SES appoints Adel Al-Saleh as CEO

SES named Adel Al-Saleh as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective February 2024.

Since January 2018, Al-Saleh has been CEO at T-Systems International GmbH, the integrated IT services provider and subsidiary of telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom.

Interim SES CEO Ruy Pinto, who served as SES’s Chief Technology Officer from 2019 to 2023, will continue to lead SES through January 2024, after which Pinto will remain as a member of the executive team until June 2024 and then will assume the role of strategic advisor to the CEO.

Prior to his time with T-Systems, Al-Saleh spent nearly 20 years with IBM in multiple senior leadership roles, culminating in 2006 as Vice President and General Manager, Sales and Industries, IBM Northeast Europe Integrated Operating Team.

Al-Saleh is a citizen of the United States of America and the United Kingdom. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Boston University, and he received his Master of Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University.

Read More

Comcast moves forward with DOCSIS 4.0

Comcast will begin rolling out DOCSIS 4.0 to select neighborhoods in Colorado Springs next week and to areas of Atlanta and Philadelphia before the end of the year.

Comcast’s path to DOCSIS 4.0 leverages “Full Duplex” technology which uses the same network spectrum to  increase upstream speeds without sacrificing downstream speeds.

Symmetrical 10 Gbps service based on fiber-to-the-home technology is already available in all of Comcast’s markets, and as part of its continued network evolution and the introduction of DOCSIS 4.0, multi-gig symmetrical speeds are rolling out.

New and existing residential customers connected via DOCSIS 4.0 will have access to Comcast’s newly introduced next-generation X-Class Internet portfolio. X-Class speed tiers include X-300 Mbps, X-500 Mbps, X-1 Gbps and X-2 Gbps upload and download speeds and low lag for the ultimate live sports streaming experience on Peacock, smooth connections on work calls, and ultra-responsive gaming​.

“The ubiquity of our network, which is already accessible to tens of millions of homes, provides us with an incredible opportunity to bring multi-gigabit upload and download speeds to communities across the country with the scale and efficiency that no other provider can replicate,” said Dave Watson, President & CEO, Comcast Cable. “Our connectivity experience, powered by the Xfinity 10G Network, will allow us to deliver speeds up to 10 Gbps over our traditional network to virtually all our customers, plus even better reliability, lower latency, and the best in-home WiFi coverage. We’re entering the next phase of this industry leadership with DOCSIS 4.0 technology to introduce X-Class Internet products that will revolutionize the way our customers get online today and many years into the future.”

“The enhancements that we have been making to our network over the past few years have been foundational to creating an award-winning network architecture that is fully virtualized and capable of delivering these exciting capabilities to our customers,” said Elad Nafshi, Chief Network Officer, Comcast Cable. “This is an awesome achievement and I’m incredibly proud of the team of brilliant technologists here at Comcast who have worked relentlessly to make DOCSIS 4.0 a reality ahead of schedule.”

• In April 2021, Comcast conducted the first-ever live test of full duplex DOCSIS and later that year tested the world’s first 10G connection all the way from the network to a modem. 
• In 2022, Comcast conducted a world-first live trial and connected a business location in the Philadelphia region to its live network including a DOCSIS 4.0-enabled 10G node and multiple cable modems. 
• In February 2023, the company marked another major milestone in the nation’s largest and fastest multi-gig deployment by announcing its latest Xfinity 10G Network upgrade launched to 10 million homes and businesses.

https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/comcast-multi-gig-symmetrical-speeds-world-first-docsis-4-deployment

Read More

Preview of OCP Summit 2023

OCP Summit 2023 in San Jose will showcase the latest innovations in data center technology.

Cliff Grossner, VP Market Intelligence and Innovation from Open Compute Project, provides a preview:

- Discover the latest AI-related innovations and information, as OCP continues to focus on creating sustainable, large-scale computational infrastructures specifically tuned for AI.

- Learn about the critical projects underway, including those exploring optical networking for scalable AI clusters, chiplets for specialized computation, and strategies to create large memory pools to overcome the AI memory wall.

- Get a glimpse of the future with discussions on new cooling methods for computational infrastructures, the evolution of the open chiplet economy, and preparations for the emerging quantum opportunity.

If you can't make it to the event in person, don't worry - all sessions will be recorded and available post-summit.

https://youtu.be/URi6LnBDIdU

Read More

MEF: Industry Pivot to NaaS

MEF has just published a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) Industry Blueprint designed to help service providers develop, market, and deliver the next generation of NaaS offerings. Does this represent the biggest challenge for MEF so far? Is it a pivot point for the industry?

Kevin Vachon, COO from MEF, explains:

- The recent MEF's Global NaaS event marked a pivotal point for the industry, with MEF going big with NaaS. The event brought together various industry players to discuss the future of NaaS, providing a baseline for the industry's current state and future plans.

- MEF's value proposition lies in its years of building standards for services, delivering these to the industry, and fostering collaboration. MEF has evolved into a platform that brings the industry together to use these standards, with a changing ecosystem that now includes different players like Salesforce, ServiceNow, and blockchain companies.

- MEF has announced an Enterprise Leadership Council to bring a cross-section of the Enterprise Community to the table. This is part of a broader program to bring Enterprises into MEF, with the council helping to shape this initiative.

https://youtu.be/7Hl1bftnSfE

Check out our Enterprise series on #SASE, #SSE, #SDWAN, #ZTNA, #MCN, #NaaS at: https://ngi.fyi/sdwansaseztna23yt

Read More

HiWire Consortium to standardize CXL via Active Electrical Cables and optics

The HiWire Consortium is announcing a new effort to standardize CXL Active Electrical Cables and optics.

CXL is expected to enable servers to dramatically expand memory footprints and to share compute, memory and storage resources across rack and row scale installations at line rate. 

However, existing passive copper connectivity solutions will not scale to meet this opportunity as they are too short, too bulky and provide insufficient signal integrity for the upcoming PCIe6/CXL3.0 PAM4 64GT/s standard. 

The HiWire Consortium CXL Cabling workstream is intended to enable row-scale CXL connectivity with the simplicity and interoperability that HiWire Ethernet AECs are already known for.

“The HiWire Consortium was a key actor in standardizing the Ethernet AECs that much of the cloud runs on today,” said Don Barnetson, Vice President of Product at Credo and organizer of the HiWire Consortium. “Our new CXL workstream will bring this same innovation – enabling plug and play, low-cost, low latency interconnect that allows CXL to span to rack and row scale installations.”

“External connectivity solutions will be key to enhancing the full potential of Intel’s CXL enabled Xeon products,” said Jim Pappas, director of Technology Initiatives at Intel. “Intel is working as a member of the CXL and HiWire Consortium to support these standardization efforts.”

https://hiwire.org

Read More

Colt tests 800G with Nokia's PSE-6s Coherent Optics

Colt Technology Services completed a long-haul production network trial achieving 800G line capacity over a 1,500 Km network connecting Madrid, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal. 

The trial, which leveraged Nokia’s sixth generation super-coherent Photonic Service Engine (PSE-6s), was deployed over real-world conditions, including aerial fibre cables, as an alien wavelength, over 22 spans involving ROADMs in CDC configuration.

Rafael DeFermin, SVP Network Infrastructure, Europe Regional Business Center at Nokia, said: “With data volumes growing exponentially every year, there continues to be an increased focus by operators on the cost and power consumption per bit. But it’s not just about meeting the demands of today’s networks, it’s also about shaping the future of connectivity. Nokia’s PSE-6s solution allows operators like Colt to position themselves at the forefront of the industry and use their existing network to deliver the unmatched speed, efficiency and reliability essential for meeting both current and future evolving customer demands.”

Vivek Gaur, VP of Network Engineering at Colt, said: “This trial highlights our commitment to work with our technology partners to provide scalable and flexible high-bandwidth services across our entire optical network backbone. We are excited by the results of Nokia’s of PSE-6 super coherent optics and see their solution as an important enabler to effectively stay ahead of demand for new high-speed optical services.”

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2023/10/12/nokia-and-colt-showcase-power-of-pse-6s-coherent-optics-in-live-european-optical-network-demonstration/

Read More

SUBCO deploys Ciena GeoMesh Extreme on Oman-Australia Cable

SUBCO is deploying tye Ciena GeoMesh Extreme, powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme in the 6500 Packet-Optical Platforonce, to provide a resilient and reliable undersea corridor between Australia and Europe via the Oman Australia Cable (OAC). OAC has now increased its capacity to a maximum of 48 Tbps, helping support increased bandwidth demands.

Launched for commercial service in November 2022, OAC is a 9,800km submarine cable connecting Muscat, Oman, and Perth, Australia, with an alternate path that leads from Salalah, Oman into Europe and Africa to be ready by 2024.

“We have a long history of working with Ciena and, together, we are proud to provide our customers with an express gateway for onward capacity from Australia to Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. OAC provides the market with the most secure and diverse route to connect Europe with Asia Pacific and is important in boosting Australia’s digital resiliency,” said Lee Harper, Chief Operating Officer, SUBCO.

“Security and reliability are important to SUBCO as OAC prides itself as an alternative for moving traffic from Asia Pacific to Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, and promotes Australia’s role as a digital hub. With Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme solution, SUBCO can keep pace with proactive bandwidth requirements and reactive performance demands while guaranteeing overall network availability,” said Ivan Polizzi, Regional Managing Director, Ciena Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

https://www.ciena.com

Read More

Nokia ships 25G PON sealed fiber access node for cable operators

Nokia announced availability of its 25G PON technology on the Lightspan SF-8M sealed fiber access node for cable operators. The sealed remote Optical Line Terminal (OLT) also concurrently supports both GPON and XGS-PON. 

Based on the Nokia Quillion chipset, the Lightspan SF-8M supports eight GPON, XGS-PON, or multi-PON ports, or four 25G PON ports. It features flexible powering options including power-over-coax, AC, DC, or RFT-V. 

The Lightspan SF-8M has an IP67 rating, offers an array of installation options anywhere in the outside plant – on a strand, inside or outside a cabinet, or on a pole or wall – and supports various power options.

Mark Klimek, North America Business Center Head for Fixed Networks at Nokia, said: “Gigabit speeds are becoming the new normal, and operators are realizing that their fiber-to-the-home networks can be used for more than residential broadband. The ability to quickly deploy a remote FTTH node, and deliver GPON, 10G PON, and 25G PON based services over the same network allows operators to nimbly go after new opportunities and beat competition.”

https://www.nokia.com/networks/fixed-networks/lightspan-sf/

Read More

Arista announces 25G FPGA-powered switch

Arista Networks unveiled its next generation 7130 Series for ultra-low latency switching that accelerates 25G networking while retaining compatability with 10G. With three new 25G optimized systems, enhanced performance optics, 25G ready FPGA applications and updates to the FDK (FPGA Development Kit), Arista is addressing the needs for 25G market data distribution and High-Frequency Trading (HFT) environments.

The three new 7130 Series systems increase bandwidth and reduce link latency by 2.5x to address ever-increasing market data volumes and micro-bursts.

• 7132LB: Ultra-low latency of 150ns for L3 forwarding at 25GbE using SwitchApp.
• 7135LB: Integrated Layer 1 fabric with 10G and 25G switching with Arista MetaWatch precise timestamping and packet buffering.
• 7130B-32YD: High-density Layer 1 switch supporting 25GbE over all 256 links.

An upgraded set of Arista developed FPGA applications to enable 25G solutions include SwitchApp (L2/3 switching), MetaWatch (Precise timestamping), MultiAccess (Fast aggregation and Filtering), and MetaMux (Aggregation). Customized FPGA application development is supported through a rich set of API updates to the Arista FPGA Developer’s Kit (FDK), including a 25GbE MAC.

The 7132LB series (FPGA-only L2/3 switch) is orderable today. The Arista 7135 Series (FPGA switch with Layer 1) is planned for Q4 '23 orderability, and the Arista 7130B Series with 25G Ethernet speed will be orderable in Q1 ‘24.

https://www.arista.com/en/

Read More

Ericsson books big impairment charge for Vonage, sales drop in N. America

Ericsson will record a non-cash impairment charge of SEK 32 billion in Q3 2023 representing 50% of the total amount of goodwill and other intangible assets from its acquisition of Vonage. The company cited a significant drop in the market capitalization of Vonage’s publicly traded peers, increased interest rates and overall slowdown in Vonage’s core markets as reasons for the charge. Ericsson continues to advance its enterprise strategy, with Vonage’s network API capabilities being central to this strategy and the development of a Global Network Platform (GNP). 

Overall for Q3, Ericsson reported a 10% drop in organic sales (adjusted for comparable units and currency) driven by a 16% organic decline in Networks partly offset by 5% organic growth in Cloud Software and Services and 10% organic growth in Enterprise.

Networks organic sales were down by -60% in North America YoY, with operators reducing their capex spend and adjusting inventories. It is worth noting that Q3 last year was a record quarter in North America. The sharp decline in North America was partly offset by strong sales in India.

Cloud Software and Services continued to execute on the turnaround strategy. With an EBITA excluding restructuring charges of SEK 0.4 billion in Q3 Cloud Software and Services has now achieved break-even on a four rolling quarters basis.

Enterprise reported continued strong growth in Enterprise Wireless Solutions and a slightly positive EBITA excluding restructuring charges in the Global Communications Platform business (Vonage) in the quarter.

Full results are expected on 17-October-2023.

https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/2023/10/ericsson-announces-impairment-charge-of-sek-32-billion-and-provides-update-on-q3-earnings

Read More

Ericsson releases its 2023 Microwave Outlook report

Ericsson released its 2023 Microwave Outlook report, a technology report focusing on microwave backhaul networks, with in-depth articles on current and emerging trends.

 The 10th edition of the report highlights the potential of E-band spectrum (ranging from 71 GHz to 86 GHz) to meet the backhaul needs beyond 2030. Already deployable in 90% of the world, the report predicts a 50/50 split between fiber and microwaves by 2030. Innovations like sway compensation antennas and AI-driven automation reduce costs, enhance performance, and cut site visits by 40%, with further reductions expected. 

Additional key findings include: 

* A surge in dual polarized antenna usage (70%) with ability to achieve longer hops with specific antenna sizes

* E-band’s ability while predicting a shift towards fiber-connected sites, reaching a 50/50 split with microwave solutions by 2030 with microwaves serving areas lacking fiber in rural regions 

* How AI-driven automation reduces operational costs for managing microwave networks substantially, minimizing troubleshooting time, cutting site visits, and enhancing overall prediction and planning within microwave networks

* A 0.6 m sway compensation antenna enables 30% longer hops than a 0.3 m regular antenna, while a 0.9 m sway antenna enables 80% longer hops than a regular antenna

The report also shows the trend of a gradual increase in the share of fiber-connected installed sites vis-à-vis those connected with microwave solutions, reaching a 50/50 split by 2030. Microwave solutions will be the main connectivity option where fiber is unavailable, and the preferred solution in rural areas where fiber investments can be challenging.

Innovation is in focus with the report looking at how new antenna designs enable better use of required spectrum in dense networks, lower spectrum costs and improve performance. For example, *0.9 meter sway compensation antennas provide 80 percent longer hops than 0.3 m regular antennas. The value of other antenna innovations such as muti-band and water-repellent radomes is also highlighted.

“Predicting the future accurately requires a good understanding of the past in combination with market and technology insights. This is what makes Microwave Outlook a highly relevant report, says Mikael Öhberg, acting Head of Microwave Systems, Business Area Networks, Ericsson. “As we release the 10th edition, we are glad to see that during the past decade of its publishing, Ericsson Microwave Outlook has come to be considered the primary source of insights and trends in the wireless backhaul industry.”

Microwave Outlook is a technology report focusing on microwave backhaul networks, with in-depth articles on current and emerging trends and developments in different areas that can be of interest for communications service providers who are using, or considering the use, of microwave backhaul in their network.

Download the Microwave Outlook 2023 report

Read More

Arelion adds Vancouver PoP

Arelion  announced a new partnership with eStruxture, the largest Canadian cloud and carrier-neutral data center provider, deploying a fully diverse Point-of-Presence (PoP) at eStruxture’s VAN-2 site in the Harbour Centre Building, the largest carrier hotel in the Vancouver market. 

Arelion’s second fully diverse PoP in the Vancouver market will provide wholesale and enterprise customers with high-speed connectivity to Arelion’s global IP backbone and access to Arelion’s ecosystem of cloud, content and application providers, enabling further growth in Vancouver’s gaming, film and technology markets.

“We partnered with eStruxture because they are well-positioned to help us provide our services at scale to customers in Vancouver, enabling a new level of network quality in the market,” said Art Kazmierczak, Director of Strategic Sales & Network Development, Arelion. “eStruxture provides an optimal solution to reach the established customer ecosystem in the Harbour Centre facility, with sufficient power, physical security and connectivity that will enable us to provide affordable, low-latency services to our customers with diverse connections to our global network.”

“Our partnership with Arelion underscores our ongoing dedication to helping our customers extend their reach as their business necessitates it. We're actively expanding our carrier-neutral ecosystem to provide our customers with superior network connectivity choices. This new Point of Presence (PoP) will offer enhanced redundancy and capacity, lower latency, and enable us to effectively support our customers' sustained growth”, says Todd Coleman, President and CEO of eStruxture Data Centers.

With the addition of this PoP at eStruxture’s Harbour Centre site, Arelion provides customers in Canada with enhanced access to Arelion’s number one ranked Internet backbone, AS1299, as well as Arelion’s portfolio of leading connectivity services, including high-speed IP Transit, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), Cloud Connect, Global 40G Ethernet Virtual Circuit (VC), IPX and DDoS Mitigation services for service providers, content providers and enterprises.

https://www.arelion.com/about-us/press-releases/arelion-adds-vancouver-pop

Read More

Ekinops reports brisk growth for optical, overall Q3 revenue declines

Ekinops reported consolidated revenue of €27.8 million in Q3 2023, down -15% year-on-year. At constant exchange rates, quarterly sales declined by -13%.

"Given last year's particularly challenging comparative figures, Ekinops' third-quarter performance was penalized by the market environment, higher financing costs and large inventories at our operator customers. Our Access activity was impacted by the health of enterprises – our equipment end-users – and therefore by the economic conjuncture. On the other hand, Optical Transport maintained strong momentum, with revenue expected to top our 2023 targets, driven by sustained demand for bandwidth. We remain optimistic for the future as the Group will benefit from the rebound in Access equipment sales as the economy recovers, from the growth of Optical Transport sales which continues to outperform the market, and from Software & Services contribution to revenue," stated Didier Brédy, Chairman and CEO of Ekinops.

In addition to a very high basis for comparison (+36% growth in Q3 2022), the Group's Q3 performance was impacted by a less buoyant market environment, marked by declining demand and a macroeconomic slowdown. In this context, Access equipment sales were notably affected in France and Asia-Pacific.

Additional highlights:

• For the first nine months of 2023, consolidated revenue was €98.8 million, representing total growth of +3% vs. the same period last year, which represented a particularly high basis for comparison (+28% growth). At constant exchange rates, growth was up +4% over the period.
• The first nine months of 2023 were characterized by the brisk growth in Optical Transport, up +23%, with sales notably doubling in France since the start of the year and increasing by +19% in North America.
• Sales for Access solutions were down -10% over the period, with a -19% decline in Q3 alone (reminder: H1 2023 sales declined -5%). In addition to an unfavorable basis for comparison (+26% over nine months in 2022), this decline results from a depressed economic environment, marked by: (i) the slowdown in demand and a growing reluctance among customers to make investments; (ii) more complicated and expensive access to financing for operators; and (iii) cautious inventory management by major operators who had overstocked in response to the electronic components shortage in 2022.
• Driven by the success of network virtualization solutions and services, Software & Services posted robust Q3 growth (+44%), accounting for 20% of the Group's total quarterly revenue. As of end-September, Software & Services revenue increased by 13%, representing 15% of the Group's total revenue (vs. 14% a year earlier).
• The first nine months showed +6% growth internationally, and a -3% decline in France. International business accounted for 66% of Ekinops' total revenue, versus 64% a year earlier.
• North America reported sales of €25.0 million, up +18% Y-o-Y (+22% in USD), driven by strong demand for Optical Transport equipment. This strategic region now accounts for 26% of Group revenue over the period (vs. 22% one year prior).
• The EMEA region (Europe, excluding France, the Middle East and Africa), representing 39% of Ekinops' revenue, recorded solid growth of +11% over the first nine months, with an increase in all business lines (+7% for Access equipment and +17% for Optical Transport solutions).
• At end-September 2023, revenue for Asia-Pacific – which remains highly concentrated and reliant on just a few key accounts – was down -64% (reminder: revenue up +36% on the same period last year). Over nine months, the region accounted for 2% of Ekinops' total revenue.
• Lastly, in its domestic market, sales were down -3% Y-o-Y. In Q3, the downturn was -24% in France (reminder: +59% growth in Q3 2022), due to large inventories among key accounts for Access equipment, the main source of revenue in this market. Conversely, Optical Transport sustained its vigorous momentum with sales doubling since the beginning of the year. Ekinops generated 34% of its nine-month revenue in France.

Read More

Padtec teams with Mexico's FYCO

Padtec has entered into a partnership with FYCO, a global company specialized in technological solutions for the telecommunications sector. This partnership aims to expand the presence of the Brazilian supplier in Mexico and leverage the implementation of high-capacity communication networks, based on DWDM technology, in that country. Moreover, it will contribute to the training of professionals in the Mexican telecommunications sector, through educational projects in partnership with FYCO Learning – FYCO’s academic institution accredited by the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA).

“Padtec is a company with a proven track record and technical capacity to collaborate in this market, through the continued education of professionals and technicians in the sector”, says Edwar Juárez, Chief Operating Officer of FYCO. “We believe that training is a fundamental tool for developing skills and transforming telecommunications on our continent. Together, we hope to train more than 2,500 people in optical transmission networks in Mexico”, he adds. The executive highlights that collaboration between companies represents a fundamental component of the expansion of fiber optic networks. “With Padtec, we hope to achieve a significant presence in the country’s internet providers and operators market, which will increase the region’s transmission capacity and expand its connection to other markets”, he concludes.

“We are pleased to collaborate with FYCO due to its great experience in Mexico, which has become an increasingly attractive market for our solutions”, assesses Hernán Yepes, manager of the Padtec Colombia and the CALA North region. “FYCO is strategically located in the Mexican state of Querétaro to meet the connectivity needs of the country, where the data center industry has been gaining strength, revealing the need for high-capacity, low-latency transmission networks to reach markets such as the United States”, he concludes. In total, Padtec has lit up more than 2 thousand kilometers of optical networks in Mexico, connecting the Mexican states of Quintana Roo and Yucatán to one of the most important carriers in the region.

https://www.padtec.com/

https://www.fycotelecom.com/en/sobre-fyco

Read More

OCP and JEDEC advance chiplet design

The Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP) and JEDEC announced a collaboration to revolutionize chiplet design, manufacturing and integration.

In a significant development, the integration of OCP CDXML into JEP30 has reached a critical milestone, enabling chiplet builders to provide standardized chiplet part descriptions to their customers electronically. This advancement opens the door to automating System in Package (SiP) design and assembly using chiplets. The chiplet descriptions encompass crucial information for SiP builders, including thermal properties, physical and mechanical requirements, behavior specifications, power and signal integrity properties, testing in-package and security parameters.

The Chiplet Design Exchange (CDX), an open-source working group operating in the Open Domain-Specific Architecture (ODSA) sub-project within the Open Compute Project, comprises a team of experts from diverse fields, including EDA, system design, IC and SiP design, OSAT, IC fabrication and material supply. Their collective mission, and that of the OCP ODSA Project, revolves around nurturing a flourishing open chiplet economy. The CDX group presented a whitepaper at the IEEE 3DIC 2021 conference in October 2021, introducing standardized chiplet models designed for development and validation of 3D IC designs. While many of these models drew from established standards, a standout innovation emerged in the form of machine-readable models for electrical and mechanical properties, which have since evolved into the JEDEC JEP30 PartModels. These models form the foundation of a Chiplet Design Kit (CDK).

“The integration of JEDEC JEP30 and OCP CDXML is truly a groundbreaking endeavor, creating a unified platform that revolutionizes chiplet and electronic part integration,” said Michael Durkan, JEDEC Task Group Chair and PartModel Sponsor. He continued: “Enabling component manufacturers to create standardized digital part models that can be easily used by designers and engineers in all varieties of electronic systems will help propel the industry forward with next-level digitalization and automation.”

“By uniting the power of OCP CDXML and JEDEC JEP30 standards, we are forging a new era of collaboration and innovation in the chiplet industry. This integration empowers engineers, manufacturers and designers with a comprehensive framework that enhances efficiency, compatibility and customization,” said Cliff Grossner, Ph.D., Chief Innovation Officer with OCP. He added: “The OCP CDXML-JEDEC JEP30 collaboration embodies OCP’s value proposition and its commitment to driving progress and elevating the industry as a whole.”

https://www.opencompute.org/summit/global-summit

Read More

Nokia carries 800G single wavelength over 7865 km

Nokia announced two new world records in submarine optical transmission: 

• 800 Gbps on a single optical wavelength at a distance of 7865 km – the distance between Tokyo and Seattle. Nokia Bell Labs achieved this milestone at its optical research testbed in Paris-Saclay, France.
• a net throughput of 41 Tbps over 291 km via a C-band unrepeated transmission system. This record was achieved by both Nokia Bell Labs and Nokia subsidiary Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN).  C-band unrepeated systems are commonly used to connect islands and offshore platforms to each other and the mainland proper. The previous record for these kinds of systems is 35 Tbps over the same distance. Nokia Bell Labs and ASN broke the record at ASN’s research testbed facility, also in Paris-Saclay.

Nokia said the achievements were made possible by higher-baud-rate technologies. The research behind these two records will have significant impact on the next generation of submarine optical transmission systems. While future deployments of submarine fiber will take advantage of new fiber technologies like multimode and multicore, the existing undersea fiber networks can take advantage of next-generation higher-baud-rate transceivers to boost their performance and increase their long-term viability.  

Sylvain Almonacil, Research Engineer at Nokia Bell Labs, said: “With these higher baud rates, we can directly link most of the world’s continents with 800 Gbps of capacity over individual wavelengths. Previously, these distances were inconceivable for that capacity. Furthermore, we’re not resting on our achievement. This world record is the next step toward next-generation Terabit-per-second submarine transmissions over individual wavelengths.”

Hans Bissessur, Unrepeated Systems Group leader at ASN, said: “These research advances show that that we can achieve better performance over the existing fiber infrastructure. Whether these optical systems are crisscrossing the world or linking the islands of an archipelago, we can extend their lifespans.”

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2023/10/10/nokia-bell-labs-sets-a-new-world-record-of-800-gbps-for-transoceanic-optical-transmission/

Read More

CoreSite enables 50G between data centers and Google Cloud

CoreSite is now providing its colocation customers with the ability to create 20G and 50G virtual connections to Google Cloud and between CoreSite data centers.

These enhancements to the Open Cloud Exchange (OCX), CoreSite’s leading software-defined networking platform, also reduce the time required for organizations to augment network capacity and support the next wave of high-bandwidth, low-latency hybrid applications such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and digital media production.

CoreSite launched the new OCX capabilities as part of an initiative to support a global streaming media and entertainment (M&E) client, which will leverage the enhanced functionality to support its burst operations in peak production season – improving operational agility to meet stringent movie launch schedules.

“Businesses are looking for innovative ways to improve agility and optimize their operations,” said Juan Font, President and CEO of CoreSite, SVP of U.S. Tower. “By providing enhanced connection capabilities through our proprietary Open Cloud Exchange with Google Partner Interconnect, CoreSite is delivering the platform customers require to meet the growing need to access and manage their data effectively.”

https://www.coresite.com/newsroom/coresite-launches-enhanced-open-cloud-exchange-r-bandwidth-connections-up-to-50g-with-google-cloud

• CoreSite currently operates 28 data centers in 10 U.S. markets.

Read More

DC BLOX opens Cable Landing Station in South Carolina

DC BLOX inaugurated its Cable Landing Station (CLS) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 

The new facility will offer a design capacity at full build-out of 125,000 sq. ft. and 19 MW of power. It can host up to five subsea cables and colocation space for network and cable operators, communications providers, local enterprises, and partners.

Google has announced two subsea cables that will land at the DC BLOX Cable Landing Station including the Firmina cable connecting Myrtle Beach to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, and the Nuvem cable to connect to Portugal and Bermuda. Edge Holdings (a subsidiary of Meta) has announced that it plans to land its Anjana cable connecting to Spain.

DC BLOX is also building a dark fiber route from their Myrtle Beach Cable Landing Station to Atlanta’s communications hub, the first direct east-to-west route enabling high-capacity direct access to hundreds of communications providers and to a rapidly growing population of regional data centers. The dark fiber route also enables diversity for core fiber routes connecting Northern Virginia to Atlanta.

“South Carolina is a growing innovation hub, bringing in new economic opportunities through digital infrastructure and other technology investments,” says Lee Livingston, Director of Partnerships at Google. “We look forward to the continued partnership with our neighbors in Myrtle Beach, and are committed to making sure the Firmina and Nuvem subsea cables deliver lasting benefits to the state.”

“South Carolina is a crucial part of the U.S. and global economy, so Meta is proud to join DC BLOX in partnering with the state of South Carolina to bring this crucial connectivity project to Myrtle Beach”, notes Meta’s Boh DuPree, Director of Network Investments – Americas. “This cable landing station serves as an important investment that Meta believes will benefit millions of people, communities and businesses in South Carolina and beyond.” 

“As we embarked on this journey, we saw the opportunity to redefine what a cable landing station could be by creating a pivotal hub where companies could colocate and connect, and to fundamentally change the digital landscape of the Southeast,” remarks Jeff Uphues, CEO of DC BLOX. “The grand opening of our new facility opens up opportunities for global and regional communications providers, hyperscalers, and enterprises to more easily participate in the global economy and to leverage this infrastructure to create an AI-driven future. Together, we’re not just meeting today’s needs; we’re pioneering the infrastructure of tomorrow.”

https://www.dcblox.com/dc-blox-opens-myrtle-beach-cable-landing-station/

Read More

Nokia supplies nationwide optical backbone for du in UAE

Nokia has supplied a 400G national optical backbone network for du from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC). 

du's new optical backbone network will leverage Nokia’s fifth-generation super-coherent Photonic Service Engine (PSE-Vs) and CDC-F ROADM technology to ensure efficient delivery of 400G wavelengths throughout the UAE. The Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) feature of the new network will help du to dramatically enhance the service level agreements by enabling automatic rerouting through alternate paths. The innovative network will also enable Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) capabilities to monetize wholesale service.

Saleem Alblooshi, CTO at du, said: “Our partnership with Nokia represents a key step forward in fulfilling du's commitment to shaping 'Today for Tomorrow.' Leveraging Nokia's cutting-edge optical technology solutions is a game-changer, not just for us, but for the entire UAE. It not only enhances our subscribers' experiences but also ensures the creation of a national optical backbone that is energy-efficient, sustainable, and ready to face the future. Through this initiative, du reasserts its commitment of building ‘Today for Tomorrow’ in line with the UAE’s vision of sustainability.”

Read More

Aliro Quantum attracts investment from Accenture

Aliro Quantum, a start-up based in Boston developing entanglement-based secure quantum networks, has attracted an equity investment from Accenture. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Aliro, spun out of NarangLab at Harvard University, includes world-class experts in quantum and classical networking and is leading the charge in quantum network development by offering the foundational technologies needed for organizations around the world to build scalable and powerful distributed quantum systems.

Solutions from Aliro enable businesses to automate the orchestration and control of quantum networks for use cases including with quantum secure communications, scaling quantum computing, distributed quantum sensing, and the quantum internet. Aliro uses entanglement-based quantum cryptography to allow senders and receivers to produce shared knowledge and outcomes, while also minimizing risk of a third party maliciously gaining access.

“The speed and security of quantum networking means that its impact on everything from telecommunications to cybersecurity to research will be more transformative and impactful than anything we can dream of today,” said Tom Lounibos, managing director, Accenture Ventures. “We will continue to support Aliro as the company moves towards its mission to build the world's first scalable quantum networks.”

Dr. Prineha Narang, founder and CTO with Aliro Quantum, said "I am deeply grateful for the confidence and trust placed in our team by Accenture Ventures. We believe this additional funding reinforces the significance that quantum networking has in shaping the future of secure communications and validates our approach to designing and building scalable and commercial entanglement-based quantum networks. We are excited to collaborate with Accenture to propel our business growth, nurture partnerships, and drive innovation in quantum information science."

https://www.aliroquantum.com

Read More