Here are some of my collection of newest trends and predictions for year 2018. I have not invented those ideas what will happen next year completely myself. I have gone through many articles that have given predictions for year 2018. Then I have picked and mixed here the best part from those articles (sources listed on the end of posting) with some of my own additions to make this posting.This article contains very many quotations from those source articles.
Big Data, mobility and the Internet of Things (IoT) are generating an enormous amount of data, and data center operators must find ways to support higher and higher speeds. Recent data center trends predict bandwidth requirements will continue growing 25 percent to 35 percent per year. Many older data centers were designed to support 1-gigabit or 10-gigabit pathways between servers, routers and switches. Today’s Ethernet roadmap extends from 25- and 40-gigabit up through 100-gigabit, and 400-gigabit and even 1-terabit Ethernet loom within a few years. The biggest sales are forecasted for 25G and 100G ports for next few years. Ethernet switch market has now 100 Gbit/s products in the volumes at the moment, and both 200G and 400G Ethernet versions will be taken to use in 2018.
Broadcom dominates the Ethernet switch chip market today with a 73 to 94 percent share, depending on how market watchers slice the sector valued at nearly a billion dollars. Its closest rival, Cisco Systems, takes most of the rest with systems using its own ASICs. Juniper, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Huawei also make Ethernet switch ASICs for their systems. With seven merchant chips in the pipeline and four in-house ASICs in the works, we will see a record number of unique platforms ship in 2018. Wheeler of the Linley Group expects the competition will drive Ethernet switch costs from about $60/port today to about $36/port by 2020.
Data center giants “are driving their own code and programmable capabilities as close to the server as possible.” The dozen largest data center operators — including the likes of Facebook and Google — build their own switch systems or specify systems built by ODMs. They can drive sales of millions of chips a year but demand maximum bandwidth at minimum cost and power consumption. The Tomahawk-3 is geared for the next-generation of their top-of-rack and aggregation switches, delivering up to 128 100GE or 32 400GE ports, the first merchant chip to support 400GE rates.
China will start making more optical components: Several Western component and subsystems vendors have cited reduced demand from Chinese systems houses such as Huawei and ZTE for revenue declines in 2017. One reason for the slowdown is the fact that these systems houses have begun looking for more local optical technology sources. In addition to doing more development work in-house (particularly in the case of Huawei), the two Chinese systems vendors have begun to work more closely with Chinese companies such as Accelink, Hisense, and HiSilicon as well as Japanese vendors. This can mean that Western firms (particularly in the U.S.) may not see their Chinese orders return to previous levels.
Higher power power over Ethernet: 802.3bt – IEEE Draft Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Physical Layer and Management Parameters for DTE Power via MDI over 4-Pair amendment to IEEE Std 802.3-2015 increases the maximum PD power available by utilizing all four pairs in the specified structured wiring plant. This represents a substantial increase to the capabilities of Ethernet with standardized power – allow delivery of up to 90 watts of power via existing Ethernet cabling. The Ethernet Alliance has announced details of its next plugfest: Dedicated to pre-standard testing of Power over Ethernet (PoE) technologies against Draft 3.2 of the IEEE P802.3bt standard, the event will be held in February 2018. The specification’s ratification is expected in September of 2018.
802.11ax hasn’t been signed off yet, but promises to send WiFi towards 10 Gb/s thanks to its use of both multi-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) and the new Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA). 802.11ax is good at combining lots of different links so that users get more connections, more often, and end up with more bandwidth. Marvell claims it’ll have the first chipsets for new 10G WiFi ready for products in H2 2018. Marvell said the chipsets will ship some time in early 2018 and will appear in products in the second half of the year. Widespread 802.11ax adoption in devices probably won’t happen until 2019.
5G something in it for everyone. 5G is big. 5G New Radio (NR) wireless technology will ultimately impact everyone in the electronics and telecommunications industries. Most estimates say 2020 is when we will ultimately see some real 5G deployments on a scale. In the meantime, companies are firming up their plans for whatever 5G products and services they will offer. Though test and measurement solutions will be key in the commercialization cycle. 5G is set to disrupt test processes. If 5G takes off, the technology will propel the development of new chips in both the infrastructure and the handset. Data centers require specialty semiconductors from power management to high-speed optical fiber front-ends. 5G systems will drive more complexity in RF front-ends .
Networks will become more and more virtual, especially on 5G. 5G networks will build on LTE network architecture with the introduction of cloud RANs (C-RANs) and virtualized RANs. Network function virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) tools and architectures could enable operators to reduce network costs and simplify deployment. For more details read System architecture milestone of 5G Phase 1 is achieved article.
Automotive Ethernet: Automotive Ethernet will replace the Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) bus found on many vehicles today and also compete with systems like Maxim’s Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link (GMSL). The standards include IEEE 802.3bw 100BASE-T1 and IEEE P802.3bp 1000BASE-T1 that adopt the 100-Mb/s and 1-Gb/s Ethernet protocols to run over over a single twisted pair up to 15 meters. Chips, PHYs and switches are now readily available for automotive Ethernet. Automotive switches will support time-sensitive networking (TSN) features like audio video bridging (AVB) ingress policy, rate limiting andalso features 802.1Qav/Qbv queue-shaping support. We will need a Security Blanket for Automotive Ethernet.
Car-to-car communication: The industry and government have defined several versions of vehicular communications. These are vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X). V2V is the direct communications between vehicles within range of one another. V2V link-up is automatic and cars exchange status information messages Basic Safety Message (BSM) 10 times per second (contains data such as GPS location, speed, direction, brake status, and related conditions). There are competing technologies to make this all work. IEEE802.11p ahead of LTE-V2V for safety critical applications. 5G will offer increased capacity and decreased latency for some critical applications such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and self-driving vehicles. The big question is whether 5G will disrupt the landscape or fall short of its promises.
TSN (time sensitive networking) will be talked on many application. Success in the IIoT requires that information- and operational-technology networks work in tandem—time-sensitive networking can make it happen. A converged industrial network will address several challenges that currently exist in today’s disparate network architecture, and it is believed that needed convergence is provided by time-sensitive networking (TSN). TSN is a set of IEEE 802 sub-standards that, when implemented, enable deterministic communication over Ethernet networks while keeping the benefits of communication in best effort manner, on that same network. TSN introduces different traffic classes that share the same link. Proper implementation of TSN requires a solution that can provide a low latency and deterministic response at TSN end points and TSN bridges – it is usually implemented with combining a processor and a FPGA or using advanced Ethernet switch chip.
Gartner analyst says on-premises data centers will soon be ‘useless’: Govekar said that as soon as 2019, at least a third of the largest software vendors will have transitioned their products from cloud-first to cloud-only. For this reason Gartner analyst predicts doom for on-premises data centers. If this happens , there will be a lot of work for network operators and cloud service companies to be able to build the infrastructure that can handle all this without problems. I expect that not all on-premises data centers are doomed. There are applications where moving everything to central could does not make sense – for example many IoT applications are moving some of the processing from cloud to edge devices for various reasons (lower latency, reduce needed bandwidth, work also when communications does not work etc..). There is also place for some on-premises data centers on some application (may them be depending on need anything from embedded server to room full of equipment racks). When designing for the IoT, security needs to be addressed from the Cloud down to each and every edge device. Protecting data is both a hardware and a software requirement, as more data is being stored and analyzed in edge devices and gateways.
Network neutrality talks will continue in 2018. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on December 14, 2017 overturned the Title II-based Open Internet Order the previous Democratic-controlled FCC regime put in place in 2015. So what happens next? In the immediate term, nothing. The Restoring Internet Freedom Order won’t go into effect until sometime in the first half of 2018.
IPv6 usage seems to be finally accelerating in 2018. IPv6 has been a “future” since 1998, and an important future since 2007. IPv6 deployments have been increasing and chances are you have already used IPv6 – but haven’t realized it yet. IPv6 deployment is increasing around the world, with over 9 million domain names and 23% of all networks advertising IPv6 connectivity. Network admins will have many concerns about migrating to IPv6 in 2018. China plans to put the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)-based network into large-scale use, to boost the development of the Internet industry. China aims to have 200 million active users of IPv6 by the end of 2018. IPv6 use is increasing, but that does not mean that IPv4 is no way dying. It seems that both of those technologies will co-exist in Internet for a long time.
Sources:
Chinese systems houses engaging with alternative component, subsystem sources: LightCounting
System architecture milestone of 5G Phase 1 is achieved
Five technology trends for 2018
NI Trend Watch 2018 explores trends driving the future faster
ADAS Needs V2X to Meet ITS Goals
Taking Automotive Ethernet for a Test Drive
A Security Blanket for Automotive Ethernet
TSN: Converging Networks for a Better Industrial IoT
Gartner analyst says on-premises data centers will soon be ‘useless’
Gartner analyst predicts doom for on-premises data centers
M2M within the IoT – Pushing Security from the Cloud Down to Every Last Endpoint
Net Neutrality Overturned: Now What?
B’com Shifts Switch to 12.8 Tbits/s
Planning starts now for high-speed data center migration
China to speed up IPv6-based Internet development
Top 5 Concerns of Network Admins About Migrating to IPv6 in 2018
1,081 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
ZTE ban will help lead to weak 2Q18 optical transceiver sales: LightCounting
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/06/zte-ban-will-help-lead-to-weak-2q18-optical-transceiver-sales-lightcounting.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_friday_5_2018-06-22&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2150702
While the quarter isn’t over yet, LightCounting expects sales of optical transceivers during the three-month period to reach a three-year low. And the ban on U.S. technology sales to ZTE that has shut the company down has a lot to do with it, according to the market research firm’s June 2018 “LightCounting Quarterly Market Update.”
LightCounting predicts that sales of optical transceivers in the quarter could be as low as $1.2 billion, smallest for a quarter since 2015. Sales of DWDM, FTTx, and wireless fronthaul optical modules will be particularly hard hit, dropping 20% to 30% sequentially during the quarter. Overall, LightCounting analysts expect the transceiver market will have shrunk 8% sequentially by the time the quarter ends.
Tomi Engdahl says:
$50 billion in tariffs to be imposed by the U.S. on Chinese imports include numerous photonics products
https://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/2018/06/50-billion-in-tariffs-to-be-imposed-by-the-u-s-on-chinese-imports-include-numerous-photonics-products.html?cmpid=enl_lfw_lfw_detectors_and_imaging_newsletter_2018-06-22&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2150733
Tomi Engdahl says:
ONF puts new strategic plan pieces in place
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/06/onf-puts-new-strategic-plan-pieces-in-place.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_enabling_technologies_2018-06-22&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2150425
The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) has put several pieces in place to enact a strategic plan announced this past March that aims to help get technology based on its specifications commercialized and into the field.
The open-source RDs focus on technologies and concepts that the ONF’s operator leadership – which includes AT&T, China Unicom, Comcast, Google, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, NTT Group, and Turk Telekom – would like to deploy in the near future. Each RD will leverage completed and/or ongoing ONF efforts with the goal of completion and production by the end of this year. They include:
SDN Enabled Broadband Access (SEBA-RD),
NFV Fabric-RD for creation of a software-defined networking (SDN) native spine-leaf data center fabric optimized for edge applications
NFV Fabric-RD for creation of a software-defined networking (SDN) native spine-leaf data center fabric optimized for edge applications
Open Disaggregated Transport Network (ODTN-RD), which aims to create an open source software stack that will support the disaggregation of optical transponders and open optical line system
The ONF designated mobile CORD and Cloud Optimized Remote Datacenter (so, yes, a different CORD) for multi-access edge cloud applications as “Trailblazing Projects” that aren’t yet ready to move to RD status.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ONF targets Stratum open source reference platform at white box switch support
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/03/onf-targets-stratum-open-source-reference-platform-at-white-box-switch-support.html
The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) has unveiled Stratum, an open source project that aims to promote the development of white box switches through the implement a software platform that leverages the ONF’s newly announced next-generation software-defined networking (SDN) interfaces.
Stratum will use these advances to focus on the enablement of comprehensive design and runtime instrumentation. The effort seeks to enable interchangeability of forwarding devices and programmability of forwarding behaviors.
The project has attracted representatives from across the switching ecosystem. Founding members include:
Cloud providers Google and Tencent
Telecom operators China Unicom, NTT, and Turk Telekom/Netsia
Networking vendors Big Switch Networks, Ruijie Networks, and VMware
White box ODM vendors Delta, Edgecore Networks, and QCT
Silicon vendors Barefoot Networks, Broadcom, Cavium, Mellanox, and Xilinx
Open source projects such as CORD, ONL, ONOS, OpenSwitch, OVS, P4.org, and SDKLT.
The ONF currently envisions four use cases for Stratum software:
Cloud SDN Data Plane: This is the use case in which Google has the most immediate interest.
Cloud SDN Fabric Platform: Those who use the ONF’s ONOS plus Trellis software can run it natively over Stratum as a P4 data plane switching layer.
Central Office Re-architected as a Datacenter (CORD): CORD also runs over Trellis and ONOS
Thick Switches with Embedded Control: While Stratum will be optimized to support “thin switch” implementations, developers also can use it with an embedded NOS running within the same switch
Tomi Engdahl says:
The case for plastic optical fiber in home networks
https://www.broadbandtechreport.com/articles/2018/06/the-case-for-plastic-optical-fiber-in-home-networks.html?cmpid=enl_btr_weekly_network_technology_2018-06-21&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24
Despite the significant investments made in broadband networks in order to keep pace with the consumer’s increasing demands, the home network has been left behind.
The paradox is that the customer satisfaction reduces while the offered Internet speed increases.
Quality of experience as the main differentiator
This is particularly worrisome, since quality of experience (QoE) is quickly becoming the main differentiator for broadband service providers. The home network is key to the delivery of QoE, and broadband service providers will need to find cost-effective solutions that can meet the expectations – both today and in the future – of all their customers, regardless of their home environment.
ISPs and telecom operators have been investigating various potential solutions whereby plastic optical fiber is considered a very interesting option.
As manager for client equipment at Telefonica, Marcos Benito Garcia has been directly involved in a proof of concept that Telefonica carried out in order to test plastic optical fiber in the home. Garcia said: “Plastic optical fiber allows Telefonica to extend our WiFi coverage by deploying a backbone in the customer’s home, which guarantees 1 Gbps connection speeds throughout the house. This allowed the test group to enjoy our TV service and other new services we are offering, like online gaming and 4K (also known as UltraHD TV), in the highest quality.”
The plastic optical fiber serves as a backbone with a WiFi mesh node and access points to increase whole-home connection speeds. The plastic fiber can reuse existing conduit or other cable runs within the home.
Spanish technology company KDPOF, which Telefonica Ventures also invested in, has developed a solution which improves the customer experience by guaranteeing the speed and bandwidth that can actually be delivered inside the homes. This has a direct impact on the customer satisfaction.”
Future-proof
The feedback that Telefonica received from the group that initially tested the solution was extremely positive. Martin-Sanz Albendea said: “On average, people rated their experience 4.6 out of 5, so they were very satisfied.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coherent optical transmission techniques have become the standard in fiber optical backbone networks. They come with new requirements along the whole communication link from the transmitter, through fiber cable and network elements to the receiver to be safe against signal distortions and link impairments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coriant introduces Vibe X90 white box switch for mobile and converged applications
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/06/coriant-introduces-vibe-x90-white-box-switch-for-mobile-and-converged-applications.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_enabling_technologies_2018-06-28&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2157617
Coriant has introduced the Coriant Vibe X90 white box packet switch and aggregation platform, the first in its Vibe Series of Programmable Packet Platforms. The company has targeted the carrier-class Vibe X90 at an array of mobile and converged network applications, including 4G/5G “anyhaul.”
The Vibe series is Coriant’s new line of carrier-class white boxes designed to enable low-cost service aggregation from access to the core. The members of the programmable packet switch portfolio leverage a merchant silicon network processor, standard Intel processor module as a CPU environment, power supplies, fans, and “mechanics.” The Vibe switches also are based on Open Network Install Environment (ONIE), which enables the installation of a compatible network operating system (NOS), and can take advantage of SDN/NFV orchestration in multi-vendor, multi-layer environments.
Open Network Install Environment (ONIE)
http://onie.org/
The Open Network Install Environment (ONIE) is an open source initiative that defines an open “install environment” for bare metal network switches. ONIE enables a bare metal network switch ecosystem where end users have a choice among different network operating systems.
ONIE is an Open Compute Project open source initiative contributed by Cumulus Networks that defines an open “install environment” for bare metal network switches
ONIE defines an open source “install environment” that runs on this management subsystem utilizing facilities in a Linux/BusyBox environment. This environment allows end-users and channel partners to install the target network OS as part of data center provisioning, in the fashion that servers are provisioned.
ONIE enables switch hardware suppliers, distributors and resellers to manage their operations based on a small number of hardware SKUs. This in turn creates economies of scale in manufacturing, distribution, stocking, and RMA enabling a thriving ecosystem of both network hardware and operating system alternatives.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Acacia Communications 100G/200G CFP2-DCO, 100G CFP-DCO for ZR applications now generally available
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/06/acacia-communications-100g-200g-cfp2-dco-100g-cfp-dco-for-zr-applications-now-generally-available.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_enabling_technologies_2018-06-28&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2157617
Acacia Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIA) said its 100G/200G CFP2-digital coherent optics (DCO) and 100G CFP-DCO for ZR applications are now generally available. Acacia attests that its new ZR optical transceivers will meet growing capacity needs in network access, edge, and enterprise campus applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Friday’s Massive Comcast Outage Shows How Fragile the Internet Is
https://www.wired.com/story/friday-comcast-outage-cut-fiber/
Widespread internet outages around the United States on Friday afternoon quelled productivity and sent irate customers to Twitter to complain. Comcast and Xfinity suffered the biggest service interruptions across its internet, cable, and landline products. The company, which has more than 29 million business and individual customers, said on Friday that the outages stemmed from fiber optic cables at two internet infrastructure companies that were cut or otherwise disrupted.
Like virtually all internet providers, Comcast relies on a combination of its own fiber optic infrastructure and that of other partner companies to seamlessly route data around the world.
“We identified two, separate and unrelated fiber cuts to our network backbone providers,”
the outage-tracking site Down Detector showed service interruptions at CenturyLink, Zayo, and Comcast
http://downdetector.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coriant introduces Vibe X90 white box switch for mobile and converged applications
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/06/coriant-introduces-vibe-x90-white-box-switch-for-mobile-and-converged-applications.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_friday_5_2018-06-29&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2158627
Coriant has introduced the Coriant Vibe X90 white box packet switch and aggregation platform, the first in its Vibe Series of Programmable Packet Platforms. The company has targeted the carrier-class Vibe X90 at an array of mobile and converged network applications, including 4G/5G “anyhaul.”
The Vibe series is Coriant’s new line of carrier-class white boxes designed to enable low-cost service aggregation from access to the core. The members of the programmable packet switch portfolio leverage a merchant silicon network processor, standard Intel processor module as a CPU environment, power supplies, fans, and “mechanics.” The Vibe switches also are based on Open Network Install Environment (ONIE), which enables the installation of a compatible network operating system (NOS), and can take advantage of SDN/NFV orchestration in multi-vendor, multi-layer environments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
TIP members Telefónica, Vodafone issue RFI’s for OpenRAN applications to identify RAN equipment vendors
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/07/tip-members-telef-nica-vodafone-issue-rfi-s-for-openran-applications-to-identify-ran-equipment-vendors.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_service_providers_2018-07-02&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2160762
Telecom Infra Project (TIP) members Telefónica and Vodafone each issued a request for information (RFI) to identify radio access network (RAN) equipment vendors who can support OpenRAN applications. The service providers will use the information they receive to evaluate vendors’ ability to meet the need for RAN platforms as determined by TIP’s OpenRAN project group.
The OpenRAN project group was formed to bring the benefits of software-driven development to RAN, such as improved network flexibility and fast-paced innovation, said TIP. The group’s objective is to develop programmable RAN applications based on General Purpose Processing Platforms (GPPP) and disaggregated software.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ZTE names new board per Commerce Department agreement
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/07/zte-names-new-board-per-commerce-department-agreement.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_service_providers_2018-07-02&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2160762
ZTE has taken another step forward toward convincing the Commerce Department to lift the ban imposed on ZTE’s access to U.S. communications technology. The company has replaced its board of directors with a new slate of officers, one of the requirements for repeal of the ban
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wireless LANs are here to stay
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/print/volume-26/issue-6/features/wireless/wireless-lans-are-here-to-stay.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-02&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2160012
A single-architecture, unified network is the technology of today that will support tomorrow’s applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AirScout GigaCheck tests WiFi and Ethernet connection speeds
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2018/06/airscout-gigacheck-wifi-ethernet-test.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-02&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2160012
Greenlee recently announced the addition of GigaCheck to the AirScout line of wireless analyzers. Controlled via a smartphone app, GigaCheck tests WiFi coverage as seen from the residential gateway, and tests wired Ethernet connection upload and download speeds up to 1 Gbit/sec in real time.
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/06/greenlee-airscout-wifi.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
New cabling standard, TIA-568.2-D, recognizes 28-AWG patch cords
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2018/06/tia-5682d-28-awg-patch-cords.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-02&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2160012
The Telecommunications Industry Association’s (TIA) TR-42.7 Copper Cabling Systems Subcommittee recently approved for publication a revision to the 568 cabling standard that will recognize 28-AWG patch cords. The ANSI/TIA-568.2-D Balanced Twisted-Pair Telecommunications Cabling and Components Standard was authorized for publication during the TR-42.7’s meeting the week of June 11-15, 2018. It will replace ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 and is expected to be published within the next month.
Panduit introduced 28-AWG patch cords, was instrumental in driving the adoption of 28-AWG solutions, and participated in the development of 568.2-D standard.
Panduit added that the inclusion of 28-AWG cords in the standard means two things: “Patch cords can be made from 28-AWG cable,” and, “Maximum channel length must be de-rated from their maximum 100-meter length when using 28-AWG patch cords. For example, 10 meters of AWG patch cord can be used with 82.5 meters of horizontal cable for a 92.5-meter channel.”
Panduit points out that horizontal cable with 28-AWG conductors is not included in the updated standard. Cable gauges of 22-24 AWG will still be required for standard-compliant horizontal cable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
North American copper and fiber optics premise cables market to hit $248 million by 2022 – Analyst
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/06/north-american-copper-and-fiber-optics-premise-cables-market-to-hit-248-million-by-2022-analyst.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-02&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2160012
The North America Premise Cable Market Report, published by Allied Market Research, states that the North American premise cable market is estimated to reach $248 million by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 7.9% for the period from 2016 to 2022.
Escalating demand for high speed connectivity devices and systems across applications, such as enterprise and IT, are expected to provide lucrative opportunities to the market. According to the report’s summary, “Based on cable type, the copper cables segment held the largest market share of 62% in 2015
The fiber-optic cable segment is projected to attain a value of $873 million by 2022
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Modular Design Is Transforming Enterprise Connectivity
http://www.electronicdesign.com/analog/how-modular-design-transforming-enterprise-connectivity?NL=ED-003&Issue=ED-003_20180702_ED-003_978&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=18311&utm_medium=email&elq2=f9486e550e2c465dabcbc1a3d5c68306
As transformative technologies change the connectivity landscape, IT continues to turn more to modular approaches for enterprise system solutions.
For years, mobile carriers funded initiatives like distributed antenna systems (DAS), repeaters, and smalls cells for their enterprise customers to improve connectivity throughout buildings. The logic was simple: In exchange for absorbing the hardware costs, enterprises would agree to equip all of their employees with a particular carrier’s devices.
Today, a number of factors, such as bring your own device (BYOD), Public Safety, 5G, and the innovation bands, are propelling shifts in the telecom value chain. To be prepared, enterprises must now look for ways to future-proof their connectivity initiatives, and incorporate designs built on flexibility and modularity.
As carriers begin to roll out true 5G solutions, the number of improvement and product rollouts will increase. Mobile carriers are expanding trials throughout the U.S. (and the world), and a U.S. rollout will require most buildings to revamp their connectivity solutions to meet their employee and client needs; 80% of mobile traffic is generated in-building.
5G isn’t the only transformative near-term technology that’s about to become mainstream. Public-safety communications, those that take place between first responders such as firefighters and police departments, are undergoing change as a result of a governmental decision, namely FirstNet.
It’s unclear as to how rapidly FirstNet will roll out
There are three guidelines that IT departments should follow when incorporating modular approaches.
Interoperability is critical: It’s important to select hardware from vendors that offer interoperability among their peers.
Size matters: There’s a limited amount of space in a typical telecom closet, meaning a finite number of cubic feet available for hardware.
Remote control: As telecom closets become more packed, it’s important for IT and engineering teams to have oversight on how equipment is performing via some sort of remote mechanism, either web-based, or ideally, via mobile application. In addition to monitoring that includes real-time alarms
Fortunately for IT departments, there are systems integrators who have extensive experience in the telecom markets, and can offer advice and implementation alike.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Colt taps ADVA Ensemble Connector for NFV-powered universal CPE
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/07/colt-taps-adva-ensemble-connector-for-nfvpowered-universal-cpe.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_datacom_2018-07-03&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2161879
Colt Technology Services will base a new line of universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) on the ADVA’s (FSE: ADV) Ensemble Connector platform, the two companies have announced. Use of Ensemble Connector will enable Colt to leverage a network functions virtualization (NFV) approach to cost-effectively deliver services on-demand, including those based on third-party software and virtual network functions (VNFs), the companies say. The platform also will support zero-touch provisioning of these services.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Marvell Debuts 802.11ax Concurrent Dual Wi-Fi Solution for Connected Vehicles
The wireless SoC is designed to provide a rich multimedia experience inside as well as outside the vehicle.
http://www.electronicdesign.com/automotive/marvell-debuts-80211ax-concurrent-dual-wi-fi-solution-connected-vehicles?NL=ED-004&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=18344&utm_medium=email&elq2=ef05769b08ae4559a5230fcc53ec9e6f
Tomi Engdahl says:
World’s Fastest Internet – 1.6 TERABITS per Second
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXt2gD4fS_k
https://dreamhack.com/news/we-have-a-new-world-record
DreamHack and Com Hem have set a new world record with the fastest internet connection: 1,6 Tbps that is being used at DreamHack Summer in Jönköping.
The new world record was announced during the Opening Ceremony and is more than 13 times faster than our old record of DreamHack Winter 2011 at a stunning 120 Gbps. This new record also beats the previous world record set in Great Britain at 200 Gbit/s. With a 1,6 Tbps internet connection 5,3 million people can stream Spotify at the highest quality setting, 123.000 people can watch Netflix simultaneously and it would take less than a second to download Overwatch from Battle.net.
Markus Viitamäki, CTO of Dreamhack: “We at DreamHack love to stretch boundaries, innovate and work with the latest hardware and software at our events. We were one of the first to have both 40Gbps and 100Gbps on our events when these technologies were new. Now we have done it again, with our partners Com Hem and Juniper we bring our visitors a 1.6 Tbps internet connection which is also a world record!”
Tomi Engdahl says:
CableLabs unveils Point to Point Coherent Optics specifications for access networks
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/07/cablelabs-unveils-point-to-point-coherent-optics-specifications-for-access-networks.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_service_providers_2018-07-09&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2164375
The specifications describe coherent optical transceivers that will support 100-Gbps coherent transmission based on dual-polarization differential quadrature phase-shift keying (DP-DQPSK) over at least 40-km unamplified links as well as potential use cases.
The need for coherent-enabled capacity arises as cable operators move to Distributed Access Architectures (DAAs) from their traditional centralized hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) approaches.
Tomi Engdahl says:
FTTx/PON testing reference poster
https://www.exfo.com/umbraco/surface/file/download/?ni=13597&cn=en-US
Each home, school, business or other type of service provider customer
has different requirements when it comes to the upstream and downstream
speeds of broadband delivered over fiber—from basic to ultra-fast.
To deliver the right speed to the right customer, both next-generation and
legacy PONs are being deployed by overlaying multiple new wavelengths on
existing fibers, which becomes challenging for technicians out in the field.
For each cycle of the network life (deployment, activation and
troubleshooting) the correct tools and techniques can be different. This
poster addresses the latest trends in PON technologies and techniques on
how to deploy and maintain these specific fiber optic networks in the most
efficient way possible
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT, 802.11ax and startups seen driving WLAN over next 5 years
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/07/iot-802-11ax-and-startups-seen-driving-wlan-over-next-5-years.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-09&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2163466
The wireless local area network (WLAN) is far from dead. On the contrary, the internet of things (IoT), emerging markets and startups will grow the enterprise-class and outdoor WLAN product market to over 35% greater than 2017 levels, says the 650 Group in a five-year forecast released today.
“If we had only that use case of the traditional users — those using laptops and smartphones, the enterprise wireless LAN market would stop growing in about two or three years. Let’s say by 2020, the growth would be around zero, one, or two percent.”
IoT, however, is creating demand for WLAN
IoT boosts WLAN market for enterprise-class outdoor products.
https://www.rcrwireless.com/20180702/network-infrastructure/wi-fi/iot-802-11ax-and-startups-to-power-wlan-in-next-5-years-tag41
Tomi Engdahl says:
DAS market seen surging at 10.9% CAGR to $13.7 billion by 2023; top 20 vendors listed
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/07/das-market-seen-surging-at-10-9-cagr-to-13-7-billion-by-2023-top-20-vendors-listed.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-09&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2163466
this market is estimated grow from USD 8.21 billion by 2018 to USD 13.74 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 10.9% between 2018 and 2023.
The service segment is expected to hold a larger size of the distributed antenna system market for during the forecast period. Installation services form a major group of services contributing to the overall growth of the distributed antenna system market.
The user facilities with >500K ft2 area are expected to hold the largest size of the distributed antenna system market between 2018 and 2023. Trends such as increased demand for quality in network services, growing indoor data traffic, and elevated adoption of smartphones and tablets have led to increased investments by the carriers in larger, high-profile venues, such as stadiums and large commercial buildings.
Mandates and regulations would lead to the increased adoption of public safety distributed antenna system, as it can support land mobile radio (LMR) as well as the multiple frequency bands, such as VHF/UHF and 700/800MHz, used by first responders.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IEEE 802.3bs 200- and 400-GbE standard available for free download
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2018/07/ieee-8023-bs-200g-400g-free-download.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-09&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2163466
Via the IEEE GET 802 program, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has made its 802.3bs standard available for free download. The institute explains, “Published IEEE 802 standards are included in the [GET] program in PDF form six months after publication date. This program grants public access to view and download current individual IEEE 802 0xAE standards at no cost to you.”
Published on December 12, 2017, the 802.3bs standard’s official title is IEEE Standard for Ethernet – Amendment 10: Media Access Control Parameters, Physical Layers, and Management Parameters for 200 Gb/s and 400 Gb/s Operation.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8207825/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/07/10/nokialle-miljardin-euron-sopimus-5g-tekoalylaboratorio-kiinaan/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
Patient Uninterrupted: 4 Things in Healthcare IT that Must be Monitored
https://blog.paessler.com/patient-uninterrupted-4-things-in-healthcare-it-that-must-be-monitored?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Burda-Blog-Global&utm_content=Patientuninterrupted&hsa_src=fb&hsa_acc=2004489912909367&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_grp=23842984422570129&hsa_ad=23842984422770129&hsa_ver=3&hsa_cam=23842984422180129
In recent years, medical healthcare infrastructure has gone through digitization, just as many other industries have. The IoT has brought an array of new connected medical devices that are revolutionizing the medical field. This digitization has led to medical devices and the traditional IT infrastructure becoming more and more intertwined. This subsequently means that medical IT has more points of failure than ever before.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/07/11/nopeisiin-ethernet-verkkoihin-testeri/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Project Loon and Project Wing graduate from Google X
https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/12/project-loon-and-project-wing-graduate-from-google-x/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
Google X projects Loon and Wing have left the nest and graduated to independent companies under Google’s parent company Alphabet, Google X Captain of Moonshots, X Astro Teller wrote in a Medium post yesterday.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Satellite startups turn to reinventing broadband, mapping and other industries
https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/08/satellite-startups-turn-to-reinventing-broadband-mapping-and-other-industries/
Smartphones have disrupted transportation, payments and communication. But the underlying technology has tangentially changed a completely different sector: satellites.
Venture investment into satellite companies has been on a rocket-like trajectory since 2012, following a long fallow period. Although it isn’t pictured here, the last “major” satellite boom peaked in 2006, when there were five venture deals closed with satellite companies worldwide, according to our data set.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.savonsanomat.fi/talous/Pekka-Viljakainen-Kauppalehdessä-Maaseudun-mullassa-olevat-kaapelit-saatava-käyttöön/896484
Tomi Engdahl says:
Software tests Wi-Fi mesh-network handoffs over the air
https://www.edn.com/electronics-products/electronic-product-reviews/other/4460899/Software-tests-Wi-Fi-mesh-network-handoffs-over-the-air?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
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Mesh networking is gaining popularity as organizations look to improve coverage at minimal cost. Mesh networking, based on IEEE 802.11s, has been in existence for some 10 years but new interest has ignited a need for test. To that end, octoScope has added synchroSniffer packet probe capture and analysis to its suite of test applications that run in its wireless test systems, based on the octoBox over-the-air (OTA) test system.
synchroSniffer captures packets from multiple Pal units and aggregates them into a single data file. It synchronizes the data using IEEE 1588 time-synchronization protocols.
Pal units connect to a Linux server that is part of the octoBox OTA test system. Once data is captured, you can use Wireshark software to analyze the 802.11s protocols.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chloe Aiello / CNBC:
New York State Public Service Commission votes to revoke approval of the 2016 Charter/TWC merger, saying company failed to meet broadband buildout obligations
New York votes to revoke approval of Charter’s Time Warner Cable acquisition
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/27/new-york-votes-to-revoke-approval-of-charters-time-warner-cable-acqui.html
The New York State Public Service Commission voted on Friday to revoke its approval of the 2016 merger agreement between Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable.
The commission alleged the cable company failed to meet obligations related to its buildout of broadband in the state.
Tomi Engdahl says:
We’re on the cusp of gigabit Wi-Fi too
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4460921/We-re-on-the-cusp-of-gigabit-Wi-Fi-too?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.cyberciti.biz/datacenter/eyegasm-13-awesome-cable-management-moment-of-zen/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Satellite Internet Is Driving the Global Space Economy
https://science.slashdot.org/story/18/08/05/0049229/satellite-internet-is-driving-the-global-space-economy?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
InfoQ got some interesting insights from their interview with Christophe de Hauwer, the chief strategy and development officer at the communications satellite company SES:
According to Morgan Stanly, the global space economy is predicted to grow from $350 billion in revenues today to more than $1.1 trillion by 2040. This impressive growth is driven by an exploding demand for connectivity… On one hand, satellite will be key to satisfy consumers’ demand for always-on, high-performance connectivity. On the other hand, it will play an essential role in providing connectivity to populations in underserved and unserved areas…
Digital Disruption through Space: High-Speed Internet Access through Satellites
https://www.infoq.com/news/2018/08/high-speed-internet-satellites
Satellites are enabling high speed access to the internet in rural areas, on airplanes, and for internet service providers to the core network. Space technology innovations like electric propulsion, digitalization revolutionize telecommunications and new entrants like SpaceX are forcing launch costs down. These developments will enable new services and lower the costs of existing ones
The European Space Agency (ESA) stated that access to the internet is by satellite in many countries:
Internet service providers often link their servers to the core of the Internet network by satellite. With the emergence of very powerful broadband satellites, users – equipped with their own broadband interactive satellite terminals – will get access to the Internet regardless of their distance from the nearest terrestrial node.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Victoria Law / Wired:
How Securus’ JPay makes millions via monopoly granted by prisons to charge inmates and their family and friends exorbitant per-message fees for email services — For companies like JPay, the business model is simple: Whatever it costs to send a message, prisoners and their families will find a way to pay it.
https://www.wired.com/story/jpay-securus-prison-email-charging-millions
Tomi Engdahl says:
Infinera to purchase Coriant for $430 million
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/07/infinera-to-purchase-coriant-for-430-million.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_datacom_2018-07-24&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2183022
Consolidation has hit the optical systems space, as Infinera has announced its intention to buy fellow optical transport and SDN platform vendor Coriant for a total consideration of $430 million in cash and stock. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2018, subject to customary closing conditions.
Infinera positions the deal as an opportunity to scale in the ramp toward what it predicts in a press release announcing the transaction will be “the next wave of global network spending as network operators transform their networks to transition from 4G to 5G, from Optical Transport Network (OTN) to packet and from closed to open network architectures.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Juniper Networks embraces 400 Gigabit Ethernet
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/07/juniper-networks-embraces-400-gigabit-ethernet.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_enabling_technologies_2018-07-26&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2186086
Juniper Networks has announced plans to roll out 400 Gigabit Ethernet (400GbE) capabilities across its PTX, QFX, and MX series lines. The upcoming products will leverage the recently unveiled Jupiter Penta Silicon or new generations of ExpressPlus and Q5 silicon.
The company sees an impending requirement for 400GbE connectivity in backbone, peering, data center interconnect, scale-out metro core, telco-cloud services, and hyperscale data center IP fabric applications. Such connections will require low latency and strong security as well as high bandwidth, the company added.
Juniper Networks first discussed the 400GbE-capable Penta Silicon when it debuted the MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platform this past June
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ohio towns clamp down on cell towers for 5G mobile technology
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/07/ohio-towns-clamp-down-on-cell-towers-for-5g-mobile-technology.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-23&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2180408
Miamisburg is “creating design and siting standards” for “small cell facilities and wireless support structures,” according to the legislation. The 20-plus page document covers issues ranging from applicability, procedures, standards, locations and right of way issues…Legislation regulating the 5G mobile technology facilities is an issue several area communities –
Miamisburg to restrict cell towers for 5G mobile technology
https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local-govt–politics/miamisburg-restrict-cell-towers-for-mobile-technology/0bZdTKC0cqW55l2RhFdfYL/
Miamisburg is one of several area communities considering design standards to regulate the location and size of small cell antennas and facilities for the latest wireless technology system, 5G.
Miamisburg is “creating design and siting standards” for “small cell facilities and wireless support structures,” according to the legislation. The 20-plus page document covers issues ranging from applicability, procedures, standards, locations and right of way issues.
“Unfortunately, there will likely still be small cell facilities installed in areas that are not preferable from an aesthetic perspective,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Computer scientist: Rising seas imminent threat to internet’s fiber-optic cabling base
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/07/computer-scientist-rising-seas-imminent-threat-to-internet-s-fiber-optic-cabling-base.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-23&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2180408
Climate change poses a serious threat to the United States’ internet infrastructure, with more than 4,000 miles of fiber optic cable expected to be under water within 15 years from just 1 foot of sea level rise, according to a new analysis by scientists at the University of Oregon and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Most of the damage that’s going to be done in the next 100 years will be done sooner than later,” Paul Barford, a computer scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-author of the study, said in a statement. “That surprised us. The expectation was that we’d have 50 years to plan for it. We don’t have 50 years.”
How Rising Seas Could Threaten the Internet
https://e360.yale.edu/digest/how-rising-seas-could-threaten-the-internet
“Most of the damage that’s going to be done in the next 100 years will be done sooner than later,” Paul Barford, a computer scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-author of the study, said in a statement. “That surprised us. The expectation was that we’d have 50 years to plan for it. We don’t have 50 years.”
Over the last 20 years, to meet customers’ surging demand for greater internet connectivity, telecommunication companies have laid out the physical structure of the internet — fiber optic cables, data transfer stations, nodes (communication endpoints) — rather haphazardly, buried alongside existing power lines, roads, and railways and much of it clustered along shorelines.
“When it was built 20–25 years ago, no thought was given to climate change,” Barford said. Most fiber optic cable in use today is water-resistant, but not waterproof, he said.
estimates an average 1 foot of rise within the next 15 years and 6 feet by the end of the century. They found that significant damage will be done in the next decade-and-a-half, with 4,067 miles of fiber conduit and 1,101 nodes in the U.S. expected to be underwater by 2033. New York, Miami, and Seattle will be the most effected.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Study suggests buried internet infrastructure at risk as sea levels rise
https://news.wisc.edu/study-suggests-buried-internet-infrastructure-at-risk-as-sea-levels-rise/
Thousands of miles of buried fiber optic cable in densely populated coastal regions of the United States may soon be inundated by rising seas, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Oregon.
The study, presented here today (July 16, 2018) at a meeting of internet network researchers, portrays critical communications infrastructure that could be submerged by rising seas in as soon as 15 years, according to the study’s senior author, Paul Barford, a UW–Madison professor of computer science.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Inphi Porrima 100-Gbps single lambda PAM4 silicon reaches sampling
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/07/inphi-porrima-100gbps-single-lambda-pam4-silicon-reaches-sampling.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_friday_5_2018-07-20&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2180234
Inphi Corp. (NYSE: IPHI) says the single-lambda 100-Gbps members of its Porrima PAM4 silicon family is now sampling. The 100-Gbps/56-GBaud 16-nm device aims to support 100 Gigabit Ethernet applications via QSFP28 and SFP-DD DR/FR optical transceivers, including those designed to align with the 100G Lambda MSA.
The devices include:
The Porrima 100G PAM4 DSP ICs, which will operate with both 4×25-Gbps NRZ and 2×50-Gbps PAM4 electrical interfaces. The former is associated with 100G QSFP28 DR optical transceivers, while the latter is common with QSFP28/uQSFP/SFP-DD optical modules. The DSPs leverage the fifth generation of the company’s InphiNity DSP Engine, which uses a mixed-mode DSP architecture. The devices incorporate self-test and loopback modes as well as 100G forward error correction (FEC) capabilities.
The IN5630DE Linear Driver family is a 56-GBaud, low-power, single-channel linear driver for PAM4 optical modules. It is designed to provide what Inphi terms “excellent” linearity, high bandwidth, and adjustable gain in bare die form.
The IN566x Linear Transimpedance Amplifier (TIA) offers 56-GBaud, low-power, single-channel linear performance. It offers wide dynamic range and the signal integrity necessary for PAM4 modulation applications, says Inphi.
Overall, the new single-lambda 100G Porrima devices perform with the low power consumption necessary to enable <3.5 W DR/FR optical modules per IEEE standards and MSA specifications, Inphi asserts.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Structured cabling market projected to expand at 7.1% CAGR through 2028
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/07/structured-cabling-market-projected-to-expand-at-7-1-cagr-through-2028.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-30&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2187105
Wireless cables have been witnessing majority preference by end-use verticals in the structured cabling market, against the backdrop of complexities involved in fiber termination and cost of converting optical signals to electronic. This is likely to confine growth prospects of the structured cabling market.
“Structured cabling is becoming an integral component of the IT & telecom industries to rid risks of manual errors apropos of unorganized, multiple cabling infrastructures. Facilitating continuous flow of information, while boosting productivity and driving business success are key attributes of structured cabling that have driven their adoption in the IT and telecom industry. Demand for structured cabling is also fuelled by its aid in reducing power and maintenance cost, which in turn enables latent resources to be put at good use,” says lead research analyst, ICT, at Fact.MR.
Horizontal cabling and backbone cabling have gained paramount importance in the structured cabling market, in light of growing requirements for specific and complicated cabling in computer networks. This need is particularly preeminent in academic and business settings, which have been upholding demand & supply trends of the structured cabling.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ExteNet Systems joins Safer Buildings Coalition to establish in-building public safety wireless standard
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/07/extenet-systems-joins-safer-buildings-coalition-to-establish-in-building-public-safety-wireless-stan.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-30&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2187105
On July 25, ExteNet Systems, among the largest private developers, owners and operators of Distributed Networks (DNS) enabling advanced mobile and broadband connectivity across the United States, announced its membership in the Safer Buildings Coalition (SBC) to help set standards for in-building public safety wireless communications. The SBC’s primary mission is to ensure that First Responders (Fire, Law Enforcement and EMS) use state-of-the-art voice and data communications to communicate both inside buildings as well as to-and-from their Command Centers outside buildings during an event. SBC also advocates for the public’s cellular service inside buildings to function at optimal levels.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The role of fiber in 5G networks
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/print/volume-26/issue-7/features/design/the-role-of-fiber-in-5g-networks.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-30&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2187105
Regardless of the wireless technology employed, fiber will be the supporting infrastructure for 5G networks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Report: Gigabit Wi-Fi access point market to witness 29.1% CAGR through 2027
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/07/report-gigabit-wi-fi-access-point-market-to-witness-29-1-cagr-through-2027.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-30&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2187105
Future Market Insights (FMI) has published a new report on the gigabit Wi-Fi access point market. The report has been titled “Gigabit Wi-Fi Access Point Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012-2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017-2027.” Vendors across the globe are eyeing India as it is one of the potential regions to capitalise on and is expected to provide lucrative prospects in the coming years. Seeking huge GWAP growth opportunities in India, leading players such as SAMSUNG need to focus on the India market to offer innovative GWAP solutions for strengthening their presence in emerging countries. India has a huge potential, which is attracting vendors associated with the GWAP market to export their products to India.
The Government of India is laying out expenditure on gigabit Wi-Fi access point (FTTH) to provide better and high speed internet, which is expected to be a good opportunity for vendors associated with the GWAP market to extract business, especially from emerging economies like India.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Industrial automation question: ‘Is TSN activity igniting another Fieldbus war?’
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/07/industrial-automation-question-is-tsn-activity-igniting-another-fieldbus-war.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-23&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2180408
Much like the Fieldbus wars that marked the industrial automation industry of the 1990’s, there are early-warning signs of competing standards developing in TSN activity that could ignite a similar wave of chaos. This chaos could set the stage in the dynamic new IT/OT integration environment for the enterprise computer and IoT industry
Is TSN Activity Igniting Another Fieldbus WAR?
https://www.automation.com/automation-news/is-tsn-activity-igniting-another-fieldbus-war
Even now, enterprise software is taking over a variety of production functions, stopping just short of the real-time controllers. In this dynamic new environment, the industrial automation industry does not yet have any standard open source industrial and process automation fieldbus networks. Instead, we’re seeing primary efforts fall into two categories:
Closed Networks – Major DCS suppliers have ethernet networks running proprietary closed protocols.
Gated Ecosystems – Membership based organizations that license and promote their unique industrial ethernet protocols including unique configuration data formats. These are not open source.
To avoid repeating the Fieldbus scenario, the industry needs to get beyond these self-serving efforts and agree on published open source protocols, configuration standards, and data messaging to the benefit of all.
The Red Flags for TSN at HANNOVER MESSE 2018
One of the red flags for this danger presented itself at the Hannover Messe 2018. There, multiple groups were independently working on the applications of Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN). These efforts included the OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) namely the “Shapers”, and Huawei inspired Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) + OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA)” Smart Manufacturing. I had an opportunity to look at each effort in depth.
Inside “The Shapers” – A Non-Organization Coalition of Competitors
The self-named, “Shapers” are a non-organization coalition of competitors, who are discussing standardization around OPC UA. Yet they are doing so without being part of a formal legal industry association for this effort, which is very strange.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DWDM Optical Modules Take It to the Edge
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/04/dwdm-optical-modules-take-it-to-the-edge.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_enabling_technologies_2018-08-02&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2193929
The need for low latency and quality of service is driving cloud traffic ever closer to the edge of the network. In response, cloud providers are moving toward a new distributed data center architecture of multiple edge data centers rather than a single mega-data center in a geographic market. This distributed data center model requires an orders-of-magnitude increase in optical connectivity among the edge data centers to ensure reliable and robust service quality for the end users.
As a result, the industry is clamoring for low-cost and high-bandwidth transceivers between network elements. The advent of pluggable 100G Ethernet DWDM modules in QSFP28 form factor holds the promise of superior performance, tremendous cost savings, and scalability.
Moving data to the edge
According to Cisco, global IP traffic will increase nearly threefold over the next 5 years, and will have increased 127-fold from 2005 to 2021. In addition, almost half a billion (429 million) mobile devices and connections were added in 2016. Smartphones accounted for most of that growth, followed by machine-to-machine (M2M) modules. As these devices continue to multiply, the need to bring the data center closer to the sources, devices, and networks all producing data is driving the shift to the network’s edge.
With 5G on the horizon, bandwidth will continue to be a major challenge. Cisco predicts that although 5G will only be 0.2% of connections (25 million) by 2021, it will generate 4.7 times more traffic than the average 4G connection.
The exponential increase in point-to-point connections and the growing bandwidth demands of cloud service providers (CSPs) have driven demand for low-cost 100G optical communications. However, in contrast to a more traditional data center model (where all the data center facilities reside in a single campus), many CSPs have converged on distributed regional architectures to be able to scale sufficiently and provide cloud services with high availability and service quality. Pushing data center resources to the network’s edge and thereby closer to the consumer and enterprise customers reduces latency, improves application responsiveness, and enhances the overall end-user experience.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kontron buys SDN tech vendor Inocybe Technologies
https://www.lightwaveonline.com/articles/2018/08/kontron-buys-sdn-tech-vendor-inocybe-technologies.html?cmpid=enl_lightwave_lightwave_enabling_technologies_2018-08-02&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2193929
Kontron says it has acquired Inocybe Technologies, which provides open source software-defined networking (SDN) software platforms. The deal adds open networking and OpenDaylight SDN controller expertise to complement Kontron’s SYMKLOUD line of white box hardware and integrated open source offerings. Terms of the deal, which has closed, were not announced.
The addition of Inocybe’s capabilities strengthens Kontron’s hand as a supplier of open hardware and software to telecoms, cable, and communications service providers as well as IT network operators, the company asserts. “The go-to-market opportunities are enormous,” said Robert Courteau, general manager of Kontron’s communications business. “The open source software on open hardware strategy is rapidly gaining adoption among a broad base of service providers and private cloud operators – for both compute and networking. With Inocybe, we can now cater to both scenarios. We are certainly excited about how this will unlock our customers’ potential to freely choose what, when, and how they deploy new and revenue-rich services.”
The Kontron SYMKLOUD line includes rack-level converged hardware platforms as well as white box hardware that can serve as open network operating system (NOS) switches managed by an OpenDaylight SDN controller