Openreach deploys Ciena’s routing, switching and optical

Openreach is deploying Ciena’s routing and switching and WaveLogic Ai-based coherent optical platforms. Openreach is also using Ciena’s Managed Services, which underpin the end-to-end network deployment, service rollout, and ongoing management and technical support. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Openreach is leveraging Ciena’s Routing and Switching family of products (including the 3928, 5160, 5164 and 5171) to deliver OSEA Filter Connect Lite, a hub-and-spoke based solution that provides multiple 10GbE/100GbE links into a low-power, small footprint aggregation point at key network locations. With OSEA Filter Connect Lite, Openreach customers can scale the offering to expand capacity and incorporate future network features to adapt to changing user demands and connectivity needs driven by the increase in home and remote working. Additionally, Openreach’s OSEA 6500 MUX product, which is powered by Ciena’s WaveLogic Ai coherent optical technology, offers high-bandwidth wavelength connectivity that can scale from 100Gbps to a maximum capacity of 400Gbps per card over a single optical wavelength.

Peter Bell, Openreach’s Director of Network Technology, said: “Our customers require agile networks and customizable solutions to meet demand and manage costs. Ciena’s solutions make it possible for us to deliver faster, more agile, resilient services for our customers in a shorter timeframe – and will help us meet increasing bandwidth needs aligned with our recently-announced plans to expand our FTTP footprint to 25 million premises by 2026.”

“Digital transformation was already underway, but years of progress have taken place in months as a result of the recent dramatic rise in remote work and learning. By adding adaptability and scalability to its offerings, Openreach is helping its customers meet the increased demand for improved digital connectivity with high-bandwidth 400G services to carrier and content provider customers across the UK,” said Jamie Jefferies, Vice President and General Manager, International at Ciena.

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Amazon Elastic Container Service Anywhere goes live

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the general availability of Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) Anywhere, a new capability for Amazon ECS that enables customers to run and manage container-based applications on-premises using the same APIs, cluster management, workload scheduling, monitoring, and deployment pipelines they use with Amazon ECS in AWS. 

Amazon ECS Anywhere provides a fully managed container orchestration service that allows customers to easily run, scale, and secure Docker container applications on any customer-managed infrastructure in addition to all AWS Regions, AWS Local Zones, and AWS hybrid infrastructure deployments (e.g. AWS Outposts and AWS Wavelength). There are no upfront fees or commitments to use Amazon ECS Anywhere, and customers pay only for the container instances they run. 

A key benefit is consistent tooling and APIs for all container-based applications, and the same Amazon ECS experience for cluster management, workload scheduling, and monitoring in the cloud and in their own data centers and edge environments via a common control plane. With Amazon ECS Anywhere, customers no longer need to run, update, or maintain their own container orchestrators on-premises. 

“Customers have told us that while they need to run containers on their own infrastructure, they don't want the hassle of operating their own cluster management software. They love the simplicity of Amazon ECS, the fact that it just works, and want the same reliability, scalability, and security of Amazon ECS wherever they run their applications,” said Deepak Singh, VP, Compute Services, AWS. “With Amazon ECS Anywhere we are proud to provide our customers exactly what they’ve asked for—a single service and control plane to manage their container deployments across AWS Regions, AWS Outposts, AWS Wavelength, AWS Local Zones, and customer-owned infrastructure, both in their data centers and at edge locations. Nothing else in the industry does that.”

Amazon ECS Anywhere is available today in US East (N. Virginia), US East (Ohio), US West (Oregon), US West (N. California), GovCloud (US-West), GovCloud (US-East), Canada (Central), South America (São Paulo), Europe (Frankfurt), Europe (London), Europe (Paris), Middle East (Bahrain), Europe (Ireland), Europe (Milan), Europe (Stockholm), AWS Africa (Cape Town), Asia Pacific (Sydney), Asia Pacific (Tokyo), Asia Pacific (Singapore), Asia Pacific (Seoul), Asia Pacific (Osaka), Asia Pacific (Mumbai), and Asia Pacific (Hong Kong), with availability in additional regions coming soon.

https://aws.amazon.com/ecs/anywhere

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Mavenir now offers its Converged Packet Core on AWS

Mavenir announced support for deployments and integration of cloud-native telecom network functions with telco infrastructure solutions on Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS).

Mavenir's 5G solutions on AWS include its Converged Packet Core, IMS, Messaging, Orchestration, AI and Telco Analytics and Open RAN products.

“The collaboration with Mavenir and AWS allows us to build out our 5G network and messaging platforms in a true cloud-native manner, harnessing the speed and agility that the AWS cloud brings along with Mavenir’s expertise in deploying and operating cloud-native network functions," said Sidd Chenumolu, Vice President of Technology Development, DISH. “Together, we will enable our customers to take full advantage of the potential of 5G, reimagining wireless connectivity and giving our customers the ability to customize their network experience.”

“Working with AWS enables us to bring new customer-focused 5G use cases and 5G deployments to the market faster and with unique capabilities to realize true 5G potential,” said Bejoy Pankajakshan, Mavenir’s Chief Strategy Officer. “Mavenir’s solutions are designed to support full public cloud as well as hybrid cloud deployments.”

"We’re delighted to collaborate with Mavenir to offer voice and messaging solutions for core network and RAN customers along with AI/ML solutions for orchestration and observability,” said Amir Rao, General Manager Telco Solution Portfolio and Tech Alliances, AWS. “Together, we are providing true cloud native benefits to CSP customers, combining Mavenir’s expertise in the NFV market with the global scale of the AWS infrastructure to meet industry challenges of agility, scaling, slicing, and resiliency.”

Mavenir said this change AWS allows Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to deploy its 4G and 5G products and applications with AWS’s computing infrastructure, state of the art container deployment and management technologies, and big data analytics services. The solution is designed to scale and leverages the same tools and technologies offered by AWS to enterprise applications. 

http://www.mavenir.com

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Anterix teams with Nokia on 900 MHz private LTE for utilities

Anterix, which is the largest holder of licensed spectrum in the 900 MHz band in the United States, reached an agreement with Nokia to accelerate the deployment of 900 MHz private LTE across the U.S. utility sector. 

The companies will work together to combine Anterix's "beach-front" 900 MHz spectrum with Nokia's industrial-grade private LTE/4.9G wireless infrastructure so that utility companies can more easily deploy private LTE solutions that support advanced communications for modernizing their grids. Nokia is also a charter member of the recently announced Anterix Active Ecosystem Program that brings together technology innovators to support Anterix customers deploying and operating private LTE on 900 MHz.  

"Utilities who oversee critical infrastructure systems must insist on maintaining network control if they're going to manage the delivery of services effectively and efficiently," said Anterix Chief Operating Officer Ryan Gerbrandt. "Our low-band, licensed spectrum can provide utilities with the capabilities they need to build their own 900 MHz private LTE networks with Nokia's state-of-the-art infrastructure."

The joint solution will include the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) platform and Nokia Modular Private Wireless (MPW) solution. The Nokia DAC is a compact application platform, comprising cellular network equipment and a cloud-based operation monitoring system offering reliable high-bandwidth, low-latency private wireless connectivity, local edge computing capabilities, and a catalog with applications such as voice and video services. Nokia MPW includes indoor and outdoor solutions that enable utilities to build private 4.9G/LTE networks for small to very large industrial sites and field area networks. Both DAC and MPW can be upgraded to 5G.

https://anterix.com/

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VMware reports sales of $2.99 billion, up 9% yoy

VMware reported revenue for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2022 of $2.99 billion, an increase of 9% from the first quarter of fiscal 2021. GAAP net income was $425 million, or $1.01 per diluted share, compared to $386 million, or $0.92 per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2021. Non-GAAP net income for the first quarter was $744 million, or $1.76 per diluted share, up 16% per diluted share.

Highlights:

• The combination of subscription and SaaS and license revenue was $1.39 billion, an increase of 12% from the first quarter of fiscal 2021.
• Subscription and SaaS revenue for the first quarter was $741 million, an increase of 29% year-over-year.
• RPO for the first quarter totaled $11.0 billion, up 9% year-over-year.
• The VMware Special Committee of independent directors and Dell Technologies have agreed to terms in which VMware will be spun-off from Dell Technologies. The terms include significant simplification to the corporate ownership structure and an $11.5B to $12.0B special cash dividend recommended by the independent Special Committee and declared by the VMware Board to all VMware stockholders immediately prior to the spin-off and subject to the satisfaction of all closing conditions. The two companies have also finalized a commercial agreement that preserves and enhances their strategic partnership to deliver joint customer value.

“We are pleased with our Q1 financial performance as we delivered solutions for customers in strategic areas like multi-cloud, application modernization and digital workspaces, while focusing on providing a broader set of consumption choices with our Subscription and SaaS offerings,” said Zane Rowe, CFO and Interim CEO, VMware. “We are excited to welcome Raghu Raghuram as the next CEO of VMware. This milestone, along with the proposed Dell spin-off, sets the stage for the company’s next innovative chapter.”

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Box cites continued momentum for cloud storage

Box reported revenue for the first quarter of its fiscal year of $202.4 million, an increase of 10% from the first quarter of fiscal year 2021. Non-GAAP gross profit for the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 was $147.9 million, or 73% of revenue. This compares to a non-GAAP gross profit of $134.1 million, or 73% of revenue, in the first quarter of fiscal year 2021. GAAP net loss per share, basic and diluted, in the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 was $0.09 on 161.7 million weighted-average shares outstanding. Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted, in the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 was $0.18. 

"Our vision for the Content Cloud is resonating with our customers. They recognize the strategic importance of securing, automating, integrating, and collaborating on content, and are investing in the full power of Box," said Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of Box. "The strategy we've been executing on is yielding positive results as reflected in our strong start to FY22 and we’re poised to build on our leadership and drive our next phase of growth.”

"Q1 was an excellent start to the year, highlighted by strong billings, RPO, and revenue growth, in addition to increased profitability," said Dylan Smith, Box’s co-founder and CFO. “As we build on this momentum and continue to focus on driving profitable growth, we're well positioned to accelerate revenue growth over time and achieve our long-term financial targets.”

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OIF initiates 3 projects, including co-packaged optics external laser module

OIF initiated three new projects, including a Co-Packaged Optics external laser module, Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Enhanced Network Operations and CEI-112G-Linear, in addition to announcing a network operator survey for the 2022 Networking Demo.

External Laser Small Form Factor Pluggable (ELSFP) Module Project – companion project to support co-packaged optics applications

This project for a blind-mate pluggable external light source module will define a new form factor optimized to package lasers to support co-packaged optical modules. It also includes provisions for the longevity of this form factor beyond the initial scope of the Co-Packaged Optics Module project (i.e., more fibers, thermal, and optical power classes).

“The ELSFP project is an important step for enabling co-packaged optics deployments,” according to Gary Nicholl, Cisco and OIF board member. “And, the project objectives include the necessary technical considerations to ensure this project will be relevant for multiple generations.”

Application of Artificial Intelligence to Enhanced Network Operations Project

A healthy and high-performance network serves as the foundation for all 5G application scenarios. Traditional approaches face significant difficulties in automatically and efficiently analyzing network data, solving network faults, and optimizing network performance. This new project will result in a white paper identifying a collection of use cases for applying AI to construct intelligent, resilient and high-performance optical and packet networks.

CEI-112G-Linear Project

A linear Chip-to-Optical Engine interface is needed to enable low power, low cost, small form factor 112G serial optical modules in Co-Packaged Optics, Near Package Optics (NPO) and server/GPU applications. This new project will facilitate increased bandwidth and reduced power of switch ports using co-packaged and closely packaged optical modules.

Network Operator Survey – 2022 Transport SDN Interoperability Demonstration

The OIF Networking Interoperability Working Group is surveying operators worldwide for their input and interest in participating in a 2022 Transport SDN Interoperability Demonstration. As with past surveys, responses will be anonymized, tabulated and summarized. The deadline to complete the survey is Tuesday, June 15, 2021.  Link to the survey: https://www.oiforum.com/technical-work/request-download-oif-network-operator-survey/

https://www.oiforum.com/oif-reveals-three-innovative-projects-external-laser-small-form-factor-pluggable-module-for-co-packaged-optics-artificial-intelligence-for-enhanced-network-operations-and-cei-112g-linear/

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OSA to host 5G Summit - 13 – 14 July,

The Optical Society (OSA) will host amd all virtual 5G Summit on July 13-14 to discuss optical access, aggregation networks, edge computing and the 5G ecosystem.

“Expanding upon the inaugural 2019 OSA 5G Summit, this year’s program will engage attendees with the developments critical to performance targets for 5G systems,” said co-chair Jörg-Peter Elbers, SVP Advanced Technology, Standards & IPR at ADVA, Germany.

Distinguished speakers will discuss technologies that are increasing network speeds, expanding interactivity on the network and more. The following companies will be represented: ADVA, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, ETSI-F5G, Futurewei, Lumentum, MobileEdgeX, NTT, NTT Docomo, Orange Labs, Rakuten Mobile, Telecom Italia, Qualcomm, VaporIO, Verizon and II-VI.

“Advancements in 5G networks are crucial to the photonics and fiber optics industry,” said co-chair Xiang Liu, VP Optical Transport and Access, Futurewei Technologies, US. “The 5G Summit is pivotal to information sharing among our global mobile and optical network community.”

Panel discussion topics include:

• 5G Vision, Use Cases & Deployment Status
• 5G Technologies, Open RAN & Edge Computing
• The 5th Generation Fixed Network (F5G), New Use Cases & Enabling Technologies
• Optical Transceivers and Photonic Devices for 5G

https://www.osa.org/en-us/meetings/member_events/osa_5g_summit/registration/

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Proximus activates first 25G PON with Nokia

Proximus has activated the world's first 25G PON live network using equipment from Nokia.

The network connects the Havenhuis building in the Port of Antwerp with the Proximus central office in the middle of the city. Proximus has confirmed network speeds exceeding 20 Gbps across the PON.

Proximus is the leading provider of fixed broadband networks in Belgium with 45.9% market share. The operator is accelerating the move to fiber, adding 10% coverage each year and is on target to reach at least 70% of homes and business by 2028. As part of its inspire 2022 vision, it is creating a high capacity open network which will be available to all operators, eliminating the need for fiber overbuild.

Guillaume Boutin, CEO Proximus, said: “The activation of the first 25G PON network worldwide shapes our bold ambition to be a trendsetter, to become a reference operator in Europe and, why not, across the globe. Together with Nokia, we have achieved a technological leap forward that will become a key enabler of the digital and economy and society that we stand for. Today’s announcement is also an occasion to stand still and look at the pace at which we connect the citizens of Antwerp to the technology of the future. Thanks to huge investments, we are realizing an acceleration that is unseen in Europe, and I am convinced this will be crucial to remain competitive for us as a company, but also for Antwerp as a city and for our entire economy.”

Federico Guillén, President Network Infrastructure Nokia, said: “10 years ago our companies launched the technology which enabled a switch to HD TV. Today we make history again with a network that is 200x faster. We are proud to support Proximus in enabling the world’s first 25G PON network, powered by Nokia’s Quillion chipset, which supports three generations of PON technologies. Quillion has been adopted by more than 100 operators since its launch last year and all operators deploying the Quillion based GPON and XGS-PON solution today have the capabilities to easily evolve to 25G PON.”

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T-Mobile Netherlands picks Nokia for managed security and optical upgrade

T-Mobile Netherlands selected Nokia to provide a wide range of managed services including automated network and security operations, as well as a service-centric optical network over the course of the five-year rollout.

T-Mobile Netherlands will make use of Nokia’s Managed Security Services – covering all network elements. The service will provide a wide spectrum of security capabilities while meeting the latest cyber security standards and regulations. Nokia said its state-of-the-art network and services operations centre will deliver these services on a 24/7 basis. Nokia will use its NetGuard Audit Compliance Manager to continuously audit and remediate the security configurations of T-Mobile Netherlands to improve compliance to regulations and minimize risks. The partnership will also ensure a superior user experience for clients through comprehensive managed multi-vendor network operation services. In addition, cognitive services based on the Nokia AVA AI-ML system will transform the overall efficiency of the network operation and guarantee the resilience required in the digital era.

Nokia will modernize the operator’s optical network by consolidating its existing DWDM networks into one new core and aggregation network. T-Mobile’s renewed DWDM network will cover the entire country, including 50+ strategic cities, offering its customers enhanced service quality and speeds reaching 400 Gbps and higher. 

The optical solutions being deployed are based on the Nokia WaveFabric service-ready platforms and Nokia WaveSuite software portfolio. The Nokia NSP (Network Services Platform) will provide network automation for faster delivery of transport services, optimized network utilization and traffic engineering, as well as dynamic assurance for operating the network with maximum performance and reliability.

Jeroen van Straten, Director Network Operations at T-Mobile, said: “T-Mobile wants its customers to enjoy our networks without any privacy concerns. That is why we continuously challenge ourselves to make our networks as stable and secure as possible. We selected Nokia based on their comprehensive set of sustainable and secure solutions. With Nokia’s years of experience in managed services and building robust optical networks, our team is even more able to concentrate on enabling new services for our customers with faster time to market and lower risks and costs.”

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Nokia adds mmWave, micro RRH and AirScale indoor small cell radios

Nokia launched new additions to its AirScale small cells portfolio for premium indoor and outdoor 5G coverage, featuring support for the majority of frequency bands, including requirements for C-Band spectrum in the U.S.

Highlights:

Nokia’s new AirScale micro Remote Radio Heads (mRRH) deliver premium outdoor 5G coverage, enhancing both capacity and coverage in dense urban environments. Nokia’s mRRHs allow operators to cost-effectively densify their networks, especially where the deployment of a macro cell would not be appropriate. Micro RRH have small footprints and offer increased deployment options, as well as lower power consumption and so lower operational cost. In addition to the new U.S. C-Band (n77) product, Nokia’s enhanced mRRH portfolio also offers even broader mid-band capabilities with a new n79 product.

Nokia's new range of AirScale indoor Radio (ASiR) solutions include a new ASiR-pRRH (pico Remote Radio Head) supporting U.S. C-Band spectrum requirements and a new triple-band pRRH – the first integrated 4G/5G pRRH. Nokia has also released a new Smart HUB, which supports even greater throughput capacity for 5G and an associated Hybrid Fiber Converter that enables the use of hybrid fibers for interconnection to existing ASiR-pRRH.

Nokia has also announced the availability of its latest millimeter wave (mmWave) radio product line-up, designed for stadiums, airports or pedestrianized areas. These compact products support a wide range of deployment options to ease installation considerations in busy locations. Nokia’s mmWave portfolio supports all spectrum bands including 24/26 GHz, 28 GHz and 39 GHz.    

Nokia recently launched the Nokia Smart Node, a compact femtocell solution delivering high-quality 4G and 5G indoor mobile coverage for residential and small-medium enterprise use. The unique, ‘plug and play’ modular design can be readily deployed in any environment to support evolving consumer applications. It is future-proof, supporting 4G now and 5G as and when required.

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2021/05/26/nokia-introduces-new-additions-to-industry-leading-small-cells-portfolio/

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SpaceX completes 29th Starlink mission

SpaceX launched 60 more Starlink satellites on Wednesday, May 26 from Launch Complex 40 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the second launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster, which previously launched the Sentinel-6A mission.

In addition, SpaceX noted that Starlink has begun providing service in Belgium and the Netherlands.

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Snowflake reports sales of $229 million, up 110% yoy

Snowflake, which offers a cloud service for uniting siloed data and executing diverse analytic workloads, reported quarterly revenue of $228.9 million, representing 110% year-over-year growth. 

Product revenue for the quarter was $213.8 million, representing 110% year-over-year growth. Remaining performance obligations were $1.4 billion, representing 206% year-over-year growth. Net revenue retention rate was 168% as of April 30, 2021. 

Snowflake now has 4,532 total customers and 104 customers with trailing 12-month product revenue greater than $1 million.

“Snowflake reported strong Q1 results with triple-digit growth in product revenue, reflecting strength in customer consumption,” said Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman. “Remaining performance obligations showed a robust increase year-on-year, indicating strength in sales across the board.”

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OPPO introduces eSIM for 5G SA networks

OPPO introduced the first 5G SA-Compatible eSIM on its newly launched flagship 5G smartphone, the OPPO Find X3 Pro, developed in collaboration with Thales. The eSIM, or embedded SIM, is directly built into the device. 

"As a leading global technology company, OPPO has been spurring the development of 5G technology since the very beginning. We are committed to providing innovative 5G experiences for users and we see eSIM as an exciting prospect in delivering these experiences,” said Xia Yang, Senior Director of Carrier Product, OPPO. “Through our technical collaboration with Thales, we have made the Find X3 Pro one of the first devices in the world to be equipped with 5G SA-Compatible eSIM. As 5G SA networks are being deployed around the world, the addition of 5G SA-Compatible eSIM brings more possibilities for Find X3 Pro users worldwide."

Thales is a leading provider in both hardware-based eSIM and eSIM connectivity management with more than 200 eSIM management platforms awarded by mobile operators, operator alliances, MVNOs, and OEMs across all continents. As OPPO's key eSIM solutions partner, Thales eSIM solutions have already been included in the OPPO Watch, OPPO’s first smartwatch with built-in cellular connectivity.

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Juniper extends its multivendor Intent-based automation to VMware NSX, SONiC

Juniper Networks announced version 4.0 of Apstra software, the multi-vendor, intent-based data center networking solution acquired earlier in the year.

Apstra 4.0 brings new support for VMware NSX-T 3.0 and Enterprise SONiC, in addition to previously supported data center switching from Juniper, Nvidia (Nvidia Cumulus), Arista Networks and Cisco Systems. The Apstra software also has new intent extensions and connectivity templates that provide a more simple and flexible way of connecting attached systems. Additionally, Juniper is offering Apstra with Juniper Networks QFX Series switches and SRX Series Services Gateways.

Juniper underscored its commitment to preserving Apstra as an open and multi-vendor system. Customers can scale with the Apstra software, removing hardware and operational constraints and accelerating data center evolution.

“Organizations are looking for new ways to enhance the experience of users and operators in the data center,” said Mike Bushong, VP Data Center, Juniper Networks. “Our Apstra software provides the perfect foundation by delivering closed-loop automation, analytics and assurance for intent-based networking across vendors. In operations, speed is nothing without control, and with the newest Apstra extensions and multi-vendor solutions, teams can make changes more quickly with predictable outcomes.”

See video: 

https://youtu.be/DMqkRkiaZPg

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AWS to open data centers in UAE

Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to open an infrastructure region in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the first half of 2022. 

The new AWS Middle East (UAE) Region will consist of three Availability Zones and become AWS’s second region in the Middle East with the existing AWS Region in Bahrain

AWS Regions are comprised of Availability Zones, which place infrastructure in separate and distinct geographic locations with enough distance to significantly reduce the risk of a single event mpacting customers’ business continuity, yet near enough to provide low latency for high availability applications that leverage multiple Availability Zones. Each Availability Zone has independent power, cooling, and physical security and is connected through redundant, ultra-low-latency networks.

.“We are excited to build on the great momentum of cloud adoption in the Middle East by providing more choice for customers in the UAE to run applications and store data locally,” said Peter DeSantis, Senior Vice President of Global Infrastructure, AWS. “The new AWS Region supports the UAE’s focus on promoting technology innovation that has made it a thriving global hub for entrepreneurs, e-governments, and multi-national businesses. With the new region, organizations of all sizes will be able to innovate faster and serve end-users with even lower latency across the region.”

His Excellency Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said, “AWS's expansion into the UAE is a testament to our rapidly growing innovation ecosystem that will benefit from access to the world's leading cloud platform and its advanced technologies and solutions. Building on Abu Dhabi's smart infrastructure and digital transformation, AWS’s investment will further enable innovators and companies with globally-relevant solutions to realize new opportunities in the UAE and beyond.”

Globally, AWS has 80 Availability Zones across 25 geographic regions, with plans to launch 18 more Availability Zones and six more AWS Regions in Australia, India, Indonesia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.

https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/

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Dell'Oro: Optical transport equipment market stagnant in Q1

 The Optical Transport equipment market came in roughly flat with the year ago quarter in 1Q 2021, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group. The North American market was the main culprit for this stagnant growth rate, offsetting all of the year-over-year growth in the other regions.

"Although the North American region was down this quarter compared to last year, it did improve from last quarter," said Jimmy Yu, Vice President at Dell'Oro Group. "In fact, the growth quarter-over-quarter was really strong. It grew just a little over 15 percent, and we think this strength will carry forward through the remainder of the year," added Yu.

Highlights from the 1Q 2021 Quarterly Report:

• The top manufacturers by revenue share were Huawei, Ciena, ZTE, and Nokia. Among the top four, Nokia gained the most revenue share over the year ago quarter.
• Three vendors (Ciena, Huawei, and Infinera) are actively shipping 800 Gbps-capable coherent line cards. However, due to the company's early entry, Ciena holds the lion share of shipment volume.
• Communication service providers comprised 71 percent of WDM market revenue in the quarter.

The year-over-year revenue growth in each region was as follows:

Regions Growth Rate in 1Q 2021

• North America -15%
• Europe, Middle East and Africa 10%
• Asia Pacific 0%
• Caribbean and Latin America 15%

https://www.delloro.com

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Xanadu raises $100 million for its photonic quantum computing

Xanadu, a start-up based in Toronto, announced US$100 million in Series B venture funding for its photonic quantum computing.

Xanadu was founded in 2016 to use particles of light for quantum computing to perform extremely fast and previously impossible computations at room temperature. The company says this round of funding positions it to achieve its next major milestone: the building of a fault-tolerant quantum computing module.

"The strong interest from VC firms to fund this Series B financing demonstrates significant market confidence in Xanadu's photonic approach and our world-class team," said Christian Weedbrook, founder and CEO. "We believe this confidence is grounded in the significant advantages offered by photonics: The ability to leverage preexisting foundries and off-the-shelf optical components, and the capability to naturally network photonic chips together to form a larger quantum computer with one million qubits".

"This fault-tolerant module is the size of a few conventional server racks and will be the key building block to reaching one millions qubits and to solving meaningful problems, leading to the opening up of a new global market," said Weedbrook. "Photonics has the advantage that networking these modules together is achieved using light, which is already the medium of choice for our quantum computer".

Bessemer Venture Partners led the round with participation from Capricorn, Tiger Global, BDC Capital, In-Q-Tel, along with returning investors Georgian, OMERS, and Tim Draper. The round brings Xanadu's total investment to date to US$145 million.

https://xanadu.ai

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Keysight acquires Quantum Benchmark

Keysight Technologies has acquired Quantum Benchmark, a start-up offering error diagnostics, error suppression and performance validation software for quantum computing. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Quantum Benchmark, which is based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, was backed by venture funds VanEdge Capital and Quantonation. The company's technology is based on research conducted by the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing. The acquisition of Quantum Benchmark supports Keysight's goal to deliver a comprehensive quantum portfolio addressing customer needs across the physical, protocol, and application layers. Quantum Benchmark represents Keysight's third acquisition in the quantum space after Signadyne in 2016 and Labber Quantum in 2019.

"Joining forces with Keysight is a strategic and timely opportunity to accelerate the development and delivery of our industry-leading solutions," said Joseph Emerson, Ph.D., Quantum Benchmark CEO, Founder and Chief Scientist. "Together, we bring the world closer to achieving the break-through applications of quantum computing including the design of energy-efficient materials, the acceleration of drug discovery, the promise of quantum machine learning, and so much more."

"As the quantum ecosystem continues to form, Keysight is committed to providing customers with a full suite of solutions for the overall quantum stack. We are pleased to announce the addition of Quantum Benchmark to our portfolio, providing unique capabilities for solving complex qubit error and validation challenges," said Kailash Narayanan, president of Commercial Communications at Keysight. "The talented Quantum Benchmark team will be a valuable addition to Keysight and will further our mission to accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world."

http://www.quantumbenchmark.com

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Keysight delivers test solution for devices operating in unlicensed spectrum

Keysight Technologies introduced a egulatory test solution for the certification of wireless devices that use the unlicensed bands at 2.4 and 5 GHz.

Highlights of the new Keysight IOT0047A regulatory test solution: 

• support for Wi-Fi 6E-ready hardware
• flexible software that is continuously updated according to the latest ETSI and FCC standard releases.
• increase throughput and asset utilization with a system that can easily scale into separate test stations and used in parallel to address different standards and test cases.
• upgrade as needs evolve with an expandable system – add additional channels, software capabilities or standards coverage.
• reduce turnaround time and improve process efficiency with purpose-built test automation software that simplifies and automates the testing cycle, from test configurations to report generation.

"Rapid growth of new IoT devices and designs creates challenges for test labs to address the increasing complexity in regulatory testing. Keysight’s IOT0047A enables labs to simplify the testing process, increase throughput and easily upgrade to support new standards,” said Boon Juan Tan, vice president and general manager, General Electronics Measurement Solutions at Keysight Technologies. “Our goal is to help customers improve ROI in capital investment and gain a competitive edge by enabling their clients to be first-to-market by supporting the latest wireless standards.”

http://www.keysight.com

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