Saturday, January 18, 2020

Loodse Steers Telco 5G Plans Toward Kubernetes

Loodse demonstrated that building a cloud-native 5G network is possible on open architecture using its Kubermatic Kubernetes platform during a live demo at the recent KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America event. For the demo, Loodse’s Kubermatic platform served as a standardized base compute infrastructure across different cloud providers, delivering consistency from cloud to core to edge. And while the live demonstration was a success on stage, perhaps the real excitement was happening behind the scenes.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Operators fear eSIM, but Ericsson says it’s coming

Ericsson has developed software to automate provisioning and other back-office systems for devices with eSIM. The Swedish vendor acknowledges that there is fear among some service providers about eSIM because it will allow consumers to easily switch carriers whenever they want. Ericsson is spinning its new eSIM offering as a way for service providers to improve their top-line growth.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Akraino Edge Stack Gains NFV, Mixed Reality Blueprints

LF Edge released the second version of the Akraino Edge Stack, an open source edge computing project that was originally launched in early 2018, and saw its first version released in June 2019. Akraino Edge Stack Release 2 (Akraino R2) includes six blueprint families and a total of 14 blueprints that have been tested and validated on hardware running in labs, according to the group which operates under the umbrella of the Linux Foundation.

Oracle Fixes 334 Bugs in Record-Breaking Critical Patch Update

Oracle released a record-breaking 334 security fixes in its first critical patch update of the year. Attackers may have successfully exploited some of these bugs, according to Oracle, but a spokesperson would not provide additional information about which vulnerabilities, if any, resulted in security breaches.

Verizon Expands 4G LTE Small Cell Navy Base Footprint

Verizon recently installed an array of small cells at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego. The deployment marks the operator’s third 4G LTE small cell installation at Navy bases in the region last year, and lays the foundation for an eventual 5G deployment.

Microsoft pledges to be carbon negative by 2030

Microsoft announced on Thursday that it is committing to becoming carbon negative by 2030 and that it will eliminate all past carbon emissions by 2050.  In addition, Microsoft also announced it's creating a $1 billion Climate Innovation Fund to accelerate the development of carbon reduction, capture and removal technologies.

Rogers begins 5G rollout in Canada

A bit late to the party, Rogers announced it is starting to roll out Canada’s first 5G network. The company will begin its 5G deployment in downtown Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal with plans to expand to over 20 more markets by the end of the year. Rogers also plans to turn on 5G in the Rogers Centre, Scotiabank Arena and Rogers Arena. 

AT&T gets ready for 5G football demos

AT&T filed for a one-month Special Temporary Authority (STA) with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to demonstrate 5G leading up to, during and after the Super Bowl, which will be February 2 in Miami.

O2 joins the OpenRAN movement

O2 is the latest telco to join the increasingly popular OpenRAN cause, suggesting the technology could better serve customers in the hard to reach and heavily-populated areas.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Britain hedges on Huawei, US senators suggest O-RAN as option

The Trump administration wants the U.K. to officially ban Huawei equipment from its networks, but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, like his predecessor Theresa May, is hedging. Johnson said those opposed to the use of equipment made by China’s Huawei need to say what alternative technology should be used instead, according to Reuters.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

ETSI Drops 2 MEC Reports Into a Red-Hot Market

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) dropped a pair of multi-access edge computing (MEC) reports providing insight into the impact of “alternative virtualization technologies” and a deeper look into network slicing and edge computing systems. All three topics are core to the ongoing roll out of 5G networks.

Will SD-WAN Solve IoT’s Toughest Questions?

IoT and SD-WAN might not sound like they belong together, but ask VMware’s VeloCloud or managed service provider Apcela and you might be surprised by what they have to say. The two companies see SD-WAN as the key to making large IoT deployments manageable at a human scale.

Verizon Launches (Yet Another) 5G Forum

Verizon, with an assist from América Móvil, KT, Rogers, Telstra, and Vodafone, has established another 5G specifications body. The goal this time around is for the operators to collaborate and “accelerate the delivery of 5G and mobile edge computing” on a global basis.

GTT expands its SD-WAN portfolio by adding Fortinet

GTT Communications is branching out its SD-WAN options with the addition of Fortinet Secure SD-WAN. Dating back to 2007, GTT has been a Fortinet customer, but Tuesday's announcement gives it a third-option for offering GTT's network-based, managed SD-WAN services.

5G Action Now aims to win 5G race against China

A new advocacy organization called 5G Action Now is sounding the alarm about how the U.S. needs to act fast in order to win the 5G race against China. The group, which yesterday announced former U.S. Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan as its chairman, said what’s at issue today is whether China or the United States takes the lead in deploying the technology and, therefore, reaps the economic rewards derived from dominance in 5G. Top of mind for the organization: The C-band, which was embroiled in debate much of last year. In November, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced the FCC is committed a public auction of 280 MHz of C-band spectrum, and the agency intends to get the spectrum teed up for auction by the end of this year.  Rogers told FierceWireless that seeing that spectrum through to the auction is something 5G Action Now will be focused on. Besides satellite companies and the FCC, it will work with policy makers and the general public to make them aware of what’s at stake. The reason there’s a sense of urgency is “if we wait and 2020 passes us and we haven’t gotten to opening up that C-band spectrum, it gets exponentially harder for us to win this race on the 5G infrastructure,” he said.

Aviatrix notches a customer win with CUJO AI

Cloud-native networking vendor Aviatrix announced on Tuesday that CUJO AI is deploying its software across its global cloud network. It's a big customer win for Aviatrix, which supplies its customers with an architecture to provide a common set of networking, security and operational services across one or more public clouds.

Equinix buys bare metal data center company Packet

The co-location and interconnection behemoth Equinix is buying the bare metal data center company Packet. The parties expect the transaction to close in the first quarter of 2020. Equinix says it will disclose some details of the deal upon completion of the acquisition.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Google Absorbs AppSheet to Automate Code

Google acquired no-/low-code application development platform provider AppSheet in a move that fills in a growing segment of the market focused on democratizing the developer space. The new purchase will slide into Google’s Cloud division.

Daily Roundup: Nokia Slashes Jobs

In case you’ve been stuck in meetings all day, here are today’s top stories from SDxCentral. Also, make sure to subscribe to our daily newsletter to get these stories in your inbox.

Nokia Cuts 180 Jobs With More to Come

Nokia’s sagging financial performance is resulting in more job losses in Finland this year. The vendor today announced plans to cut about 180 jobs in its home country beginning next week and hinted at more to come.

Packet Acquisition Pushes Equinix to the Edge

Colocation giant Equinix will acquire bare-metal cloud startup Packet in a deal that reflects the growing importance of edge computing. Equinix plans to combine its interconnection technologies with Packet’s developer-focused bare metal service to allow customers to more quickly deploy computing resources in edge locations close to the end user.

Google Partners With CNCF, HackerOne on Kubernetes Bug Bounty

Much like the Western frontier where lawmen circulated “wanted” posters offering monetary bounties for outlaws, a handful of Kubernetes folks have put up funds for a Kubernetes bug bounty program. This group of lawmen include the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and its Kubernetes Product Security Committee, HackerOne, and Google.

Google Cloud Powers Up on IBM Power Systems

Google has linked with IBM’s Power Systems to allow enterprises to more easily migrate workloads from their IBM-powered on-premises environments into Google’s Cloud. The move also furthers Google’s increasingly frantic push into the enterprise space.

Masergy Hunts for Shadow IT

Masergy has taken up hunting but, unlike the cartoon character Elmer Fudd, it’s not “wabbits” the SD-WAN service provider is after. Instead the company is on the lookout for shadow IT, and its new Shadow IT Discovery feature aims to be much more successful at capturing its quarry than Fudd.

TracFone prepares a nationwide SmartSIM program

The mobile virtual network operator TracFone is in the early stages of offering a SmartSIM program in the United States. TracFone subscribers will be able to insert a SIM card into their mobile phones, and then they will automatically be connected to the best wireless service wherever they are without any interruption.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Samsung Acquires Network Services Provider TeleWorld Solutions to Accelerate U.S. 5G Network Expansion

Samsung Electronics today announced the completion of an agreement to acquire TeleWorld Solutions (TWS), a network services provider headquartered in Chantilly, VA. TWS provides network design, testing and optimization services to mobile service and cable operators, equipment OEMs and other companies across the U.S. With network builds associated with 5G and 4G LTE enhancements advancing in the U.S, the acquisition will address the need for end-to-end support in delivering network solutions.

Vodafone UK Activates 5G Multi-Operator RAN

Vodafone today said it is the first mobile network operator to deploy 5G multi-operator radio access network (MORAN) technology in the United Kingdom. The country’s four largest operators, including Vodafone UK, originally announced last year plans to share access to each others cell towers in rural areas on a reciprocal basis.

Daily Roundup: Citrix Bug Gets Uglier

In case you’ve been stuck in meetings all day, here are today’s top stories from SDxCentral. Also, make sure to subscribe to our daily newsletter to get these stories in your inbox.

Samsung Taps TeleWorld Solutions to Elevate US 5G RAN

Samsung is bolstering its ability to serve U.S. carriers like Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and Sprint as the operators roll out 5G services through the acquisition of Virginia-based vendor TeleWorld Solutions (TWS) for an undisclosed sum. The move could make Samsung a more compelling vendor alternative to rivals Nokia and Ericsson, and help alleviate some of the pressure domestic operators are facing because the government has banned the use of equipment and services from China-based vendors Huawei and ZTE.

LogicMonitor Gobbles Up AIOps Provider Unomaly

Performance monitoring company LogicMonitor updated its AIOps roadmap with the acquisition of Swedish AIOps company Unomaly. The company said the deal will provide a more robust artificial intelligence (AI) base for IT teams.

Charter to Exit the Home Security Biz

Charter will soon halt support for a home security service inherited from the Time Warner Cable acquisition, and is directing existing customers to DIY options offered in partnership with Ring and Abode.

Time to Enter the Leading Lights Awards 2020!

Never mind the Oscars! The awards season is now properly underway with the launch of the Leading Lights 2020 program, so get cracking on your submission for Light Reading's annual awards before you get swallowed up by MWC madness.

LR & SCTE Expand Partnership on Tech Webinars

Following a successful inaugural year, Light Reading and SCTE•ISBE will team up again in 2020 to produce monthly 'LiveLearnings for Professionals' webinars on cable tech topics, starting with a Jan. 16 session on cable's fiber progress.

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