Sparkle, a global service provider with an extensive fiber optic backbone, is rapidly expanding its reach across five domains: IP&Data, Cloud & Data Center, Enterprise, Mobile, Voice.
Enterprise connectivity services are now being transformed by digitalization and the cloud.
In this video, Antonella Sanguineti, Head of Product Management Secure Cloud & Networking Solutions, Sparkle, discusses how enterprises are changing the way they consume connectivity services.
Global data center switch sales grew in excess of 20 percent in 2Q 2022, reaching an all-time high for the quarter as well as for the first half of the year, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group. The growth was broad-based across a number of vendors. However, only Arista and white box vendors were able to gain revenue share during the quarter.
“We have been forecasting a double-digit growth in the market; driven by ongoing strong customer demand, balanced by supply challenges,” said Sameh Boujelbene, Senior Research Director at Dell’Oro Group. “However, vendors’ ability to work through these supply challenges and deliver the level of shipment witnessed during the quarter beat our expectations, although it came at higher logistics and component costs. We expect supply constraints to persist through the remainder of the year and to continue to shape the market as well as vendors’ performance,” added Boujelbene.
Additional highlights from the 2Q 2022 Ethernet Switch – Data Center Report:
Telia Finland is deploying of the world’s first commercial 5G standalone (SA) network with network slicing for Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services.
Nokia will upgrade Telia’s entire 5G Radio Access Network infrastructure to enable 5G slicing utilizing equipment from its comprehensive AirScale portfolio including 5G radio and baseband products. Nokia’s industry-leading, energy-efficient 5G AirScale network portfolio delivers best-in-class connectivity and supports mobile operators rapidly transitioning to 5G standalone networks. 5G SA is the foundation for some of the most transformative 5G use cases such as cloud gaming and extended reality.
The capability enables Telia Finland to offer a range of broadband deals with guaranteed service levels to its customers by dynamically allocating a portion of the network for 5G FWA.
Nokia is the long-term strategic partner of Telia and exclusive provider of 5G RAN and Core in Finland. Nokia is also a long-standing strategic partner to Telia Company and also supplies 5G SA core in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden in the Nordic and Baltic regions.
Jari Collin, CTO at Telia, commented: "We were one of the first operators in Europe to introduce a 5G standalone and Core network and with the encouraging feedback of our customers, we are now deploying this new technology commercially. 5G’s most innovative applications will be built on our 5G network, and we want to keep Finland at the forefront of its development as this technology matures."
Wolfspeed unveiled plans to build a new, state-of-the-art, multi-billion-dollar materials manufacturing facility in Chatham County, North Carolina.
The new facility is targeted to generate a more than 10 fold increase from Wolfspeed’s current Silicon Carbide production capacity on its Durham campus. The facility will primarily produce 200mm Silicon Carbide wafers, which are 1.7x larger than 150mm wafers, translating into more chips per wafer and ultimately, lower device costs. These wafers will be used to supply Wolfspeed’s Mohawk Valley Fab, which opened earlier this year as the world’s first, largest and only fully automated 200mm Silicon Carbide fabrication facility.
Phase one construction is anticipated to be completed in 2024 and cost approximately $1.3 billion. Between 2024 and the end of the decade, the company will add additional capacity as needed, eventually occupying more than one million square feet on the 445-acre site.
“Wolfspeed is the industry leader in supplying the materials required to meet the accelerating demand for next generation semiconductors and creating a more sustainable future for all. Demand for our products continues to grow at a rapid pace, and the industry continues to be supply constrained. Expanding our Materials production will further our market leadership and allow us to better serve the growing needs of our customers,” said Gregg Lowe, President and CEO of Wolfspeed. “We are particularly excited and proud to not only expand Wolfspeed’s footprint in our home state of North Carolina, but also further our relationship with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to nurture our best-in-class talent pool.”
On Saturday, September 10, SpaceX launched 34 Starlink satellites and AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 satellite to orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission was SpaceX’s 60th Starlink mission to date.
It was SpaceX's 2nd Starlink mission in September and 27th Starlink mission this year.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl4-2/
Keysight Technologies and IBM signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to pursue open radio access network (RAN) deployments in Europe.
IBM endeavors to use Keysight Open Radio Architect (KORA) solutions in the company’s Open RAN center of excellence (CoE), established in 2021, to help mobile operators drive innovation to meet the standards defined by the O-RAN ALLIANCE. IBM intends to integrate Keysight’s software-centric open RAN test, measurement and emulation tools with IBM’s Cloud Pak for Network Automation, an AI-powered telco cloud platform that enables the automation of network operations.
Based in Madrid, Spain, IBM’s CoE enables communications service providers (CSPs) to deploy IBM solutions in their laboratory environments or live networks to support private and industrial applications. IBM’s CoE aims to advance digital transformation in the telco industry and is supported by IBM Consulting.
“Keysight’s collaboration with IBM will help enable mobile operators to speed deployments of digital transformation tools that are critical in supporting industrial competitiveness in Europe,” said Kalyan Sundhar, vice president and general manager for Keysight’s wireless network access business. “The integration of Keysight’s open RAN test solutions with IBM’s Cloud Pak for Network Automation will help service providers in automating applications that are critical to delivering a wide range of connectivity services.”
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel put forward new rules that would require satellite operators in low-Earth orbit to dispose of their satellites within 5 years of completing their missions. If adopted by a vote of the full Commission at its September monthly meeting, the new rules will shorten the existing 25-year guideline for deorbiting satellites after they cease to function.
“Since 1957 humanity has put thousands of satellites into the sky, often with the understanding that they were cheaper to abandon than take out of orbit. These satellites can stay in orbit for decades, careening around our increasingly crowded skies as space junk and raising the risk of collisions that can ruin satellites we count on,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel.
“Today it is the recommended practice for satellite operators to deorbit their spacecraft within 25 years of completing their missions. But there is no reason to wait that long anymore. Our space economy is moving fast. For it to continue to grow, we need to do more to clean up after ourselves so space innovation can continue to expand. That is why I am proposing to shorten the 25-year guideline to no more than 5 years. It will mean more accountability and less risk of collisions that increase debris. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this effort.”
https://www.fcc.gov/news-events/events/2022/09/september-2022-open-commission-meeting
Intel also announced the first phase of funding for its Ohio Semiconductor Education and Research Program. During this first phase, Intel is providing $17.7 million for eight proposals from leading institutions and collaborators in Ohio to develop semiconductor-focused education and workforce programs.
“Today marks a pivotal moment in the journey to build a more geographically balanced and resilient semiconductor supply chain. The establishment of the Silicon Heartland is testament to the power of government incentives to unlock private investment, create thousands of high-paying jobs, and benefit U.S. economic and national security. We would not be here today without the support of leaders in the administration, Congress and the state of Ohio, who share a vision to help restore the United States to its rightful place as a leader in advanced chipmaking,” stated Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO.
Graphiant, a start-up based in San Jose, California, emerged from stealth to unveil a new network edge service that promises to shake up the established framework of VPNs, including MPLS and SDWAN.
The Graphiant Network Edge provides connectivity between the enterprise WAN, hybrid cloud, network edge, customers and partners. The service promises MPLS-like performance (guaranteed delivery, security and privacy) and Internet-class agility. All routing is handled by the Graphiant Stateless Core, which leverages a proprietary routing label system to provision protected paths across an underlay network that is managed by Graphiant. From the enterprise customer perspective, traffic remains encrypted from edge to edge, and SLA-grade performance is guaranteed. The company has its network core deployed in key Equinix data centers serving as its PoPs.Graphiant's idea is to remove the need for network architects to build bespoke networks between every resource, hybrid cloud, edge network, customer and partner. Instead, they simply connect each resource to the Graphiant Stateless Core.
“Network architects have to provide connectivity for an impossibly complex world,” says Khalid Raza, CEO of Graphiant. “Connecting business resources, hybrid cloud, edge networks and remote workers, is time-consuming, error-prone and full of security challenges. We’ve delivered a solution that removes this complexity.”
What's next for enterprise connectivity?
Graphiant, a start-up based in Silicon Valley, has just unveiled a new network edge service that promises to shake up the established framework of VPNs, including MPLS and SDWAN.
In this video, we hear from Khalid Raza, founder and CEO of Graphiant, and who is widely regarded as a visionary in routing protocols and large-scale network architectures. Raza previously was founder & CTO of Viptela, an SDWAN pioneer that was eventually acquired by Cisco for $610 million in 2017.
Comcast has begun a nationwide rollout of multi-gig Internet speeds with the goal of reaching more than 50 million homes and businesses before the end of 2025.
As part of this initiative, Comcast is accelerating the transformation of its network to a virtualized cloud-based architecture that is fully prepared for 10G and DOCSIS 4.0.
Under this initiative Comcast is:
“We’re making our network even smarter and faster, which allows us to quickly deliver true multi-gig Wi-Fi to tens of millions of businesses and residential consumers at an unprecedented pace,” said Charlie Herrin, President of Technology, Product, Experience at Comcast Cable. “Whatever the application, whatever the future holds, our network and world-class, whole-home Wi-Fi experience will be there and ready to power all of our customers’ connected experiences.”
ADVA introduced an outdoor 10G Carrier Ethernet edge demarcation device that complies with MEF 3.0 specifications
“The emergence of more connected devices and the boom in video streaming create a new set of demands at the network edge. So too does the rapid digital transformation across all industries, from healthcare to education to agriculture. Our compact and ruggedized FSP 150-XO106 is specifically designed to address this need by enabling 10Gbit/s demarcation technology in any outdoor space,” said Mike Heffner, GM of Edge Cloud, ADVA. “The versatility and ease of deployment of our new device will bring reliable, high-speed connectivity to more places than ever before.”
Intel and Broadcom hosted a cross-vendor Wi-Fi 7 demonstration that showed over-the-air speeds greater than 5 Gbps. The trial used an Intel Core processor-based laptop with a Wi-Fi 7 solution connected to a Broadcom Wi-Fi 7 access point.
Wi-Fi 7 leverages new features including wider 320 MHz channels in unlicensed 6GHz spectrum, higher order 4K QAM data modulation, simultaneous connections across multiple bands with multi-link operation and improved channel utilization efficiency with multi-resource unit puncturing.
“We are proud to highlight how next-generation Wi-Fi 7 can make new mobile PC experiences possible. Industry collaboration is essential to ensure we deliver on the promises of this new wireless technology. We would like to thank our colleagues at Broadcom for their great technical cooperation, which helped enable this unprecedented, first-of-its-kind demonstration of ultra-high speed and ultra-low latency Wi-Fi 7,” said Carlos Cordeiro, Intel Fellow and Wireless CTO, Client Computing Group, Intel.
Vijay Nagarajan, vice president, Wireless Connectivity Division, Broadcom, said, “Today’s milestone sends a clear message: the ecosystem is ready and Wi-Fi 7 is here to deliver extraordinary capacity and blazing fast speeds to extend gigabit broadband. The reliable, low latency communication provided by Wi-Fi 7 is a key element of Broadcom's vision for connecting everything as the Internet evolves to its next iteration replete with immersive experiences. Industry collaboration is key to making this unprecedented connectivity a reality and we were delighted to work with Intel to achieve another industry first.”
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/wireless/wi-fi-7.html
II-VI (Nasdaq: IIVI) announced a corporate name change to Coherent Corp. (Nasdaq: COHR) and a new brand identity, following the successful completion of II-VI’s acquisition of Coherent, Inc., on July 1, 2022.
“We chose the name Coherent because it has the universal meaning of ‘bringing things together,’ and an appeal that we believe will expand our brand recognition and ultimately lead to value creation,” said Dr. Vincent D. Mattera, Jr., Chair and CEO of Coherent Corp. “The broader meaning of the word coherent represents our diversity in thinking distilled into our clarity of purpose, our unity in action, and our broader sense of engagement by connection to our mission, vision, and values.”
The company says its new logo represents the atom, which is foundational to what makes our products possible. The new name and brand identity reflect the combined company’s strong heritage and long history while signaling a broadened scope and vision for the future. The organization will maintain II-VI’s founding date of 1971 and its founding place and corporate headquarters as Saxonburg, Pennsylvania.
Apple's newest iPhone 14 models feature a new "Emergency SOS via satellite" capability delivered via Globalstar's constellation of LEO satellites, which cover approximately 80% of the Earth's surface.
Designed for emergency communications when out of cellular or Wi-Fi range, the iPhone 14 user must have a clear view of the sky. Texting can take from seconds to several minutes. Messages are relayed from earth-to-ground stations to the nearest emergency service providers. Messages are sent in encrypted form, and decrypted by Apple before being passed along to the relevant emergency services dispatcher, or the emergency relay center. Apple will set up emergency relay specialists to communicate verbally with emergency service providers not receiving texts. In addition, Apple's Find My feature can be used via satellite to share off-grid locations with friends or relatives.
Apple says the service isfree for two years with the activation of any iPhone 14 model. Connection and response times vary based on location, site conditions, and other factors.
Emergency SOS via satellite will be available with an iOS 16 software update coming in November 2022.
Separately, Globalstar confirmed via an SEC filing that it has won a contract to provide satellite service to Apple for the new iPhone 14 capability. Globalstar said the companies have completed feasibility testing, material upgrades to Globalstar's ground network, construction of 10 new gateways around the world. Globalstar has also launched a ground spare satellite and finished in-field system testing. Apple has agreed to pay Globalstar a recurring service fee, as well as payments for operating expenses, certain capital expenditures, bonus payments, etc.
https://www.apple.com/iphone-14-pro/specs/
https://investors.globalstar.com/node/14431/html
Molex introduced its pluggable module solution for co-packaged optics (CPO), which moves optical connections from the front panel to within the host system—right next to high-speed ICs.
The new External Laser Source Interconnect System (ELSIS) is a complete system of cage, optical and electrical connectors with a pluggable module.
"From high-speed networking chips to graphics processing units (GPUs) and AI engines, the demand for I/O bandwidth continues to escalate," said Tom Marrapode, director of advanced technology development, Molex Optical Solutions. "By placing the optics closer to these ASICs, CPO will address the growing complexities associated with high-speed electrical traces, including signal integrity, density and power consumption."
Molex notes that traditional pluggable modules have their optical connections at the user side of the module, creating concerns about eye safety when used with high-power laser sources, such as those planned for CPO. As a blind-mating solution, ELSIS eliminates user access to optical fiber ports and cables, providing a complete external laser source system for safe, easy implementation and maintenance. The use of external laser sources also means a major heat source is moved away from the optoelectronics and IC package. Plus, the design eliminates high-speed electrical I/O drivers on the IC and in pluggable modules, further reducing thermal loads and power consumption within the equipment.
Molex is currently sampling the ELSIS hybrid optical electrical connector and cage system. Supporting design and development materials for the fully pluggable module system, including 3D models, technical drawings and detailed specifications, are available now. Molex is targeting Q3 2023 for release of the fully integrated solution.
Mavenir and NEC (NEC) have deployed massive MIMO (mMIMO) on Orange’s 5G standalone (SA) experimental network in Chatillon near Paris. The deployment is part of the extension of project Pikeo – Orange’s cloud-based and fully automated 5G SA experimental network, also called Pikeo at this site.
Mavenir’s cloud-native Open virtualised Radio Access Network (Open vRAN) software has been deployed on Orange’s cloud infrastructure with NEC’s 32T32R mMIMO active antenna unit (AAU) to deliver high capacity and enhanced coverage. Interoperability between radios and virtualised Distributed Units (vDUs) over the O-RAN Alliance Open Fronthaul Interface is key to Open RAN’s ability to simplify the deployment of multi-vendor networks and eliminate vendor lock-in.
“Mavenir and NEC’s successful Open RAN deployment of mMIMO on Orange’s Innovation 5G SA experimental network is a major stepping stone on the road towards Open RAN deployments and illustrates Orange’s commitment to support the development of multi-vendor Open RAN solutions with innovative partners. Our Open RAN Integration Centre, open to our partners worldwide, contributes to the development of a strong Open RAN ecosystem in Europe,” said Arnaud Vamparys, SVP Radio Access Networks and Microwaves at Orange.
“Deploying 5G SA mMIMO is a significant milestone in developing Open RAN and transitioning from virtualised to cloudified networks. We are very proud of our continuing collaboration with Orange, NEC and other companies that are proving the potential of the multi-vendor, cloud-native, standards-based approach,” said Hubert de Pesquidoux, Executive Chairman of Mavenir.
“The latest deployment of Open RAN mMIMO in Europe is another milestone for Open RAN and one that required close collaboration and tight integration between multiple vendors. This synergy is exactly what Open RAN needs to successfully deliver on its promise of a truly open multi-vendor ecosystem,” said Naohisa Matsuda, General Manager of NEC’s 5G Strategy and Business.
https://www.mavenir.com
Cogent Communications agreed to acquire T-Mobile's Wireline Business.
In addition to the fiber network and related assets and customers, Cogent will acquire certain liabilities associated with the business. In addition, at the closing of the acquisition, the parties will enter into a separate agreement pursuant to which Cogent will offer IP transit services to T-Mobile for 54 months following the closing date and T-Mobile will pay Cogent $700 million for such services, with $350 million due in equal payments over the first 12 months after closing and $350 million due in equal payments over the remaining 42 months.
Cogent described the acquisition as an ideal strategic fit with its existing business. The Wireline Business offers the legacy Sprint U.S. long-haul network that provides an owned network asset to complement and eventually replace Cogent's current leased network and provides the ability to expand its product set, including the sales of optical wave transport services to new and existing customers. It also has a current customer base who are a fit for Cogent's products and services, and a group of experienced employees with the knowledge and capabilities to execute the company's strategy.
Cogent expects to offer customers the ability to migrate from their legacy MPLS VPN solutions to modern Ethernet / VPLS or SD-WAN / DIA solutions for their corporate needs. Cogent also expects to facilitate the migration of netcentric internet access customers from the T-Mobile Wireline Business (legacy Sprint) AS1239 to Cogent's AS174.
Intelsat General Communications LLC (IGC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Intelsat, has been selected by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for resilient, secure, on-demand communications in clear and contested environments across the globe.
The service will leverage Intelsat's GEO satellite fleet, combining multi-layered, Ku-band HTS coverage with wide and spot beams to bring broadband connectivity around the globe - including the most trafficked flight routes. This solution delivers preflight, in-route transit, and on-station data, voice, and video communication capabilities anywhere in the world.
Intel named Shlomit Weiss as senior vice president and co-general manager (GM) of the Design Engineering Group (DEG), replacing senior vice president Sunil Shenoy, who will retire at the end of the year. Weiss will lead the company’s design, development, validation and manufacturing support of intellectual properties (IPs) and system-on-chips (SoCs), reporting directly to Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger and joining the company’s executive leadership team.
“The design engineering organization plays a central role in our ability to deliver leadership products in every category in which we compete. It requires a leader with deep technical expertise and passion for engineering excellence, and Shlomit has that in spades,” Gelsinger said. “With more than three decades of experience in semiconductor and SoC design engineering and management, Shlomit is known for her focus on quality and predictable execution, which are critical focus areas as we advance our IDM 2.0 strategy.”
“I returned to Intel last year because I was inspired and excited by Pat’s bold IDM 2.0 strategy and vision for the company and I saw an opportunity to help accelerate the company’s path to product leadership,” Weiss said. “I’m honored to join Pat’s leadership team and help re-energize and re-establish a culture of execution and innovation while leading our engineering teams to drive consistent and predictable cadence of quality product innovation.”
