Akraino Release 3 extends use cases

LF Edge announced the availability of Akraino Release 3, featuring new blueprints that focus on mobile edge computing (MEC), AI/ML, and Cloud edge.

Akraino Edge Stack delivers an open source software stack that supports a high-availability cloud stack optimized for edge computing systems and applications. Designed to improve the state of carrier edge networks, edge cloud infrastructure for enterprise edge, and over-the-top (OTT) edge, it enables flexibility  Akraino aims to scale edge cloud services quickly, maximize applications and functions supported at the edge, and to improve the reliability of systems that must be up at all times.

Akraino R3 includes 6 new blueprints for a total of 20 blueprints, all tested and validated on real hardware labs supported by users and community members -- the Akraino community has established a full-stack, automated testing with strict community standards to ensure high-quality blueprints.

The 30 "ready and proven" blueprints, include both updates and long-term support to existing R1 & R2 blueprints, and the introduction of six new blueprints:

• The AI Edge – School/Education Video Security Monitoring
• 5G MEC/Slice System– Supports Cloud Gaming, HD Video, and Live Broadcasting
• Enterprise Applications on Lightweight 5G Telco Edge (EATLEdge)
• Micro-MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) for SmartCity Use Cases
• IEC Type 3: Android Cloud Native Applications on Arm-based Servers on the Edge
• IEC Type 5: Smart NIC: Edge Hardware Acceleration

In addition, the Akraino Project community has authored the first iteration of a new white paper to bring common open edge API standards to align the industry.

"Akraino has evolved to unify edge blueprints across multiple use cases," said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, Networking, Automation, Edge and IoT, the Linux Foundation. "With a growing set of blueprints that enable more and more use cases, we are seeing the power of open source impact every aspect of the edge and how the world accesses and consumes information."

https://www.lfedge.org/projects/release-3/

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Cisco's revenue drops 9% to $12.2 billion

Cisco reported revenue of $12.2 billion, GAAP net income of $2.6 billion or $0.62 per share, and non-GAAP net income of $3.4 billion or $0.80 per share, for its fourth fiscal quarter ended July 25, 2020.

The figure represents a 9% drop in revenue compared to a year earlier, the third straight quarterly drop. Earnings per share rose 22%. Product revenue was down 13% and service revenue was flat. Revenue by geographic segment was: Americas down 12%, EMEA down 6%, and APJC down 7%. Product revenue was led by growth in Security, up 10%. Infrastructure Platforms was down 16% and Applications was down 9%.

For FY2020 Cisco's otal revenue was $49.3 billion, a decrease of 5%.

"By the end of fiscal 2020, we achieved our goal of more than half of our revenue coming from software and services, and this strategy continues to resonate with customers as they digitize their organizations. Throughout fiscal 2020, Cisco has demonstrated operational resilience based on our strong customer relationships, solid financial foundation, and differentiated innovation," said Chuck Robbins, chairman and CEO of Cisco. "As we focus on the future, we are rebalancing our R&D investments to focus on new areas so we can continue to offer customers the best, most relevant technology in simpler, more easily consumable ways."

https://investor.cisco.com/home/default.aspx

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Acacia samples 100G QSFP-DD fixed wavelength module with 120km reach

Acacia Communications has begun sampling a new 100G coherent pluggable transceiver for edge and access applications with unamplified links up to 120km.

The new QSFP-DD point-to-point (P2P), fixed wavelength, hot-pluggable module provides network operators with a coherent alternative to direct-detect solutions.

Acacia says its coherent P2P solutions are extremely tolerant to fiber types, chromatic dispersion, polarization mode dispersion (PMD), and back reflections. This simplifies installation, especially in edge and access networks because coherent technology ample optical margins to compensate for sometimes challenging fiber conditions. In addition, pluggable coherent solutions in QSFP-DD were designed to enable network scalability to ensure that data rates can scale-up by leveraging the QSFP-DD slots with 200G and 400G versions in the future.

“Acacia has a long-standing track record of driving coherent into new market applications by delivering the technology, scalability, feature set, and innovation that service providers need to maintain and grow their networks over time,” said Anuj Malik, Director of Product Management at Acacia Communications. “Leveraging our 10 years of high-performance coherent transmission expertise, we specifically designed our new 100G coherent P2P solutions to meet the needs of edge and access applications in terms of form factor, power consumption and cost, building on our technology leadership in silicon photonics and low-power DSPs.”

“Technology advancements have reached a point where coherent pluggables match the QSFP-DD form factor of grey optics, enabling a change in the way our customers build networks,” said Kevin Wollenweber, VP Product Management for Cisco’s Routing Portfolio. “100G edge and access optimized coherent pluggables will not only provide operational simplicity, but also scalability, making access networks more future proof.”

https://acacia-inc.com/

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FCC prevails in court challenge to accelerated 5G cell deployments

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit sided with the FCC in upholding the vast majority of three orders to accelerate the deployment of wireless and wireline broadband infrastructure. In the cases, local and state governments were seeking to FCC rules that streamline the installation of 5G infrastructure over the objection of local authorities.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai states: “Today’s decision is a massive victory for U.S. leadership in 5G, our nation’s economy, and American consumers.  The court rightly affirmed the FCC’s efforts to ensure that infrastructure deployment critical to 5G—a key part of our 5G FAST Plan—is not impeded by exorbitant fees imposed by state and local governments, undue delays in local permitting, and unreasonable barriers to pole access.  The wind is at our backs:  With the FCC’s infrastructure policies now ratified by the court, along with pathbreaking spectrum auctions concluded, ongoing, and to come, America is well-positioned to extend its global lead in 5G and American consumers will benefit from the next generation of wireless technologies and services."

FCC acts to streamline 5G upgrades by limiting local review

Tuesday, June 09, 2020  FCC  

The FCC is clarifying rules regarding state and local government review of modifications to existing wireless infrastructure.  The action is expected to expedite the rollout of 5G networks by limiting state and local government review of certain requests to modify wireless transmission equipment on existing structures.

Specifically, the Declaratory Ruling adopted today clarifies the Commission’s 2014 rules with regard to when the 60-day shot clock for local review begins.  The ruling also clarifies how certain aspects of proposed modifications – height increases, equipment cabinet additions, and impact on concealment elements and aesthetic conditions – affect eligibility for streamlined review under section 6409(a).  In addition, today’s action clarifies that, under the Commission’s rules on environmental and historic preservation review,  FCC applicants do not need to submit environmental assessments based only on potential impacts to historic properties when parties have entered into a memorandum of agreement to mitigate effects on those properties. 

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Samsung implements "X-Cube" 3D IC packaging in 7nm and 5nm

Samsung Electronics announced the immediate availability of its 3D IC packaging technology, eXtended-Cube (X-Cube).

"Samsung's new 3D integration technology ensures reliable through-silicon via (TSV) interconnections even at the cutting-edge EUV process nodes," said Moonsoo Kang, senior vice president of Foundry Market Strategy at Samsung Electronics. "We are committed to bringing more 3D IC innovation that can push the boundaries of semiconductors.”

The X-Cube test chip built on 7nm uses TSV technology to stack SRAM on top of a logic die, freeing up space to pack more memory into a smaller footprint. Enabled by 3D integration, the ultra-thin package design features significantly shorter signal paths between the dies for maximized data transfer speed and energy efficiency. Customers can also scale the memory bandwidth and density to their desired specifications.

Samsung X-Cube's silicon-proven design methodology and flow are available now for advanced nodes including 7nm and 5nm. Building on the initial design, Samsung plans to continue collaborating with global fabless customers to facilitate the deployment of 3D IC solutions in next-generation high-performance applications.

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Ericsson chalks up its 100th 5G commercial agreement

Ericsson announced a big 5G milestone -- its 100th commercial 5G agreement or contract with unique communications service providers. The figure includes 58 publicly announced contracts and 56 live 5G networks, spanning five continents.

The latest deal is with Telekom Slovenije.

Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson, says: “Our customers’ needs have been central to the development and evolution of Ericsson’s 5G technology across our portfolio from the very beginning. We are proud that this commitment has resulted in 100 unique communications service providers globally selecting our technology to drive their 5G success ambitions. We continue to put our customers center stage to help them deliver the benefits of 5G to their subscribers, industry, society and countries as a critical national infrastructure.”

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China Mobile tests SRv6 optimization with ZTE

ZTE completed a forwarding-plane multi-vendor interoperability test of an SRv6 header compression optimization solution in partnership with China Mobile.

The SRv6 optimization solution is an improvement and supplement to the standard SRv6 solution. It can support all SRv6 functions while reducing the size of the header by 4 times. In addition, it can effectively solve the problems such as high encapsulation overheads of 128bit SRv6 SID, low forwarding efficiency, and high hardware requirements for packet header processing, thereby significantly increasing the transport efficiency and strongly boosting the commercial deployment of the SRv6 technology.

The two companies are conducting follow-up tests and pilot trials of the G-SRv6 optimization solution in existing networks. These pilot trials should be complete by November 2020.

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Nokia offloads its Gainspeed EPON/DPoE portfolios to Vecima Networks

Nokia has sold its Gainspeed EPON/DPoE business to Vecima Networks. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Nokia said it plans to maintain an ongoing business relationship with Vecima that includes key, enabling technologies to address unified cable access opportunities. 

Nokia will retain its cable-related products and solutions including mobile, routing, transport, fiber, and fixed wireless access technology, along with network operations and customer experience-related solutions. 

Vecima Networks, which is based in Victoria, BC, Canada, provides integrated hardware and scalable software solutions for broadband access, content delivery and telematics.

The companies said Nokia’s Gainspeed cable access portfolio is well-aligned with Vecima’s Entra family, both of which address the migration to cable’s 10G platform, including DAA (Distributed Access Architecture) and 10G-EPON.

The Nokia Unified Cable Access solution, featuring the Gainspeed portfolio of products, includes a centrally controlled Distributed Access Architecture solution with unified support for Flexible MAC DAA nodes for Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial (HFC) networks and DOCSIS Provisioning of EPON (DPoE) nodes for fiber-to-the-home and business. The portfolio also includes a DAA video engine and a chassis-based EPON/DPoE solution for non-HFC network implementations.

“Our cable access solutions have played a very important role in helping to redefine next generation cable solutions and our customers' strategies for addressing evolving network demands using distributed architectures,” said Sandra Motley, President of Fixed Networks at Nokia. “However, the industry continues to go through significant shifts, and we believe the timing is right to transition our cable access business to Vecima Networks. Vecima has the focus, resources and complementary product portfolio needed to support these changes and help operators move toward a Distributed Access Architecture.”

https://vecima.com/

Nokia intros virtualized Distributed Access Architecture

Monday, October 09, 2017  Cable, Nokia  

Nokia introduced the next generation of its Unified Cable Access solution based on a Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) that gives cable operators the flexibility to deploy both R-PHY and R-MACPHY devices within the same network and easily switch from one to the other based on their network requirements and strategic direction.

The basic idea with DAA is to move cable access layer functions that are traditionally placed in the headend and hub sites to the access nodes. To date, cable operators have had to choose between two DAA approaches: R-PHY, which moves only the DOCSIS signal generation (PHY) to the access node; and R-MACPHY, which moves both the PHY and DOCSIS processing (MAC) to the access node.

Features of Nokia's new vDAA include:

• vCMTS Anywhere - Nokia has virtualized a cable modem termination system (CMTS), which includes the DOCSIS MAC, as a virtual network function (VNF). This provides the flexibility to run the vCMTS anywhere in the network: on the node, or on an off-the-shelf server in the outside plant, hub, headend or data center. 
•  Universal Node - Cable operators can convert a Gainspeed cable access node from R-PHY to R-MACHPHY, or vice versa, on the fly. This capability lets operators choose the best approach to a node for a given use case. It also enables an operator to seamlessly evolve from an R-PHY to R-MACPHY deployment.
•  Unified Control - The Gainspeed access controller can simultaneously support both R-PHY and R-MACPHY nodes, expanding its current cable and fiber unified control capabilities. This helps operators reduce costs and simplify network design by using the same controller to manage all types of Nokia access nodes deployed across HFC and fiber networks 
• Interoperability - Nokia is committed to full solution interoperability and will support any R-PHY or R-MACPHY node as part of its solution.
  

In 2016, Nokia acquired Gainspeed, a start-up specializing in DAA (Distributed Access Architecture) solutions for the cable industry via its Virtual CCAP (Converged Cable Access Platform) product line. Financial terms were not disclosed. Gainspeed's Virtual CCAP enables cable operators to increase the capacity of their existing HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coax) infrastructure and rapidly deploy new services, while simultaneously reducing space and power requirements in the headend. The solution also enables cable operators to migrate their networks to a software-driven, all-IP architecture. Gainspeed's design eliminates the physical CCAP by leveraging SDN and NFV to distribute the CCAP’s functions to other devices and locations in the network. This centralizes routing, control and management in the data center or cloud and pushes
the physical layer, DOCSIS processing and RF modulation into the node, deep within

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Nutanix Clusters now on AWS

Nutanix announced general availability of its hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) software, along with all Nutanix products and services, to bare metal Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

With this announcement, Nutanix extends the simplicity and ease of use of its software to public cloud.

Additionally, customers will be able to take advantage of the company’s full software stack on private and public cloud. This includes unstructured storage solutions Files, application orchestration solution Calm, database administration and automation solution Era, and more.

“We are excited to support an extension of a customer’s private cloud environment into AWS with the launch of Clusters on AWS. This provides customers the flexibility to get the most out of both their AWS and Nutanix environments,” said Doug Yeum, Head of Worldwide Channels and Alliances at Amazon Web Services, Inc. “Customers now have an opportunity to take advantage of Nutanix Clusters on AWS to deploy adjacent to their cloud-native applications in AWS and fast track their digital transformation.”

Key features in Nutanix Clusters include:

• Apps and Data Mobility: Nutanix Clusters provides a seamless way to move legacy apps and data to the cloud. It enables mobility without needing to re-architect apps, something that can be extremely costly and time consuming.
• Streamlined Operations with Unified Cloud Environment: Nutanix Clusters allows customers to create, manage, and orchestrate their infrastructure, as well as their applications, across private and public clouds, all through a single interface. Unlike competitive solutions that only offer siloed cloud management, Nutanix Clusters extends this to private and public cloud. This single stack removes the need for a separate team to manage each environment, or the re-skilling of teams, and also enables seamless app mobility across clouds.
• Built-In Networking Integration with AWS: Thanks to built-in integration with the AWS networking layer, Nutanix Clusters delivers benefits in terms of ease of deployment and performance. The networking integration also allows customers to use their existing AWS accounts, including unused credits, virtual private clouds, and subnets. This enables a truly unified management plane across private and public cloud, and hugely simplifies the customer experience of managing a hybrid cloud environment.
• Cloud Cost Optimization: In addition to addressing key technical and operational challenges with hybrid cloud environments, Clusters can provide significant cost savings to customers. This is achieved by removing the need for different teams to manage each cloud environment, eliminating the need for costly migrations for legacy applications, and providing a way to easily hibernate public cloud clusters with just one-click to help eliminate waste. Additionally, available portable licenses, flexible payment models, and increased visibility in cloud spend, through Xi Beam, allow businesses to optimize their cloud investments and truly choose the right cloud for each workload, without lock-in.
• Freedom of Choice: Nutanix Clusters on AWS gives customers the choice to either reuse existing on-premises hardware or AWS credits when building out a hybrid environment. In addition, customers can also choose to bring the on-premises licenses or select a pay-as-you-go or Cloud Commit models.

Nutanix Clusters on AWS is currently available to customers in 20 AWS Regions. In addition to being able to easily use their existing portable Nutanix licenses, customers will be able to choose between Cloud Commit and pay-as-you-go models. To learn more about Nutanix Clusters on AWS, its use cases, or to Test Drive it visit here or join the special announcement event.

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SiFive raises $61 million for RISC-V

SiFive, a start-up specializing in RISC-V processor IP and silicon solutions,  raised $61 million in a Series E round.

SiFive, which is based in San Mateo, California, develops a range of processor cores, accelerators, and SoC IP to create domain-specific architecture that will enable efficient, high-performance computing solutions. Recently, SiFive announced the SiFive 20G1 update for SiFive Core IP, enabling significant enhancements for performance, power, area, and features, with pre-integrated SiFive Shield, for whole SoC security, and SiFive Insight advanced trace and debug capabilities.

The latest funding round was led by SK hynix, joined by new investor Prosperity7 Ventures, with additional funding from existing investors, Sutter Hill Ventures, Western Digital Capital, Qualcomm Ventures LLC, Intel Capital, Osage University Partners, and Spark Capital.

“Global demand for storage and memory in the data center is increasing as AI-powered business intelligence and data processing growth continues”, said Youjong Kang, VP of Growth Strategy, SK hynix. “SiFive is well-positioned to grow with opportunities created from data center, enterprise, storage and networking requirements for workload-focused processor IP.”

http://www.sifive.com

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Lumentum posts quarterly sales of $368 million

Lumentum reported net revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter of 2020 was $368.1 million, with GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders of $(4.6) million, or $(0.06) per diluted share. This compares with revenue of $402.8 million in the preceding quarter and revenue of $404.6 million for the same period a year earlier.

"Strong market demand and solid execution drove better than projected results across all financial metrics in our fourth quarter, especially gross margin and EPS," said Alan Lowe, President and CEO. "We head into fiscal 2021 with demand increasingly driven by new products and technologies, strengthened market positions, and an improving financial model with accruing benefits from acquisition synergies. We became a standalone public company five years ago and since then have significantly improved our financial performance every year. While we have accomplished a lot over the past five years, I believe our future is brighter than ever."

Key new product areas for Lumentum include:

• Contentionless MxN and high-port count ROADMs to enable network capacity scaling
• PIC based components and DCO modules to enable scaling to even higher network bandwidths
• PAM4 and high-speed EMLs and DMLs to enable next generation datacenters and 5G networks
• Highly-efficient VCSEL arrays for next generation contact-less biometric authentication,
• computation photography, LiDAR, and other computer vision applications
• Ultra-fast solid-state lasers for demanding semiconductor and display manufacturing applications 

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Viavi clocks revenue of $266.6 million, down 8% year-over-year

VIAVI reported revenue of $266.6 million for its fourth fiscal quarter, ended June 27, 2020. GAAP net income was $26.7 million, or $0.12 per share. Non-GAAP net income was $40.8 million, or $0.18 per share. This compares with net revenue of $256.2 million for the preceding quarter and revenue of $289.7 million for the same period last year.

"In fiscal fourth quarter our Wireless Lab equipment business delivered a record revenue quarter driven by 5G and we also saw overall NSE demand stabilizing," said Oleg Khaykin, VIAVI's President and Chief Executive Officer.  "For the full fiscal year 2020, revenue and non-GAAP EPS grew despite the business impact from the COVID-19 pandemic in the second half. Although near-term macroeconomic uncertainty is expected, we remain positive on the secular demand drivers for increased network capacity that drive 5G Wireless and Fiber and the continued penetration and adoption of 3D Sensing technology in mobile applications."

Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA customers represented 38.8%, 27.7% and 33.5%, respectively, of total net revenue for the quarter ended June 27, 2020. Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA customers represented 36.5%, 32.4% and 31.1%, respectively, of total net revenue for the year ended June 27, 2020.

https://investor.viavisolutions.com/home/default.aspx

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Dell'Oro: Network Security and ADC market to grow at 6% CAGR

The Network Security and Data Center Appliance market, consisting of the Firewall, Content Security, Intrusion Detection System and Intrusion Prevention System (IDS and IPS), and Application Delivery Controller (ADC) markets, is forecasted to grow at 6% five-year CAGR and go from $14 B in 2019 to $19 B in 2024, according to Dell'Oro Group's newly published 5-Year Forecast report.

Some highlights:

• The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact the market both negatively and positively throughout 2020 and into the first half of 2021, assuming that an effective therapy or a vaccine is developed that allows society to restabilize.
• In aggregate, the network security market, which consists of the Firewall, Content Security, IDS, and IPS markets, will continue to experience both positive and negative factors. The negative factor of delayed spending will have a slight advantage, however, leading to flat Y/Y growth in 2020.
• Dell'Oro expects that post-pandemic, the network security market will return to the overall growth of 8% Y/Y from 2021 to 2024 and reach $17.1 B in 2024.
• The network security market will vary significantly from historical growth trends during the pandemic. The report predicts that the Content Security and Firewall market will rebound and return to nominal growth post-pandemic. However, the IPS and IDS market will not and will continue to its long decline.
• During the pandemic, the ADC market will be affected by both positive and negative factors. Overall, we anticipate that the positive factor of surge spending will keep growth in positive territory at 1% Y/Y in 2020.
• Post-pandemic, we expect that the ADC market will accelerate slightly faster than Dell'Oro predicted in its previous forecast due to the combination of positive factors ranging from market demand and vendor dynamics. The five-year CAGR forecast is 1% versus our prior forecast of flat growth.
• 
  

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Jack in the Box goes All-In on AWS

Jack in the Box, a fast-food chain with 2,200 locations across the U.S., has migrated from on-premises data centers to going all-in with AWS for its data infrastructure.

The hamburger chain and its franchise restaurant operators are now using a common operational dashboard powered by AWS to analyze sales, inventory, food safety, and labor patterns. Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server legacy databases have been migrated to Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) and Amazon Redshift for data warehousing. Jack in the Box will also use AWS' machine learning services to help its restaurants more accurately predict customer traffic and optimize service time and food costs.

"By going all-in on AWS, Jack in the Box can spend most of their time innovating versus having to navigate multiple platforms, giving the company and its restaurant franchise owners the ability to understand their customers better and anticipate their needs, while also providing the scale and flexibility to quickly respond to changing business operating conditions.”

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TEC launches 10G XGS-PON across mid-south with ADTRAN

TEC, a provider of residential and business services for rural communities in Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, is launching 10G services using ADTRAN’s Total Access 5000 (TA5000) fiber access platform.

“In recent years, we have witnessed exponential advancements and growth in the technologies surrounding broadband internet delivery to business and residential customers,” said John Cole, Director of Network Operations at TEC. “Today, we are excited to introduce 10G XGS-PON to TEC service areas. It allows TEC to serve fiber-based broadband services to residential homes and businesses at speeds up to 10G. These speeds are often used by service providers as the primary internet connections that serve thousands of customers. With XGS-PON, we now have the ability to deliver 10G to each building we connect.”

“TEC’s commitment to delivering the network its customers need is demonstrated by its decision to deliver the first 10G network that spans these rural communities,” said Mark Ogden, Regional Vice President of Sales at ADTRAN. “ADTRAN’s commitment to TEC is that we’ll continue to deliver solutions and services they need to help them build their best network today, tomorrow and into the future.”

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NETGEAR ships tri-band mesh WiFi router with LTE-A backup

NETGEAR began shipping its new "Orbi" Tri-band Mesh WiFi system with 4G LTE Advanced connection to provide an alternative when traditional wired Internet - cable, fiber or DSL - connections are limited or unavailable.

The new unit, which carries an MSRP of $400, is the industry’s first tri-band mesh system with LTE-A Cat 18 modem technology that works with a SIM card from AT&T, T-Mobile and other major 4G LTE Advanced cellular network providers.

“Today, we are living in an era defined by our ability to stay connected, as many of us are working and learning from home,” said David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home Products for NETGEAR. “We have designed the Orbi 4G LTE Router to address this demand for uninterrupted internet access with its capability to provide connectivity over both 4G LTE Advanced as well as traditional wired network connections.”

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Ciena appoints Pete Hall to head Middle East and Africa region

Ciena appointed Pete Hall as its new head of Middle East and Africa (MEA) region and subsea sales in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Previously, Hall was a key member of Orixcom’s management team, where he drove telecoms, network and cloud sales, marketing and strategy. He established Orixcom’s go-to-market strategy and the primary relationships that delivered a strong base of anchor customers, partners and hyperscalers, including Microsoft, AWS and Oracle.

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U.S. to open 3.45-3.55 GHz mid-band spectrum for 5G

The Trump administration announced that 100 megahertz of contiguous, coast-to-coast mid-band spectrum will be made available for commercial 5G deployment.

The action, which will be taken by the FCC in collaboration with the Department of Defense, targets the 3.45-3.55 GHz band.

“I commend the President and Department of Defense for today’s announcement that the 3.45-3.55 GHz band will be made available for commercial 5G deployment.  This is a key milestone in securing United States leadership in 5G.  I also would like to thank FCC staff for their work to help create a framework that will promote 5G service in this important band.  Together with the spectrum being made available for 5G in the C-band as well as the 3.5 GHz band, we are now on track to have a 530-megahertz swath of mid-band spectrum available for 5G from 3.45 to 3.98 GHz.  The FCC looks forward to moving quickly to adopt service rules for the 3.45 GHz band and then hold an auction to bring this prime mid-band spectrum to market.”

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Equinix to acquire Mumbai data centers from GPX India

Equinix agreed to acquire the India operations of GPX Global Systems for US$161 million in cash, representing a multiple of approximately 15x the projected EBITDA at full utilization.

GPX India's assets include a fiber-connected campus in Mumbai with two data centers, adding more than 1,350 cabinets, with an additional 500 cabinets at full buildout. The facilities will add more than 90,000 square feet of colocation space to Platform Equinix when fully built. GPX India offers a cloud dense environment and access to major cloud services, including Amazon Direct Connect, Google Cloud Dedicated Interconnect and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure FastConnect. GPX India operates its own cloud interconnection solution.

Equinix notes that GPX India facilities also host key internet exchanges such as Mumbai IX-DECIX, AMS-IX India, Extreme IX and Bharat IX, allowing ISPs, carriers, CDNs and large enterprises to exchange internet traffic.

"India represents the second largest internet user base in the world, with consumption expected to grow with the continued advancement of internet infrastructure, smartphone ownership and the penetration of 4G and 5G. Extending Platform Equinix to India has long been a strategic objective for Equinix and we are excited that the GPX transaction will allow us to capitalize on this market opportunity and meet the needs of our customers as they seek to expand their digital businesses," states Charles Meyers, President and CEO, Equinix.

Equinix markets

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Ciena selected for Windstream's Next-Gen Converged Optical Network

Windstream will deploy Ciena’s Waveserver 5 compact modular platform, powered by its WaveLogic 5 Extreme technology, in its National Converged Optical Network (NCON). Additionally, Windstream will be leveraging Ciena’s 6500 Reconfigurable Line System (RLS), the first reconfigurable, fully programmable and integrated C&L-band line system to access double the optical spectrum capacity. Deployment and activiation are expected to begin in Q3. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Windstream’s NCON will connect cities across its Tier 1, 2, and 3 markets to major U.S. data centers, cable landing stations, and cross-border gateways.

Ciena said its 800G platform will enable Windstream’s NCON to efficiently scale and dynamically adjust for optimal capacity on any path and avoid potential faults by automatically re-routing traffic based on available network resources. Another key capability of Windstream’s NCON will be enabled by Ciena’s Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller, which will utilize automation features and operational diagnostics to proactively identify and prevent potential connectivity issues. NCON will also take advantage of Ciena’s Liquid Spectrum predictive analytics, which will act as the brains of the network to provide real-time visibility into network efficiency.

"Windstream’s decision to partner with us again and build a world-class network that will span its entire U.S. footprint using our high-performance coherent optics and leading automation software not only demonstrates their industry leadership, but will help them deliver differentiated and innovative services while adapting to the disruptions and demands created by the digital economy," stated Jason Phipps, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, Ciena.

"Our increasingly digital world requires a differentiated network that pushes the boundaries of technology to take the connectivity experience to the next level. After extensive review in our quest to innovate and meet growing customer demands, it was clear that Ciena was the best partner to support our nationwide network transformation and ability to adapt to digital disruption. With NCON, Windstream will build an ultra-high capacity, intelligent network that will interoperate with our existing multi-vendor topology," stated Buddy Bayer, Chief Network Officer, Windstream.

https://news.windstream.com/news/news-details/2020/Windstream-Selects-Ciena-for-Next-Generation-National-Converged-Optical-Network/default.aspx

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