From: FJB | 2/22/2021 6:41:46 PM | | | | Ericsson now boasts superior 5G radios to Huawei | Light Reading News Analysis Iain Morris, International Editor 2/22/2021 www.lightreading.com /5g/ericsson-now-boasts-superior-5g-radios-to-huawei/d/d-id/767543
When it comes to radios, the smaller and lighter the better. A high-end 5G radio made by Ericsson previously weighed up to 36 kilograms and was an awkward fit in many places. Bulkier equipment also gobbles up energy, partly because techniques to reduce heat become unavailable. "If you cannot make the size smaller, you cannot use passive cooling," says Sibel Tombaz, Ericsson's head of 5G highband and midband active antenna systems.
But after some cleverness within Ericsson Silicon, the Swedish vendor's in-house chips division, Ericsson has been able to shed some excess weight. It is not just a marginal improvement, either. Its state-of-the-art, midband 5G radio, featuring 64 transmitters and receivers, now weighs only 20 kilograms, a reduction of up to 45%. Energy consumption is down 15% to 20% compared with older equipment, says the company.

Smaller and lighter 5G products could be critical in Europe, says Ericsson.
This is something of a breakthrough for Ericsson, and it might even negate one of the big advantages Chinese manufacturers have had over their European rivals. Around this time last year, Huawei was shouting about similar "massive MIMO" gear that weighed about 25 kilograms per unit. At the time, Ericsson's equivalent products were up to 15 kilograms heavier, according to Earl Lum, an analyst with EJL Wireless Research. His figure roughly tallies with Ericsson's for its previous generation of equipment.
"As of today, from our side, we can definitely say that this 20 kilograms is a new benchmark for our industry," says Tombaz. "This is the lowest size and weight you can find in that kind of massive MIMO radio."
Technical edge
The claim is hard to validate because at the time of publication neither Huawei nor Ericsson's Nordic rival Nokia had been able to confirm details of their latest weight specifications. Nevertheless, Ericsson is essentially boasting a 5-kilogram advantage over the products Huawei was marketing this time last year. Nor has the Chinese vendor publicly announced improvements since then.
The three big vendors still account for up to 80% of the global market for radio access network equipment, and any technical edge could lure customers. Energy consumption accounts for a major slice of operating costs within the service provider business – about 5% of the total bill in 2018, according to research carried out by McKinsey, a management consultancy. Any savings could fatten profit margins. With more lightweight equipment, operators could also speed up 5G rollout and cut installation costs.
Assuming the same levels of traffic and capacity, Tombaz estimates total cost of ownership at a given mobile site would be 40% to 50% less with Ericsson's new radios than with older gear. She believes the latest products will make a real difference in parts of Europe where there are still site and spectrum constraints. "This really will make the European market grow," she says.
What explains the breakthrough Ericsson has made in the last year? Tombaz talks of a "cadence" of improvements that have happened in the design of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The system-on-a-chip technology developed by Ericsson Silicon, she says, has been the "main foundation" of the decrease in size and weight.
Want to know more about 5G? Check out our dedicated 5G content channel here on Light Reading.That seems to vindicate Ericsson's strategy of doubling down on the radio access networks business and boosting investments in research and development (R&D). In 2016, under previous management, Ericsson spent about 31.6 billion Swedish kronor (US$3.8 billion) on R&D across a diverse range of activities. As a more specialized vendor, it invested SEK39.7 billion ($4.8 billion) last year.
The funds have gone toward computing improvements as well as radio innovation. On the baseband side – the part of the network that processes signals – Ericsson is promising various options that will bring a 50% improvement in throughput, as well as more energy efficiency, compared with its older range of products.
Tough act to follow?
The updates put pressure on rivals including Huawei. HiSilicon, the Chinese vendor's equivalent of Ericsson Silicon, has lost access to major foundries reliant on US equipment or expertise, including Taiwan's TSMC, because of US trade sanctions. TSMC's cutting-edge manufacturing processes have been critical for reducing the power consumption of Huawei's 5G kit, according to Ryan Koontz, an analyst at Rosenblatt Securities, as cited in research that S&P Global Market Intelligence published last July.
Nokia is also under pressure. Under previous management, it mistakenly chose costly programmable chips rather than ASICs for its 5G products. That decision ate into profit margins and hurt Nokia's competitiveness. The good news is that Nokia is now partway through an overhaul that has already boosted profitability. But the Finnish company this year needs to prove it is not merely playing 5G catch-up with its main competitors.
Matching the sophistication of these massive MIMO products will be especially hard for open RAN, a newfangled system designed to improve vendor interoperability. "In this purpose-built portfolio, we are really focusing on the performance, size and weight, and this is really happening through end-to-end co-design and integration, where the hardware and software are the key components," says Tombaz. For open RAN, achieving "parity" with customized products is something France's Orange expects by the mid-2020s. Today's update shows how challenging that will be.
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From: FJB | 2/24/2021 10:40:21 AM | | | | I listened to the call late yesterday. It sounded like everything is going to plan. $10 million revenue hit in Q1 from semiconductor shortage. Other than that, bookings good, designs wins good, products still coming out on time. No legitimate reason for it to be down besides tech selling off...
More after reading transcript. |
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To: FJB who wrote (4304) | 2/27/2021 10:43:52 AM | From: SGJ | | | A lot of semi's have sold off after good earnings this quarter. Its a chance to add more shares if you are underinvested imo...or calls. |
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From: FJB | 2/27/2021 3:37:02 PM | | | | WINDSTREAM DID A TRIAL OF ZR+ AT 1000KM. THEY HAVE AN ARTICLE ON LIGHTWAVEONLINE.COM. SPECTRAL EFFICIENCY IS 50% LOWER THAN A QUALITY DSP AT THAT LENGTH, MAYBE EVEN LOWER.
I HOPE THIS HUAWEI TRIAL SPEAKS TO THEIR CAPABILITIES, BECAUSE IT IS VERY UNIMPRESSIVE.
Huawei Helps Telefonica Reinforce Its Network with 600G and 800G Signal Transmission Feb 20, 2021
[Madrid, Spain, February 20, 2021] Huawei and Telefonica (Spain) have completed a pilot on wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) photonic meshes that support Telefonica's Fusion IP Network. This pilot aims to strengthen the Fusion Network, by delivering greater quality and capacity in the face of emerging 5G and other new services.
The high single-wavelength 600G and 800G transmission speeds that Telefonica has achieved using Huawei OSN 9800 devices on the photonic mesh network in Madrid (spanning 47 km) is a prime example of this.
Juan José Marfil, the director of transport and IP connectivity at Telefonica, pointed out: "These pilots on the photonic meshes, in which signals are transmitted over optical channels without the need to switch to the electrical domain, are important milestones that build on the 400G speed that was achieved in 2019, also in Madrid. The goal is to begin implementing the 400G speed this year and subsequently optimize the Fusion IP Network to meet the needs for higher capacity and speed in view of the exponential growth of both connected devices and data transmission."
Enhancing transmission speed is key to the development strategy of Telefonica. This is because these networks fundamentally carry all of the company's services, whether it is for residential customers or large companies, and must also adapt to support the yearly 30% increase in traffic.
The use of 800G channels achieves full capacity for short-distance transmission. An example of this is using these new channels to transmit the equivalent of 500 one-hour HD quality movies over a pair of optical fibers in just a second.
Moreover, Telefonica will leverage the sustainability of its fast transmission technology to reduce energy consumption by 40% to 60% and become an industry pioneer for environmental sustainability. |
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From: FJB | 3/3/2021 9:34:25 AM | | | | Virgin Media Trials Infinera’s Cutting Edge Multi-gigabit Network Technology
New full fiber technology could support a scaled rollout of multi-gigabit speeds to Virgin Media’s customers in the future
SAN JOSE, Calif., March 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) announced today that Virgin Media has trialed innovative network technology which provides new ways to roll out multi-gigabit speeds to consumers and businesses.
The trial, delivered on the operator’s network in Reading, UK, saw Virgin Media install prototype Infinera XR optics technology in its network. The new equipment plugs into the existing network and can send and receive data at much higher speeds than was previously possible – reaching transfer rates of up to 400Gbps in a single fiber.
In 2019, Virgin Media trialed 10Gbps symmetric full fiber home broadband technology in Papworth, Cambridgeshire. This new trial goes a step beyond that, demonstrating that the operator’s passive fiber optic access network (PON) – which provides multiple premises with full fiber connections – could deliver 400Gbps symmetrical services by making use of the latest technology.
Fiber optic networks transmit data from one point to another through a series of electrical switches and optical transceivers. These optical transceivers control where the information is sent and at what speed, ultimately determining how fast data can be sent from one point to another.
In the trial, the traditional network transceivers were replaced with cutting-edge technology which split a single fiber optic cable into many connections, all taking a share of the huge capacity. This means a single fiber could be used to provide multi-gigabit speeds to many customers at the same time.
By using standard passive optical network technology, the transceivers can support higher speed data transfers and can be remotely upgraded and configured. This allows the network operator to make changes quickly and easily, paving the way for simple upgrades to consumer services in future.
This new technology could help support the rapidly growing demand for data which is being driven by high-quality video streaming, remote working, and immersive entertainment, as well as the need to carry 5G traffic to and from mobile phone masts as well as other emerging bandwidth intensive technologies.
Jeanie York, Chief Technology and Information Officer, Virgin Media, said: “Our next-generation network already offers gigabit connectivity to more than 7 million homes, but with data use and demand for hyperfast speeds surging, we’re continually investing in our network to prepare for whatever the future brings.
“Innovations like XR optics ensure our customers continue to benefit from the UK’s fastest widely available speeds, pave the way for future network upgrades and help support the rollout of multi-gigabit broadband and mobile services.”
“The trial with Virgin Media provides a solid proof point that Infinera’s XR optics technology can be seamlessly applied to existing networks,” said Dave Welch, Infinera Chief Innovation Officer and Co-founder. “This represents a radical shift in the way networks can be built, promising a more flexible and sustainable way to meet the ever increasing need to transmit more data at higher speeds.” |
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From: FJB | 3/4/2021 3:36:57 PM | | | | CIEN HAS SHIPPED 7,500 800G PORTS, TO 79 CUSTOMERS. THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A LOT OF UNITS TO ME...
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Rod Hall -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst
Okay. Thanks for that. And then on my follow-up, I wanted to just ask competitively. I know that Infinera has talked about a couple of 800 gig wins, you guys obviously have a whole lot more. I wonder -- are you seeing them in the market with 800 gig? Can you just talk a little bit about the 800-gig competitive environment as it stands right now?
Scott McFeely -- Senior Vice President, Global Products and Services
Yes, Rod, good morning. as we said in the press release, we're up to, I think, it was at the end of the quarter, 78, 79 customer wins. Since the end of the quarter, that's actually increased. By the way, 18, I think, of those 79 were brand-new logos to Ciena. So a lot of momentum there.
Last I checked, a few weeks ago, that equated to something like 7,500 units shipped to customers. So as far as I know, we are the only commercially available 800 gig solution in the marketplace, and you can see it in those statistics.
Rod Hall -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst
Do you guys think that these are just lab deployments then that these guys are talking about?
Scott McFeely -- Senior Vice President, Global Products and Services
7,500 units, a lot of labs. So all the other competitors, I don't know. If you have to ask them. I should -- probably that's my only comment on that. |
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From: FJB | 3/5/2021 1:12:03 PM | | | | THIS SOUNDS MILDLY INFORMATIVE...
NeoPhotonics to Host Call to Discuss Optical Communications Trends and Technologies on March 10, 2021
Fri, March 5, 2021, 11:00 AM·2 min read
NeoPhotonics Corporation (NYSE: NPTN), a leading developer of silicon photonics and advanced hybrid photonic integrated circuit-based lasers, modules and subsystems for bandwidth-intensive, high speed communications networks, today announced management will host a conference call to discuss trends in optical communications and related technologies on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 11:00 am ET.
The session will focus on industry trends and on NeoPhotonics’ product and technology differentiation addressing important issues for the introduction and growth of 400Gbps Pluggable Modules for DCI to Long Haul Applications. That is, for 400ZR and Speed Over Distance, as distance or reach extends, the range of applications that will benefit from IP over DWDM architectures in optical networks increases. This webinar will showcase NeoPhotonics 400ZR and 400ZR+ solutions and illustrate the technologies required for these demanding applications.
The event will be hosted by:
Tim Jenks, Chairman and CEO Ferris Lipscomb, Ph.D., VP of Marketing Wupen Yuen, Ph.D., SVP and Chief Product Officer Winston Way, Ph.D., CTO
To listen to the live webcast, please visit cts.businesswire.com. A replay of the event will be available approximately one hour following the event at cts.businesswire.com
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From: FJB | 3/6/2021 12:29:03 AM | | | |
Virgin Media tests Infinera’s XR optics on PON infrastructure Stephen Hardy lightwaveonline.com
Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) has announced a second major trial of its point-to-multipoint XR optics technology in the UK. Following a demonstration with BT (see “BT models, lab trials Infinera’s XR optics”), the company has revealed a trial with Virgin Media that saw XR optics applied to a PON infrastructure in Reading, UK. The results indicated the ability to support symmetrical transmission rates as high as 400 Gbps over the fiber to the premises (FTTP) network, Infinera says.
The XR optics concept, introduced in the fall of 2019 and still in the prototype phase, leverages the ability to share the capacity of a single coherent port among multiple endpoints (see “Infinera unveils XR optics single-source coherent point-to-multipoint transmission technology”). As a PON infrastructure works along somewhat similar principles, XR optics would appear to be a natural fit for such networks.
Virgin Media has been willing to trial a variety of technologies to boost the capacity of its PONs; for example, the company trialed 10G PON in 2019 with ARRIS (now part of CommScope; see “Virgin Media trials 10G-EPON with ARRIS”). “Our next-generation network already offers gigabit connectivity to more than 7 million homes, but with data use and demand for hyperfast speeds surging, we’re continually investing in our network to prepare for whatever the future brings,” commented Jeanie York, chief technology and information officer at Virgin Media. “Innovations like XR optics ensure our customers continue to benefit from the UK’s fastest widely available speeds, pave the way for future network upgrades, and help support the rollout of multi-gigabit broadband and mobile services.”
“The trial with Virgin Media provides a solid proof point that Infinera’s XR optics technology can be seamlessly applied to existing networks,” added Dave Welch, Infinera’s chief innovation officer and co-founder. “This represents a radical shift in the way networks can be built, promising a more flexible and sustainable way to meet the ever increasing need to transmit more data at higher speeds.” |
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