Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Cisco: Four Billion Internet Users, 21 Billion Devices in 2018

By 2018, there will be nearly four billion global Internet users (about 52% of the world’s population), up from 2.5 billion in 2013, according to Cisco's newly updated VNI Global IP Traffic and Service Adoption Forecasts, 2013 – 2018. By that time, there will be 21 billion networked devices and connections globally, up from 12 billion in 2013.

More users, more connected devices and more usage means that global Internet Protocol (IP) traffic will increase nearly three-fold over the next five years to reach an annual run rate of 1.6 zettabytes – more than one and a half trillion gigabytes per year by 2018. Ultra HD video (4K) is a wildcard that could drive traffic even higher.

Some highlights from Cisco's VNI:

  • Video streaming and IP broadcast of the World Cup is anticipated to generate 4.3 exabytes of IP traffic, which is three times the amount of monthly IP traffic currently generated by Brazil. 
  • Globally, the average fixed broadband connection speed will increase 2.6-fold, from 16 Mbps in 2013 to 42 Mbps by 2018
  • The majority of broadband connections, estimated at 55 percent, will be faster than 10 Mbps by 2018. Average broadband speeds in Japan and South Korea will approach 100 Mbps by 2018.
  • Globally, IP video will represent 79% of all traffic by 2018, up from 66% in 2013.
  • At the end of 2013, 33% of IP traffic and 15% of consumer Internet traffic originated from non-PC devices. 
  • By 2018, 57% of IP traffic and 52% of consumer Internet traffic will originate from non-PC devices.
  • By 2018, wired networks will account for 39% of IP traffic, while Wi-Fi and mobile networks will account for 61% of IP traffic. 
  • In 2013, wired networks accounted for the majority of IP traffic at 56%, Wi-Fi accounted for 41%, and mobile or cellular networks accounted for 3% of total global IP traffic.
  • IP video will be 79 percent of all IP traffic by 2018, up from 66 percent in 2013.
  • The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region will generate the most IP traffic by 2018, with 47.6 exabytes (36 percent of the global IP traffic) per month.
  • By 2018, the highest traffic-generating countries will be the United States with 37 exabytes per month and China with 18 exabytes per month.
  • Mobile network connection speeds will increase two-fold by 2018. The average mobile network connection speed (1,387 Kbps in 2013) will exceed 2.5 megabits per second (Mbps) by 2018.
  • By 2018, 4G will be 15 percent of connections, but 51 percent of total traffic. By 2018, a 4G connection will generate 6 times more traffic on average than a non-4G connection.

"Our first Cisco Visual Networking Index nine years ago established the zettabyte as a major milestone for global IP traffic. Today, we are firmly in the ‘Zettabyte Era' and witnessing incredible innovations and shifts in the industry. The reality of the Internet of Everything (IoE), the increasing demand for network mobility, and the emergence of 4K video are among the key trends highlighted in this year's forecast that represent significant opportunities for service providers today and in the immediate future," stated Doug Webster, Vice President of Products and Solutions Marketing, Cisco.

http://blogs.cisco.com/news/cisco-visual-networking-index-vni-global-ip-traffic-and-service-adoption-forecast-update-2013-2018

Google to Acquire Skybox Imaging

Google agreed to acquire Skybox Imaging, a start-up using a new generation of micro-satellites to capture HD video imagery, in a deal valued at $500 million.

SkySat-1, the first of Skybox’s planned constellation of 24 satellites, began capturing high-resolution views late last year.  The satellite can capture up to 90-second video clips at 30 frames per second. The resolution is high enough to view objects like individual shipping containers. The company says it is capable of sub-meter native color and near-infrared imagery.

Skybox is based in Mountain View, California.

“The most revolutionary fact is that SkySat-1 was built and launched for more than an order of magnitude less cost than traditional sub-meter imaging satellites,” said Tom Ingersoll, CEO of Skybox. “This extremely high performance satellite is made possible by proprietary technologies developed by Skybox, including the integrated satellite and imaging systems designs, which enable Skybox to launch a constellation of satellites that can provide imagery timeliness, quality and dependability that was never before possible.”

http://www.skyboximaging.com/

  • Skybox has raised $91 million from Khosla Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Canaan Partners and Norwest Venture Partners.
  • SkySat-2, an identical version of SkySat-1, is scheduled to launch in 2014. More unique capabilities based on Skybox’s proprietary technologies will be announced in the near future.

Small Cell Forum Release 4 Improves HetNet Integration

The Small Cell Forum announced the launch of Release Four aimed at overcoming barriers associated with urban small cells.

Release Four covers a range of issues that may concern an operator wishing to deploy urban small cells. There is a particular focus on learnings from market leading early deployments in North America and Asia across airports, theme parks, sporting venues, subways and at street level.

Release Four identifies operators’ main barriers and looks at solutions in the different disciplines of network architecture, radio access, backhaul, deployment, regulatory and services and security. The release also reports progress on cross industry activities to strengthen the ecosystem through multivendor interoperability.

Release Four also sees updates to the location services enabled by small cells, allowing venues or businesses to track the flow of people and potentially target messages or offers through data stored on the small cell.

Small Cell Forum and partner ETSI’s ongoing roadmap of Plugfest interoperability events is shown to play a key role in both debugging vendor implementations as well as driving resolution of standards ambiguities and gaps. Within the release, current standards for multivendor HetNets are reviewed, demonstrating that whilst basic multivendor HetNets are currently possible, further X2 standardization effort would enhance their performance.  There is also an overview of the security issues for small cells, and the standards in place to address them.

"This Release is the outcome of a very fruitful collaboration between the operator and vendor communities to harness the significant potential of the urban small cell market,” said Gordon Mansfield, Chair of the Small Cell Forum.

"Today small cells are an essential part of urban networks and Release Three started to address many of the challenges and perceived barriers to deployment faced by operators and network managers," said Sue Monahan, CEO at the Small Cell Forum. "What we’re announcing today is the final piece of the puzzle and shows how small cells are already delivering capacity and coverage for operators and subscribers around the world as part of multi-faceted urban networks."

http://www.smallcellforum.org/



Sequans Targets Colibri LTE Platform at Internet of Things

Sequans Communications introduced its "Colibri" LTE chipset targeted at the Internet of Things (IoT) modules and M2M devices.

The Colibri LTE Platform comprises Sequans’ latest baseband and RF chips (SQN3221 and SQN3241), an integrated network and application CPU platform running Sequans’ carrier-proven LTE protocol stack, an IMS client, and a comprehensive software package for over-the-air device management and packet routing.

Key features:

  • 3GPP Release 10, software upgradable to Release 11
  • FDD and TDD, up to 20 MHz channels
  • Throughput up to category 4 (150 Mbps DL / 50 Mbps UL)
  • Integrated enhanced network and application CPU
  • Wafer-level packaging
  • Embedded IMS VoLTE client and digital voice interface
  • Supports Linux, Android, ChromeOS, Windows, and MAC OS
  • IoT friendly interfaces, including USB 2.0, SDIO 3.0 and high-speed UART
  • Includes Sequans AIR™ interference cancellation technology for superior cell-edge performance

“In developing Colibri, our goal was to pack it with great IoT features while making it so cost-effective that it would immediately solidify the business cases for adding LTE to numerous new M2M and IoT devices,” said Georges Karam, Sequans CEO. “I’m proud to say we’ve reached our goal and Colibri offers the best price/performance in the industry, enabling 4G LTE modules to approach 2G price points.”

Sequans expects modules based on the Colibri platform to be available from various module manufacturers beginning in Q3.

http://www.sequans.com

CommScope Partners with Hydrogenics on Indoor Fuel Cell

CommScope announced a partnership with Hydrogenics to offer an indoor, fuel cell solution that can provide back-up power in a data center.

The scalable, hydrogen fuel cell solution can provide up to 30 kilowatts (kW) of reliable, environmentally-friendly backup power to enterprise computing systems.  Commscope said multiple power racks can be installed to scale in 30kW increments and sustain a variable runtime from hours to days, based on customer requirements and hydrogen tank options. The unit has the width of a standard server cabinet.

“Space within most data centers is at a premium and this backup power solution takes up the least amount compared to a battery rack or other backup power solutions,” said Daryl Wilson, chief executive officer, Hydrogenics. “Operating expense is another growing concern for data centers and, depending on the configuration, the indoor hydrogen fuel cell solution can be a lower cost solution than traditional power solutions after just two or three years.”

CommScope said that while deployments of outdoor fuel cells are taking off, it believes this indoor fuel cell is first-to-market.

http://www.commscope.com/

Ixia Debuts 400GbE Test Platform

Ixia unveiled the world’s first proof of concept 400 Gbps Higher Speed Ethernet test solution.

The Ixia 400GbE Jumpstart Test System is a developer tool kit to help network equipment manufacturers shorten development and test time, accelerating pre-standard 400GbE networking hardware. Key features of the 400GbE Jumpstart Test System include wire rate packet generation at 400 Gbps below the minimum and above the maximum Ethernet frame sizes.

Ixia said the solution enables customers to create, test and verify the interoperability of their next Higher Speed Ethernet technologies while maximizing their 400GbE test investment.

Ixia already has completed the first 400GbE interoperability test with Ciena,.

"In an exceedingly competitive market, equipment manufacturers must deliver increasingly higher-speed networking solutions.  We’re committed to providing the solutions our customers need to develop, test and validate the networking technologies of the future,” said Errol Ginsberg, Chairman of the Board and Acting Chief Executive Officer of Ixia. “Ixia developed the world’s first 40 and 100GbE test platforms, now with 400GbE, we continue to lead the industry in creating the solutions that enable the network to work every time and everywhere.”

http://www.ixiacom.com

HP Adds Encryption Capabilities for On-Premise and Cloud Data

HP announced new encryption capabilities for data at rest, in motion or in use—across cloud, on-premises and mobile environments. The new HP Atalla solutions deliver advanced protection for data stored on-premises and in the cloud, as well as unstructured data such as confidential emails, payment information and electronic health records. Some highlights of the announcement:


  • HP Secure Encryption with HP Enterprise Secure Key Manager (ESKM) 4.0 unifies and automates encryption controls across a distributed infrastructure.  It secures and manages encryption keys without slowing server performance and also fully supports the OASIS Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP), bringing open standards to encryption key management.
  • HP Atalla Cloud Encryption reduces the complexity of encryption and key management in public, private and hybrid cloud environments with split-key encryption, a method for combining and splitting keys during the encryption process. In addition, customers can leverage integration with HP Enterprise Secure Key Manager to automatically manage and protect master keys on-premises in FIPS 140-2 Level 2 validated security appliances.
  • HP Atalla Information Protection and Control (IPC) software protects sensitive enterprise data at every stage of the data life cycle—from creation to collaboration to storage. The software uses an information-centric encryption approach that applies persistent protection to follow the data throughout its life cycle, no matter where it resides. The encryption technology is easily incorporated into business processes without adding complexity or time consuming and costly integration.

http://www.hp.com

Monday, June 9, 2014

Docker 1.0 Positioned as Standardized Container for Movable Apps

Docker 1.0 was officially released, marking an important milestone for this open platform which can be used to build, ship, and run distributed applications on various clouds. The use of a container allows the same app to run unchanged on laptops, servers, data center VMs or the cloud -- similar to the concept of shipping container for the transportation industry.

Docker enables applications to be quickly assembled from components and eliminates the friction between environments.  It consists of the Docker Engine, the de facto container standard, and Docker Hub, a new cloud-based service from Docker Inc., the start-up company behind the open source Docker project and chief sponsor of the Docker ecosystem.

Docker Inc. is now providing Long Term Support assurances for commercial users of Docker 1.0.  The company is based in San Francisco.

“We would like to thank the over 460 contributors to the project – as well as the countless partners, promoters, application publishers and meetup organizers – for helping Docker reach this important milestone,” said Solomon Hykes, CTO and founder of Docker.  “We’d also like to salute the many enterprises that ignored our statements about ‘production readiness’ and deployed Docker in prior releases. Your bravery (and unvarnished feedback) has been critical as well.”

Features of Docker Engine 1.0 include:

●       Quality: Docker is hardened and tested for enterprise production deployments;
●       Compatibility: Docker Engine now runs on all major Linux distributions, including Red Hat, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Gentoo, Suse and Arch;
●       Interfaces: Docker now comes with plug-in interfaces for execution and file system drivers;
●       Extensibility: With boot2docker, support for non-Linux operating systems Mac OS X and Windows;
●       Complete documentation: Quality documentation, updated to reflect the latest capabilities and interfaces;
●       Complete training materials (previewed today at DockerCon as the Docker University Track);
●       Availability of commercial support, including Long Term Support and Proof of Concept Support packages; and
●       Integration with Docker Hub, the other half of the Docker Platform.

Since its inception 15 months ago, the open source Docker project has seen unprecedented community growth and adoption:

●       2.75+ million downloads;
●       12,000+ stars on GitHub;
●       450+ contributors – 95 percent of whom do not work for Docker, Inc.;
●       8,500+ commits;
●       14,000+ “Dockerized” applications published on Docker Hub;
●       90+ community-established user groups in more than 30 countries;
●       6,500+ Docker related projects found on GitHub; and
●       Integration in a huge number of the key deployment, DevOps, and cloud platforms.

http://dockercon.com/
http://www.docker.com/


  • Cloud services supporting Docker include Google Cloud Platform and AWS Elastic Beanstalk. 

HP Unveils SDN App and New Data Center Switch

At its HP Discovery corporate conference this week in Las Vegas, HP is introducing its Virtual Cloud Networking SDN Application based on open-source standards, along with a new HP FlexFabric datacenter 7900 switch series.  The HP Virtual Cloud Networking SDN Application will be available in August as part of the HP Helion OpenStack. The SDN app aims to automate network service, allowing applications to be rapidly deployed to thousands of users or tenants. It support private and hybrid clouds.

HP said its new FlexFabric 7900 Modular Core Switch provides a high-performance SDN fabric that delivers a high-quality application user experience, simplified operations and lower total cost of ownership to virtualized data centers.  The HP FlexFabric data center switches integrate the virtual overlay with the physical underlay to create a unified resilient fabric that ensures network visibility, availability and rapid response time for end-users.

The new switch supports full Layer 2 and 3 features, including advanced features such as TRILL and HP Intelligent Resilient Fabric (IRF), which enable scale-out, two-tier leaf-spine architectures. It supports VXLAN, NVGRE and OpenFlow 1.3.  HP is offering a number of high-density 10GbE, 40GbE and 100GbE interfaces in a smaller footprint than a traditional modular chassis.

The company claims this implementation can accelerate workload mobility for VMware vSphere vMotion by up to 80 percent. HP FlexFabric 7900 switch series starts at $55,500 and is available now.

http://www.hp.com

Optical Internetworking Forum Begins Work on Virtual Network Services

The Optical Internetworking Forum will begin work on a specification for Virtual Network Services (VNS) that could become a main driver for deployment of SDN in Transport Networks. The aim of VNS is to slice the network and present the underlying network to the customer or application as a Virtual Network (VN).

“This work on VNS is timely as the network struggles to define SDN services for Transport Networks,” said Vishnu Shukla, of Verizon and the OIF president.  “The OIF has a history of recognizing gaps in technology through its member interaction between carriers and vendors.”

The OIF also announced approval of two implementation agreements addressing OTNv3 and ENNI (External Network-Network Interface), and completed a 100G Carrier Requirements document.

The OIF OTNv3 Amendment adds support for the latest ITU-T G.709 recommendation. The amendment’s signaling extensions to the OIF UNI and E-NNI and routingextensions to the E-NNI interfaces add support for the OTU and ODU containers, including flexible and re-sizeable ODUflex containers, 2.5G and 1.25G tributary slot granularities, single-stage and multi-stage multiplexing and hitless ODUflex resizing. This enables support for dynamically adjustable client services, e.g. Ethernet, over OTN networks.

The OIF E-NNI Recovery amendments add support for signaling protection and restoration recovery mechanisms to the OIF E-NNI. The amendment’s signaling and routing extensions enable the establishment of multiple associated connections to provide a recovery mechanism to achieve a requested service level. Supported recovery mechanisms include 1+1 protection, soft and hard rerouting and shared-mesh restoration which may be combined to provide even higher service levels.

In addition, the Forum also announced that work on specifications for the CEI-56G project is proceeding rapidly with an interim meeting called to discuss details and advance the effort. CEI-56G will define the next generation of serial electrical interfaces that will enable 400 Gbps roadmaps.

Carrier Working Group members completed a requirements document for “Intermediate Reach 100G DWDM for Metro Type Applications”. The document was created to support ongoing work in the OIF’s Physical Link Layer Working Group to produce requirements and application scenarios related to low cost, reduced power and high-density approach for next-gen 100G transmission.

http://www.oiforum.com

AT&T Adds HP Helion to Cloud Ecosystem

AT&T has added HP to its network-enabled cloud ecosystem. This enables AT&T customers to use their Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to connect to HP Helion.


AT&T NetBond is a highly secure private path between a customer's AT&T Virtual Private Network (VPN) and a cloud service provider, like HP. The service is automated through APIs. AT&T said key advantages of NetBond included network elasticity, savings of up to 60% compared to fixed connections, and 50 percent lower latency and 3x the availability when compared with the public Internet.

"Business customers want high-speed connectivity and rock-solid security protecting vital data and applications in the cloud," said Andy Geisse, CEO, AT&T Business Solutions. "With HP and other major cloud providers joining our growing NetBond ecosystem, we are leading the movement to make cloud computing more attractive for the many enterprise buyers who demand security, performance, flexibility and quality of service."

"To be successful in today's digital world, organizations must overcome the security challenges of increasingly complex IT environments," said Martin Fink, executive vice president and chief technology officer, HP. "By integrating HP Helion with AT&T NetBond, we're giving enterprises new choices to take advantage of our cloud with added confidence."

AT&T and HP expect these capabilities to be available to customers in the first quarter of 2015.

http://www.att.com/cloud
http://www.hp.com

Brazilian Operators Turn to Aptilo for Wi-Fi Offload

Aptilo is working with three operators in Brazil to enable mobile data Wi-Fi offloading and carrier Wi-Fi throughout the country.

Specifically, TIM Brasil and Oi SA, two of the largest mobile operators in Brazil, are using the Aptilo Service Management Platform (SMP) to provide a carrier Wi-Fi service with mobile data offloading. Aptilo is also enabling carrier Wi-Fi services for Linktel, which operates the largest independent network of hotspots in Brazil.

“Large-scale sporting events represent a significant opportunity for carriers to generate revenue and increase branding with Wi-Fi offloading,” said Jonas Jacobsson, VP Sales Americas, Aptilo Networks. “Brazil will be host to some of the most exciting, highly anticipated sporting events, and Aptilo will be working with operators to leverage these opportunities, manage data traffic and ensure a great Wi-Fi user experience.”

http://www.aptilo.com/mobile-data-offloading

ViaSat Acquires NetNearU for Wi-Fi Management

ViaSat has acquired NetNearU, a privately-held company that developed a technology-agnostic system for managing public Wi-Fi and other wireless Internet access networks including hotspots, enterprise, campus, and metro installations. Financial terms were not disclosed.

NetNearU TRACKOS software provides automated and real-time provisioning, authentication, billing, roaming, quality of service, advertising, network monitoring, and support. The cloud-based, white-labeled Wi-Fi software could be used by wireless carriers, cable operators, the U.S. military, and other customers.

ViaSat said this acquisition expands its ability to deliver high-speed satellite services and Internet access. The systems will be used to extend ViaSat Exede services to a growing base of subscribers for multiple markets, including commercial airlines, live events, hospitality, enterprise networking and government broadband projects.

Operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary, NetNearU will retain its Bryan/College Station, Texas location—also establishing a ViaSat presence in Texas. The transaction is expected to be accretive to ViaSat non-GAAP (pro forma) earnings for fiscal year 2015. However, ViaSat has not completed its valuation analysis and, accordingly, has not determined the impact to GAAP earnings.

"Wi-Fi is an increasingly important way to access broadband networks and cloud services," said Mark Dankberg, ViaSat chairman and CEO. "NetNearU's breadth and depth in Wi-Fi expertise gives us important new ways to deliver more value and convenience from our networks."

http://www.viasat.com

In July 2013, ViaSat was granted a Blanket License Radio Station Authorization by the FCC for Ka-band aeronautical earth stations, enabling it to deliver airborne Ka-band services over all 50 U.S. states.

The 15-year, renewable license permits operation of the ViaSat Mantarray, low-profile airborne antenna on the ViaSat Ka-band satellite fleet of ViaSat-1, WildBlue-1, and Anik-F2.

"This is the first license of its kind in the world," said Mark Dankberg, ViaSat chairman and CEO. "We're gratified to see the FCC recognizing that the advanced technical design of this equipment is compatible with the operating environment in which our other Exede services successfully operate. Now airlines, and their passengers, will have access to an unprecedented amount of bandwidth. We want to let everyone on board be connected at high speed."

ViaSat is preparing to launch its "Exede In The Air" in-flight broadband service this fall with initial availability on the U.S. fleets of JetBlue Airways and one other major airline. Approximately 400 aircraft are already under contract to receive the service.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

NTT Readies its "Lagopus" SDN SoftSwitch

NTT will be showing  "Lagopus" Open Source Software (OSS) SDN switch at this week's Interop Tokyo 2014 conference ahead of a formal unveiling next month.

Development of the Lagopus SDN software switch originates with NTT Network Innovation Laboratories, which is one of the participants in Japan's O3 Project commissioned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. A prototype SDN software switch “Lagopus” that enabled 10 Gbps forwarding was successfully developed in December 2013. NTT Software Innovation Center has contributed its "Ryu SDN Framework” controller, which supports OpenFlow 1.3 as well as other networking protocols.

NTT has also established an SDN Switch Test Center and is building an ecosystem of compatible SDN solutions.

http://www.ntt.co.jp/news2014/1406e/140606a.html

More on Lagopus:  http://lagopus.github.io/

In March 2014, Japan's "Open Innovation over Network Platforms" research and development (R&D) project, also known as the "O3 Project", announced the first milestones in its development of multi-carrier, multi-layer SDN, including the development of a database of expressions for integrating the optical layer of the network with packet layer.

The O3 project is supported by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and includes the participation of Fujitsu, Hitachi, NEC, NTT Communications and NTT.

NTT provided the following highlights of these first deliverables:

1) Unified network information database and resource allocation technology
  • To permit management of each network comprising multiple wide area networks under unified rules, an expression system for common handling of necessary information (including network configuration and communications status information) was defined, and a network information database for handling it was built. This enables easy connection between the optical network as the lower layer and an upper layer (packet transport network), as well as coordination among related devices, which enables path-setting in multiple layers.
  • Fast provision of network services was also enabled by automatic allocation of resources, including band frequency needed in the optical and packet layers, based on the network information database.

2) Technologies for common control and management of networks

  • A software technology that permits operation management and control of multiple networks was developed using the above network information database.
  • Specifically, the rapid building of a new virtual network compatible with an existing large-scale network was made possible. This was enabled by leveling the control load through virtualization of functions needed for the mutual connection between a new network and existing network. A network transfer technology, which supports gradual transfer from an existing network to a new network for their mutual connection, was also developed. Provision of optical core network resources optimal for band frequencies requested by end users was also enabled.
3) Technology for developing virtualization-compatible network devices

  • Basic technologies for SDN network devices, which can be controlled by points 1 and 2 above, were also examined.
  • SDN-compatible software transfer node: Targeted transfer performance at 100,000 flows was achieved.
  • SDN-compatible optical core node: A prototype of a function for directing packet signals to line signals transferred on optical networks and housing the signals there was produced to fulfill quality requirements, such as reduced delay of packet signals.
  • SDN-compatible packet transport node: PTN  control and driver technologies were developed. These shorten the time needed to provide more than 10 types of service quality requested from a virtual network, from the previous several months to only a few minutes.
  • SDN-compatible overlay switch: Setting of the optimal transfer path for each of the flows with different characteristics was enabled.

Andorra Telecom Builds Public Wi-Fi with Cisco

Andorra Telecom has deployed a Wi-Fi network that offers two levels of service for visitors and residents in Andorra: a free basic connection (local, commercial and tourist information about the country) and high-quality Premium Internet access .

The network uses the Cisco Service Provider (SP) Wi-Fi platform, which consists of the Cisco ASR 1000 access router, the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller and the Cisco Mobility Services Engine for capturing contextual information provided by  Cisco Aironet Access Points. Andorra Wi-Fi also includes the Cisco Connected Mobile Experience (CMX) platform with ThinkSmart which provides greater intelligence and analytical capacity (Big Data) to offer customized services based on location. Andorra Telecom is using  Cisco Prime as network management platform and with Cisco Quantum Policy Suite for session and data traffic control and for managing the micro-pages of the Premium service.

The network is currently operational in the central area of Andorra La Vella and Escaldes-Engordany, which has the highest density of visitors. In the second phase, Andorra Telecom intends to extend the Wi-Fi network service to ski resorts, shops and hotels

Andorra Telecom is the exclusive public operator on Andorran territory.

http://www.cisco.com

Huawei Tests 10Gbps Wi-Fi in 5 GHz

Huawei is testing 10Gbps version of Wi-Fi at its campus in Shenzhen. The prototype has achieved a transmission data rate of 10.53Gbps on 5GHz frequency bands by using innovative technologies such as MIMO-OFDA, intelligence spectrum allocation, interference coordination and hybrid access.. Huawei said the success of this prototype development shows a ten folds increase in spectrum efficiency is possible.  The company believes that ultrafast Wi-Fi could become commercially available from 2018.

At the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 WLAN standard plenary meeting held from May 12-15, 2014 in Hawaii, Dr. Osama Aboul Magd from Huawei was elected as the 802.11ax WLAN standard task group chair to focus on the development of the next generation 10Gbps WiFi standard planned for commercial launch in 2018.

http://pr.huawei.com/en/news/hw-341651-ict.htm#.U5RuA_mWWSo

Friday, June 6, 2014

Infonetics: Growing Market for Femtocell and Enterprise Small Cells

Worldwide femtocell and enterprise small cell equipment revenue reached $144 million in 1Q14, up 6% from 4Q13, according to a new report from Infonetics Research.

Overall, the femtocell and enterprise small cell equipment market has seen robust unit and revenue growth over the previous half-year period, and we remain optimistic that these small cell segments have sufficient market drivers and support among operators to sustain continuous year-over-year unit and revenue growth through 2018,” notes Richard Webb, directing analyst for mobile backhaul and small cells at Infonetics Research.

“4G macro network deployments are underway in many places, and operators are starting to launch 4G-based femtocells to augment mobile broadband services,” adds Webb. “Boosted by enterprise small cell adoption kicking in to help mobile operators support enterprise-specific voice and data offerings, we believe 4G femtocell and enterprise small cell revenue will climb to $2.3 billion in 2018, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 77 percent from 2013 to 2018.”

Some highlights:

  • LTE femtocells, the highest ARPU products in the market, are a driving force behind revenue growth, though W-CDMA femtocells still make up the dominant proportion of unit shipments
  • The residential segment led with 59% of femtocell revenue in 1Q14, ahead of the enterprise small cell segment
  • These are distinct markets in their own right, and Infonetics expects to see increasing specialization from vendors and operators alike
  • Integrated femtocells grew to 8% of total units in 1Q14 and are anticipated to account for about a third of unit shipments by 2018, predominantly into the residential segment
  • Femtocell/enterprise small cell equipment revenue market share leaders in 1Q14 are, in alphabetical order, Airvana, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, and ip.access

http://www.infonetics.com

Arista Rockets in IPO -- NYSE: ANET

Shares in Arista Networks rocketed upwards on their first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ANET".

Arista's IPO consisted of 5,250,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $43.00 per share, raising $225.8 million for the firm. The stock closed on Friday at $55, up nearly 28% for the day.  This gives Arista a market cap of $3.56 billion.

Arista supplies 1/10/40 and 100GbE switching systems for next generation enterprise and cloud data centers. The company combines a merchant silicon approach with a highly programmable Extensible Operating System (EOS) in a leaf/spine data center architecture to enable scalability to hundreds of thousands of nodes.

The company is based in Santa Clara, California.
http://www.aristanetworks.com

In March, Arista Networks announced two new 100GbE modules for its 7500 Series switches:

  • 7500E Series 6 port 100GbE card with support for CFP2 optics up to 40km over single mode fiber is orderable in Q2 2014 with pricing starting at $6600 per 100GbE port. 
  • 7500E Series 12 port 100GbE card is planned for availability in 2H 2014 along with a full range of QSFP-100 optics and cables.
Arista said that with 100GbE in the spine layer, customers can now achieve network virtualization using VXLAN support in the modular platforms to deploy their cloud multi-tenant networks at large scale with high bandwidth. Additionally, those deploying the Arista DANZ features within Arista EOS can now get intelligent traffic visibility on 100GbE networks by leveraging Tap Aggregation on Arista 7500E modular platforms. Arista’s Data Analysis DANZ solution is now expanded to modular chassis platforms and enables customers to connect to 100GbE spline or spine networks and to deliver tap aggregated 10GbE connections into a single 100GbE uplink to network monitoring, management and analytic tools.

“We selected the Arista 7500E platform for our data center to provide customers with true 100 Gigabit Ethernet services,” said Ihab Tarazi, Chief Technology Officer at Equinix. “Because of the open architecture and cloud interconnect protocols, including VXLAN, the programmability of Arista EOS and multi-speed mode, we are able to allocate data center resources at 10/40 or 100 gigabits in a reliable and cost-effective manner.”

Arista also noted that its 7300X Series with 10GBASE-T modules are gaining adoption among customers deploying cost-effective single tier and two tier networks.

Ciena Posts Revenue of $560 Million, up 10.3% YoY

Ciena reported revenue of $560.0 million for its fiscal second quarter ended April 30, 2014, up 10.3% from the same period in 2013.  Ciena's net loss (GAAP) was $(10.2) million, or $(0.10) per common share, which compares to a GAAP net loss of $(27.1) million, or $(0.27) per common share, for the fiscal second quarter 2013.

“As a direct result of our expanding role and reach in the industry, we delivered strong financial results in both our second quarter and first half of fiscal 2014, including continued revenue growth and increased operating leverage,” said Gary B. Smith, president and CEO, Ciena. “As the shift continues toward on-demand networking models and as we continue to diversify our business, we expect to deliver steadily improving financial performance, including performance in the second half of the year that is stronger than the first half.”

Revenue breakdown for Q2 2014 was as follows:  Converged Packet Optical 63.7%, Packet Networking 11.9%, Optical Transport 5.3%, Software/Services 19.1%.

Regionally, the U.S. market represented 57.8% of Ciena's sales in Q2.

http://www.ciena.com

Fusion-io Launches Next Gen Flash Platform

Fusion-io introduced a new flash memory platform for appliance and server applications.  The Atomic Series boasts double the capacity on the smallest available NAND footprint.  The company claims the highest transaction rate per gigabyte and up to 6.4 TB per product.

“Patience is no longer a virtue in a world where we expect information at our fingertips with ever increasing velocity,” said Fusion-io CEO and Chairman of the Board Shane Robison. “Latency is the new dial up. Our newest advancements in flash memory with the release of Atomic Series ensure that data flows seamlessly and with greater speed, efficiency and reliability by accelerating data-driven applications.”

http://www.fusionio.com/atomicseries/
http://www.fusionio.com