Wednesday, August 29, 2012
AT&T U-Verse TV Adds Facebook App
AT&T began offering a Facebbok on TV app to its U-Verse TV customers.
The Facebook on TV interactive app lets the user view news feeeds, post status updates, interact with friends and easily share info on the show they are watching. U-verse TV customers can add up to ten different accounts on a single receiver.
"The TV experience is becoming more social, and we've always focused on delivering interactive TV apps that are more engaging and provide an overall better experience," said Maria Dillard, Vice President of U-verse and Video Products, AT&T Home Solutions. "This app gives U-verse TV and High Speed Internet customers the ability to share information about what they're watching on their TV with their remote, on any U-verse TV screen. It's another example of how we continue to enhance and bring more value to the U-verse experience."
http://www.att.com/
Seeking a Better Paradigm for Global Standards
IEEE, Internet Architecture Board (IAB), Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), Internet Society and World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) reached agreement for establishing a modern paradigm for global, open standards.
The agreement is premised on the understanding that the economics of global markets - fueled by technological innovation - drive global deployment of standards, regardless of their formal status within traditional bodies of national representation.
The OpenStand principles demand:
“New dynamics and pressures on global industry have driven changes in the ways that standards are developed and adopted around the world,” said Steve Mills, president of the IEEE Standards Association. “Increasing globalization of markets, the rapid advancement of technology and intensifying time-to-market demands have forced industry to seek more efficient ways to define the global standards that help expand global markets. The OpenStand principles foster the more efficient international standardization paradigm that the world needs.”
“The Internet and World Wide Web have fueled an economic and social transformation, touching billions of lives. Efficient standardization of so many technologies has been key to the success of the global Internet,” said Russ Housley, IETF chair. “These global standards were developed with a focus toward technical excellence and deployed through collaboration of many participants from all around the world. The results have literally changed the world, surpassing anything that has ever been achieved through any other standards-development model.”
http://open-stand.org/
The agreement is premised on the understanding that the economics of global markets - fueled by technological innovation - drive global deployment of standards, regardless of their formal status within traditional bodies of national representation.The OpenStand principles demand:
- cooperation among standards organizations;
- adherence to due process, broad consensus, transparency, balance and openness in standards development;
- commitment to technical merit, interoperability, competition, innovation and benefit to humanity;
- availability of standards to all, and
- voluntary adoption.
“New dynamics and pressures on global industry have driven changes in the ways that standards are developed and adopted around the world,” said Steve Mills, president of the IEEE Standards Association. “Increasing globalization of markets, the rapid advancement of technology and intensifying time-to-market demands have forced industry to seek more efficient ways to define the global standards that help expand global markets. The OpenStand principles foster the more efficient international standardization paradigm that the world needs.”
“The Internet and World Wide Web have fueled an economic and social transformation, touching billions of lives. Efficient standardization of so many technologies has been key to the success of the global Internet,” said Russ Housley, IETF chair. “These global standards were developed with a focus toward technical excellence and deployed through collaboration of many participants from all around the world. The results have literally changed the world, surpassing anything that has ever been achieved through any other standards-development model.”
http://open-stand.org/
Teradek's Wi-Fi Hotspot Can Bond 6 3G/4G USB Modems
The device is targeted at broadcast professionals, such as camera crews in the field that need video file upload capabilities.
http://www.teradek.com
CSA Big Data Working Group Looks at Security and Scalability
The group is chaired by Sreeranga Rajan of Fujitsu Laboratories of America with co-chairs Neel Sundaresan of eBay and Wilco Van Ginkel of Verizon.
Specifically, the CSA Big Data Working Group will be identifying scalable techniques for data-centric security and privacy problems. The group will look to provide research and guides on six specific themes:
- Big data-Scale Crypto
- Cloud Infrastructure
- Data Analytics for Security
- Framework and Taxonomy
- Policy and Governance
- Privacy
“Everyday 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are being created resulting in a myriad number of data security and cloud-computing security concerns,” said Sreeranga Rajan, Director of Software Systems Innovation at Fujitsu Laboratories of America. “By collaborating as a global community of thought leaders and researchers, we are not only looking to help the industry overcome these challenges but also to leverage new opportunities for the monitoring and detection of security threats enabled by big data.”
http://www.cloudsecurityalliance.org/research/big-data/
ADTRAN Enables Cloud-based WLAN Service with Bluesocket
ADTRAN upgraded its Bluesocket virtual Wireless LAN (vWLAN) solution to give service providers and value-added resellers (VARs) the ability to deliver cloud-based Wi-Fi service offerings. The Bluesocket solution can now support hundreds of customer WLANs, offering a cloud-based WLAN service without the expense of placing a hardware controller on the customer’s site.ADTRAN’s software-based vWLAN solution utilizes virtualization and allows the controller to be based at the service provider’s network operations center (NOC) while the data sessions remain at the end-user’s LAN, thus avoiding the need to backhaul user traffic. With the control and management based at the NOC rather than tied to the end-user’s LAN, unprecedented levels of on-demand scale can be achieved.
"ADTRAN’s vWLAN solution is optimal for service providers since it offers software-based, virtualized control and management that is centrally located at their network operations center," stated Mads Lillelund, general manager of ADTRAN’s Bluesocket Business Group. "Even better, service providers have the flexibility to sell the vWLAN solution as part of a resale, managed or cloud service. vWLAN as a cloud-based service opens up new opportunities for service providers in a highly competitive market.”
http://www.adtran.com
OIF to Demo Multi-Vendor 100G Interoperability
The Optical Internetworking Forum will host Europe's first demonstration of multi-vendor 100 Gbps channels at the upcoming ECOC 2012 in Amsterdam, Sept. 17-19, 2012.
The demo will show the issued CEI-25G-LR and the draft CEI-28G-VSR implementation agreements and includes seven component suppliers and two test equipment vendors. The OIF's Physical and Link Layer demonstrations will feature host ASICs with VSR SERDES, host PCB traces, optical module connectors, module retimers, active copper cable assemblies, optical transceivers, host ASICs with LR SERDES, backplane PCBs and backplane connectors. “This demonstration of CEI-28G-VSR shows the ability to reach 100G for next-generation small form factor modules,” said Ed Frlan of Semtech and the OIF PLL Interoperability Working Group chair. “The CEI-25G-LR and CEI-28G-VSR electrical interface and signaling schemes being tested for interoperability support both electrical and optical 100G applications.”
The following companies are participating in the OIF Interoperability 2012; Applied Micro, Avago Technologies, Inphi, Luxtera, Molex, Semtech, and TE Connectivity. Test equipment used in the demonstration is supplied by Agilent and Tektronix.
http://www.oiforum.com
Sprint Activates 4 More LTE Markets
Sprint activated LTE service in Baltimore, Md., Gainesville, Ga., Manhattan/Junction City, Kan., and Sedalia, Mo. The carrier's Network Vision upgrade program also bring all-new 3G service to Baltimore, Boston and Washington, D.C.
Sprint 4G LTE made its debut in 15 cities on July 15, and the company plans to introduce more markets to the network in 2012. By the end of 2013, Sprint expects to have largely completed the build-out of its all-new 4G LTE and 3G nationwide network.
http://www.sprint.com/4GLTE
TeliaSonera IC and Hibernia Target Media Distribution
Under the deal, Hibernia Media will acquire TSIC's MediaConnect business, while TSIC's award-winning fiber backbone will form the core of the new network. Both companies's media networks are based on the NetInsight NIMBRA MSR platform, making for easier integration. TSIC owns and operates one of the world's largest fiber backbones.
"The mixture of our on-net media PoPs and venues in the US, with TeliaSonera International Carrier's added reach to a broad market in Europe, gives our customers extraordinary access to content origination, aggregation, and distribution channels over a robust fiber backbone," says Bjarni Thorvardarson, Chief Executive Officer for Hibernia Atlantic.
http://www.hiberniamedia.com/
http://www.teliasoneraic.com
Spirent Offers Hybrid Wireless Location Testing
Spirent Communications introduced a Hybrid Location Technology Solution (HLTS) combining Wi-Fi, Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor and cellular positioning technologies. The solution provides repeatable and reliable lab-based characterization of mobile devices supporting the hybrid location technologies being developed to provide accurate user location everywhere, including indoors – the most common usage scenario.http://www.spirent.com/Devices-and-Equipment/HLTS
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Brocade Shows VXLAN Gateway in Application Delivery Switch (ADX)
The VXLAN Gateway solution, which was developed in partnership with VMware, enables customers to virtualize their networks at enterprise and service provider scale, and with hardware-based performance. Applications can span VXLAN and existing non-VXLAN networks.
Brocade said network virtualization is a core element of its SDN vision, and VXLAN enables cloud service providers to build virtual networks on top of their existing infrastructure. By leveraging Ethernet technology, VXLAN enables large numbers of virtual domains to be created above existing networks.
"By working closely with VMware, and leveraging the Brocade ADX application delivery switch, we are excited to be demonstrating VXLAN gateway functionality. This innovation will be essential to enabling real-world deployments of VXLAN and other overlay networking technologies," said Jason Nolet, vice president of data center networking, Brocade.
"Networking is a key resource of today's software-defined data center and its integration and alignment with other virtualized services is important. We are pleased Brocade is demonstrating the Brocade VXLAN gateway, which will enable customers to use VXLAN's scalability with applications and databases running in non-VXLAN networks," said Allwyn Sequeira, CTO & vice president, Networking and Security, VMware.
http://www.brocade.com
Ericsson Supplies Packet Optical for California's Digital 395 Project
Praxis Associates has selected Ericsson as the sole optical transport supplier for the California Broadband Cooperative’s (CBC) Digital 395 Broadband Project. Ericsson’s packet optical transport platform (POTP), the SPO 1400, will deliver broadband services to schools, hospitals, government agencies and other critical facilities along a 583-mile fiber route in the Eastern Sierra Mountains in California. The project’s service area encompasses 36 communities, six Indian reservations, two military bases, 26,000 households and 2,500 businesses.
http://www.ericsson.com
http://www.digital395.com
- Ericsson’s SPO 1400 family, which leverages a Unified Packet/OTN Switch Fabric, integrates OTN, SONET/SDH and PDH support and performance, L2 connection oriented Ethernet switching and aggregation and WDM technology. The product family previously scaled from 2-service slots and 40G of capacity to a chassis-platform offering 16-service slots and 800G of capacity. Its latest SPO 1480 scales the solution to 32/40 service slots and a switching fabric with 3.2 Tbps of capacity. It brings fully non-blocking ODU-0 granularity to the metro regional aggregation and it also introduces 100 Gbps Coherent DWDM interfaces.
Ericsson said the value proposition of its SPO POTP family is the ability to deliver low and high order TDM and packet and wavelength services across the Metro Access and Regional network on a common set of platforms with a single multilayer IP Transport Network Management Systems (IPT NMS). The hybrid TDM-WDM-Packet architecture provides the flexibility to optimize node configurations for location and cost with the ability to scale optical capacity without sacrificing shelf switching capacity.
Xilinx Acquires PetaLogix for Embedded Linux Tools
Xilinx has acquired PetaLogix, a developer of embedded Linux tools, for an undisclosed sum.
PetaLogix was founded in 2005 by Dr. John Williams when he was a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, before spinning out as a privately held company in 2007.
"PetaLogix has been a key player behind the growing adoption of Xilinx programmable technologies within the embedded market, first providing a Linux distribution for MicroBlaze and PowerPC processors, and now a Linux distribution and tool chain for the Zynq™-7000 All Programmable SoC," said Tomas Evensen, chief scientist for embedded software at Xilinx. "With their technology, tool set and expertise, the PetaLogix team is uniquely positioned to help Xilinx further shorten time-to-market and aggressively drive growth in the embedded space, and across all key vertical market segments we serve."http://www.xilinx.com
Telstra Intensifies LTE Rollout in Key Cities
The first new 4G sites have just been launched in Bondi and in the North Shore rail tunnel in Sydney.
"Our 160,000 4G smartphone customers are already telling us that 4G is improving their mobile experience, with research showing they’re more likely to reach for their device over their PC to search the web, social network and bank online -- compared with 3G smartphone owners. Our network expansion kicks off in Sydney today where we’re introducing some of the world’s fastest mobile internet speeds to customers visiting iconic Bondi Beach and to underground rail passengers travelling on the North Shore line between Central and North Sydney stations, helping our customers stay connected and entertained on their commute," said Brendon Riley, Telstra’s Chief Operations Officer.
Some additional notes from Telstra:
- Australians are now using more than 340,000 Telstra 4G mobile broadband devices and more than 160,000 4G smartphones.
- Analysis of Telstra’s customer base shows men have been fastest to embrace 4G smartphones – accounting for 56 per cent of Telstra’s 4G smartphone base vs 44 per cent women.
- Queenslanders lead the pack when it comes to 4G smartphone adoption accounting for 26 per cent of 4G smartphone subscribers, followed by Victorians (accounting for 22 per cent) and customers in NSW (21 per cent).
- Aussies aged 18-29 years old are most enamoured with 4G smartphones representing 24 per cent of Telstra’s of subscribers. The 40-49 age group are the next biggest buyers (23.5 per cent), followed by 30-39 year olds (representing 22 per cent of Telstra’s 4G smartphone base).
- 4G smartphone owners spend on average 7 hours a week surfing the web on their mobiles.
- Half of 4G smartphone owners surveyed say search the internet (e.g. Google) more on their 4G smartphones than they do on a PC.
- Half say they use their 4G smartphone as the primary way to access social networking.
- 28 per cent say they access online banking more on their 4G mobiles than their computer.
Cisco and EMC Offer "Three Paths to the Cloud"
Cisco and EMC jointly announced a "three paths to the cloud" strategy that combines custom-design infrastructure, validated reference architectures, and pre-integrated converged infrastructure. The plan includes new joint reference architectures, aligned channel partner incentives, and integrated customer support to speed customers' path to the cloud.
The "three paths to the cloud" include:
- Implement a custom-designed infrastructure with best-of-breed products
- Install validated, easy-to-deploy reference architectures with Cisco solutions for EMC VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. The two new Cisco Validated Designs (CVD) are Cisco Solutions for EMC VSPEX for Microsoft Hyper-V Architectures and Cisco Solutions for EMC VSPEX for VMware vSphere 5.0 Architectures.
- Purchase a pre-integrated converged infrastructure with VCE Vblock System.
Cisco and EMC have been strategic partners for a decade. More than 200 channel partners have been trained to resell and deploy EMC VSPEX with Cisco Unified Data Center.
http://www.cisco.com
http://www.emc.com
T-Systems Launches vCloud Powered by VMware
vCloud is an Infrastructure-as-a-Service solution that allows companies to expand their internal IT resources with the cloud capacities of T-Systems. AutoScouts24, an online car marketplace for Europe, is the first customer. Actum/G2, one of the leading digital marketing agencies in the Czech Republic, is another customer.
Deutsche Telekom is also transforming its own IT services towards the cloud while accelerating its innovation speed and time-to-market.
http://www.t-systems.com
TI Extends its Keystone Multicore DSPs with OpenMP
The OpenMP API is a portable, scalable model that provides a flexible interface for developing parallel applications in markets such as mission critical, industrial automation, embedded vision, medical imaging, video surveillance, audio and video infrastructure and high performance computing.
“With the industry’s first production release of OpenMP API support on their multicore DSPs, TI is truly making multicore programming easier for developers,” said Michael Wong, CEO of OpenMP. “TI’s support of the OpenMP API on its KeyStone-based C66x multicore DSPs allows developers to easily migrate their applications to take advantage of power and performance. This is an important milestone for all developers in the embedded processing space.”
http://www.ti.com/multicore
http://openmp.org/wp/
Monday, August 27, 2012
VMware Builds its SDN Capabilities
The goal is to abstract all hardware resources and pool them into aggregate capacity, enabling tenants to have their own virtual datacenters with a logically isolated collection of all the virtual compute, storage, networking and security resources. VMware vCloud Suite 5.1 introduces a number of virtualization, software-defined data center services, policy-based provisioning, disaster recovery, and application and operations management capabilities.
On the networking side, the vCloud Suite now enables the dynamic creation of virtual networks and services that are decoupled and independent from the physical network hardware. Specifically, the new vCloud Networking and Security allows for the creation of logical networks for each application or tenant. The system can isolate the network traffic between applications belonging to the same organization – regardless of physical network constraints or boundaries.
VMware said that by creating a pool of network capacity on top of any network hardware, its vCloud Networking and Security can support tens of thousands of isolated virtual networks with the same operational ease of creating and managing VMs.
VMware vCloud Networking and Security integrates the VXLAN protocol and VMware vShield Edge and application security service for virtualizing the network – from virtual switching to virtualized layer 4-7 services. It will also include an extensibility framework to support the integration of a wide range of third-party network and security solutions.
http://www.vmware.com
http://www.vmware.com/products/datacenter-virtualization/vsphere/index.html
Juniper Expands its 10GbE Switching Line
The EX 4550, which is available with both fiber and copper interfaces, includes Juniper’s unique Virtual Chassis technology, enabling multiple interconnected switches to operate as a single, logical device.
The EX4550 Ethernet Switch offers 32 wire-speed GbE or 10GbE pluggable ports in a compact one rack unit base platform. It includes two expansion slots, one in front and one in back, that accommodate optional expansion modules that can increase the EX4550’s density to 48 wire-speed GbE or 10GbE ports, delivering 480 Gbps of Layer 2 and Layer 3 connectivity.
The switch can participate in the same Virtual Chassis configuration with EX4200 Ethernet switches, making its suitable for customers migrating from 1GbE to 10GbE servers.
http://www.juniper.net/us/en/products-services/switching/ex-series/ex4500/
http://forums.juniper.net/t5/The-New-Network/A-New-Choice-for-10GbE-Top-of-Rack-Data-Center-Switching/ba-p/156932
India Sets 800 & 1800 MHz Spectrum Auction for November
Holders of CMTS/ UAS licenses will be treated as ‘Existing Player’. Companies seeking to enter the market (not an existing licensee) need to get a Unified License (UL), which can only be issued to an Indian company with a maximum foreign equity of 74% as per extant guidelines. Hence, foreign entities desirous to participate in the auction(s) will need to form an Indian company accordingly to obtain a Unified Licence (UL).
For the1800MHz band auction, the spectrum Block Size shall be 1.25MHz (Paired). A minimum of 8 blocks each of 1.25MHz (10MHz) will be put to auction in all service areas. In addition, a provision will be made for spectrum up to 3 blocks each of 1.25MHz (3.75 MHz), wherever available, after reserving spectrum for refarming against allocation in 900 MHz band for the licences expiring during 2014 to 2016 and also taking care of guard band requirements, for topping up the 8 blocks of spectrum put to auction i.e. up to a total of 11 blocks each of 1.25MHz to meet the requirement of new entrants, if such an exigency arises, and to ensure that the entire quantum of spectrum of 10MHz in each service area is allocated in the auction. The existing operators will be allowed to take maximum two blocks of 1.25MHz each in each service area.
For the 800MHz band auction, the spectrum Block Size shall be 1.25MHz (Paired). A minimum of 3 blocks each of 1.25MHz (3.75MHz), will be put to auction in all service areas. In addition, a provision will be made for spectrum of one block of 1.25MHz, wherever available, for topping up the 3 blocks of spectrum put to auction, to meet the requirement of new entrants, if such an exigency arises, and to ensure that the entire quantum of spectrum of 3.75MHz in each service area is allocated in the auction.
The existing operators will be allowed to bid for 1 block of 1.25MHz in each service area. New entrants will be required to bid for minimum of 2 blocks each of 1.25MHz in each service area.
Start of the e-auction of 1800MHz Band is slated for 12-November-2012. The 800 MHz e-auction will start 2 days from the day of close of the e-auction of 1800MHz Band.
http://www.dot.gov.in/2G%20Spectrum%20Auction/Information%20Memorandum.pdf
