DISH to acquire Republic Wireless - 200K subs

DISH Network agreed to acquire Republic Wireless, an MVNO service operating on the T-Mobile network with approximately 200,000 customer relationships. Financia terms were not disclosed. 

After the acquisition closes, the existing Relay division of Republic Wireless will continue to operate as a standalone company and will become a wholesale customer on DISH's 5G network. Relay provides communication and productivity solutions for frontline teams in hospitality, facilities management, manufacturing, healthcare and education, and will remain headquartered in Raleigh, NC.

"Republic has created a loyal following and established a brand known for innovation, customer service and value. We plan to build upon that strong foundation," said John Swieringa, group president, Retail Wireless and DISH COO. "As we continue to grow our retail wireless business, Republic broadens our existing customer base and positions us to deliver even more value to the market, expanding our portfolio of mobile solutions to meet a variety of customer needs. We look forward to welcoming Republic customers to the DISH family."

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DT completes first 5G SA data connection in Germany

Deutsche Telekom has carried out a video call at its first 5G standalone site.  The call was made via the standalone antenna in Garching to Bamberg in Telekom's first 5G standalone core network and from there to Bonn. In Garching, the response time was 13 milliseconds.

"True technical innovation is made up of implementation strength and pioneering spirit. Telekom has clearly demonstrated both with 5G. More than two-thirds of people in Germany can already use Telekom's 5G network today," said Walter Goldenits, CTO of Telekom Deutschland. "And the next step has also been taken. With our first data connection via 5G Standalone, we are making history again. As the first network operator in Germany."

The 5G technology currently deployed in Germany is based on the 5G Non-Standalone (5G NSA) network architecture. 

https://www.telekom.com/en/media/media-information/archive/first-5g-standalone-data-connection-in-germany-successful-621114

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OSA Biophotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences, 12 – 16 April

The OSA will host an all-virtual OSABiophotonics Congress: Optics in the Life Sciences, from 12 – 16 April 2021. The conference will feature three dynamic plenary talks highlighting advancements in biomedical research spanning molecular and cellular investigations to clinical applications. Conference attendees will explore the latest techniques in using optical tools for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

In her talk titled “Alternative Strategies for 3D Single Molecule Localization Microscopy,” plenary speaker Sandrine Lévêque-Fort, CNRS Researcher Director at the Institute of Molecular Science, Paris Saclay University, France, will explore recent developments of 3D imaging in Single Molecule Localization Microscopy. Lévêque-Fort’s current work focuses on varying strategies to improve spatial and temporal resolution for fluorescence microscopy. Lévêque-Fort’s plenary talk is scheduled for 13 April 2021 at 13:00 UTC. Use this link to convert the session to your local time zone.    

Dan Oron, Professor, Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, will discuss “Quantum Enhanced Superresolution Confocal Microscopy.” Oron will demonstrate how the resolution of a standard confocal can be increased fourfold with a twofold axial resolution increase. This is achieved utilizing the quantum phenomenon of fluorescence antibunching. Oron’s area of interests are at the interface between light and the nanoscale in which he studies the interaction of light with nanostructured materials, optical super-resolution methods and the optics of biological nanostructured materials. Oron’s talk is scheduled for 14 April 2021 at 14:00 UTC. Use this link to convert the session to your local time zone.

R. Clay Reid, Senior Investigator,  Allen Institute for Brain Science, USA, will review approaches for analyzing neural circuits in his talk, “Petascale Microscopy for Brain Mapping: Electron and Light Microscopic Approaches to Connectomics.” His pioneering work includes new methods for recording increasingly large ensembles of neurons to study sensory processing. Reid’s plenary is scheduled for 15 April 2021 at 19:00 UTC. Use this link to convert the session to your local time zone.

Registration is now open for participants. Advanced registration is required to receive the web link and access the conference. 

https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/osa_meetings/osa_biophotonics_congress/exhibition/

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Airspan to go public through merger with a SPAC

Airspan Networks announced a merger agreement with and into New Beginnings Acquisition Corp. (NBA), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The combination is expected to have an enterprise value of nearly $822 million. Upon closing of the business combination, expected in the third quarter of 2021, NBA will be renamed “Airspan Networks Holdings Inc.,” a publicly listed company, which is expected to be listed on the NYSE American with the ticker symbol “MIMO.”

“These seismic 5G industry trends play right into Airspan’s strengths,” said Eric Stonestrom, President and CEO of Airspan. “This transaction is expected to help fund our growth plans and accelerate our vision of providing our customers with leading edge 5G networks. We are at the precipice of a significant capital-intensive upgrade as 5G deployments drive the future growth of existing mobile carriers, new market entrants, and private and enterprise buildouts that we believe will transform numerous industries.”

“We are delighted to partner with Airspan, a first mover in this exciting and rapidly expanding new 5G market,” said Michael Liebowitz, CEO and Director of New Beginnings Acquisition Corp. “As 5G networks are rolled out, Airspan is leading the way with its breakthrough Open RAN technology with significant potential for growth serving incumbent and emerging carriers, and also addressing new “private 5G” segments including in building 5G, Distributed Antenna System (DAS) building replacements, connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), automated port operations, air-to-ground in-flight connectivity, Smart Industry 4.0 factories and optimized Smart Grid driven utilities. This transaction will bring the vision of Eric and the Airspan team to fruition.”

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II-VI expands manufacturing in California

II‐VI is expanding its manufacturing footprint in Santa Rosa, California, with a plan to double over the next five years its manufacturing capacity of optical filters for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) instrumentation and 5G optical access networks.

The rapid growth in PCR testing for COVID-19 and the ongoing buildout of the 5G optical access infrastructure are simultaneously driving the demand for optical filters with high performance and reliability, necessitating sustained multiyear investments in production capacity. II-VI initiated the buildout of recently secured manufacturing space in Santa Rosa, and began procuring manufacturing equipment, including coating chambers, to double manufacturing capacity over the next five years.    

“We would like to thank the inventors, designers, manufacturers, and operators of PCR test systems whom, we estimate, enabled hundreds of millions of PCR tests that helped mitigate the global spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Chuck Mattera, Chief Executive Officer, II-VI Incorporated. “We were proud in 2020 to focus on our contributions to the global PCR testing capacity with our state-of-the-art filter coatings capabilities. Now, in 2021, we are doubling down on our pledge to support the growth of PCR testing over the next five years. "

https://ii-vi.com/news/ii-vi-incorporated-to-double-manufacturing-capacity-of-optical-filters-for-pcr-instrumentation-and-5g-optical-access-over-a-five-year-investment/

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Coherent says II-VI merger proposal is superior to Lumentum's

Coherent's board of directors notified Lumentum that it has received from a superior acquisition proposal from II-VI Incorporated. 

Under the terms of II-VI's revised proposal, each share of Coherent common stock would be exchanged for $170.00 in cash and 1.0981 shares of II-VI common stock at the completion of the transaction. 

Coherent has notifed Lumentum that it intends to terminate their merger agreement unless Coherent receives a revised proposal from Lumentum by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on March 11, 2021 that the Coherent board determines to be at least as favorable to Coherent's stockholders from a financial point of view as II-VI's revised proposal, after taking into account all aspects of any such proposal Coherent may receive from Lumentum.

Lumentum has notified Coherent of its intention to review the II-VI proposal under consideration of its matching rights as defined in the definitive merger agreement. 

Under the terms of the definitive merger agreement, Coherent would be required to pay a $217.6 million termination fee to Lumentum if Coherent terminates the definitive agreement in order to enter into an agreement with II-VI.

II-VI outbids Lumentum in competition to acquire Coherent

Monday, February 15, 2021    

 II-VI made an offer to acquire Coherent, a global laser technology leader, in a cash and stock transaction priced at $260.00 per Coherent share (Coherent’s shareholders would receive $130.00 in cash and 1.3055 II-VI common shares for each Coherent share), based on the company closing stock price on February 11th.II-VI’s proposal represents a premium of 24.0% to the implied value of Coherent’s merger agreement with Lumentum, based on Lumentum’s...

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Lumentum to acquire Coherent for its photonics and laser expertise

Tuesday, January 19, 2021  Lumentum, Mergers And Acquisitions  

 Lumentum agreed to acquire Coherent in a cash and stock transaction valued at $5.7 billion, with Coherent stockholders receiving $100.00 per share in cash and 1.1851 shares of Lumentum common stock for each Coherent share they own. The combination will create a leading photonics company with significant positions in the growing market for photonics, an expansive global customer base and a well-diversified revenue mix. The transaction value...

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Microsoft previews AI-driven Azure modules

 Microsoft unveiled the public preview of Azure Percept, a platform of hardware and services that aims to simplify the ways in which customers can use Azure AI technologies on the edge – including taking advantage of Azure cloud offerings such as device management, AI model development and analytics.

The Azure Percept platform includes a development kit with an intelligent camera, Azure Percept Vision, and a microphone module called Azure Precept Audio.

Azure Percept Vision and Azure Percept Audio connect to Azure services in the cloud and come with embedded hardware-accelerated AI modules that enable speech and vision AI at the edge, or during times when the device isn’t connected to the internet. In addition, Azure Percept devices automatically connect to Azure IoT Hub, which helps enable reliable communication with security protections between Internet of Things, or IoT, devices and the cloud. 

Potential applications could include elevators that respond to voice commands, cameras that notify store managers when to restock shelves and video streams that keep tabs on everything from cash register lines to parking space availability.

https://blogs.microsoft.com/ai/with-azure-percept-microsoft-adds-new-ways-for-customers-to-bring-ai-to-the-edge/

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Microsoft Exchange hit by state-sponsored hackers from China

Microsoft warned enterprises using its on-premises Exchange Server platforms of multiple 0-day exploits being used in limited and targeted attacks. The exploit does not affect Microsoft 365 or Azure Cloud deployments.

Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) attributes this campaign with high confidence to HAFNIUM, a group assessed to be state-sponsored and operating out of China, based on observed victimology, tactics and procedures. HAFNIUM, which primarily targets entities in the United States across a number of industry sectors,  exfiltrates data to file sharing sites like MEGA. The group is believed to use leased virtual private servers (VPS) in the United States to launch their attacks

In the attacks observed, HAFNIUM used the newly discovered vulnerabilities to access on-premises Exchange servers which enabled access to email accounts, and allowed installation of additional malware to facilitate long-term access to victim environments. 

According to media reports, the attack potentially compromised up to 30,000 organizations.

Microsoft has released out-of-band security updates to address four vulnerabilities in Exchange Server. In addition, Microsoft has released alternative mitigation techniques for Exchange Server customers who are not able to immediately apply updates that address vulnerabilities.

Separately, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a directive requiring federal civilian departments and agencies running Microsoft Exchange on-premises products to update or disconnect the products from their networks.

In addition, the European Banking Authority confirmed that it was compromised by the attack, and that as a precautionary measure, the EBA has decided to take its email systems offline.

https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2021/03/02/hafnium-targeting-exchange-servers/

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SEC charges AT&T with disclosing insider information

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged AT&T and three of its Investor Relations executives with selectively disclosing material nonpublic information to research analysts.

According to the SEC's complaint, the disclosure of insider information occurred in in March 2016 when AT&T became aware that a steeper-than-expected decline in its first quarter smartphone sales would cause AT&T's revenue to fall short of analysts' estimates for the quarter. 

The SEC is charging AT&T Investor Relations executives Christopher Womack, Michael Black, and Kent Evans with making private, one-on-one phone calls to analysts at approximately 20 separate firms. The complaint further alleges that as a result of what they were told on these calls, the analysts substantially reduced their revenue forecasts, leading to the overall consensus revenue estimate falling to just below the level that AT&T ultimately reported to the public on April 26, 2016.

https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2021-43 

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DZS acquires RIFT.io for network orchestration

DZS has acquired RIFT, a start-up based in Chelmsford, Massachusettes developing network orchestration and automation solutions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The carrier-grade RIFT.ware software platform aims to simplify the deployment of any slice, service or application on any cloud. 

“The trend toward cloud and open software solutions is undeniable, and with the acquisition of RIFT, DZS accelerates its vision and strategy to deliver and manage intelligent network and processing functions at the network edge,” said Charlie Vogt, President and CEO of DZS. “With our recent Optelian acquisition, the introduction of our DZS Chronos and DZS Velocity portfolios for broadband access and mobile transport powered by sdNOS (the DZS SDN-enabled Network Operating System), and now the introduction of DZS Cloud, our company is more aligned than ever with software-defined, network virtualization and cloud-native automation solutions. The transaction adds a software development center in Bangalore, India and a product operations center in Boston, Massachusetts. DZS Cloud will enable us to deliver differentiated stand-alone and end-to-end cloud-based solutions designed to increase ARPU, lower churn, streamline operations and optimize service provider and enterprise networks.”

The acquired company will complement DZS sdNOS embedded development teams and will enhance DZS mobile transport, broadband access and connected premises solutions by enabling the development and deployment of end-to-end services, networking and applications – including OpenRAN or vRAN VNFs and CNFs, 5G network slicing, FTTx network orchestration, enterprise oriented universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) or SD-WAN solutions. 

“As the access domain shifts to software, global operators are seeking trusted partners to support their digital transformation journey,” said Noel Charath, Senior Vice President of DZS Cloud Operations. “Charlie’s vision for DZS, the company’s trusted position as a partner of choice behind next generation wireline and wireless networks, and their investments in cloud innovation ensures that the vision we had at RIFT will continue to be advanced and expanded through DZS Cloud. With some of the most innovative and advanced carriers in the world already DZS customers, we expect to find fertile ground among these operators to leverage the DZS Cloud platform to monetize their 5G and fixed network investments with high value enterprise services, private wireless / 5G as a service, Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), and SD-WAN through SDN and NFV automation.”

https://www.dzsi.com

DZS acquires Optelian for optical transport solutions

Wednesday, January 20, 2021  DZS, Mergers And Acquisitions  

DZS, formerly DASAN Zhone Solutions, agreed to acquire Optelian, a leading optical networking solution provider based in Ottawa. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Optelian's solutions range from simple, easily deployed D/CWDM passive-optical devices to complex networks with multi-degree ROADMs. The Optelian solutions have completed the Telcordia OSMINE certification process required for deployment by Tier 1 service providers in North America The company was founded in 2002.

DZS said the Optelian portfolio will form a new DZS “O-series” product line that will enhance the DZS Mobile Transport portfolio with environmentally hardened optical transport products optimized for mobile backhaul. Optelian’s optical transport solutions will complement DZS’s market-leading 4G / 5G xHaul Mobile Transport portfolio that are currently deployed in five Tier 1 mobile networks. The new line-up of optical transport products will also add metro and regional aggregation and transport options for Broadband Access solutions. In addition to intellectual property and products, the transaction will bolster DZS R&D, operations, sales and corporate functions.

“After joining DZS in August of 2020, we established a playbook that began with the best talent, and quickly transitioned to technology, innovation and marquee customers around the world,” said Charlie Vogt, CEO of DZS. “The acquisition of Optelian will uniquely distinguish us from the traditional Edge Access Mobile and Broadband suppliers and accelerate our path forward with Tier 1 service providers in North America. I am pleased at the prospect of welcoming the Optelian employees to DZS, a team that will bring unique North America development and integration experience in the areas of ultra-high speed coherent optics and environmentally hardened transport solutions.”

"Optelian is thrilled by the prospect of becoming part of a global leader like DZS, and feel that our innovative products and employees will be a great complement to their winning culture and world-class solutions,” said David Weymouth, CEO of Optelian. ”Our customers will clearly benefit from the inclusion of our products in a much broader solutions portfolio that includes complementary Mobile Transport and Broadband Access technologies, as well as Customer Premises equipment. We believe that the vision and direction that Charlie and team have established for DZS is poised to make waves in the industry, and it will be exciting to now be a catalyst to that growth and transformation.”   

https://dzsi.com/

• DZS, which is headquartered in Plano, Texas, announced a major rebranding in August 2020. Additionally, the company outlined its going forward vision and strategy under the direction of newly appointed President and CEO Charlie Vogt, and unveiled a new DZS logo. The new DZS management team includes: 
• Tom Cancro, Chief Financial Officer – former GE and Verizon 
• Andrew Bender, Chief Technology Officer – former VMWare, Hewlett Packard, NEC 
• Daniel Won, Chief Product Officer – former DASAN Networks, LG and Cisco 
• Jay Hilbert, EVP, Americas, Europe, Middle East/Africa (AEMEA) Sales – former Nokia, Commscope, Cambium and Rignet 
• Bill Ko, EVP, Asia Sales – former Active Video, ARRIS Group 
• Geoff Burke, Chief Marketing Officer – former Calix, Motorola/Next Level and Broadband Forum 
• Keith Nauman, SVP of Global Services – former AT&T

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Video: Charlie Vogt discusses acquisition of RIFT.io

Charlie Vogt, President and CEO of DZS, talks about the network orchestration and software automation capabilities gained through the acquisition of RIFT, a start-up based in Chelmsford, MA.

RIFT.ware is an ETSI-compliant NFV MANO solution and commercial distribution of ETSI Open Source MANO (OSM) that radically simplifies the deployment of multi-vendor VNFs and orchestration of complex, multi-vendor network services in carrier and enterprise clouds. 

https://youtu.be/WCCHM6GtyDA

The capabilities will enhance DZS mobile transport, broadband access and connected premises solutions by enabling the development and deployment of end-to-end services, networking and applications – including OpenRAN or vRAN VNFs and CNFs, 5G network slicing, FTTx network orchestration, enterprise oriented universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) or SD-WAN solutions.

Download the 2021 Telco Infrastructure Report here: http://ngi.how/telco-2021

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T-Mobile US launches 5G-powered business services

 T-Mobile US introduced three business services powered by its national 5G network.

The new T-Mobile WFX includes: 

• T-Mobile Enterprise Unlimited, wireless plans with unlimited 5G on T-Mobile’s network for the same price as pooled rate plans from competitors 
• T-Mobile Home Office Internet, home broadband delivered over the 5G network. The service uses a dedicated router that prioritizes access to employee devices and filters non-business content. At launch, T-Mobile Home Office Internet will cover more than 60 million households, close to half of all homes in America, with plans to cover more than 90 million households by 2025.
• T-Mobile Collaborate, a suite of mobile-first, cloud-based tools for business calling, messaging and conferencing from virtually any device, anywhere. The cloud-based service can replace legacy PBX systems. A built-in AI assistant to take notes and follow up on action items. It also offers built-in integration with leading workplace apps including Microsoft 365. T-Mobile Collaborate is powered by Dialpad.

“The pandemic pushed the fast forward button on the future of work, giving us a decade’s worth of progress in a year’s time. And it’s clear that work will never be the same,” said Mike Sievert, T-Mobile CEO. “Tomorrow’s workplace won’t be anything like the old work from office (WFO) world, and it won’t be like today’s work from home (WFH) world. It’ll be something new: the work from anywhere (WFX) world. And T-Mobile WFX and our 5G network arrive at the right time to help businesses meet this moment head on … and come out the other side stronger.”

“The old Carriers are still using their 91% market share to feed business and government a very expensive starvation diet of old technologies, old plans and hidden fees,” said Mike Katz, executive vice president of T-Mobile for Business. “With T-Mobile WFX a 5G network that is faster and covers more area than AT&T and Verizon, we’re on a mission to loosen the Carriers’ death grip on enterprise customers, so we’re bringing that same disruptive, customer-first approach that made the Un-carrier the fastest-growing, most-loved consumer wireless company over the past seven years and counting.”

https://www.t-mobile.com/business/solutions/work-from-anywhere?cmpid=TFB_SEA_P_TFBWFXSOL_FOOACRJDR5TQ4N2663190

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TIP establishes 5G Private Networks Solution Group

The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) has established a 5G Private Networks solutions group to develop a new approach to manage and operate 5G Private Networks based on a cloud-native architecture and making use of a new class of software management tool. In particular, the new Solution Group will leverage previous work contributed to TIP’s OpenRAN Project Group, on a first version of a CI/CD platform that applies traditional IT methodologies to automate integration, testing and deployment of OpenRAN software.

Telefónica has agreed to test the solution in their local TIP Community Lab in Madrid and then move to field trials in Málaga (Spain).

Juan Carlos Garcia, SVP Technology Innovation & Ecosystem, Telefónica, and TIP Board Director said: “This new solution group will enable operators to address the exciting opportunities that 5G is creating in the enterprise segment, both through valuable features for our customers and more efficient network operations. The TIP community is the perfect environment for this innovation, as it will allow us to leverage multiple current project groups (Open Core Networks, OpenRAN) to deliver an end-to-end Minimum Viable Product that we will then test in Telefonica’s TIP Community Lab.”

Ihab Tarazi, CTO and SVP, Networking and Solutions, Dell Technologies and TIP Board Director, said: “For open networks to deliver their benefits, the telecom industry needs an abstraction layer that helps integrate different components into end-to-end solutions. New software management tools based on the ones currently used for the cloud can address this need, and this Solution Group is a timely initiative for the industry to collaborate on making this happen.”

Caroline Chan, VP and GM Network Business Incubation Division, Intel and TIP Board Director, said: “Through the recently launched solution groups, TIP is expanding its scope to include the validation of interoperability between different elements across the whole network, and insights and recommendations about how to operate them. The new 5G Private Networks Solution Group is a strong example of this approach. With dedicated local private high-performance network connectivity as a key emerging deployment model for 5G and edge buildout, this group can help foster important ecosystem collaboration.”

https://telecominfraproject.com/5g-private-networks/

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Australia's VicTrack deploys ADVA FSP 3000 for rail transport

VicTrack has deployed the ADVA FSP 3000 for a new Transport and Government Secure Network (TGSN) serving the state of Victoria.

The flexible and fully redundant ROADM network enables railway operators to harness next-generation signaling technologies and provides high-speed connectivity for government agencies.  VicTrack will also be able to offer highly reliable and cost-efficient wholesale services at 10 Gbps and 100 Gbps. 

Built on ADVA’s FSP 3000 platform, VicTrack’s TGSN is initially a 45-node meshed architecture with links across metro and regional Victoria. Featuring 96 channel filters, the new infrastructure provides a flexible mix of 10 Gbps and 100 Gbps services as well as any-to-any connectivity for seamless, simple and secure communication.

“Upgrading our backbone network with ADVA’s FSP 3000 technology enables us to keep pace with Victoria’s growing transport needs. Our new high-capacity infrastructure empowers us to support mission-critical rail operations, including operational communications, signaling, and video surveillance. And, with so much extra capacity, we can now offer carrier-grade wholesale services to other service providers,” said Andrew Peel, group manager commercial, telecommunications group, VicTrack. “We’re also excited by the platform’s inbuilt scalability. With a solution ready to expand to 600 Gbps, we can plan to exploit new network technologies as they become available and expand services according to demand. Our customers and stakeholders will reap the benefits of this next-gen optical network for many years to come.”

“With the scale and openness of our FSP 3000 solution, VicTrack can be confident that it will have a highly efficient and secure transport system ready for emerging challenges and technologies for many years to come. The new TGSN network will provide vital opportunities for rail operators, government agencies and businesses across the state of Victoria. With its speed, flexibility and increased reliability, it will enable users to find new efficiencies and leverage the latest innovation,” commented Erik Lindberg, VP, sales, APAC, ADVA. “Throughout this deployment, we’ve given VicTrack’s team our close support. And, by taking advantage of our professional services, they’re ensuring that their stakeholders receive consistent quality of experience with a network running at peak performance all along its lifecycle.”

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Equinix expands bare metal service to 18 metros

Equinix has expanded its bare metal service to 18 global metros including in the Americas (Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, São Paulo, Silicon Valley, Toronto and Washington, D.C.); in EMEA (Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Madrid and Paris); and in Asia-Pacific (Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo).

Equinix Metal is an automated, interconnected and secure bare metal service that applies a developer and API-first mindset to foundational infrastructure and provides a fully automated way for digital businesses to access the value of Platform Equinix via its leading collection of DevOps and open-source integrations.

The company is also rolling out the following new features:

Managed Appliance as a Service Solutions – Introducing a range of as a Service partner infrastructure solutions on the Equinix platform, the new managed appliance capability of Equinix Metal enables OEM, storage, hybrid cloud, hyperconverged and other specialty hardware vendors to deliver fully operated, as a Service solutions that are seamlessly interconnected to the Platform Equinix ecosystem. These include an expanded collaboration with Dell Technologies to offer Bare Metal as a Service on Dell Technologies and Pure Storage on Equinix Metal. Equinix intends to launch a series of these solutions that are non-exclusive and can include multiple providers from its ecosystem in each solution category. These fully operated partner solutions complement Equinix's existing interconnection, networking and compute services to offer an expanded choice of Infrastructure as a Service solutions to its more than 10,000 customers worldwide.

Advanced Networking with Equinix Fabric Integration – The Equinix Metal platform now supports the full portfolio of Equinix Fabric integration options including port speeds up to 100G. With native integration to Equinix Fabric, Equinix Metal customers can quickly and securely connect to the more than 10,000 networks, enterprises, clouds and SaaS platforms available on Platform Equinix via low-latency, private interconnection. A new "hybrid bonded" network mode has also been added for high availability in hybrid cloud environments. Additionally, customers can leverage Equinix Network Edge to quickly add branded virtual network services to their environments.

Software Integrations – New native integrations from leading software vendors are now available on Equinix Metal to support hybrid multicloud infrastructures, including Mirantis Container Cloud, which delivers as a Service containers and infrastructure using Kubernetes or OpenStack, and the Cohesity Helios multicloud data platform.

https://www.equinix.com/newsroom/press-releases/pr/124124/Equinix-Metal-Expansion-Equips-Digital-Leaders-to-Harness-Physical-Infrastructure-at-Software-Speed/

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Equinix plans data center in Bordeaux, France

 Equinix announced plans for its first data center in Bordeaux, France, in Q3 2021. 

The new BX1 facility, which will have direct fiber links to Equinix's International Business Exchange sites in Paris, will provide a landing hub for the new submarine cable, AMITIE, due to link France to the United States and Great Britain. BX1 will be the first carrier-neutral data center in Bordeaux. The site is due to provide colocation space of approximately 32,000 square feet (3,000 square meters). It is being built in line with global environmental standards and will contribute to a portfolio of some of the most energy-efficient data centers in the world. Indeed, BX1 is due to utilize 100% renewable energy, with the decoupled energy platform supporting multiple power sources while providing greener energy storage and greater resilience. 

 

Strategically located in the southwest of France, near the Atlantic coast, Bordeaux is establishing itself as a new hub on the map of global connectivity. 

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Ciena posts Q1 revenue of $757 million, down 9% yoy

 Ciena reported revenue of $757.1 million for its fiscal first quarter ended January 30, 2021, down from $832.9 million for the fiscal first quarter 2020. Ciena's adjusted (non-GAAP) net income for the fiscal first quarter 2021 was $81.3 million, or $0.52 per diluted common share, which compares to an adjusted (non-GAAP) net income of $81.7 million, or $0.52 per diluted common share, for the fiscal first quarter 2020.

Some highlights

Q1 Revenue by geography

• Americas $496.6 million, down from $574.0 million a year earlier
• Europe, Middle East and Africa $155.4 million, up from $130.0 million a year earlier
• 
  Asia Pacific $105.1 million, up from $128.9 million a year earlier 

• Non-telco represented 39% of total revenue
• Direct web-scale increased 25% YoY, representing over 20% of total revenue
• EMEA revenue increased 20% YoY, representing nearly 21% of total revenue
• Blue Planet revenue increased 10% YoY, reaching over $16MA
• GAAP R&D investment was over 17% of total revenue 
• 627 100G+ total customers, which includes 39 new wins on WaveLogic Ai and 14 new wins on WaveLogic 5 Extreme
• WL5e has now shipped to over 75 customers, all of whom are actively deploying the technology in their networks
• No customer represented more than 10% of revenue for the fiscal quarter
• Cash and investments totaled $1.3 billion
• Headcount totaled 7,042

"We delivered solid revenue and profitability in the first fiscal quarter in the face of continued challenging market conditions and a dynamic industry environment," said Gary Smith, president and CEO of Ciena. "Our strong market position has enabled us to start the year largely as expected, and we are leveraging our innovation leadership and competitive advantage to deliver on our long-term growth opportunities."

https://investor.ciena.com/news/press-release-details/2021/Ciena-Reports-Fiscal-First-Quarter-2021-Financial-Results/default.aspx

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Broadcom posts revenue of $6.6 billion, up 14% yoy

Broadcom posted revenue of $6,655 million for its first quarter of fiscal year 2021, up 14 percent from the prior year period. GAAP diluted EPS was $3.05 for the first quarter.

"We executed well during our first fiscal quarter driving 14% organic growth year on year," said Hock Tan, President and CEO of Broadcom Inc. "This growth reflects the critical role our technology franchises play in this environment of accelerated digital transformation."

"This quarter highlights the strength of our financial model with 14% year over year revenue growth translating to an increase in operating profit of 23%," said Kirsten Spears, CFO of Broadcom Inc. "We continue to deliver strong free cash flow, approximately $3 billion in the quarter, representing 35% growth on a year on year basis."

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DISH picks Amdocs’ for 5G billing

DISH Network has chosen Amdocs’ cloud-based billing system, Optima, to support enterprise and wholesale customers on its upcoming 5G network.

"Amdocs Optima is a cloud-based platform that has the flexibility to support our 5G needs and can scale to support enterprise and wholesale customers," said Atilla Tinic, Chief Information Officer, DISH. "This containerized component within our greater 5G billing architecture will offer us multi-cloud - public or private - deployment flexibility. We’re excited about Optima’s cloud-native roadmap and we look forward to seeing it continue to evolve and align to our business."

"DISH is a true visionary in its 5G rollout plans and we are delighted to help enable them to leverage our cloud-based billing platform," said Anthony Goonetilleke, Group President of Media, Network and Technology, Amdocs. "We are excited to extend this partnership while enabling DISH to deliver innovative 5G use cases and experiences with our Optima platform.

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SpaceX completes 20th Starlink launch mission

 On Thursday, March 4, SpaceX launched 60 more Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch marked the 20th Starlink mission for SpaceX. It was also the eighth launch of this Falcon 9 booster, which previously supported Iridium-8, Telstar 18 VANTAGE, and five Starlink missions.

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