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By cableunion, February 22, 2012 1:11 pm

GLOBAL TELECOM, a provider of broadband services in Colombia, recently announced the selection of KEITO Fiber to upgrade its network infrastructure across Colombia, which will help the company to deliver on its customers’ requirements and effectively improve their experience.

In a release, GLOBAL CTO Juan Gonzalo Angel Restrepo, said that, “Following a competitive bidding process, we selected KEITO to provide us with their fiber that exceeded our customers’ demands for increased bandwidth and that also met our aggressive economical requirements. This investment will not only allow our company to satisfy the quality and coverage requirements of our existing customers, but also interconnect additional 82 other municipalities in the all regions of Colombia, completing a total of 242 municipalities.”

KEITO is a Chinese-based manufacturer and supplier of fiber optic products. The company will provide GLOBAL TELECOM with 12,000 km of optical fiber which will effectively expand and help in the maintenance of the company’s network infrastructure.

The fiber upgrade will enhance both voice and data services provided by GLOBAL TELCOM across the areas it already serves in addition to enabling it to deliver full GEPON network services and 100 Mbts and more per customer. This move will provide it with a competitive edge over its competitors by ensuring an enhanced customer experience.

Adela Lin, president of KEITO, said that, “The purchase of KEITO optical fiber cable gives GLOBAL an important competitive advantage over other Colombian companies that provide internet and broadband services, since GEPON provides a better cost efficient and permit offer fiber-to-the-Premises services which is more efficient as compared with standard HFC networks used by other companies. This purchase demonstrates GLOBAL’S commitment to constant improvement and focus on providing the last mile to corporate customers.”

Calvin Azuri is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Calvin’s articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell

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By cableunion, February 17, 2012 10:48 am

Analog Devices (News – Alert), Inc. (ADI), a global data converter, recently introduced an 11-bit D/A converter that helps cable television and broadband operators synthesize their complete cable spectrum going up to 1 GHz, into one RF port, while utilizing 1.1 W of power at the most.

The AD9737A 2.5-GSPS D/A converter’s wide bandwidth as well as its dynamic range gives cable infrastructure designers the ability to enhance QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) channel density by 20 times over current cable modem deployments, providing better futuristic services like interactive television, high-definition broadcasts as well as new specialty channels.

The AD9737A D/A converter can be seen on the company’s product page and you will be able to order samples as well as download the data sheet. Any kind of support you need will be made available from the ADI’s EngineerZone online technical support community.

Some of the features as well as advantages of the AD9737A D/A Converter are its low noise and inter-modulation distortion which allows for premium quality synthesis of wideband signals going up to 1 GHz and bringing down the number of transmit DACs needed in the average cable plant. It functions from 1.8-V and 3.3-V supplies with an overall power consumption of 1.1 W at the most. It comes with a dual-port interface with double-data-rate LVDS data receivers which work at supporting a highest conversion rate of 2.5 GSPS.  

Its proprietary switching techniques improve dynamic performance. The output current can be programmed ranging from 8.7 mA to 31.7 mA providing flexibility to interface options. The product is not based on US data converter export restrictions.

Analog Devices, Inc. works at creating definitive innovation and excellence in the area of signal processing. ADI’s analog, mixed-signal, as well as digital signal processing (DSP) integrated circuits (IC) have a significant role in converting, conditioning, as well as processing real-world phenomena like that of light, sound and temperature as well as motion and pressure into electrical signals. These signals can be utilized in a wide range of electronic equipment.

Carolyn John is a Contributor to TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell

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By cableunion, February 16, 2012 10:56 pm

Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployments in Europe have experienced a 30.6 percent increase in annual growth across Europe to 3Q2011, according to a statement released by Broadband Forum (News – Alert) at the FTTH Conference Europe.

According to Oliver Johnson, CEO at Point Topic, the future of Europe, at least for the next five years, is going to be dominated by FTTx.

“The cost of full fiber (FTTH) deployment, particularly the last mile, is prohibitive and so the industry and consumers need a stepping stone which is provided by hybrid solutions such as FTTx,” Johnson added. “FTTx provides a significant increase in bandwidth and an efficient use of existing infrastructure and allows the welcome of continued amortization of costs.”

Broadband Forum also noted that Europe continues to hold the strongest position for IPTV (News – Alert). Europe has grabbed a major share (23.5 million customers) of the global ITPV market that is nearing 55 million subscribers. The growth in IPTV has fueled the growth of fiber because operators are increasingly opting for fiber access solutions to meet the connectivity needs of modern homes.

Broadband Forum is committed to expand its fiber related specifications and G-PON certification that will spur interoperability among major providers and accelerate the deployment of fiber solutions in the market.

The Broadband Forum G-PON ONU Certification Program is established with a goal to accelerate fiber deployments across Europe. Known as BBF.247, the certification is open to G-PON ONU products with Ethernet interfaces and confirms that an ONU fully conforms to TR-156 and the associated OMCI configuration as defined in the ITU G.988.  

Another major initiative from the international Broadband Forum is the comprehensive BroadbandSuite 5.0 which is a major resource for the fiber industry to facilitate and accelerate the deployment of PON.

“Our G-PON certification program is proving to be very effective with eight companies already achieving certified products in the past six months,” said Robin Mersh, CEO of the Broadband Forum, in a statement.

“Certification is key to future FTTx deployments and our efforts will enable next generation interoperable systems to come to market faster,” Mersh added. “Standards provide the foundation for that growth; further demonstrating G-PON capabilities to meet the demands of evolving operator networks.”

According to Mersh, G-PON Certification is will provide breakthrough step in accelerating deployments now and creating the platform for innovative applications and new service bundles.

While the European Union has actively begun lifting regulations on next-generation fiber deployments, Frost & Sullivan (News – Alert) recently found that to continue to increase a more favorable environment for the deployment of next-generation fiber networks, government and regulators still have work to do.

The research firm also highlighted that telecom operators must be prepared to collaborate with one another to define deployment goals that will benefit all of them, and the country as a whole.

Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Rajani’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell

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By cableunion, February 16, 2012 7:31 pm

Currently, 12 companies that are members of the OIF (News – Alert) are conducting global interoperability tests of Ethernet services over OTN transport. All of this testing is leading up to a demonstration at the OIF 2012 Enabling High-Speed Dynamic Services event, which is taking place from March 6-8, 2012. Vendors participating in the interoperability test include AT&T, China Telecom (News – Alert) and NTT.

As carriers globally are migrating their networks away from SONET/SDH to Ethernet and OTN, the combination of the latter will enable operators to prepare their networks for rapid growth and volume while accommodating the continued use of the classic TDM technology. Sources say the OIF is one of the most important influencers in converging the two complimentary technologies and as a group, it continues to display the ability to come together and collaborate on new technology that will only improve the wireless and communications industry as a whole.

By testing the technology with multiple carriers within the OIF, it will allow these vendors to evaluate the tools and determine how to best integrate the new equipment into existing networks. “The combination of Ethernet services and OTN transport is compelling and there is momentum in the industry to converge these technologies,” said Jim Jones of Alcatel-Lucent (News – Alert) and the OIF’s president and Networking Interoperability Working Group chair in a statement. Overall, the goal is to use Ethernet as the predominant access and client interconnect technology and OTN as the dominant transport technology.

New research also suggests the technology to combine the two is being developed at just the right time, as OTN is forecasted to show a strong growth in capabilities and revenue generation. 

According to Infonetics (News – Alert), sales of OTN switching equipment currently comprise only about eight percent of the OTN market, with more mature OTN transport equipment representing the remaining 92 percent. But that’s expected to change substantially over the next few years, as service providers get serious about deploying OTN switching.

OTN and Ethernet are a natural combination that will allow network technology to run more efficiently. And with the OIF testing it across multiple carriers, it will allow its service providers to analyze the technology and figure out how to integrate it into their own systems effectively, which will hopefully make it cheaper to apply these new technologies easily into everyday operations once the product is finished with its testing stage.

A recent graduate from the University of Oregon, Nick aspires to build a career in the digital world with a focus on technology, sports, and online media.

Edited by Jamie Epstein

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By cableunion, February 16, 2012 12:44 pm

Lightower Fiber Networks, a metro fiber and bandwidth service provider, has landed a $380 million credit facility from GE Capital’s Telecom, Media and Technology financing business.

GE Capital announced Wednesday that they will serve as administrative agent on the new credit facility. According to the company, their GE Capital Markets served as joint bookrunner and joint lead arranger on the transaction.

GE Capital noted that the market was “extremely supportive” of the transaction because the deal was “significantly oversubscribed.”

“We have a long standing history with GE Capital, as they have a clear understanding of our sector and unique financing needs,” said Rob Shanahan, chief executive officer of Lightower Fiber Networks.

Lightower is a portfolio company of Pamlico Capital, M/C Venture Partners and Ridgemont Equity Partners. The fiber and bandwidth service provider was purchased by the companies in August 2007 and since the GE Capital has led financings for the company.

“The company’s ability to provide financing solutions in all markets, and in particular to the middle market, makes GE Capital a valued partner as we look to grow our business,” said Shanahan.

In January, Lightower became the first metro fiber provider to roll out 100G services in the Northeast, including 40 Gb and 100 Gb Ethernet as well as 100 Gb wavelengths. Lightower chose Ciena Corporation, a network specialist, to support the delivery of Ethernet services and managed wavelengths.

“Higher capacity bandwidth services continue to be a driver for our customer base and a natural progression as we look to advance our services to enable cutting-edge applications such as high-frequency trading, delivery of high-quality HD and 3D video, and collaborative diagnostic and healthcare services,” said Doug Dalissandro, executive vice president of sales for Lightower.

At the time, Chad Whalen, vice president and general manager of Ciena, stated, “We are pleased to support their aggressive network expansion across the Northeast to strengthen their ability to meet the surging demand for high-speed Ethernet services among service provider and large enterprise customers.”

In 2011, Lightower introduced their Ultra-Low Latency Network which serves the financial industry in the New York City and New Jersey region. Lightower’s Ultra-Low Latency Network is an all-optical network that leverages the power of The Lightower Network with wavelength (DWDM) technology.

Lightower currently offers over 6,400 fiber route miles in the New England, eastern New York, northern New Jersey, Long Island and New York City region with access to over 2,800 buildings.

Jordan Eggers has five years of writing experience and has written pieces for various print outlets and websites. Currently living abroad, she is working as a freelance writer and enjoys keeping up-to-date on everything new happening in technology.

Edited by Rich Steeves

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By cableunion, February 16, 2012 5:35 am

Tower Cloud, a fiber optic and wireless backhaul network provider, has announced that is has picked Southern Telecom, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company, for long-haul fiber optic services in the state of Georgia.

This new partnership will enable Tower Cloud to make use of Southern Telecom assets, to enhance its market value and also to speed development of new markets in Georgia and throughout its Southeast network. The company will also receive maintenance support and the ability to rapidly extend its network.

“Tapping Southern Telecom’s long-haul fiber solution will provide a critical link in Tower Cloud’s Ethernet backhaul network expansion,” said Ron Mudry, chief executive officer of Tower Cloud.

Mudry said that their expanded network will extend 4G LTE (News – Alert) broadband services to wireless customers in communities throughout south Georgia, providing blazing fast access and content delivery to their mobile devices.

Southern Telecom’s network in the Southeast is spread throughout Georgia, Florida and Alabama. It is a trusted resource for its service provider customers, offering 1,300 route miles of fiber optic connectivity.

“Tower Cloud is a strong addition to the Southern Telecom customer roster. We anticipate ongoing expansion of the network, as demand for more fiber will only increase,” said Leif Ericson, business development manager with Southern Telecom.

Leveraging pure Ethernet broadband technologies, Tower Cloud operates a fiber-focused network to backhaul voice, video and data from cell sites for wireless carriers.

TMCnet had previously reported that Tower Cloud announced the launch of its wireless backhaul infrastructure network for three wireless carrier 3G and 4G networks in Atlanta.

The company was also in the news for securing $49 million in additional equity to fuel expansion and growth of its 4G wireless backhaul networks.

Jyothi Shanbhag is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Jyothi’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell

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By cableunion, February 16, 2012 3:28 am

Ruckus Wireless (News – Alert) claimed that the newly released ZoneFlex 7762-AC and 7762-S-AC are the industry’s first 802.11n outdoor access points (APs) featuring purpose built capabilities for the service provider market including integrated AC power, optional fiber interface and support for up to 500 clients per AP.

Operators, by deploying the new Wi-Fi access points, can realize consistent, high performance, extended coverage and multimedia support and seamlessly deliver public access, data offload and wireless backhaul.

The ZoneFlex 7762 APs uniquely combines dynamic beamforming, adaptive meshing and the power of 802.11n to enable a new level of outdoor performance at the lowest cost. Built to work on harsh outdoor conditions, these APs can help users build a smart Wi-Fi environment that offers extended range, simple deployment, reliable connectivity and consistent performance at range.

With so much data traffic clogging cellular networks, operators are looking to re-architect by offloading data traffic to Wi-Fi and certain core processing functions to the edge of their mobile networks.

Unlicensed Wi-Fi is unreliable and uncontrollable but the robust 802.11n outdoor APs from Ruckus deliver range and reliability by leveraging the company’s own BeamFlex adaptive antenna array technology. Operators can add capacity, coverage and performance to their network for supporting the new class of higher speed subscribers.

Ruckus explained that BeamFlex consists of a smart, compact antenna array with multiple elements, which can be combined in real time to form unique antenna patterns. The technology is capable of picking the optimum antenna pattern for each communicating device in real time, while actively avoiding interference and minimizing noise to nearby networks and devices.

“With a full range of patented Smart Wi-Fi technologies integrated into each device, the 7762-AC – well suited for small cell wireless backhaul and mobile data offload – offers the industry’s best range, reliability and capacity over other 802.11n outdoor AP alternatives at a much more attractive price point,” stated Rob Mustarde, vice president of Marketing for Ruckus Wireless.

The company added that the ZoneFlex 7762-AC and 7762-S-AC are priced starting at $2,499 and come with a one-year warranty.

In other news, Ruckus Wireless recently announced that its ZoneFlex Smart Wireless LAN (WLAN) system has seen broad, worldwide adoption by many of the busiest airports around the globe looking to bring reliable, high-performance Wi-Fi connectivity to highly trafficked, high-density passenger terminals.

Nathesh is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Nathesh’s articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell

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By cableunion, February 15, 2012 8:53 pm

A couple of news items this week underscore some important new developments in optical transport networking (OTN). The OIF (News – Alert) revealed that it is coordinating an ongoing global interoperability test of Ethernet services over OTN transport. And apparently that sort of testing is just in time, as Infonetics (News – Alert) is forecasting strong OTN growth, driven largely by growth in OTN switching revenue.

Service providers are highly interested in OTN switching because it promises to enhance network efficiency by enabling multiple services to share a wavelength.

According to Infonetics, sales of OTN switching equipment currently comprise only about eight percent of the OTN market, with more mature OTN transport equipment representing the remaining 92 percent. But that’s expected to change substantially over the next few years, as service providers get serious about deploying OTN switching.

“OTN is really an umbrella for two different layers—electrical and photonic,” said OIF President Jim Jones on a phone call this week. “Up to now, service providers have extensively deployed photonic OTN implementations. Now electrical is coming on.”

OTN transport is a mature technology that underlies DWDM equipment, adding forward error correction and some other overhead to enable service providers to put 10 Gig E or other connections onto a wavelength, explained Jones, who is also optics marketing manager for Alcatel-Lucent (News – Alert).

In contrast, OTN switching “enables you to map multiple services onto a wavelength using the electrical switching layer,” said Jones. As he explained, services are actually combined before they are put on a transport wavelength.

Until recently such OTN capabilities were “more closely aligned” with data rates of Sonet and SDH, but new standards developments have made OTN more packet-friendly. 

“OTN and Ethernet together was a natural combination,” said Jones. And that combination is an important focus of the interoperability testing.

“Complex specifications always have some degree of ambiguity,” said Jones, adding that an important goal of the demo will be to provide input to standards bodies with the goal of eliminating some of this ambiguity.

The interoperability test, which interconnects equipment located in carrier labs around the globe, has been underway for about two months, Jones said. Service providers participating in the test are Deutsche Telekom (News – Alert), France Telecom/ Orange, KDDI and Verizon. Manufacturer participants include Adva Optical Networking, Alcatel-Lucent, Ciena, Exfo, Huawei, Marben Products, Metaswitch and Tellabs (News – Alert).

OTN switching revenue jumped 132 percent between 2009 and 2010, according to Infonetics, even without some of these interoperability issues being resolved, which suggests that a big boom is indeed likely moving forward.

Joan Engebretson has been writing about telecommunications technology and the telecommunications industry since 1992. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Rich Steeves

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By cableunion, February 15, 2012 3:53 pm

Simplifying optical fiber assessment within access and LAN/WAN networks, as well as data centers, EXFO (News – Alert) Inc., has announced the integration of its proprietary iOLM technology to the FTB-720 LAN/WAN Access test module.

“Just like in virtually all types of networks, access, LAN/WAN and data center operators are currently looking for ways to deploy more quickly, yet more simply and with greater reliability,” said Étienne Gagnon, EXFO’s vice president of Product Management and Marketing. “With its visual representation using icons for each link event and clear pass/fail verdicts, the iOLM enables any technician to easily perform tests that are absolutely accurate the first time. The addition of the iOLM to the FTB-720 module reiterates EXFO’s continued commitment.”

The iOLM application has now been optimized to meet short-span point-to-point testing needs during construction and troubleshooting of access and LAN/WAN networks after having gained worldwide recognition in FTTH deployments.

To fully characterize events on the entire link—from the front end to the far end—through a single-button operation, the iOLM helps service providers build error-free networks using a multipulse approach and is powered by the Link-Aware (News – Alert) technology, the company stated.

EXFO is also releasing a new version of its data post-processing software, which is consistent with this focus on providing network operators with enhanced, OPEX (News – Alert)-reducing test routines. To edit, analyze and document test results performed on entire networks, FastReporter 2 offers a more powerful, all-integrated package of advanced features.

Enabling faster job completion and faster transition to the next job, this enhanced version reduces manipulations, simplifies the user’s experience and boosts post-processing efficiency.

Recently, the company launched the EXFO Apps section of the newly introduced EXFO Store. Accessible directly from any EXFO FTB platform, this portal reflects EXFO’s commitment to deliver software applications that boost everyday field-testing efficiency and productivity.

EXFO’s FTB test platforms now offer 3G, VPN and Wi-Fi connectivity, providing users with real-time, 24/7 access to the EXFO Apps portal, right from the field.

Raju Shanbhag is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Raju’s articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell

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By cableunion, February 15, 2012 1:59 pm

Calix (News – Alert) Inc has released an enhanced, cost-effective cloud-based Flow Analyzer. Flow Analyzer 2.0 has a standards-based interface which works together with common service provider billing systems, thereby allowing communication service providers to analyze data usage on their networks at the subscriber level. Subscriber network consumption at the application level can be viewed with the tool, allowing service providers to access information on subscriber usage patterns. Service packages based on behaviors can be now offered by service providers using Flow Analyzer’s advanced visibility, allowing them to produce new revenues.

Dickey Rural Networks, located in Ellendale, North Dakota, is a customer of Flow Analyzer. In a release, Jeff T. Wilson, GM, Dickey Rural Networks, said, “Here in rural North Dakota, we have provided all of our customers with a state-of-the-art, fiber-to-the- premises (FTTP) network. Now that we have completed our fiber network build, it is crucial for our business to leverage the power of fiber to deliver unique services to our customers. With the Calix Flow Analyzer and the visibility it provides into our network, we will be able to tailor our service packages to provide the right services to the right customers — improving their service experience while maintaining their privacy and potentially innovating and expanding our service offerings.”

Service providers can create new categories of service packaging using Flow Analyzer 2.0, allowing them to produce fresh service revenues. Service providers can also access information regarding the subscribers’ behavior and patterns using Flow Analyzer’s computerized per-subscriber usage reports. Service providers can use this information to meet the precise needs of subscribers by creating new behavior-based service packages.

Miguel Alonso, VP, Software Products, Calix, said, “Service provider business models are undergoing a significant transformation as these companies look to provide more differentiated services for their subscribers and gain new revenues. With the cloud-based model of Flow Analyzer 2.0, service providers can take advantage of this subscriber-focused data with minimal investment. Since launching Compass (News – Alert) one year ago, we have already worked with over 60 customers in North America and the Caribbean to utilize this powerful tool to provide a better subscriber experience and accelerate their business model transformation.”

Carolyn John is a Contributor to TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please columnist page.

Edited by Rich Steeves