The demise of wireline connections has been widely predicted and some consumers no longer have fixed lines. As I sit in my office in the countryside my broadband delivers 5Mbps down stream but only 0.3Mbps upstream; this is better than many nearby who only get 0.5Mbps downstream. My phone connects to 4G and already delivers twice […]
NFV Drives Shift to Open Platforms
Network functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) platforms are a key focus for telecom and network equipment suppliers, covered in a recent survey that also shows a significant shift toward open platforms and open software architectures. Many existing networking systems are built on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) platforms, including rackmount servers, blade servers, ATCA, appliance platforms […]
Intel and ARM Go Head-to-Head in the Data Center
The same day that Intel announced the Xeon processor D-1500 family, ARM said it was targeting 25 percent market share in servers by 2020. The Intel Xeon processor D-1500 family are the first Xeon class processors with integrated networking, something customers have been asking for, and was already available in competing ARM based solutions. The 14nm devices build […]
LTE-A Components Deliver on Bandwidth, IoT
The latest LTE components support the LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) functions required to deliver high bandwidth up to 600 Mbit/s at one extreme and very low-power sub-1 Mbit/s for IoT/M2M applications at the other extreme. Highly integrated handset devices feature up to ten 64-bit processor cores and LTE-A modems, and the latest devices for LTE-A base stations […]
Latest Modules Drive Market Toward 400G
Third-generation optical modules and semiconductor components supporting 28Gbit/s interfaces have made 100G more attractive than 10G or 40G and open the door to 400G connectivity. QSFP28 and CFP4 modules support 100G ports at much higher densities, lower power and lower cost of ownership than previous generations. There are already 20 vendors developing or shipping these […]
100G: Ready for Prime Time
User demand and the introduction of the latest 100G optical modules and related physical layer (PHY) devices have positioned 100G for significant growth through 2016/17. The majority of systems in many sectors of the long-haul, metro and enterprise markets are already shipping with 100G ports. Fifth-generation CFP4 and QSFP28 optical modules in the data center […]
White Box Switching Enabled by Latest Silicon & Software
The latest switch silicon and software is enabling white box switches that, together with standard servers systems, are replacing dedicated network systems. These switch systems provide multi-terabit switching on a platform that can be customized by the network or data center operator with software-defined networking (SDN), OS and other software downloaded to the box. The […]
LTE will be the Connectivity of Choice for IoT
The rapid growth in LTE-enabled devices and carrier networks is opening up new opportunities develop solutions that can truly deliver connected things and the Internet of Things (IoT). WiFi, Bluetooth, EnOcean, 2G/3G are all wireless technologies that are used for connecting things to the Internet. The first three rely on local hubs supporting the right […]
G.fast Plugs the Gap for Gigabit Cities
The race to deliver gigabit broadband services is accelerating, and G.fast is the technology that telecom service providers need to compete successfully. G.fast will change the market for high-speed broadband and could reverse the subscriber migration to fiber and cable services. G.fast builds on the success of VDSL2 and removes significant limitations. The first chipsets […]
SDN/NFV Pushes the Boundaries for Multicore Processors
SDN and NFV are changing the requirements for multicore processors. Virtualized networks with virtual functions running on standard platforms require hardware systems that integrate more than a standard server processor. SDN and NFV significantly increase East-West packet traffic between systems requiring higher-speed network interfaces and lower-latency packet processing. Integrated multicore processors with high-speed networking interfaces […]