach has left businesses often unable to detect hard-to-find threats and lacking the necessary agility to mitigate them. Many are simply adding more security layers, increasing complexity, and generating even more logs and alerts that go untreated.”

“NTT’s MDR service helps organizations stay ahead of attackers and has a direct impact on workforce productivity and customer satisfaction through real-time and long-term threat correlation, advanced analytics, and continuous monitoring of digital transactions. It delivers a strong cyber-resilience posture, directly impacting an organization’s operational, financial, and resource resilience,” he added.

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

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Kioxia and Western Digital detail next gen 218-layer 3D Flash memory

Kioxia and Western Digital provided an updated on their next generation flash memory technology.

The 218-layer 3D flash leverages 1Tb triple-level-cell (TLC) and quad-level-cell (QLC) with four planes and features innovative lateral shrink technology to increase bit density by over 50 percent. Its high-speed NAND I/O at over 3.2Gb/s, a 60 percent improvement over the previous generation, combined with a 20 percent write performance and read latency improvement, will accelerate overall performance and usability for users.

The advancements are achieved by applying advanced scaling and wafer bonding technologies. 

Kioxia and Western Digital reduced the cost by introducing several unique processes and architectures, enabling continued lateral scaling advancements. This balance between vertical and lateral scaling produces greater capacity in a smaller die with fewer layers at an optimized cost. The companies also developed groundbreaking CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) technology, wherein each CMOS wafer and cell array wafer are manufactured separately in its optimized condition and then bonded together to deliver enhanced bit density and fast NAND I/O speed.

“The new 3D flash memory demonstrates the benefits of our strong partnership with Kioxia and our combined innovation leadership,” said Alper Ilkbahar, Senior Vice President of Technology & Strategy at Western Digital. “By working with one common R&D roadmap and continued investment in R&D, we have been able to productize this fundamental technology ahead of schedule and deliver high-performance, capital-efficient solutions.”

“Through our unique engineering partnership, we have successfully launched the eighth-generation BiCS FLASHTM with the industry's highest1 bit density,” said Masaki Momodomi, Chief Technology Officer at Kioxia Corporation. “I am pleased that Kioxia’s sample shipments for limited customers have started. By applying CBA technology and scaling innovations, we’ve advanced our portfolio of 3D flash memory technologies for use in a range of data-centric applications including smartphones, IoT devices and data centers.”

https://www.westerndigital.com/company/newsroom/press-releases/2023/2023-03-30-kioxia-and-western-digital-announce-newest-3d-flash-memory

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CommScope expands fiber production in North Carolina

CommScope announced will invest $47 million to expand its fiber optic cable production in North Carolina. 

CommScope plans to expand its two fiber-optic cable production facilities in North Carolina, one in Catawba and the other in Claremont, by adding lines of production for its HeliARC cable line.

HeliARC is a smaller and lighter-weight cable allowing for faster installation and lower cost of deployment. Its reduced size and weight also lowers shipping costs, permitting more product to move in one shipment, thereby making it a more sustainable and environmentally friendly product.

The company said the increased fiber capacity is needed for rural deployments. CommScope’s HeliARC lines are expected to support 500,000 homes per year in fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployments. 

“We are in the business of connectivity. We strive to provide superior solutions to our customers who, in turn, provide connectivity for businesses, individuals and communities. This increase in fiber-optic cable production is a great step forward for our ‘Broadband for Everyone’ program, furthering our commitment to serve the fiber optic cable market,” stated Chuck Treadway, President & CEO, CommScope. “We will produce more cost-effective and easier-to-deploy fiber-optic cable, add new jobs and simultaneously strengthen the supply chain in America. This is a trifecta we are thrilled to announce, and we are particularly pleased to share this news today in the company of Secretary Raimondo and Governor Cooper.”

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Telecom Egypt appoints a new Managing Director & CEO

Telecom Egypt named Eng. Mohamed Nasr Eldin Mohamed Ali as Managing Director and CEO, replacing Eng. Adel Hamed Ibrahim Gadallah, who will assume a new role at Egypt's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. However, Eng. Hamed will remain on Telecom Egypt’s board of directors as a non-executive member. 

Eng. Mohamed Nasr Eldin was appointed as a member of Telecom Egypt’s Board of Directors in July 2020, representing the government. He joined Telecom Egypt in 2004, eventually becoming Head of the International Cables and Networks Business Unit in 2014. During that period, Eng. Nasr Eldin undertook several initiatives that contributed to maximizing Telecom Egypt's revenues and capitalized on Egypt’s strategic position as a route for international submarine cables.

“The Board appointed Eng. Mohamed Nasr ElDin as the new Managing Director and CEO given his track record and profound ICT experience, including his previous role as Head of Telecom Egypt’s International Cables and Networks Business Unit in 2014. We are confident he is the ideal candidate to take over the helm and maintain Telecom Egypt’s leadership in various areas at the local and international levels, while continuing to drive quality and sustain customer base growth, maximizing our assets and creating value for all our stakeholders and the society at large. We wish him success in his new role. I would also like to thank former Managing Director and CEO Eng. Adel Hamed for his distinguished efforts and successful leadership of the company despite the many challenges we faced in the previous period. I wish him all the best in his new position and future endeavors.”

https://ir.te.eg/en/CorporateNews/PressRelease/175/Telecom-Egypt-announces-changes-to-board-structure-and-executive-management

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Cisco debuts 36 x 800G line card for its 8000 series routers

Cisco introduced a 36 x 800G line card with a capacity 28.8 Tbps for use in its Cisco 8000 Series Routers. The line card offers double the density of the previous generation, with support for 2x400G-FR4 and 8x100G-FR interfaces.

The high density solution is aimed at IP backbone, metro core, and data centers supporting AI/ML workloads.

The new 28.8Tbps / 36 x 800G line card is powered by Cisco Silicon One P100 chip, which is implemented in 7nm. The silicon design packs 192 x112G SerDes in single chip. It features on-chip SRAM/TCAM memory with high-capacity HBM for buffering and LPM scale. The new chip also brings advanced traffic management, load balancing, instrumentation and telemetry. Cisco is also introducing an IOS XR Path Tracing capability that provides hop-by-hop visibility of the packet’s path through the network.

“We continue to expand 800G to more use cases, from AI/ML fabrics to the core, to help our customers meet their performance and sustainability goals,” said Kevin Wollenweber, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cisco Networking, Data Center and Provider Connectivity. “With our dense core and spine solutions using new double density line cards with Cisco Silicon One, we have accelerated the transition to 800G anywhere.”

The line card could be populated with Cisco's forthcoming 800G pluggable transceivers. Because it supports industry standards, the line card could also accept third party optics conforming to MSA specs.

https://newsroom.cisco.com/c/r/newsroom/en/us/a/y2023/m03/new-cisco-800g-innovations-help-to-supercharge-the-internet-for-the-future-by-improving-networking-economics-and-sustainability-for-service-providers-and-cloud-providers.html

Cisco boosts its Routed Optical Networking solutions

Monday, June 27, 2022  Cisco, Optical  

Cisco is rolling out a number of enhancements to its Routed Optical Networking portfolio with new products and features, including a new Cisco NCS 1010 open optical line system, Bright ZR/ZR+ pluggable optics, and expansion of Cisco Crosswork Automation portfolio.   "Cisco is committed to powering an inclusive future for all, where everyone has access to quality internet, and that requires fundamental changes in networking,” said Bill Gartner,...

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Sabrina Meng takes a turn as Chair of Huawei

Sabrina Meng will assume the position of Rotating and Acting Chair of Huawei from April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023, serving as head the Board of Directors and its Executive Committee.

Meng Wanzhou has held positions including Director of the International Accounting Dept, CFO of Huawei Hong Kong, and President of the Accounting Mgmt Dept. Ms. Meng now serves as Deputy Chairwoman of the Board, and Rotating Chairwoman and CFO of Huawei.

On Friday, March 31, Huawei is expected to announce its 2022 financial results.

https://www.huawei.com/en/news/2023/3/rotating-chair-tenure

• In September 2021, after nearly 3 years of house arrest in Vancouver, Canada, pending extradition to the United States, Meng reached a settlement with U.S. Department of Justice resolving the case of alleged fraud.
• Meng is the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei.

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Windstream completes rip-n-replace of Huawei gear

Windstream confirmed that it has now removed all Huawei equipment from its network.

Windstream’s network included Huawei gear acquired as part of its 2017 purchase of EarthLink. 

The company says the prohibited equipment represented a small fraction of its routing and transportation capability.

As a federal contractor, Windstream implemented a multi-year engineering plan to remove this equipment in 2019, before the FCC made removal mandatory. By fall 2022, all Huawei equipment had been disconnected from Windstream’s network and was no longer operative.

“As an industry leader in network intelligence and infrastructure expansion, Windstream was prepared to quickly and effectively remove the impacted equipment,” said Art Nichols, Windstream’s chief technology officer. “Our multi-pronged approach included using alternate routes, replacing equipment where necessary, and leveraging the company’s winning Fast and Flexible process.”

https://www.windstream.com

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Verizon Frontline intros two connectivity nodes for first responders

Verizon Frontline introduced two new portable communications assets for delivering mission-critical communications to first responders when network connections and coverage are impacted by natural disasters or damaged infrastructure.

The first of the two new assets is the compact Verizon Rapid Response Connectivity unit, whichis designed to be deployed by one person in fewer than 15 minutes and is capable of delivering secure and reliable voice and internet service for first responders under austere conditions. The Verizon Rapid Response Connectivity Unit is C-Band-enabled (5G) and features Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite connectivity options, a cloud-managed firewall, a cloud-managed router/switch and 4G LTE network extenders capable of supporting up to 120 active users. This asset is also built on a rugged, all-terrain motorized carriage, includes a gasoline generator with an extra five-gallon fuel tank and functions at nearly any altitude, in nearly any climate.

The second new asset is Verizon Frontline’s Mobile Connectivity Agile Vehicle, a modified electric motorcycle capable of providing first responders with mission-critical communications capabilities when operating in areas that traditional vehicles and larger deployable assets can’t reach.

For example, the Mobile Connectivity Agile Vehicle is able to navigate narrow, hard-to-access trails to provide wildland firefighters deep in a forest with satellite connectivity directly on the front lines. In addition to its satellite capabilities, the Mobile Connectivity Agile Vehicle is also equipped with a cellular network extender and WiFi router to help provide public safety agencies with critical voice and data service during emergency response operations.

https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-frontline-debuts-two-newest-deployable-asset-prototypes

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FCC looks to reevaluate licenses of foreign telecom operators

The FCC is considering whether to periodically reassess the operating licenses of foreign-owned companies that provide telecommunications services in the United States. The new rules would require foreign-owned license holders to undergo a periodic review and renewal process, which would involve close consultation with our national security colleagues in the Executive Branch.

 FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the rules need to be updated to stay ahead of evolving security threats. 

“Across the board, the FCC is taking clear and decisive action to address national security risks in our communications networks,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel.  “That is why it is so important to have the agency regularly review foreign companies’ authorizations to provide telecommunications services in the United States.  If a provider poses a threat that cannot be mitigated, we will take the steps necessary to remove their access to our networks.”

In the last few years, the FCC has revoked the Section 214 operating authorities of four Chinese state-owned carriers based on recommendations from national security agencies. 

The FCC has also brought a case against a company that was required to divest unvetted Russian ownership.

https://www.fcc.gov/document/chairwoman-proposes-periodic-national-security-sec-214-reviews

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Israel's Partner Comm picks Adtran's fiber access

Partner Communications is leveraging Adtran's open, disaggregated 10Gbit/s fiber access platform.

Partner Communications is Israel’s second-largest mobile operator, and it also operates a fiber broadband network that passes nearly one million homes and connects hundreds of thousands of fiber customers. 

Adtran’s Combo PON technology enables Partner Communications to simultaneously provision a mix of GPON and XGS-PON services across the same fiber infrastructure using a single access port while maximizing the efficiency of their operations. This simplifies the migration to multigigabit services as demand increases while saving space and power.

“There is competition across our market in Israel. It’s imperative that we can offer higher internet speeds and deliver them quickly. We already see high market demand for our multigigabit service tiers. Adtran’s solution simplifies our network operations, lowering our cost to scale fiber broadband,” said Yaniv Bar-Gil, head of fiber infrastructure division at Partner Communications. “Adtran also offers a high level of customer support that we cannot find with other solution vendors. The team works hard to understand our unique challenges and helps us address them quickly so we can focus on delivering the best experience to our subscribers.”

“Like many service providers, Partner Communications needed the ability to rapidly deploy efficient FTTH technologies with open architectures to increase their service velocity while lowering operational cost. Our open and disaggregated fiber access solution creates networks with greater simplicity, sustainability and scalability,” commented Ronan Kelly, CTO of EMEA and APAC regions at Adtran. “We’re providing a highly differentiated, multi-vendor, multi-technology platform that delivers the high-speed broadband services needed to attract new subscribers, launch new services and enter new markets.”

https://www.adtran.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/20230330-partner-communications-picks-adtran-to-quickly-launch-multigigabit-fiber-broadband-services

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EnerTribe picks Tarana's fixed wireless access

EnerTribe, a Native American and woman-owned consulting firm specializing in telecommunications and infrastructure projects, has selected Tarana's next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) for broadband projects serving tribal communities across the United States. For this project, EnerTribe will assist the Round Valley Indian Tribes (RVIT) in deploying wireless infrastructure to provide improved broadband capacity and coverage in Covelo Valley, California.

EnerTribe serves as a resource for operators, value added resellers, and other organizations that provide essential services to tribal residents, governments, and enterprises. 

Tarana’s G1 platform, which was launched commercially in late 2021, is currently in use in over 210 active operator networks across 19 countries.

Tarana President, Dirk Gates, added, “We are thrilled to be partnering with EnerTribe on such significant projects. EnerTribe’s focus on providing broadband and other essential infrastructure to indigenous communities is well-aligned with our mission to enable connectivity in un- and under-served regions. We are excited about the prospects for our partnership, which will expand quality internet access to the Round Valley Indian Tribes and beyond.”

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Ribbon completes $55 Million preferred stock private placement

In a private placement financing transaction, Ribbon issued 55,000 shares of Series A preferred stock, along with warrants to purchase approximately 4.86 million shares of common stock. Each share of Series A preferred stock was sold at a price of $970 per share. 

The private placement resulted in gross proceeds of approximately $53.4 million, with participation from Ribbon's three largest stockholders - Neuberger Berman client funds, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Swarth Investments Ltd. 

Ribbon used the net proceeds, together with cash on hand and funds received from the sale of its fixed rate interest rate swap, to prepay $75 million of the principal amount outstanding on the Term Loan A under Ribbon's senior secured credit agreement. 

"We are pleased with the continued interest and support we received from both existing and new stockholders, as well as the banks included in our credit facility," said Ribbon Communications CFO Mick Lopez.  "We believe the structure of the preferred stock, coupled with the previously announced amendment to the credit facility, complements our existing senior secured credit facility in a stockholder friendly way, while preserving balance sheet flexibility going forward. With the outlook for future interest rate increases diminishing, we believe the value of our fixed rate swap has likely peaked, making this an ideal time to capture this value and effectively reduce our total outstanding debt by approximately $20 million," continued Mr. Lopez. 

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Intel updates data center silicon roadmap

AI from the cloud to the network and to the edge was the persistent theme in an investor webinar hosted by Intel and focused on the company’s Data Center and Artificial Intelligence business unit. 

The top order of business was to outline the Xeon roadmap for the next few years, its key product line in a total available market (TAM) that Intel now believes with top $110 billion over the next five years.

Xeon highlights:

Current: 4th Gen Xeon systems are now shipping with all major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs), as well as with the top 10 global cloud service providers. Intel claims its 48-core 4th Gen Xeon can deliver a 4X performance gain going head-to-head with a 48-core 4th Gen AMD Epyc CPU on a broad set of deep-learning workloads.

Q4 2023: 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Emerald Rapids is Intel’s next Performance-core (P-core) product. The CPU is already sampling to customers. Volume validation is underway.

First-half 2024: Intel Xeon Processor code-named Sierra Forest, the first Efficient-core (E-core) Xeon processor, will boast 144 cores per socket. The first CPU based on the upcoming Intel 3 process, Sierra Forest hit power-on earlier this quarter with multiple OSes booting in record time (less than a day). It’s on schedule with the first samples already out the door.

A Fast Follow: Intel Xeon Processor code-named Granite Rapids, will arrive hot on the heels of Sierra Forest in 2024. Though a specific launch date has yet to be disclosed, its time-to-market will benefit from sharing a platform with Sierra Forest. Shared IP and technology minimize development and design time. 

Some additional highlights:

• Intel invented and is leading the ecosystem in developing a new type of DIMM called Multiplexer Combined Rank (MCR) that lets can achieve speeds of 8,800 mega transfers per second, based on DDR5.
• The Habana Gaudi3 AI accelerator has taped in. Performance details haven’t been shared yet, but Habana Gaudi2 is in the environment and offering 1.8x advantage in throughput-per-watt over a comparable A100 server when running a popular computer vision workload.
• There are 15 new FPGA products scheduled to go through the production release qualification (PRQ) process this year – that’s more new product introductions than ever before in Intel’s FPGA business.
• Intel has made contributions to SYCL, an open C++-based programming model, and acquired Codeplay Software (a leader in the SYCL language and community). SYCL is now included in oneAPI so customers can program and compile across CPUs, GPUs and accelerators from multiple vendors.

“When we talk about compute demand, we often look at the TAM through the lens of CPU units. However, counting sockets does not fully reflect how silicon innovations deliver value to the market. Today, innovations are delivered in several ways, including increased CPU core density, the use of accelerators built into the silicon and the use of discrete accelerators,” stated Sandra Rivera, Intel Executive VP and GM of the Data Center and Artificial Intelligence business unit. 

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/news/four-takeaways-from-intel-investor-webinar.html

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Synopsis debuts AI-powered EDA suite for chipmakers

Synopsys launched a suite of AI-driven solutions for the design, verification, testing and manufacturing of the most advanced digital and analog chips. 

The company said its new toolset lets engineers use AI at every stage of chip design, from system architecture to design and manufacturing, and access the solutions in the cloud. 

Renesas, a leader in the automotive space, is already using Synopsys.ai to shave weeks off product development times with enhanced silicon performance and cost reduction.

The Synopsys.ai EDA suite includes AI-driven solutions:

• Digital design space optimization to achieve power, performance and area (PPA) targets, and boost productivity (used in 100 production tape-outs by January 2023).
• Analog design automation for rapid migration of analog designs across process nodes.
• Verification coverage closure and regression analysis for faster functional testing closure, higher coverage and predictive bug detection.
• Automated test generation resulting in fewer, optimized test patterns for silicon defect coverage and faster time to results.
• Manufacturing solutions to accelerate development of lithography models with high accuracy to achieve the highest yield.

"Increased complexity, engineering resource constraints and tighter delivery windows were challenges crying out for a full AI-driven EDA software stack from architectural exploration to design and manufacturing – and we've delivered it," said Shankar Krishnamoorthy, GM of Synopsys EDA Group. "With Synopsys.ai solutions, our customers' ability to search design solution spaces across multiple domains is in hyperdrive. They're finding optimal results far faster as the .ai learns run-to-run, and it's transforming their ability to meet and beat tough design and productivity targets."

https://investor.synopsys.com/news/news-details/2023/Synopsys.ai-Unveiled-as-Industrys-First-Full-Stack-AI-Driven-EDA-Suite-for-Chipmakers/default.aspx

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Cyxtera automates provisioning on its global data center platform

Cyxtera has added self-service capabilities that allow organizations to evaluate, order, and deploy services from its global data center platform.

The new capabilities enable customers to shop for and provision on-demand infrastructure, space, power, connectivity, and other services in Cyxtera’s data centers with or without an existing contract in place or the need to engage in a lengthy sales process.

“Our new self-service capabilities give customers everything they like about cloud – the ability to select and provision on-demand services quickly – with the cost predictability, performance, and control they get from running dedicated infrastructure in a data center,” said Mitch Fonseca, Cyxtera’s Chief Development Officer.

“Many organizations are reevaluating their workload placement to optimize efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and scalability,” Fonseca continued. “While public cloud is a great match for early experimentation, DevOps, and many seasonal workloads that burst up or down, it is not typically ideal for steady-state, resource-intensive enterprise workloads and can be very expensive for these use cases.”

With Cyxtera’s Digital Exchange data center network fabric and Enterprise Bare Metal offering, organizations can choose on-demand services from a variety of leading enterprise vendors, including Dell, HPE, and NVIDIA. They can also provision Cyxtera SmartCabs if they wish to use their own hardware. With either configuration, organizations can leverage Cyxtera IP Connect to instantly provision internet access.

www.cyxtera.com

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Corning opens new optical cable factory in North Carolina

Corning inaugurated its newest optical cable manufacturing campus in Hickory, North Carolina. 

Corning has manufactured optical fiber and cable in North Carolina for more than 40 years. With the opening of the Trivium campus, Corning will manufacture optical cable at two sites in Hickory and at sites in Newton and Winston-Salem. The company manufactures optical fiber in Concord and Wilmington. Charlotte is home to Corning’s Optical Communications headquarters.

The new campus is part of a series of investments by Corning totaling more than $500 million since 2020, helping to meet growing fiber and cable demand and strong customer commitments.

The company says its new manufacturing facilities will add hundreds of jobs to its existing North Carolina workforce of more than 5,000. 

"High-speed internet is critical for North Carolinians to work, learn, get health care online, and connect with one another," North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said. "Manufacturers like Corning know our strong workforce and economy make North Carolina the best place to do business, and we’re glad to partner with them to create more good paying jobs in Hickory."

“With this new manufacturing campus, we’re creating local jobs, we’re helping our workforce build important skills, we’re cultivating our next generation of talent right here in North Carolina, and we’re thrilled to continue addressing demand for the fiber and cable that are so vital to moving the world forward,” said Corning Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Wendell P. Weeks. “We appreciate the support of federal, state, local officials, and industry organizations as we come together to help connect the unconnected and to make ‘Internet for All’ a reality.”

Corning recently launched a strategic supply collaboration with NTCA to support rural network buildouts, providing NTCA members with a specially reserved supply of cable and connectivity solutions.

https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en.html

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Lockheed's Crescent Space to offer lunar communications

Crescent Space Services, a new commercial company launched by Lockheed Martin, aims to provide infrastructure-as-a-service for lunar missions.

Crescent's first product, named Parsec, is a cislunar communications and navigation network. Parsec uses a constellation of small lunar satellites that will collectively work to provide continuous connection between Earth and the people and assets in lunar orbit, as well as on the surface of the Moon. In addition to communications, Parsec will also provide critical position, timing and navigation services for lunar missions.

Crescent will own and operate the Parsec network upon launch of its first nodes in 2025. Lockheed Martin will produce and deliver the Parsec spacecraft to Crescent, drawing upon its deep expertise developing exploration missions, communications satellites, software and GPS satellites.

Crescent is led by CEO Joe Landon, who previously served as vice president of Advanced Programs Development for Lockheed Martin Space.

"Crescent is well positioned to serve the upcoming wave of lunar science and exploration missions, including NASA's crewed Artemis moon landings," said Landon. "With Lockheed Martin's investment and access to its technical capabilities and deep space experience, Crescent is set up to ensure Parsec will be ready to provide reliable and affordable communications services for our customers."

https://www.crescentspace.com

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Faroese Telecom hits 5G peak of 5.9 Gbps with Ericsson

Faroese Telecom, the incumbent operator on the Faroe Island, and Ericsson achieved 5G download peak speeds of up to 6Gbps using 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum. It is the fastest measured speed in a live network in Europe to date. 

The 5G non-standalone data speeds were achieved in an indoor deployment using Ericsson’s AIR 5322 and Baseband 6648. By aggregating 800MHz of 5G mmWave spectrum in n258 and 40 MHz of 4G FDD (frequency division duplex) spectrum a downlink speed of 5.9Gbps was measured by the smartphone when using 256QAM modulation. Moreover, an upload speed of 1.6Gbps was registered by aggregating several carriers in the uplink (UL) and selecting a TDD (time division duplex) pattern optimized for UL traffic.   

The operator plans to deploy multi-gigabit mmWave technology across all of the self-governing nation’s 18 islands in suburban and rural areas.

Faroe Islands is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. 

Jan Ziskasen, CEO of Faroese Telecom Group, says: “Our ambition is to have giga speed everywhere on the islands – in cities as well as in small villages, on roads, in tunnels, on mountaintops and even out to sea. Digital inclusion is a main pillar in our sustainability agenda thus reaching every centimeter and every person located on our 18 islands is paramount. This will bring unprecedented services to our consumers and businesses where world-class 5G gives key infrastructure for developing products and services paving the way for the future.”

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