Verizon expands 5G Edge with AWS Wavelength in Atlanta, NY, DC

 Verizon has added AWS Wavelength capabilities in three new locations: Atlanta, New York and Washington, DC. Verizon and AWS launched the mobile edge computing (MEC) platform last month in Boston and the Bay Area and plan to add five more cities by year end.

The AWS Wavelength service targets latency-sensitive use cases like machine learning inference at the edge, autonomous industrial equipment, smart cars and cities, Internet of Things (IoT), and augmented and virtual reality. The idea is to position AWS compute and storage services at the edge of Verizon’s 5G network.

The companies said that by moving AWS compute and storage services to the edge of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, innovators can develop applications with ultra-low latencies that will support next generation use cases ranging from self-driving cars to autonomous industrial equipment. Three examples:

• Zixi’s Software-Defined Video Platform (SDVP) enables live broadcast-quality video delivery over any IP network. The company’s currently testing how a major broadcaster’s 4K live broadcast feed can be delivered over 5G using AWS Wavelength. The end game is to test how content providers can distribute live streams across broadcast media workflows with super-low latency without the need for satellites.
• YBVR is building a next-generation VR video platform and is testing how they can utilize 5G and Wavelength to stream live 8K Ultra HD (UHD) video to sports fans and concert goers, allowing simultaneous users to choose various camera views with ultra-low latency.
• CrowdVision is testing how 5G and AWS Wavelength can provide the throughput and low latency needed to help detect pedestrian movements using video or LiDAR and artificial intelligence to provide live data about everything from crowd congestion to traffic flows, queues and wait times in venues like airports and arenas.

“Watching businesses build transformational applications on the world’s first 5G mobile edge computing platform with AWS Wavelength shows how our 5G Ultra Wideband network matters to customers TODAY and is already impacting how businesses operate and consumers live, work and play,” said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business. “When it comes to innovating on 5G and MEC, we’re only scratching the surface.”

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Microsoft intros Azure Orbital - Ground-station-as-a-Service

 Microsoft unveiled Azure Orbital, a new ground station service that enables satellite operators to communicate to and control their satellites, process data, and scale operations directly with Microsoft Azure. 

In addition to bringing better cloud connectivity to remote locations, Microsoft believes the new service will be especially useful for  meteorology, oceanography, agriculture, geology, and defense and intelligence communities who most often use satellites that are in a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO), including low-earth orbit (LEO) or medium-earth orbit (MEO). This is because a substantial amount of ground stations are required to establish contact with orbiting satellites within a specific time window to downlink the data to Earth.

Azure Orbital will figure out the ground station connectivity and then on-ramp satellite-collected data directly into Azure. 

The initial service is now in testing.

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/introducing-azure-orbital-process-satellite-data-at-cloudscale/

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SES signs on as MEO satellite partner for Microsoft Azure Orbital

 SES signed a multi-year agreement with Microsoft to be an Azure Orbital partner as well as to accelerate and expand the use of Microsoft Azure across its operations and jointly develop cloud-based video and data connectivity managed services.

Under the arrangement, SES will be co-locating and managing O3b mPOWER gateways with Microsoft Azure locations so its customers are always only “one-hop” away from their Azure cloud services anywhere in the world. More specifically, SES will be the medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite partner for Microsoft Azure Orbital. The two companies also agreed to make joint investments in Azure Orbital ground stations for the MEO and Earth Observation segments that SES will deploy and manage based on its industry expertise, with the first Earth Observation gateway being located at Quincy, Western Australia.

The Microsoft partnership is expected to bring improved network performance for SES customers as they route over Microsoft’s global network and inject value-added, cloud-based managed services such as enhanced security, SD-WAN, and other network functions into the service chain.

Additionally, to support customers migrating to the cloud, SES has established a corporate cloud cross-functional team responsible for driving cloud adoption within its own enterprise and operations, and defining, developing and launching seamless cloud, content and connectivity solutions across all of the company’s key market segments. These cloud-based solutions will enable SES customers to enjoy the agility, flexibility and cost-optimisation they require in capitalising on new revenue opportunities. Under the corporate cloud initiative, SES is also moving its IT systems and operations to cloud-based automated services and applications.

“With the breadth and scope of Azure’s global platform and capabilities, Microsoft emerges as an ideal partner in our accelerated transformation into a cloud-first enterprise delivering cloud-based video and data managed services,” said JP Hemingway, CEO of SES Networks who leads SES’s corporate cloud initiative. “We believe our customers – from dense urban areas to remote and rural locations around the world – will be best served by a ‘new space’ ecosystem that enables them to be more agile, scale flexibly and seize new revenue opportunities.”

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Arm expands its Neoverse data center server CPU porfolio

Arm is unveiling two new platforms in its Neoverse silicon portfolio for data centers CPUs: 

• the Arm Neoverse V1 platform, delivering a single-threaded performance uplift of more than 50% over N1 and aimed at applications more reliant on CPU performance and bandwidth. Neoverse V1 supports Scalable Vector Extensions (SVE), which enables execution of single-instruction multiple dispatch (SIMD) integer, bfloat16, or floating-point instructions on wider vector units using a software programming model that’s agnostic to the width of the unit. Arm says SVE will ensure portability and longevity of the software code, along with efficient execution. Potential markets include high-performance cloud, HPC, and machine learning.
• the Neoverse N2, which is the second-generation N-series platform, and aimed at the scale-out performance needs of applications across a range of use cases, from cloud to SmartNICs and enterprise networking, to power-constrained edge devices.  Neoverse N2 offers 40% higher single-threaded performance, compared to Neoverse N1, and retains the same level of power and area efficiency as Neoverse N1.

Arm's Neoverse roadmap now extends from 7nm devices currently in production, to 5nm designs in 2021 and 3nm in 2022.

Arm cited growing momentum for its Neoverse silicon across a range of data center applications. Operating systems and hypervisors, Xen, KVM, Docker containers, and, increasingly, Kubernetes have all announced support for Arm. 

http://www.arm.com

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NETGEAR's latest DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems deliver 2.5 Gbps

NETGEAR released its next generation of high-speed DOCSIS 3.1 cable modems capable of delivering 2.5 Gbps performance.

Nighthawk CM2000 and CM2050v 2.5 Gbps modems feature:

• 2.5x internet speeds–– The next generation DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem with 2.5 gigabit ethernet port support up to 2.5x faster speeds than the first generation DOCSIS 3.1 modem.
• Multi-gig internet speed system–– Experience a new generation of cable modems that deliver up to 2.5 Gbps Multi-Gigabit Internet.
• Latest DOCSIS 3.1 technology— Join the new generation of cable modem with built in DOCSIS 3.1 modem. Experience the world’s fastest cable Internet download speed and up to 10X faster than DOCSIS 3.0ii.
• Backward compatible–– Fully backwards compatible to 32x8 channel bonding in DOCSIS 3.0 mode.
• Power savings–– Energy efficient to reduce cable modem power usage.
• Save money–– Save up to $168 per year by eliminating monthly cable modem rental fees.
• Multi-gig WiFi router support––Works best with routers with 2.5Gbps WAN Port, such as: Orbi WiFi 6 Mesh systems (RBk852, RBK853), Nighthawk RAX120 or the Nighthawk RAX200 WiFi 6 routers
• The Nighthawk CM2050V 2.5Gbps Internet Speed Cable Telephony Modem is certified for easy set up with Comcast Xfinity Voice Plan and includes two telephone.

“At NETGEAR we are continually pushing forward with innovation to provide the latest technology for the greatest advancement in performance when it comes to one’s network connection,” said David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home Products for NETGEAR. “With these two new modems, the CM2000 and the CM2050v, we are now offering the capability to bring multi-gig internet into the home over cable.”

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AT&T and Microsoft target global IoT

 AT&T is working with Microsoft to deliver an integrated IoT solution with Azure Sphere. The companies will offer an AT&T powered "Guardian" device with Azure Sphere along with an AT&T global SIM that enables connectivity in more than 200 countries across 500 carriers. The solution enables enterprises to easily connect existing equipment to the cloud and to Azure IoT Central. Customers can connect their devices and machines to their own cloud environment without the need to connect to a Wi-Fi through a third party network connection that may not meet their high security standards.

“Our work with AT&T is a prime example of how the convergence of secure cloud computing and network technology helps businesses unlock new customer value and continuously simplify every aspect of our personal and professional lives,” said Corey Sanders, corporate vice president, Microsoft Solutions.

“AT&T and Microsoft share the belief that technology should serve people,” added Mo Katibeh, executive vice president and chief product and platform officer, AT&T Business. “Working with Microsoft we can offer a truly global solution with strong security and data insights that can help a broad array of industries simplify operations, manage costs, and become more agile in any market.”

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CityWest upgrades fiber infrastructure in British Columbia with Fujitsu

CityWest will upgrade its fiber optic network across western British Columbia using Fujitsu Network Communications' 1FINITY platform and Virtuora Network Control solution.

CityWest selected Fujitsu 1FINITY T300 Transport and L100 Lambda blades, along with the Virtuora Network Controller (NC), significantly increasing bandwidth and performance, as well as network efficiency. The compact modular 1FINITY T300 enables speeds up to 200G in a small footprint, helping to reduce power consumption and space constraints. In addition, the centralized provisioning and management capabilities of Virtuora NC allow CityWest to improve network automation, thereby reducing operational expenses.

CityWest is deploying the 1FINITY blades in a ring configuration, building in network redundancy to help protect against any point of failure and avoid lengthy mean time to repair (MTTR), ensuring the best possible customer service across a wide geographic region.

“At CityWest we remain true to our vision to deliver a superior customer experience, investing in 100G technology that will allow us to meet subscriber bandwidth needs well into the future,” said Donovan Dias, vice president, sales and project management, CityWest. “We opted to work with Fujitsu because performance, efficiency and network redundancy are all critical to our capability to deliver exceptional telecommunications and entertainment services to the consumers and businesses we serve, connecting our local communities to the world.”

“We are pleased to work with CityWest to advance innovation that allows delivery of enhanced speed and connectivity across the province, today and tomorrow,” said Annie Bogue, head of sales and marketing, Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. “With the unrivaled flexibility, scalability and efficiency of the 1FINITY platform, CityWest can grow at their own pace with the latest technology in a disaggregated architecture.”

https://www.fujitsu.com/us/about/resources/news/press-releases/2020/fnc-20200922.html

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Intel appoints Saf Yeboah-Amankwah as Chief Strategy Officer

 Intel appointed Safroadu (Saf) Yeboah-Amankwah as senior vice president and chief strategy officer, where he will be responsible for the global strategy office, including Intel Capital, and will work with the executive team on developing and driving growth-oriented strategies. Yeboah-Amankwah will report to CEO Bob Swan.

Yeboah-Amankwah joins Intel from McKinsey & Company, where he was most recently a senior partner and global head of the Transformation Practice for the Telecom, Media and Technology (TMT) practice, based in Washington, D.C. He is also the global lead of Client Capabilities for the TMT practice. Previously he served as managing partner for South Africa and head of McKinsey’s TMT and Digital practice for Africa, among other roles.

Yeboah-Amankwah received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a former board member of the United Negro College Fund.

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Netcracker advances Turkcell's OSS transformation project

Turkcell completed the next phase of its OSS transformation as part of an ongoing engagement leveraging Netcracker’s Digital OSS solutions. This most recent phase encompasses several new enhancements, such as network inventory management, migration of network resources for residential customer services from legacy inventory management systems as well as auto-discovery and reconciliation. It also includes the creation of a joint delivery team to implement change requests based on network improvement and growth using Agile methodology.

Previously, Netcracker worked with Turkcell to deploy IP/MPLS networks, broadband aggregation networks and GPONs across physical and service layers while enabling FTTB (fiber-to-the-building) network deployment and CRM integration.

“Both our business operations and the end customer will greatly benefit from the latest deployment phase,” said Kerem Kiziltunc, Director at Turkcell. “Our investments in a new user interface and streamlined service fulfillment process will allow us to decommission legacy systems faster. This also expands on our long-standing alliance with Netcracker, which gives Turkcell consolidated management of our network and provides us with the tools to be successful as we go down the path of advanced mobile networks and new digital services.”

“Turkcell is a pioneer in the mobile space, and we are honored to play a critical part in their move towards 5G and the advanced services it will enable,” said Yaniv Zilberman, Vice President of Sales, Europe, at Netcracker. “We value our ongoing partnership with Turkcell and look forward to their continued success.”

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Amazon Sidewalk envisions a shared network for neighborhoods

 Amazon is advancing its plans for Sidewalk, a crowd-sourced network of consumer devices to be operated by Amazon at no charge to customers. The idea is to leverage the connectivity of devices throughout a neighborhood to help simplify new device setup, extend the low-bandwidth working range of devices, and help devices stay online even if they are outside the range of their home WiFi.

Amazon envisions that its network of Sidewalk-enabled devices could help its device users to find lost pets or valuables, to enable smart security and lighting, or to provide diagnostics for appliances and tools that lose their primary connectivity. Other applications for Sidewalk could include sensors for tracking packages, lost/stolen items, smart irrigation, etc 

The Amazon Sidewalk network will be enabled by customers with a Sidewalk Bridge, which is a capability that Amazon has already built into many existing Echo devices, Ring Floodlight Cams and Ring Spotlight Cams. The owners of these devices will be asked to contribute a small portion of their Internet bandwidth.  Amazon will then pool together this connectivity to create a shared network that benefits all Sidewalk-enabled devices in a community. Information traveling over the Sidewalk network will be encrypted. Amazon also promises to cap the maximum bandwidth used by a Sidewalk bridge owner.

Amazon Sidewalk uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), the 900 MHz spectrum and other frequencies to extend coverage.

Semtech confirmed that it is working with Amazon to bring its long-range, low power LoRa platform to the Sidewalk network.

Amazon is also working with Nordic Semiconductor, Silicon Labs and Texas Instruments to enable chip sets that will power new devices.

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Sidewalk/b/?node=21328123011

https://www.semtech.com/lora

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Australia's NBN turns its attention to premium business services

Australia's NBN Co announced plans to invest up to A$700 million in a multi-faceted package of initiatives over the next three years to support business innovation, productivity and growth.

NBN Co said its goal is to significantly expand the national reach for Internet retailers to offer solutions based on wholesale business nbn Enterprise Ethernet services, increasing choice and availability for businesses across the country. 

• The creation of up to 240 nbn Business Fibre Zones across Australia, including a presence in 85 regional centres. All businesses within these zones will have access to Enterprise Ethernet, at significantly reduced wholesale prices. In total, these zones are expected to cover more than 700,000 business premises. nbn is disclosing the locations of the first 130 nbn Business Fibre Zones, including 61 in regional locations such as Bunbury, Mount Gambier, Devonport, Shepparton, Port Macquarie and Rockhampton. 
• Businesses in nbn Business Fibre Zones will see Enterprise Ethernet pricing reduced, some by up to 67 percent, giving thousands of regional businesses access to the same support as businesses in capital city centres, at the same wholesale price. Enterprise Ethernet is NBN Co’s fastest symmetrical wholesale product and premium-grade business offering. It has options for prioritised traffic, high capacity and symmetrical upload and download wholesale speeds from 10Mbps to close to 1Gbps, as well as enhanced 24/7 support through the business nbn Operations Centre with a dedicated team located in Australia. 
• NBN Co has allocated $50 million over three years to work with local councils and state and territory governments to identify opportunities to extend business-grade services outside designated nbn™ Business Fibre Zones.
• When an Internet retailer places an order for Enterprise Ethernet, for an estimated 90 per cent of business premises in the national nbn network footprint, NBN Co will not charge the retailer for building the fibre. Plus, if an Internet retailer signs up for a three-year Enterprise Ethernet plan, NBN Co will not charge the retailer an up-front connection cost.

"Having helped level the playing field for residential internet services with the rollout of the nbn™ network, we are now turning our attention to accessibility for our premium-grade business services, helping businesses in regional areas access the benefits of competition, enhanced broadband support services, and better wholesale nbn prices for the digital services they need to succeed," stated NBN Co Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Rue.

https://www.nbnco.com.au/corporate-information/media-centre/media-statements/business-fibre-initiative

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Windstream cuts debt by over $4 billion in Chapter 11

 Windstream Holdings emerged from Chapter 11 restructuring as a privately held company, having reduced its debt by more than $4 billion, or approximately two-thirds, and gaining access to approximately $2 billion in new capital. 

Windstream unveiled a new corporate logo and announced its commitment to three lines of business:

• Windstream Enterprise: Windstream’s nationwide, cloud-optimized network and award-winning software solutions – such as SD-WAN, UCaaS and OfficeSuite UC – help businesses across the U.S. manage today’s most complex IT and networking challenges through an industry-leading customer portal, WE Connect.
• Kinetic by Windstream: residential broadband with speeds up to 1 Gig, extensive TV & entertainment options, home network security, optimal Wi-Fi control and reliable voice services through a fiber-based network and 5G fixed wireless service. Small and midsize businesses can choose from cloud-based collaboration and communication tools along with wireless internet backup.
• Windstream Wholesale: nationwide optical transmission, providing flexible and customized high-capacity bandwidth and transport services to content and media providers, cloud and data center operators, international carriers, cable operators, wireless carriers, traditional network service providers, etc.

“Today marks the start of a new era for Windstream as an even stronger, more competitive company,” said Tony Thomas, president and chief executive officer of Windstream. “With the completion of our financial restructuring, we now have an enhanced balance sheet and a robust capital investment program to expand 1 Gig Internet service in rural America and maintain our product and software leadership in SD-WAN and UCaaS for enterprise customers. We are also pleased to continue our strategic partnership with Uniti Group and expand our mutually beneficial relationship. With the support of our new owners and current operational momentum, Windstream will continue advancing our long-term growth objectives while providing our customers with quality and reliable services.”

Mr. Thomas continued, “I would like to thank our customers, vendors and business partners for their ongoing support throughout this process. I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Windstream team for their dedication to our customers and continued commitment to delivering essential telecommunications services during this unprecedented healthcare crisis.”

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HPE completes acquisition of Silver Peak

 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) completed its previously-announced acquisition of Silver Peak. The deal was valued at $925 million. Silver Peak will become a part of Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. 

HPE said the acquisition will strengthen Aruba ESP (Edge Services Platform), helping to advance enterprise cloud transformation with a comprehensive edge-to-cloud networking solution covering all aspects of wired, wireless local area networking (LAN) and wide area networking (WAN).

“WAN transformation is a key component of HPE’s Intelligent Edge and edge-to-cloud vision and growth strategy,” said Antonio Neri, president and CEO of HPE. “Armed with a comprehensive SD-WAN portfolio with the addition of Silver Peak, we will accelerate the delivery of a true distributed cloud model and cloud experience for all apps and data wherever they live.”

“I am very excited to welcome the Silver Peak team to the Aruba family,” said Keerti Melkote, president of Intelligent Edge for Hewlett Packard Enterprise and founder of Aruba Networks. “With the evolving nature of the hybrid workplace, enterprises are looking to extend connectivity to branch locations and enable secure work-from-home experiences. By combining Silver Peak’s advanced SD-WAN technology with Aruba’s SD-Branch and remote worker solutions, customers can simplify branch office and WAN deployments to empower remote workforces, enable cloud-connected distributed enterprises, and transform business operations without compromise.”

As part of the acquisition, Silver Peak founder and CEO David Hughes, will join HPE as the senior vice president of the WAN business within Aruba.

HPE to acquire Silver Peak for $925M and merge it with Aruba

Monday, July 13, 2020  Aruba, HPE, SD-WAN, Silver Peak  

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) agreed to acquire Silver Peak, an SD-WAN leader, for $925 million in cash. Silver Peak will be combined with HPE’s Aruba business unit and will extend Aruba’s technology leadership in the large and fast-growing SD-WAN space.

Silver Pek, which was founded in 2004 and is a private company based in San Jose, California, has more than 1,500 production SD-WAN customers around the world. The company is headed by its founder, David Hughes.

HPE said Silver Peak’s advanced SD-WAN offerings are highly complementary and strengthen Aruba’s Edge Service Platform (ESP). By combining Silver Peak’s SD-WAN with Aruba’s SD-Branch solutions customers can simplify branch office and WAN deployments to empower remote workforces, enable cloud-connected distributed enterprises, and transform business operations without compromising quality or reliability.

HP Brings in Aruba to Manage its Networking Business

Monday, March 02, 2015  Aruba, HP, Mergers And Acquisitions, Silicon Valley  

HP agreed to acquire Aruba Networks for $24.67 per share in cash, reflecting an equity value of approximately $2.7 billion net of cash and debt.

Aruba, which is based in Sunnyvale, California, is a leading supplier of WLAN solutions for enterprises.  The company had revenues of $729 million in fiscal 2014, and has reported compound annual revenue growth of 30 percent over the last five years. It has approximately 1,800 employees.  Aruba has made rapid progress in 802.11ac Wi-Fi upgrades.  It offers integrated solutions for many vertical market segments, such as retail or healthcare.

HP said Aruba's marketing and channel model will complement its own networking business and go-to-market breadth.  Together, the companies will focus on next-generation converged campus solutions, leveraging the strong Aruba brand.  This new combined organization will be led by Aruba’s Chief Executive Officer Dominic Orr, and Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, Keerti Melkote, reporting to Antonio Neri, leader of HP Enterprise Group.  With this move, HP will be uniquely positioned to deliver both the innovation and global delivery and services offerings to meet customer needs worldwide.

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Intelsat launches Cloud Connect service

 Intelsat announced a new Cloud Connect service for enterprises that provides a private gateway between a cloud service provider and cloud users, utilizing Intelsat’s global integrated space-and-terrestrial network. 

The Intelsat Cloud Connect private gateway helps enterprises quickly extend cloud-based applications to virtually all of their locations, and to their remote workers—without having to build costly new terrestrial network facilities or rely on less secure, less reliable public internet connections.

The service is initially available to Intelsat FlexEnterprise customers and currently supports Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute connectivity.

http://www.intelsat.com/cloud-connect

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AT&T delivers SD-WAN with Cisco

AT&T is delivering a global SD-WAN for UDG Healthcare plc and its operating companies around the world using Cisco Viptela SD-WAN architecture.

The managed solution will allow UDG Healthcare’s teams to react more quickly to business demands in their supply chain and provide a better end user experience wherever they are working.

UDG Healthcare delivers advisory, communication, commercial, clinical and packaging services to the healthcare industry across two main divisions, Ashfield and Sharp. The group has 8,200 employees.

“UDG Healthcare saw an opportunity to deliver a more seamless experience across its network, covering its employee end users and the customers it serves around the world,” said John Vladimir Slamecka, EMEA region president, AT&T.

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VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud now on Equinix Network Edge service

 VMware is now offering its SD-WAN Edge as a virtual network function (VNF) on Equinix’s Network Edge. VMware is also extending its presence in Equinix International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East to enable greater connectivity for customers on a global scale.

The VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud service helps enterprises manage their own direct peering relationships with the cloud service providers of their choice via Equinix Cloud Exchange Fabric (ECX Fabric) or Equinix Marketplace. 

Network Edge by Equinix enables enterprises to deploy virtual network services, within minutes, at the digital edge without a physical data center deployment or hardware requirements. 

Expanding on VMware’s secure-access service edge (SASE) vision, Equinix and VMware will also enable provisioning and accessibility of SASE components via Network Edge, ECX Fabric and other connectivity options available through a single pane of glass on the VMware Orchestrator portal.

“We are thrilled to work with Equinix to help enterprises accelerate their digital transformation initiatives and offer new world-class capabilities within the Equinix IBX facilities. With VMware SD-WAN Edge now available as a virtual network service on Equinix’s Network Edge, enterprises, partners and service providers alike will be able to have unique, globally available network solutions optimized for intrinsically secure access to any public, private or SaaS cloud for remote and branch users,” stated Sanjay Uppal, Senior Vice President & General Manager, VeloCloud Business Unit, VMware. 

“An entire architectural shift driven by data transformation is happening across the IT landscape today. By expanding our collaboration with VMware to deliver an innovative new solution that empowers remote workforces, reduces disruption and enables business continuity, we can help companies deploy a digital ready infrastructure at the edge within minutes in order to accelerate their digital transformation efforts anywhere in the world,” said Bill Long, Senior Vice President, Product Management, Equinix.

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University of Rochester develops electro-optical modulator in LN

Researchers at the University of Rochester developed an electro-optical modulator using a thin film of lithium niobate (LN) bonded on a silicon dioxide layer. The resulting electro-optical modulator is described as the smallest such device ever created, potentially paving the way for large-scale LN photonic integrated circuits.

The modulator project builds upon the lab’s previous use of lithium niobate to create a photonic nanocavity—another key component in photonic chips.

The research is supported by the National Science Foundation, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Fabrication of the device was done in part at the Cornell NanoScale Facility.

https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/photonics-researchers-report-breakthrough-in-miniaturizing-light-based-chips-449382/

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Ericsson acquires Cradlepoint for $1.1 billion

Ericsson has acquired privately-held Cradlepoint, a provider of Wireless Edge WAN 4G and 5G Enterprise solutions, for US$1.1 billion.

Cradlepoint operates a subscription-based cloud platform that uses wireless edge routers designed to connect fixed and mobile sites, vehicles, field forces, and loT devices over LTE and 5G. The service hepls enterprises connect branch, mobile and IoT endpoints on one WAN. Cradlepoint, which is based in Boise, Idaho, will become a fully owned subsidiary of Ericsson while continuing to operate under its existing brand and be part of Ericsson’s Business Area Technologies & New Businesses. Cradlepoint currently has more than 650 employees. The company was founded in 2006.  In addition to its headquarters in Boise, the company operates a research and development center in Silicon Valley, California, and new market offices in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Ericsson said the acquisition advances its ongoing mission to capture market share in the rapidly expanding 5G Enterprise space. Cradlepoint complements Ericsson’s existing 5G Enterprise portfolio which includes Dedicated Networks and a global IoT platform.

Cradlepoint’s sales for 2019 were SEK 1.2 b. with a gross margin of 61%. Ericsson’s operating margins are expected to be negatively impacted by approximately 1% in 2021 and 2022 - where half is related to amortization of intangible assets which arise from the acquisition. Cradlepoint is expected to contribute to operating cash-flow starting in 2022. Ericsson’s 2022 group financial targets remain unchanged. 

Börje Ekholm, President and CEO Ericsson, says: "Portfolio-near acquisitions are an integral part of our earlier communicated strategy. The acquisition of Cradlepoint complements our existing offerings and is key to our strategy of helping customers grow the value of their 5G network investments. Ericsson is uniquely positioned to build on Cradlepoint’s leadership position in Wireless Edge and the wireless WAN market. Combining the scale of our market access and established relationships with the world’s biggest mobile operators we are making a strong investment to support our customers to grow in this exciting market. I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all Cradlepoint employees.”

George Mulhern, CEO and Chairman, Cradlepoint says: “We have led the way in bringing the power of cellular networks and technologies to enterprise and public sector customers – helping them connect beyond the limits of traditional wired WANs. Ericsson with its global 5G leadership is a great match for us and I am very excited to continue to scale and expand our business together.”

 

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Deutsche Telekom to deactivate 3G on 30-June-2021

Deutsche Telekom will deactivate its 3G network in Germany on 30-June-2021.

The carrier said it is updating all remaining 3G tariffs and contracts for smooth transition by the cutoff date. Almost all contracts are already activated for the use of 4G/LTE. After 3G is switched off, calls are made either via 2G or in the 4G network via VoLTE. The 2G network has a population coverage of more than 99 percent.

"The 3G switch-off next summer will enable us to further improve our network," says Dirk Wössner, Telekom Deutschland CEO. "We are using the 3G frequency spectrum that is becoming available for the most modern technologies. We want LTE for everyone and we are building Germany's largest 5G network".

https://www.telekom.com/en/media/media-information/archive/bye-bye-3g-now-lte-is-coming-for-everyone-608220

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TikTok Global to be secured in Oracle's cloud data centers

 President Trump announced his preliminary support for a deal for ByteDance to establish a new company in the United States to run TikTok operations. Under the new deal, Oracle and Walmart together will 20% of the newly formed TikTok Global business, which is later expected to complete an IPO on a U.S. exchange.

Highlights of the deal:

• TikTok Global will be responsible for providing all TikTok services to users in United States and most of the users in the rest of the world.
• Oracle qill serve TikTok’s secure cloud provider.
• TikTok Global will be majority owned by American investors, including Oracle and Walmart. 
• TikTok Global's Board of Diretors will consist of five people, four of whom must be Americans.
• All the TikTok technology will be in possession of TikTok Global, and comply with U.S. laws and privacy regulations. 
• All American data on TikTok must be quickly moved to Oracle’s Generation 2 Cloud data centers.
• Walmart will bring its omni-channel retail capabilities including its Walmart.com assortment, eCommerce marketplace, fulfillment, payment and measurement-as-a-service advertising service.
• TikTok Global will pay more than 5 billion in new tax dollars to the U.S. Treasury.
• TikTok Global, together with Oracle, SIG, General Atlantic, Sequoia, Walmart and Coatue will create an educational initiative to develop and deliver an AI-driven online video curriculum to teach children from inner cities to the suburbs, a variety of courses from basic reading and math to science, history and computer engineering.

It is believed the deal requires clearance from the government of China.

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