May 8 2013

Coriant begins independent path, starts with leadership position in optical networking market

Coriant will be launching its Technology Vision at WDM & Next Generation Optical Networking 2013, in Monaco, June 17-20

Source: Marketwatch

MUNICH, Germany, May 06, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) — via PRWEB – Marlin Equity Partners today announced the closing of the transaction announced on December 3, 2012, which transfers the Optical Networks business of Nokia Siemens Networks to form Coriant. The company sets a new course and vision for the optical networking industry. Launched at the industry fair OFC/NFOEC in March 2013, Coriant focuses on accelerating leadership through its high-performance coherent 100G transport solutions and software-defined, optical layer intelligence.

“We are very excited to start our journey forward as an independent company,” said Herbert Merz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Coriant. “We enter the market with proven expertise in optical networking solutions that form the foundation for building Tier 1 networks around the world. We will continue to increase value for our customers as an ever-growing demand for mobile, video and cloud services creates new opportunities for differentiated, end-to-end service offerings.”

Coriant today formally resumed full business responsibility as well as the majority of employees from Nokia Siemens Networks’ Optical Networks business. With the closing of the transaction, the newly formed company will have operations in more than 48 countries. Coriant, which plans to leverage its 30 years of German engineering excellence to lead the optical networking industry, takes up operations with the competitive advantage of being the preferred supplier to fixed line and mobile network operators in six continents and more than 100 countries.

WDM speaker interview: Philippos Arbelias, OTE

In the latest of our speaker insights from the upcoming WDM & Next Generation Optical Networking, we speak to Philippos Arbelias, Head of Transmission Network Division, Network Design & Planning, OTE, about his thoughts on the industry, as well as his hopes and expectations from the event in Monaco.

What are you looking forward to at the WDM and Next Generation Optical Networking show?

It is important to learn the new technological trends in Optical Industry and be updated / informed other Operator’s Transport Planning and Architectural approaches.

What do you feel are the key challenges that the optical networking industry is facing in 2013 and what do you hope the conference will answer?

The key challenge for the Optical Industry is different from the one of Carrier Class Operators. For us (operators), is to choose the best & cost effective technological solution that will facilitate capacity provisioning to our customers with high availability, reliability and according to our traffic profile. Our choice must be based in TCO calculation, keeping OPEX as low as possible.

On the other hand, Industry is focused in developing Transport products with such competitive prices that will push operators to choose OTN versus Routing.

Where has 100G has taken us so far and where is 400G & 1T likely to take us?

Thanks to 100 G advanced FEC algorithms have been developed and incorporating in the transponders more complicated modulation schemes & coherent detection the WDM technology moved one ‘big step’ in front, facing at the same time the network nonlinearities and increasing the conventional systems capacity by a factor of 10.

400 G & 1T will take us in the introduction of software programmable LCoS based Flexigrid in WSS platforms. This evolution will enable flexible network architectures with efficient bandwidth utilization.

What are the practical evolution pathways for legacy networks?

According to the End of Life Roadmap of our Legacy DWDM networks, there are possible pathways to modernize the in field infrastructure:

Remove existing regeneration points
Provide access to any λ in any site by optimizing EDFA/DCM structure
Re-use freed 10G Transponders
Enable cost-effective 40G/100G λ’s

Possible pathway for long term solution:

Allow 3- to 9-way DWDM nodes
Hitless new links for multi-way nodes
Integrate OTN switch for any sub-λ and/or λ service
GMPLS-CP if evolution to mesh

What are your views on OTN and ROADMs and their role in the next generation optical network?

OTN is evolving from its traditional encapsulating role for WDM, to Core & Aggregation switching. In time, OTN aggregation & switching applications will be pushed into the metro/access part of the network.

OTN provides a robust set of OAM features and together with the WSS/ASON restoration capabilities, I believe that even in a simplified Layered Network model -with the majority of the traffic to be packet- OTN is needed in order to carry high rate private line services as well as λ and subλ grooming.

What do Cloud and SDN mean for next generation optical networking?

The key benefit of SDN is the ability to turn up network resources without physical access to hardware components of the Network. SDN in Optical Networking can find utility in incorporating all applications in a platform and handle everything via software (planning, configuration and management, performance and billing).

Could you give a brief overview paragraph of what you will discuss during your presentation?

My presentation will cover the possible pathways of evolving the OTE in field Legacy DWDM infrastructure. Each pathway has to be analyzed (techno-economically) and the results must be evaluated. The final decision will be a trade-off between CAPEX and future proof technological choice and -of course- strategic choice. A comparison between long-term & mid-term technology solution might be covered.

Don’t forget that you can read all of the speaker interviews on the WDM website.

May 1 2013

Bharti Airtel to buy optical network gear from Ciena to expand submarine capacity

From Yahoo News.

Kolkata: India’s largest telecommunications services provider Bharti Airtel Ltd will buy optical network gear from the United States-based Ciena Communications Inc to expand capacity of its i2i undersea cable network that connects India to Singapore, the Economic Times reported Monday, citing unidentified top executives aware of the matter.

The development comes following the Indian telecom giant’s plans to offer data connectivity to diversified group Reliance Industries Ltd’s telecom wing — Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd — for offering data connectivity across Asia Pacific region.

Bharti Airtel plans to augment capacity of its global submarine cable network in two stages — initially in the Mumbai-Chennai-Singapore cable route and eventually between Singapore and Hong Kong, the daily said.

“Ciena is in advanced discussions with Bharti Airtel to supply optical network gear based on DWDM or ‘dense wave division multiplexing’ technology for expanding capacity of the i2i submarine cable network,” the newspaper quoted a top Ciena executive, as saying.

The Ciena executive however refused to disclose the potential deal size or project specifics.

The Indian telecom operator’s i2i submarine cable network consists of eight fibre pairs, each capable of supporting multiple terabytes of capacity per fibre pair. Ciena may deliver additional packet and optical networking equipment for increasing i2i’s capacity in multiple terabytes.

Meet the entire optical (including submarine) ecosystem at WDM & Next Generation Optical Networking, EMEA’s premier optical networking event.

May 1 2013

Poland’s Netia upgrades to 100G

From telecoms.com

Polish fixed line operator Netia has deployed 100G fibre across its network as it looks to benefit from a 40-fold increase in bandwidth.

The operator has called on the Optical Networks business unit of Nokia Siemens Networks to supply the upgrade. In December last year NSN announced that it would be selling this unit Marlin Equity Partners in a deal expected to close before the middle of the year. The business will be rebranded as Coriant.

The upgraded network is based on NSN’s optical transport DWDM platform and 100G transponder, and will increase bandwidth across Netia’s network from 2.5G to 100G per channel, according to NSN. The solution was integrated into Netia’s existing fibre optical infrastructure provided by a third party vendor, NSN added.

“With this upgrade, we can transmit over a single fibre the capacity required for more than 800,000 broadband service customers to be connected simultaneously to the Internet,” said Marek Owczarski, technology development manager at Netia.

Asia Pacific leads in optical and Ethernet port shipments

From Telecom Lead

Asia Pacific leads all geographic regions in 1G/10G/40G/100G networking port shipments, aided by increasing adoption in previously lagging emerging economies and ubiquitous Ethernet services, says Infonetics Research.

The demand for 10 Gigabit, 40 Gigabit, and 100 Gigabit optical and Ethernet ports shot up 62 percent in 2012.

Meanwhile 1G port revenue is actually declining due to commoditization but the technology is becoming a standard feature on network equipment. 1G ports still make up a significant portion of overall shipments and will continue growing as 1G becomes the standard in service provider and enterprise access networks.

The research estimates high-speed (10G+) port revenue to double by 2017, to over $42 billion. 10G currently accounts for about 3/4 of all high-speed (10G+) ports shipped.

Andrew Schmitt, principal analyst for optical at Infonetics and co-author of the report, said, “Revenue per port is plunging – up to 30 percent+ per year for new categories like 40G and 100G – and this will help drive adoption of higher speed ports. In the optical segment, I expect 100G to account for more than 10 percent of optical transport spending in 2013.”

Read full report here, and join us at Carrier Ethernet APAC and WDM APAC 2014, to see what’s new in the region.

Apr 26 2013

Transport Networks for Mobile Operators – Small Cell Focus Video Review

Our friends at ThinkSmallCell were in attendance at TNMO this week, and have compiled this report, and the video below. The 15th Annual edition of the event, TNMO 2013 brought 150 operators, vendors, associations and consultants to London to discuss all the hot topics in the LTE backhaul universe, taking stock of the current technologies, and looking forward to what is to come.

Apr 22 2013

The global market for optical network hardware looks set to have a good year in 2013

The global market for optical network hardware looks set to have a good year in 2013, with North America and 100G expected to shine particularly bright, according to a report from Infonetics Research.

The US research firm estimates that the worldwide optical network hardware market fell ten per cent worldwide in 2012, with the SONET/SDH optical segment faring particularly badly last year, as global legacy capex fell 30 per cent.

However, Andrew Schmitt, principal analyst for optical at Infonetics Research, believes that things are looking up for 2013.

“Our conversations with equipment providers continue to trend positive, particularly in North America where 100G spending is about to ramp,” says Schmitt.

“The general consensus remains that an optical cycle for equipment in the core is emerging, what we call the ‘optical reboot.’

“Meanwhile, there are positive rumbles in the EMEA region, where 2012 ended with a spending flourish and carriers are cutting dividends to plough capital into general capex.”

The analyst adds that he is looking forward to visiting carriers in Beijing this spring, and that preliminary indications suggest that 2013 will be a “huge year” for 100G technology.

Find out what’s happening in optical networking in your part of the world, at the WDM & Next Generation Optical Networking series of events:

EMEA/Global: www.nextgenerationoptical.com

USA: www.nextgenerationoptical.com/usa

APAC: www.nextgenerationoptical.com/apac

Apr 10 2013

WDM speaker interview: Merrion Edwards, Corning Optical Fiber

In the latest of our WDM & Next Generation Optical Networking speaker interviews, Merrion Edwards, Regional Marketing Manager (EMEA & India) at Corning Optical Fiber, talks about her hopes for the event and thoughts on the industry. Corning are Platinum Sponsors at the event, and lead sponsor of the Submarine Optical Networking stream.

What are you looking forward to at the WDM and Next Generation Optical Networking show?

I am looking forward to the annual meeting of key minds in the optical transport industry and the opportunity to exchange industry knowledge on optical transport and fiber technology advances and their potential impact on optical transport trends

What do you feel are the key challenges that the optical networking industry is facing in 2013 and what do you hope the conference will answer?

A key challenge is how to meet the capacity demands of the future when many operators have a legacy network that may be performance and cost- challenged at data rates beyond 100G. A big question is, how long is it cost efficient to exploit legacy infrastructure and when should an operator make the move to deploy an advanced next generation optical fiber cable overlay.

Where has 100G has taken us so far and where is 400G & 1T likely to take us?

In western markets 100G has temporarily relieved capacity bottle necks and in emerging markets 100G has enabled life extension of low fibre count cables. 400G and 1T should provide further such capacity relief but the big question is over system reach. If 400G and 1T require significant additional regeneration stages on legacy optical fiber cables (as is most likely) then the cost per bit could spiral, making the deployment of advanced next generation optical fiber overlays a much more attractive proposition.

What are the practical evolution pathways for legacy networks?

Coherent systems are now available that enable 100G on most legacy G.652 and G.655 optical fiber networks. In addition a low cost non-coherent 100G solution exists that can operate over 600km reach on Corning LEAF G.655 fiber. Beyond that the options are as follows:

1. Deploy ever more complex and equipment intensive systems to deliver higher capacity, while limiting the fundamental optical fibre infrastructure upgrades to maintenance driven section replacement and upgrade

2. Deploy an overlay network using advanced optical fibre (ultra-low attenuation, maybe larger effective area) to enable lower cost, less complex and less equipment intensive systems and provide a platform for transition to even higher future data rates.

What are your views on OTN and ROADMs and their role in the next generation optical network?

Driving down cost per bit and increasing capacity utilisation are two key carrier profitability drivers. By enabling protocol and vendor transparency, OTN supports lower cost per bit, and ROADMs by enabling agile wavelength switching assist with increasing capacity utilization.

What do Cloud and SDN mean for next generation optical networking?

As the datacentres that support the Cloud migrate towards the core in search of lower cost energy and real estate, this increases the capacity pressure on core and regional networks.

Could you give a brief overview paragraph of what you will discuss during your presentation?

As we look beyond 100G transmission we see 400G and even 1T on the horizon. We explore drivers of this capacity demand (data center migration towards the core, high speed broadband with FTTH-LTE convergence and high speed home-networking), and how to use advanced optical fiber to deliver that capacity with lower cost, longer reach and lower latency. We consider the network dilemma faced by many carriers today: when to upgrade, when to invest, is there an alternative? And we reveal the benefits of early transition to a next generation advanced optical fiber infrastructure.

Merrion Edwards, Regional Marketing Manager, India and EMEA, Corning Optical Fiber

Gain more speaker insight on the WDM website

Apr 9 2013

Mobile Backhaul Evolving with Small Cells and New Challenges

JDSU, silver sponsors at Transport Networks for Mobile Operators, have shared an article with us for distribution: Mobile Backhaul Evolving with Small Cells and New Challenges

An extract and an illustration from the article is below. To download the full, 5-page article, visit the TNMO website.

Mobile backhaul has always been a critical contributor to overall mobile network performance. Key performance metrics such as throughput, latency, and jitter have obviously always been important however, early generation backhaul network performance was often more deterministic. In the past, the backhaul network service, while still based on IP/Ethernet, was delivered over what was effectively a private line with guaranteed throughput and performance. Furthermore, traffic patterns were also more deterministic – all traffic originated at the macrocell and was transported back to a central location such as a mobile switching center (MSC) where its performance could be relatively easily assessed. Backhaul bandwidth upgrades were performed on a more predictive basis. First generation mobile backhaul networks services the backhaul network could be more or less set and forgotten.

Today, backhaul networks must be more flexible: higher bandwidth, easily upgraded and evolvable, and more cost effective. Carrier Ethernet has become the dominant technology in Service Provider networks, providing both reliability and availability, evolving from best-effort technology found in local area networks to support network fault and performance monitoring capability. Service Providers require a comprehensive set of Operations Administration and Maintenance (OAM) tools. IEEE 802.1ag and ITU-T Y.1731 standards define these Service OAM tools that follow the service path and monitor the entire Ethernet service from end-to-end. With Service OAM, Service Providers can receive and offer service level agreement (SLA) assurances and reduce operating costs associated with manual network fault monitoring, truck rolls, and labor-intensive performance measurements.

Small Cells Introduce Added Complexity

Newer mobile technologies, namely LTE, drive the need for additional network capacity. Small cells address this need but increase backhaul network capacity. Small Cells introduce additional endpoints, deeper in the network closer to subscribers, and which backhaul networks need to be activated, monitored, optimized and assured. The current service activation and performance monitoring methodologies developed for macrocell networks now needs to scale to support the needs of small cell backhaul; however the processes themselves must become even more automated. It is no longer economically practical for operators to only deploy field technicians to perform tests and validate backhaul network performance. In addition, there is a resulting need by mobile operators to audit the ongoing performance of backhaul services to ensure performance guarantees are met. This is both to ensure optimal network performance but also to seek remuneration from backhaul providers in the event of SLA violations.

Small cell backhaul introduces additional layers of aggregation in the backhaul network, creating “hub-and-spoke” topologies, often resulting in performance visibility blindspots within the network. Traffic is backhauled from outdoor small cells (“spokes”) to an aggregation point (“hub”, often located at an existing macrocell) where it is combined with backhaul traffic from other spokes, and backhauled to another aggregation point typically in the mobile core, like a MSC location. Blindspots impact the ability to segment, monitor, and test services between the aggregation point (at the core) and the hub, and between the hub and the spokes. Blindspots result when the Hub networking equipment, typically a Cell Site Router (CSR), do not support standard OAM and maintenance endpoint (MEP) and maintenance Intermediate point (MIP) capabilities.

IIR Telecoms Transmission Series