In few years there’ll be close to 4bn smartphones on earth. Ericsson’s annual mobility report forecasts increasing mobile subscriptions and connections through 2020.(9.5B Smartphone Subs by 2020 and eight-fold traffic increase). Ericsson’s annual mobility report expects that by 2020 90% of the world’s population over six years old will have a phone. It really talks about the connected world where everyone will have a connection one way or another.
What about the phone systems in use. Now majority of the world operates on GSM and HPSA (3G). Some countries are starting to have good 4G (LTE) coverage, but on average only 20% is covered by LTE. 4G/LTE small cells will grow at 2X the rate for 3G and surpass both 2G and 3G in 2016.
Ericsson expects that 85% of mobile subscriptions in the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa will be 3G or 4G by 2020. 75%-80% of North America and Western Europe are expected to be using LTE by 2020. China is by far the biggest smartphone market by current users in the world, and it is rapidly moving into high-speed 4G technology.
The sales of mobile broadband routers and mobile broadband “usb sticks” is expected to continue to drop. In year 2013 those devices were sold 87 million units, and in 2014 sales dropped again 24 per cent. Chinese Huawei is the market leader (45%), so it has most to loose on this.
Small cell backhaul market is expected to grow. ABI Research believes 2015 will now witness meaningful small cell deployments. Millimeter wave technology—thanks to its large bandwidth and NLOS capability—is the fastest growing technology. 4G/LTE small cell solutions will again drive most of the microwave, millimeter wave, and sub 6GHz backhaul growth in metropolitan, urban, and suburban areas. Sub 6GHz technology will capture the largest share of small cell backhaul “last mile” links.
Technology for full duplex operation at one radio frequency has been designed. The new practical circuit, known as a circulator, that lets a radio send and receive data simultaneously over the same frequency could supercharge wireless data transfer, has been designed. The new circuit design avoids magnets, and uses only conventional circuit components. The radio wave circulator utilized in wireless communications to double the bandwidth by enabling full-duplex operation, ie, devices can send and receive signals in the same frequency band simultaneously. Let’s wait to see if this technology turns to be practical.
Broadband connections are finally more popular than traditional wired telephone: In EU by the end of 2014, fixed broadband subscriptions will outnumber traditional circuit-switched fixed lines for the first time.
After six years in the dark, Europe’s telecoms providers see a light at the end of the tunnel. According to a new report commissioned by industry body ETNO, the sector should return to growth in 2016. The projected growth for 2016, however, is small – just 1 per cent.
With headwinds and tailwinds, how high will the cabling market fly? Cabling for enterprise local area networks (LANs) experienced growth of between 1 and 2 percent in 2013, while cabling for data centers grew 3.5 percent, according to BSRIA, for a total global growth of 2 percent. The structured cabling market is facing a turbulent time. Structured cabling in data centers continues to move toward the use of fiber. The number of smaller data centers that will use copper will decline.
Businesses will increasingly shift from buying IT products to purchasing infrastructure-as-a-service and software-as-a-service. Both trends will increase the need for processing and storage capacity in data centers. And we need also fast connections to those data centers. This will cause significant growth in WiFi traffic, which will will mean more structured cabling used to wire access points. Convergence also will result in more cabling needed for Internet Protocol (IP) cameras, building management systems, access controls and other applications. This could mean decrease in the installing of special separate cabling for those applications.
The future of your data center network is a moving target, but one thing is certain: It will be faster. The four developments are in this field are: 40GBase-T, Category 8, 32G and 128G Fibre Channel, and 400GbE.
Ethernet will more and more move away from 10, 100, 1000 speed series as proposals for new speeds are increasingly pushing in. The move beyond gigabit Ethernet is gathering pace, with a cluster of vendors gathering around the IEEE standards effort to help bring 2.5 Gbps and 5 Gbps speeds to the ubiquitous Cat 5e cable. With the IEEE standardisation process under way, the MGBase-T alliance represents industry’s effort to accelerate 2.5 Gbps and 5 Gbps speeds to be taken into use for connections to fast WLAN access points. Intense attention is being paid to the development of 25 Gigabit Ethernet (25GbE) and next-generation Ethernet access networks. There is also development of 40GBase-T going on.
Cat 5e vs. Cat 6 vs. Cat 6A – which should you choose? Stop installing Cat 5e cable. “I recommend that you install Cat 6 at a minimum today”. The cable will last much longer and support higher speeds that Cat 5e just cannot support. Category 8 cabling is coming to data centers to support 40GBase-T.
Power over Ethernet plugfest planned to happen in 2015 for testing power over Ethernet products. The plugfest will be focused on IEEE 802.3af and 802.3at standards relevant to IP cameras, wireless access points, automation, and other applications. The Power over Ethernet plugfest will test participants’ devices to the respective IEEE 802.3 PoE specifications, which distinguishes IEEE 802.3-based devices from other non-standards-based PoE solutions.
Gartner expects that wired Ethernet will start to lose it’s position in office in 2015 or in few years after that because of transition to the use of the Internet mainly on smartphones and tablets. The change is significant, because it will break Ethernet long reign in the office. Consumer devices have already moved into wireless and now is the turn to the office. Many factors speak on behalf of the mobile office. Research predicts that by 2018, 40 per cent of enterprises and organizations of various solid defines the WLAN devices by default. Current workstations, desktop phone, the projectors and the like, therefore, be transferred to wireless. Expect the wireless LAN equipment market to accelerate in 2015 as spending by service providers and education comes back, 802.11ac reaches critical mass, and Wave 2 products enter the market.
Scalable and Secure Device Management for Telecom, Network, SDN/NFV and IoT Devices will become standard feature. Whether you are building a high end router or deploying an IoT sensor network, a Device Management Framework including support for new standards such as NETCONF/YANG and Web Technologies such as Representational State Transfer (ReST) are fast becoming standard requirements. Next generation Device Management Frameworks can provide substantial advantages over legacy SNMP and proprietary frameworks.
U.S. regulators resumed consideration of mergers proposed by Comcast Corp. and AT&T Inc., suggesting a decision as early as March: Comcast’s $45.2 billion proposed purchase of Time Warner Cable Inc and AT&T’s proposed $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV.
There will be changes in the management of global DNS. U.S. is in the midst of handing over its oversight of ICANN to an international consortium in 2015. The National Telecommunications and Information Association, which oversees ICANN, assured people that the handover would not disrupt the Internet as the public has come to know it. Discussion is going on about what can replace the US government’s current role as IANA contract holder. IANA is the technical body that runs things like the global domain-name system and allocates blocks of IP addresses. Whoever controls it, controls the behind-the-scenes of the internet; today, that’s ICANN, under contract with the US government, but that agreement runs out in September 2015.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
The Promise of 5G
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/15/08/16/2134227/the-promise-of-5g
From instant monitoring of leaking pipelines, to real-time worldwide collaboration, the increase in machine-to-machine communications that 5G allows will change the way we live. This TechCrunch article takes a look at the promise that 5G holds and its possibilities. From the article: “By 2030, 5G will transform and create many uses that we cannot even think of yet. We will live in a world that will have 10-100 times more Internet-connected devices than there are humans.
The Promise Of 5G
http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/15/the-promise-of-5g/
How machines share data is very different from how they communicate with humans, or how humans communicate with machines or one another.
Since then, we have moved through 3G and now 4G networks, with 5G on the horizon. 3G and 4G networks allowed us, as a society, to engage with the new world of digital information and entertainment on our own terms.
Now with the leap to 5G networks, we can start to completely reshape entire industries, and rethink how we run our cities and manage critical national infrastructures. 5G will be a far more capable network than its predecessors; it will deliver speeds of up to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps), which is 40 times faster than the current maximum speeds achievable on 4G.
This sounds like futuristic wishful thinking, but, of course, so too did the idea of carrying around a mini supercomputer in your pocket. In fact, some companies and charitable organizations are already providing hints of what is possible.
Today, you access data on-demand as you move from point A to point B.
Today, when you need data service, you use your device to pull it down from the cloud via a high-speed network.
5G will turn this one-way interaction we have today with data into something new. Imagine a new network that will enable machines to communicate instantly without any human intervention, and to do things on our behalf and for our benefit without our active engagement.
The result will be a further transformation of how we live our lives, and a steep increase in machine-to-machine (M2M) communications to enable fuller, richer and more convenient lifestyles. This is the promise of 5G as it enables the Internet of Things (IoT).
You’ve likely read reports of the ongoing development of self-driving cars, and the promise that within the next 15-20 years, we can comfortably and safely read a newspaper during a long journey. Our cars will download real-time traffic information and use it to avoid congestion and accidents, getting us safely and quickly where we need to go.
The benefits extend far beyond convenience and avoiding traffic jams. The opportunity to not just reduce, but eliminate, car accidents will translate to saving more than one million lives every year in the U.S. alone. This means saving $300 billion in economic costs due to car crashes, and reducing annual CO2 emissions by as much as 300 million tons, just in U.S.
There are several technical hurdles to overcome, and the biggest is for the industry and the world’s governments to work together to develop a standard for 5G.
There are critical security issues that technology developers must address.
Further, there are critical security issues that technology developers must address. Much of the growth in the IoT trend will be based on M2M communication. How machines share data is very different from how they communicate with humans, or how humans communicate with machines or one another.
Traditional security solutions used to protect our computers and phones against cyberattacks will not work on connected printers, cars or smart-city infrastructure systems. Device and equipment manufacturers will play a critical role in enabling 5G connectivity by embedding security during the product design and development cycle.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Report: Enterprise telephony market shrinking beneath cloud
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/08/delloro-enterprise-pbx-shrinking.html
A recently published report by Dell’Oro Group, an analyst of the telecommunications, networks and data center IT industries, says that the enterprise telephony market is expected to decline to $8 billion by 2019.
“Enterprises continue to transition IT dollars away from premise solutions and towards the cloud, and we remain surprised that only a few premises-based vendors have significant revenue from cloud offerings, with the remaining premises vendors being slow to create such offerings,”
“This is very similar to the early days of IP, where the market direction was clear but vendors were unwilling to change. During the next five years, we expect vendors to focus heavily on the cloud market and to look at both selling equipment to support cloud build-outs, and toward creating stand-alone cloud offerings.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ethernet certification key for solving cabling issues in industrial automation, control systems
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/08/softing-industrial-ethernet-certification.html
“Approximately 35% of total failures in plant automation are attributed to physical-layer failures, such as cabling. Physical deterioration, electrical failure, or poor installation and maintenance can all lead to unreliable network performance, as well as loss of critical data, system downtime, or even catastrophic, overall failure.”
“When installing cabling for industrial Ethernet applications, you can no longer simply assume it is going to work. To reduce start-up problems and minimize future downtime, it is encouraged to not only ensure cable is installed properly, but also to have it configured, tested, and certified.”
“Some of the most common mishaps when installing cabling for industrial applications involve the cable itself—whether it’s too close to other cables or electrical equipment, crushed, kinked, too long, defective, or its bend radius is exceeded. The majority of these issues can essentially be fixed with proper certification, as cable certification ensures the cable infrastructure meets standards for quality and speed.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIYAW = Do It Yourself All Wrong
Tomi Engdahl says:
The farmer who was so sick of poor internet signal he built a DIY mast – and now it’s giving him superfast broadband
Farmer Richard Guy, 60, battled for years with slow internet signal at home
He noticed his mobile’s 4G was faster than broadband provided by BT
So he built his a wooden telephone mast, on which he set up a 4G adaptor
Father-of-two is now enjoying ‘perfect’ internet access at super-fast speeds
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3200291/Farmer-sick-poor-internet-signal-built-DIY-mast.html#ixzz3j9r9ELmp
Tomi Engdahl says:
Law & Disorder / Civilization & Discontents
Company pays FCC $750,000 for blocking Wi-Fi hotspots at conventions
Wanted to force convention-goers to purchase $80/day Wi-Fi access.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/08/company-pays-fcc-750000-for-blocking-wi-fi-hotspots-at-conventions/
A Wi-Fi service provider has agreed to pay the Federal Communications Commission $750,000 for blocking personal mobile hotspots used by convention visitors and exhibitors so they could avoid paying the company’s $80-per-day fee.
Smart City Holdings automatically blocked users from using their personal cell phone data plans to establish mobile Wi-Fi networks, according to a statement published Tuesday by FCC officials. After the FCC took action against Smart City Holdings, the company pledged to stop the practice and pay the $750,000 fee to settle the matter.
It’s the second enforcement action by the FCC taking aim at the blocking of FCC-approved Wi-Fi connections. In October, Marriott Hotel Services reached a $600,000 agreement with the FCC to settle allegations it interfered with and disabled Wi-Fi networks established by consumers in the hotel’s conference facilities in Nashville. In January, the FCC issued an enforcement advisory that stated unequivocally Wi-Fi blocking was prohibited.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dell’Oro Research Institute has compiled a list of the first year of LTE mobile network equipment suppliers. Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent’s total net sales to increase Nokia’s largest 4G equipment supplier. China’s Huawei is the first time overtaken Ericsson.
However, the network market shrank during the first half of the year. Both the USA and in Europe operators’ 4G base station purchases declined. China’s market to draw well, but the strong growth at all was not able to place on the market slowdowns elsewhere.
Based on Dell’Oro figures, Nokia is emerging as the largest appliance manufacturer in LTE networks, as long as the merger will be to the end.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3208:nokia-kasvoi-suurimmaksi-huawei-ohitti-ericssonin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
All online with 4600 satellites
By 2028, five billion people upload and download from the web, at least one zettatavun worth of data. According to Samsung’s existing networks – fixed or mobile – this amount of data can not be answered. Korealaisfirman idea is to plant thousands of satellites in the sky for massive data transfer.
The study “Mobile Internet from the Heavens” Samsung draw pictures of 4600 micro-satellite network. Satellites do not would run 36 thousand kilometers of altitude, such as the current satellites, but much shallower. At the same time they are needed much more in order to built all over reached to coverage.
Each micro-satellite should be able to move terabytes of data per second. This would require tens of gigahertz-free spectrum, which is only found in millimeter area. Uplink directed at the satellite take place by means of the antenna array.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3206:netti-kaikille-4600-satelliitilla&catid=13&Itemid=101
Mobile Internet from the Heavens
http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1508/1508.02383.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia returns to public authority networks
The use of Finland’s authorities TETRA network base TETRA technology, the characteristics of which do not meet the needs of the future authorities. As a result, radio communications authorities transferred to the public LTE network. Nokia’s point of view, this means a return to official equipment supplier networks.
Nokia announced on Monday, co-operation with Harris Corporation in LTE networks used by authorities. Nokia Networks, the technology leader Mika Aalto that cooperation is wider than it is now disclosed solution.
PS-LTE is the expansion of LTE technology, in which the network has been developed for use by public authorities (Public Safety). It is already defined in the 3GPP standards 8-11, but for example, next year for completion in Release 13 adds more features. Even releas e 12 of that came Prose (proximity services), which allows the connection between the two PS-LTE terminal without an access point in between.
Nokia’s NIB 40, in turn, a movable-pound LTE-changer to which is added to the core network software. It can be used to set up a temporary LTE network, say the disaster area. Or sporting events, if so desired. Performance is responsible for the Flexi Multi Radio 10 -makrotukiaseman features.
PS-LTE will ultimately mean the death knell for existing TETRA, P25-, and the Tetrapol systems. However, the transition will take decades time.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3207:nokia-palaa-viranomaisverkkoihin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
IEEE 802.11ah: Wi-Fi below 1 GHz
http://www.edn.com/design/test-and-measurement/4440147/IEEE-802-11ah–Wi-Fi-below-1-GHz?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150820&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150820&elq=5f53db4ce5b84888a7f42133b14a1d32&elqCampaignId=24462&elqaid=27641&elqat=1&elqTrackId=e4104e5464704fb7a217542d22b29df8
The IEEE 802.11 working group is defining a new standard called 802.11ah. It operates in sub 1 GHz license-exempt bands, providing a much improved transmission range and can also be used for large scale sensor networks with low power consumption targeting for billions of IoT (Internet of Things) or M2M (Machine-to-Machine) device connections. 802.11ah is based on down-clocking of the 802.11ac standard and adds some enhancements in PHY and MAC layers such as power saving, large number of station support, better coverage, and mobile reception. This standard is still in the draft status, with a final version expected in 2016. The Wi-Fi Alliance has also begun to define certification programs based on 802.11ah.
IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is mainly operated in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands. However, these high-frequency bands limit the transmission range of 802.11n and 802.11ac for outdoor environments. Learn the basics of 802.11ah and about some of the test challenges.
Use Cases
In general, there are three use case categories for 802.11ah: sensor networks, backhaul networks for sensors and meter data, and Wi-Fi extended range networks. Large coverage, low power consumption, native IP support and large numbers of device support are the main advantages for 802.11ah. It’s characteristics include:
Sponsor video, mouseover for sound
802.11ah can extend the range with 1 MHz and 2 MHz mandatory modes.
There are some enhancements in 802.11ah PHY and MAC layers designed to achieve ultra-low power consumption and multi-year battery life for large scale sensor networks, optimized for small packet size and long sleep time.
802.11ah sensor is native IP support.
Up to 8,191 devices associated with an AP (access point) through a hierarchical identifier structure.
As an extended range Wi-Fi, 802.11ah can be used in homes, campuses, stadiums, shopping malls, and other locations. It provides a wider coverage range to reach garages, backyards, and basements than legacy WLAN technologies that operate at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. For example, a campus WLAN solution utilizes tri-band APs (2.4 GHz/5 GHz/ 900 MHz), so wireless access is provided everywhere on campus.
IEEE 802.11ah, energy efficiency, extended battery life for wireless devices
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/ieee-80211ah-energy-efficiency-extended-battery-life-for-wireless-devices/c8db5d0e51388cf4c0deae66f1efbb07.html
Wireless tutorial: The addition of power saving algorithms to the IEEE 802.11ah standard is designed to allow associated devices to run for weeks or even years without a battery replacement. The standard specifies traffic information map (TIM) and non-TIM as two modes of power saving.
Many devices that fall under the IEEE 802.11ah standard are anticipated to be battery powered. The addition of power saving algorithms to the standard is designed to allow associated devices to run for weeks or even years without a battery replacement. The standard specifies two modes of power saving: traffic information map (TIM) and non-TIM. TIM stations are always on and ready to receive data. TIM stations continually monitor the wireless medium. Non-TIM stations will enter an offline “doze” state and will be unable to receive data; data is buffered at the access point (AP) and transmitted to the device when it becomes active and requests download.
Because a large number of stations are expected on these networks, new methods of medium contention and access have been implemented, particularly for non-TIM stations. Suppose several hundred stations “wake up” at the same time and try to download buffered data. This would create excessive delays and collisions as these stations attempt to acquire the medium.
A technique called group sectorization, which is similar to RAW, is used to group stations based upon the station’s position. A beamformed beacon broadcasts the AIDs of stations in a particular sector; if the station does not belong to that sector, it is not allowed to access the medium.
IEEE 802.11ah holds great promise in being able to facilitate large, wide area networks of independent, low-power devices without relying upon wired infrastructure, which would render this type of connectivity impractical. The propagation characteristics of the 900 MHz spectrum allow for much larger networks than would be possible with conventional Wi-Fi networks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G the Free WiFi Killer
Integrating comm comes at a price
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327482&
5G may be not much more than a moniker for what comes after 4G, but Intel clarified its vision recently at a keynote during the Intel Developer Forum 2015 (IDF, San Francisco, Aug.18-20). “Seamless” is the goal and it comes at a price.
The top-line is that Intel hopes to apply all its expertise in computing, networking and wireless communications to make a seamless 5G solution that incorporates distributed intelligence at all levels–from the smartphone to the router to the basestation aggregator to cloudlets, clouds and our fastest supercomputers.
The bottom line is that cellular, WiFi, centimeter- and millimeter wavelength bands must be seamlessly integrated from the user’s point-of-view, according to Aicha Evans, vice president of platform engineering group and general manager of the communications and devices group at Intel.
“5G is not about faster, but about integrating all types of connectivity,” Evans told her keynote attendees at IDF. “The building blocks of 5G are already here today.”
To the carriers this integration will come at a price, since 5G-for-all presents the opportunity to kill free WiFi and instead charge users for every data packet they send or receive, no matter which of the integrated communications technologies is used.
However, before the panel painted the world-changing picture of extraordinary speeds and ultra-low latency–at a price–Intel’s Sandra Rivera, vice president of the data center group and general manager of the Internet of Things (IoT) described the benefits of 5G to the users.
“Intelligence will begin with at the base station,” Rivera asserted to the crowd at IDF. “Creating more immersive experiences.”
The panel made it clear that their major metric was speed–which they predicted would be 100-to-1000 times faster with sub-millisecond latency, enabling the kind of realtime interactivity–such as virtual worlds
Of course, IoT will be driving 5G–from the end of traffic collisions and driverless cars, to smart cities, to smart agro-business, to worldwide access to education, literacy, health and longevity. In the end, however, all these miracles will come at a price, starting with the end of free WiFi and ending with a worldwide regulatory framework under which everybody’s life will be made safer and better–at a price yet to be determined.
Intel is already working alongside the engineering visionaries making 5G happen, including Nokia’s AirFrame Data Center, NTT DoCoMo’s advanced field trials, SK Telecom’s collaborative development of 5G modems using multiple radio access technologies and its Anchor-Booster Cell effort to combine LTE and WiGig. Intel is also a member of a number of research projects including the 5G Public Private Partnership (5GPPP), the Flex5GWare project and Horizon2020.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bringing Gbit/s Ethernet into the USB 3.0 Fold
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327497&
When the USB Implementers Forum came out a year or so ago with the specifications for its 2.4-mm-high connector plug USB 3.0 Type C connector, the organization’s intent was twofold. The first was to provide a much smaller alternative to its present 4.5-mm USB 3.0 Type-A standard connector on mobile phones and most consumer devices. The second was to provide manufacturers of PCs and tablets a way to move to a next generation of super thin systems by eliminating the need for the traditional, much larger, legacy connectors to external displays, hard drives, or other peripherals.
So far, Type C has been successful in replacing the connectors for such peripheral devices as HDMI for displays and PCI Express for storage. The one physical connector that remains to be replaced before the ultimate in thinness and low power is possible is the 1 Gigabit/second (Gb/s) Ethernet connection to the network. While there have been efforts by a variety of dongle and USB hub makers and a few laptop/PC manufacturers, few have met with success. Those that allow Ethernet connections via USB 3.0 Type C have operated at a much lower speed, usually only 40 to 60 percent of the full 1 Gb/s data rate.
A new offering from Cypress Semiconductor, the ARM Cortex-M0 based EZ-USB GX3 controller, may change all that. It offers an Ethernet to USB 3.0 download conversion rate of about 910 Mbps, close to the theoretical bandwidth of GigE and even closer to the real-world 950-Mbps throughput of most native GigE solutions.
To achieve near-Gb/s Ethernet downloads over USB, Cypress engineers have developed a proprietary burst transfer mechanism as well as an algorithm for carefully mapping Ethernet signals into the appropriate USB 3.0 signal frameworks. It works by first merging the incoming Ethernet packets into one supersized Ethernet data packet and then converting each supersize packet into USB data packets. Finally the USB data packets are organized and transmitted in separate USB microframes.
A bit more difficult was coming up with a method by which to maintain that near Gb/s Ethernet throughput without sacrificing the low power advantages of the USB User Forum’s Link Power Management policy.
One possible downside to the Cypress solution that company engineers anticipated was the lack of any established USB-Ethernet Device Class specification from which to create a standardized device driver, without which developers would have had to create custom drivers for any given operating system within which the GX3 is used.
Tomi Engdahl says:
18 Views of #IDF15
Intel amps up the energy level
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327493&
BMX bikes instrumented with Intel Curie modules entertained attendees.
In a data center mega-session, Intel announced Discovery Peak (above), an open source analytics platform based on Hadoop and Spark that it has been quietly working on for three years. The project is a follow on to a streaming SQL open source project Intel developed which is now in use by China’s JD.com which claims to be the world’s second largest retailer.
In a keynote segment devoted to IoT, Intel showed the Nabi smart clip for a baby seat (above) that links to a parent’s smartphone via Bluetooth. “Don’t ever share the stage with a cute baby,” quipped CEO Krzanich.
Ericsson came to IDF showing its first rack-mounted servers (below). One of their unique attributes is use of a 100 Gbit/second optical backplane. Ericsson said the optics, already in use in its existing telco servers, will help future-proof the systems which target big data centers. SK in Korea will pilot the systems next year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
OSP cable repair FAIL (1 of 2)
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/slideshow/photo-of-the-day/new-image-gallery/may-2015-homepage-photos.html?cmpid=EnlCIMAugust242015&eid=289644432&bid=1157834
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ericsson is now demonnut together with the Swiss company Swisscom and with Qualcomm technology to achieve 355 Mbps data rate in the commercial LTE network.
However, Swisscom demo is first in Europe, which is connected to both the FDD and TDD frequencies to the same link. Previously, Nokia has demonnut similar connections elsewhere, and reach those even more gigabit data rates.
Swisscom network combined with two 20-MHz TDD carrier 2.6 GHz frequency range and one 15-megahertz slice of 2.1 GHz FDD area. The terminal device based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset X12.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3223:swisscomin-verkko-yltaa-jo-355-megabittiin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Comcast planning gigabit cable for entire US territory in 2-3 years
Customers outside Comcast’s fiber footprint will still be able to buy a gigabit.
http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/08/comcast-planning-gigabit-cable-for-entire-us-territory-in-2-3-years/
While Comcast has started deploying 2Gbps fiber-to-the-home service to certain parts of its territory, much of its network is going to be stuck on cable for years to come.
But customers outside the fiber footprint will still be able to buy gigabit Internet service after Comcast upgrades to DOCSIS 3.1, a faster version of the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification. Comcast said in April that DOCSIS 3.1 will be available to some of its customers in early 2016 and eventually across its whole US footprint. Last week, Comcast said it wants to complete the whole upgrade within two years.
“Our intent is to scale it through our footprint through 2016,” Comcast VP of network architecture Robert Howald said in an interview with FierceCable. “We want to get it across the footprint very quickly… We’re shooting for two years.” It could take up to three years, the story said.
Comcast, the nation’s largest Internet provider, with 22.5 million subscribers, operates in 39 states and Washington, DC.
The DOCSIS upgrades will require new modems in customer homes and back-end upgrades in cable plants. Unlike Comcast’s symmetrical fiber service, upload speeds would be slower than download speeds. But 1Gbps downloads aren’t the limit with DOCSIS 3.1, which can support up to 10Gbps downstream and 1Gbps upstream.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ina Fried / Re/code:
Verizon looks to bring connected car features to older vehicles with Hum, a $14.99/month service that offers roadside assistance, car diagnostics, more
Verizon’s New Service Aims to Connect Older Cars, Keep Them Humming
http://recode.net/2015/08/25/verizons-new-service-aims-to-connect-older-cars-keep-them-humming/
After a brief delay, Verizon is ready with a service designed to bring some connected car features to older vehicles.
The $14.99-per-month service, dubbed Hum, offers roadside assistance, car diagnostics and help locating a mechanic. A companion app also lets users track vehicle records and also helps drivers remember where they parked and track the time on their parking meters.
The service, originally known as Verizon Vehicle, debuted in January at the North American Auto Show and was supposed to launch by June.
Powering the service are two pieces of hardware — a bluetooth speaker that mounts on a visor and a wireless modem that plugs into the diagnostic port included on most cars built since 1996.
Because the kit has its own modem, Hum subscribers don’t have to be Verizon phone customers.
Verizon is not alone in tapping the OBD-II port to help wire up older cars, though different companies are using it in different ways.
Tomi Engdahl says:
NIST Plants Seeds For Future Wireless Networking
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1327512&
NIST forms 5G mmWave Channel Model Alliance with tech giants and universities to study how signals behave in millimeter wavelength bands.
NIST forms 5G mmWave Channel Model Alliance with tech giants and universities to study how signals behave in millimeter wavelength bands.
Every wireless engineer learns how modern spread spectrum modulation evolved from work by the legendary movie star and inventor Hedy Lamarr. But where is wireless networking headed? A recent announcement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may provide the wireless community with a peek into the future.
Regardless of your opinion on the viability of technologies like LTE-U, WiFi offloading, everyone can agree that pretty much all wireless communications niches are thirsty for spectrum these days. Thankfully, there is hope beyond the typical headline buzz surrounding controversial plans by competing technologies to elbow each other out on existing spectrum. This is where the NIST comes in.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Green light: Finland’s data cable into the sea in Helsinki Santahamina
The Government has given its consent to the undersea data cable withdrawals whether Finland to Germany today. At the same time it became clear exactly where the cable passes.
Finland from the cable to slip into the sea in Helsinki Santahamina. The second endpoint is the German Markgrafenheiden. On the way cable also runs through Danish territorial waters, as well as the Swedish economic zone.
Cable Connection length in Finnish territorial waters is approximately 28.5 km and the exclusive economic zone of about 312 kilometers.
Finnish EEZ marine cable installation takes about 20 days. The project will affect ship traffic and fishing in principle only during the works. The submarine cable route has been designed in such a way that the environmental impacts of the project are minimal.
Cable objective of the project is to build a robust, reliable, and high-speed undersea cable from Finland to Continental Europe as well as to ensure effective and better cyber security for the data connection to the west. This is hoped to promote the digital economy.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/vihreaa-valoa-suomen-datakaapeli-mereen-helsingin-santahaminasta-3481366
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel’s Open-Source Fabric Supersizes Comm for Data
Omni-Path Architecture scalable to supercomputers
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327536&
Intel has concentrated all its internal and externally acquired expertise in networking to create what it believes is a multi-generational interconnection fabric scalable to any sized data-center or supercomputer array. Called Omni-Path Architecture (OPA), the fabric, announced today (Aug. 26) at the IEEE’s Hot Interconnects Symposium 2015 (Santa Clara, Calif.), is an open-source architecture designed specifically for both high-performance computing (HPC) and servers.
OPA not only does it enable 100 gigabits-per-second speeds for each link, but increases link-level reliability with built-in error-correction code (ECC) throughout. A high quality of service (QoS) is also built-in allowing priority packet preemption to deliver high-priority packets with low latency, while simultaneously ensuring bandwidth fairness for normal packets. The Host Fabric Interface (HFI) can handle 160 million messages per second with switch latency of under 110 nanoseconds. Intel says all these improvements are delivered while preserving compatibility with the existing software ecosystem, plus allowing user-level innovation beneath the application programmers interface (API).
“Every single component has been designed by Intel—from switches to cables—integrating both Intel and acquired IP [intellectual property],” Hugo Salem, director of marketing and industry development told EE Times. “We now have a flexible fabric blueprint for end-to-end connectivity, including small clusters and on-premise clouds.”
Every switch handles 48 100Gbit per second channels, which have already been proven out over 100 original equipment manufacturer (OEM) designs including over 100,000 nodes and growing, according to Salem.
The OPA architecture is designed to be “as much as 25-to-40 percent less expensive than other HPC fabrics while one-upping Infiniband by also serving the data centers rather than being force-fitted to the HPC environment,” Phil Murphy, chief system architect of the Omni-Path Architecture told us.
Intel’s Open-Source Fabric Supersizes Comm for Data
Omni-Path Architecture scalable to supercomputers
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327536&
Intel has concentrated all its internal and externally acquired expertise in networking to create what it believes is a multi-generational interconnection fabric scalable to any sized data-center or supercomputer array. Called Omni-Path Architecture (OPA), the fabric, announced today (Aug. 26) at the IEEE’s Hot Interconnects Symposium 2015 (Santa Clara, Calif.), is an open-source architecture designed specifically for both high-performance computing (HPC) and servers.
OPA not only does it enable 100 gigabits-per-second speeds for each link, but increases link-level reliability with built-in error-correction code (ECC) throughout. A high quality of service (QoS) is also built-in allowing priority packet preemption to deliver high-priority packets with low latency, while simultaneously ensuring bandwidth fairness for normal packets. The Host Fabric Interface (HFI) can handle 160 million messages per second with switch latency of under 110 nanoseconds. Intel says all these improvements are delivered while preserving compatibility with the existing software ecosystem, plus allowing user-level innovation beneath the application programmers interface (API).
“Every single component has been designed by Intel—from switches to cables—integrating both Intel and acquired IP [intellectual property],” Hugo Salem, director of marketing and industry development told EE Times. “We now have a flexible fabric blueprint for end-to-end connectivity, including small clusters and on-premise clouds.”
Every switch handles 48 100Gbit per second channels, which have already been proven out over 100 original equipment manufacturer (OEM) designs including over 100,000 nodes and growing, according to Salem.
The OPA architecture is designed to be “as much as 25-to-40 percent less expensive than other HPC fabrics while one-upping Infiniband by also serving the data centers rather than being force-fitted to the HPC environment,” Phil Murphy, chief system architect of the Omni-Path Architecture told us.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LAN security for MoCA and powerline
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4440220/LAN-security-for-MoCA-and-powerline?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150827&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150827&elq=c91010aff89c4117988b1394c6e54d09&elqCampaignId=24547&elqaid=27772&elqat=1&elqTrackId=562e4a6f77fc4a2f994ccab98068ed8d
In my recently published “Deciphering wiring” post, I discussed (among other things) the multiple spans of Ethernet cable that shuttle LAN packets between various areas of the house and the downstairs furnace room cable modem-plus-router network nexus:
Between the furnace room and the upstairs master bedroom
Between the furnace room and my upstairs office
Between the furnace room and the downstairs family room, and
Between the family room and the upstairs living room
The residence is fairly well covered from a network topology standpoint as a result. And 5 GHz 802.11n access points in the living room and master bedroom, two ends of the upstairs, supplement the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz beacons sourced by the router downstairs and in the middle of the house, delivering a reasonably robust Wi-Fi footprint for mobile LAN clients. However, there are three other areas in the house (all downstairs) that I’d still like to serve with faster-than-wireless bandwidth for entertainment-center and other static-client purposes: the two guest bedrooms and my wife’s office.
I realized the other day, though, that, like the furnace room, both guest bedrooms are pre-wired with coax cable. So I’ve decided to revisit my several-year-old MoCA (multimedia over coax) experiments.
Unfortunately, I ended up running into severe network performance problems while simultaneously watching cable television and loading down the LAN and cable WAN connections. But in retrospect, one aspect of my earlier setup may explain the hiccup. Recall that MoCA adapters are nominally intended for use with a Verizion FiOS modem-plus-router or other integrated gateway device that already embeds a MoCA-supportive coax-to-Ethernet bridge function. In my particular case, I needed to use a distinct adapter at the router to implement the bridge.
My decision to revisit MoCA was sealed by a promotion Amazon was running at the time, on a pair of ECB2500C adapters for $79.99 (one adapter normally costs around this same price).
MoCA adapters, as it turns out, ship by default with encryption turned off. Enabling encryption, along with configuring a custom encryption password (since you won’t just go with the factory default … right?) is by no means intuitive (assuming the necessary hardware switch even exists, which isn’t always the case).
And in the absence of a blocking filter such as the one Amazon recommended to me, if your MoCA adapters have encryption disabled or enabled with the default password, it’s straightforward for neighbors sharing a street-side splitter to snoop your LAN.
Tomi Engdahl says:
We just passed an important milestone. For the first time ever, one billion people used Facebook in a single day.
On Monday, 1 in 7 people on Earth used Facebook to connect with their friends and family.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10102329188394581
Tomi Engdahl says:
Satellite modems develops Newtec announced it entered into a new world record of one transmitter data rate. Together with Intelsat, Newtec reached 20 Mbps data rate two-disc multi-megahertz band.
The record was Newtec MDM6000 new modem with transmission power has been improved in many techniques. Link, for example, new modlointia and the FEC error correction was applied (used in DVB-S2X technology that is state of the art satellite links development version Forward Erroe Correction. The transmission as standard.
The test was performed INTELSAT Fuchstadtin research center in Germany. In the past 20-megabit data connection had not been achieved with a single transmitter.
Newtec, the demo reached the spectral efficiency of more than 10 bits per second per hertz.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3245:satelliittimodeemi-ylsi-ennatysvauhtiin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
WiFi is standardized in the IEEE sensor networks
IEEE 802.11 is a technique that we all use in the form of WiFi. Now, however, the IEEE has started standardization work, where the WiFi is bent, for example, sensor networks and connections between machines M2M links. The new standard will take less than a WiFi-gigahertz frequencies.
Current 2,4 and 5 GHz operating in the Wi-Fi networks enable hundreds of megabytes reach data rates, which is great if you download Youtube video in cell phone. The sensor network need not be so quick to contact us.
Instead, the sensor network needs to link that will be able to ulkea outdoors longer distance. Range of home and office WLANs hundred meters it is not enough. Help can be found under the gigahertz frequency, which is standardized by the IEEE 802.11ah new technology. IEEE’s vision, for example, various smart home devices could be combined into the 802.11h router.
Less than gigahertz region are unlicensed slices, which could be used for 802.11ah connections. The widths of the channels will be 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 megahertz. Up to 4×4 channels can be combined into a single MIMO link, if the application has a need for it.
80211ah-link data rate can reach 150 kilobits to 40 megabits per second.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3246:ieee-standardoi-wifia-anturiverkkoihin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
4G module will automatically switch to another network
Swiss u-blox is primarily known as a GPS paikannusmoduuleistaan, but yhtillä also has a wide range of products mobiilimodeemien. Now, u-blox has introduced the first cell phone networks connected module, which is able to automatically connect to two operator’s network.
U-Bloxin Toby-L201 is a sturdy Class 4 terminal velocities, or 150 megabit connections to LTE module, which is able to drop the connection to the 3G network. A completely new feature is instead the ability to connect via the AT & T network, whichever connection is available or Verizon.
Until now, modems must have downloaded the new firmware, if it is desired to use another operator’s network. Toby-L201 in the case of a simple modem AT control command to change the network will suffice.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3252:4g-moduuli-vaihtaa-automaattisesti-toiseen-verkkoon&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
My Network Go-Bag
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/my-network-go-bag
I often get teased for taking so much tech hardware with me on trips—right up until the Wi-Fi at the hotel, conference center or rented house fails.
I have a bag full of goodies for just this occasion. I don’t really have a set “list” of items I carry, but generally I’ll have the following:
Several Ethernet cables, various lengths.
A plug-in-the-outlet Wi-Fi extender.
A USB-powered Wi-Fi router/bridge/AP/extender.
Extension cables.
Large external battery with USB charging port.
Tablet (to look for Wi-Fi SSIDs, channels and signal levels).
RJ-45 crimper and ends (for fixing poorly crimped cables).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Q&A: New Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins heads into “hyper-connected” mode
http://www.itworld.com/article/2953023/it-management/qa-new-cisco-ceo-chuck-robbins-heads-into-hyper-connected-mode.html
Robbins takes over at Cisco for John Chambers this Monday, promoting a hyper-connected architecture in the face of competition from white box makers and SDN proponents
Interview of Everything: Cisco CEO Chambers on white boxes, SDN, leadership and the cloud
http://www.itworld.com/article/2919854/networking/interview-of-everything-cisco-ceo-chambers-on-white-boxes-sdn-leadership-and-the-cloud.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vodafone: Dammit Britain, your emergency services need 4G!
Incidentally, we provide a pretty comprehensive data network
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/28/vodafone_4g_uk_to_emergency_services/
Despite not being part of the bid to supply the future Emergency Services Network, Vodafone wants to see public services using its 4G, and has commissioned a YouGov survey (something companies do when they want to put numbers in press releases) of front line workers, such as police officers, nurses, and social workers.
The telco argues that the public service sector is missing out because only eight per cent of its front line workers are equipped with 4G connectivity … or at least that’s what the research from Vodafone UK (YouGov) revealed.
The company blames the suits who buy the tech, as they lack “knowledge of the benefits of 4G (42 per cent) amongst public sector decision makers [which is holding back] the public sector back “from benefitting from 4G technology”.
Meanwhile, the “perceptions of cost” is given as one of the main reasons for not adopting 4G (30 per cent) by those who don’t have it, said the research.
“As public sector organisations face continued budget cuts, delivering quality services to citizens is an increasing challenge,” said Mick Wayman, head of public sector, Vodafone UK.
“Armed with cost-effective mobile devices and 4G connectivity, front line workers can access and update centralised records out in the field. This helps them to make better decisions in the moment, eliminates the need to go ‘back to base’ to complete paperwork and reduces time spent on administration,” he added.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Level3 outage map
https://downdetector.com/status/level3/map/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Likes 100G at $1/G
Web giant plans 2016 Ethernet upgrade
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327552&
Facebook helped define a low cost 100 Gbit/second optical Ethernet transceiver it expects to start deploying next year. The move is another example of ways big data centers are driving design in computers and networking.
Facebook specified a 100G transceiver using single-mode fiber it believes it can drive to a cost of $1/Gbyte. To hit the lower costs it relaxed distance requirements to 500 meters down from 2km and eased specs on operating temperature and product lifetime.
The transceivers are based on QSFP28, a pluggable form factor which uses four 25Gbit/second lanes. They also leverage the CWDM4 multi-source agreement, a definition for 4x25G modules using Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM4), supported by vendors such as Avago, Finisar, JDSU, Oclaro and Sumitomo Electric.
Facebook’s decision was the result of a major optical interconnects study. The study canvassed options in an effort to deliver greater bandwidth at the lowest possible costs for its rapidly expanding data centers.
The study found the cost of traditional optics are expected to balloon as the industry approaches 400G data rates. However, much of the costs are due to stringent demands from traditional telecom carriers.
“If you spec the boundaries correctly you can get 10x cost decreases — this is the kind of industry-bending work we do,”
The main 100G spec for telcos supports 10Km distances, however one variant goes down to as little as 2Km. The signaling differences between 2Km and 500m versions are not great but, “if you are at the edge of a technology relaxing just a little brings up your yield,” said Schmidtke.
Facebooks planned move from multi-mode to single-mode fiber goes hand-in-hand with the reduction 500m distances. Multi-mode fibers have been reducing their reach from 500m to 300m and 100m as speeds go up, opening a widening gap with single-mode fiber. Besides being cheaper, single-mode fiber is easier to install, she said.
Facebook uses 40G multi-mode optics as spine networks linking racks of servers in its latest data centers such as a 500,000 square foot facility in Altoona, Iowa.
The 100G links will act as spines in future data centers.
The Web giant is currently studying whether its next leap will be to 200 or 400G Ethernet networks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cellular, Wi-Fi Spar Over Spectrum
Debate at FCC on LTE-U in 5 GHz band
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327553&
In an exchange of letters to U.S. regulators, cellular and Wi-Fi interests turned up the volume in their ongoing debate over sharing unlicensed spectrum. The Wi-Fi Alliance asked the Federal Communications Commission to withhold certification of LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) equipment, a position contested by a group of cellular vendors including Qualcomm.
The Wi-Fi Alliance submitted a request to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) earlier this month, suggesting that the governing body withhold certification of any LTE-U equipment until the Alliance could assure that “fair sharing of unlicensed spectrum will be achieved” using its own coexistence guidelines – which are still under development. The Alliance aims to conduct its own tests on vendor devices using those interference testing guidelines. The group handles Wi-Fi compatibility certification for equipment operating in the 2.4 and 5 GHz unlicensed frequencies Wi-Fi uses, and has a membership that includes industry giants Apple, AT&T, Broadcom and Qualcomm.
LTE-U aims to extend LTE Advanced to unlicensed 5 GHz spectrum, boosting cellular data speeds over short distances without requiring users to login to a Wi-Fi network. The technology has met with criticism from companies who rely on Wi-Fi for broadband and worry about inference and regulation.
“The premature certification of LTE-U equipment before concerns about fair coexistence between LTE-U and other technologies are addressed may gravely put at risk the over one billion Wi-Fi devices, as well as other devices using unlicensed spectrum,” the Alliance wrote.
“Clearly [Wi-Fi Alliance] aren’t convinced that LTE-U will be beneficial to Wi-Fi. Or, they aren’t convinced that LTE-U will bring no harm to Wi-Fi,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Telcos’ revenge is coming as SDN brings a way to build smart pipes
Wanna watch the Olympics in 8K with no jitter? Hand over your credit card, kid
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/06/telcos_revenge_is_coming_as_sdn_brings_a_way_to_build_smart_pipes/
Telcos, terrified of being consigned to eternal status as ‘dumb pipes’, keep coming up with crazy ideas for over-the-top (OTT) high-value services. In America, they’re buying entertainment properties.
All of these services rest on an unquestioned assumption that a pipe is simply a series of tubes that transport bits from one point to another across the global Internet. That’s never been particularly true – for instance, some points are far better connected than others – and now it threatens to be utterly at odds with reality.
TCP/IP kicked over those traces, giving us the perception of a hypercloud of connectivity as every point virtually connected to every other point. The truth is always far more complex
All networks for the past twenty-five years have grown up around the assumption that all services are equally accessible across the network. That’s rarely the case; as any network engineer knows, a network is only as fast as its slowest span. These days, networks are composed of many, many spans.
But there’s a problem: No matter how close these points-of-presence become, they’re confronting a network architecture passively hostile to them. In order to service the needs of all, networks have never been able to satisfy the demands of all. Those demands are heterogeneous and dynamic. The bandwidth I need today – right now! – is not what I’ll need in an hour. The latency acceptable for a backup is not acceptable for a broadcast.
That’s about to create some big problems.
The Japanese will be broadcasting the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 8K resolution. Yes, you read that right – 8x the resolution of our current generation HDTV tellies. (I’ve actually heard the Japanese will be ready for 16K broadcasting in 2020, but have yet to make that announcement.)
The Japanese will be spitting out multiple multi-gigabit UUHDTV streams to their broadcasting partners around the world, who will, in turn, be sending it out to billions of viewers worldwide.
Somewhere in there is where the network as we know it breaks.
Terrestrial broadcasting will suffice for an HDTV Olympics. But broadcasting, driven by Moore’s Law, grows geometrically in resolution and bandwidth requirements. That means the network – not the cameras or the televisions – begins to fall over.
Already, Australia’s network struggles under HD Netflix content. 4K is beyond the pale. And in America, Comcast will lease you a sufficiently capacious 2 Gbps fibre connection – for a hefty $300 a month, so you could watch the broadcast – if you had any money leftover to pay for content.
Various upstart networking vendors have been spruiking Software Defined Networks (SDNs) as the panacea for large data centres. Using SDNs, corporates can reconfigure their networks on-the-fly, adapting them to needs and desires at minimal cost. It’s a brilliant idea, one that is rapidly making the older generation of reliable-but-inflexible networking equipment obsolete. Within a few years, every data centre worth the name will be supported by a complex, powerful and fully configurable SDN.
Tomi Engdahl says:
FCC Introduces Rules Banning WiFi Router Firmware Modification
http://hackaday.com/2015/08/31/fcc-introduces-rules-banning-wifi-router-firmware-modification/
For years we have been graced by cheap consumer electronics that are able to be upgraded through unofficial means. Your Nintendo DS is able to run unsigned code, your old XBox was a capable server for its time, your Android smartphone can be made better with CyanogenMod, and your wireless router could be expanded far beyond what it was originally designed to do thanks to the efforts of open source firmware creators. Now, this may change. In a proposed rule from the US Federal Communications Commission, devices with radios may be required to prevent modifications to firmware.
The proposed rule only affects devices operating in the U-NII bands; the portion of the spectrum used for 5GHz WiFi, and the proposed rule only affects the radios inside these devices. Like all government regulations, the law of unintended consequences rears its ugly head, and the proposed rules effectively ban Open Source router firmware.
The rules require all relevant devices to implement software security to ensure the radios of devices operating in this band cannot be modified. Because of the economics of cheap routers, nearly every router is designed around a System on Chip – a CPU and radio in a single package. Banning the modification of one inevitably bans the modification of the other, and eliminates the possibility of installing proven Open Source firmware on any device.
https://apps.fcc.gov/kdb/GetAttachment.html?id=1UiSJRK869RsyQddPi5hpw%3D%3D&desc=594280%20D02%20U-NII%20Device%20Security%20v01r02&tracking_number=39498
Tomi Engdahl says:
TIA issues multiple cabling standards related to fiber optics
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/08/tia-fiber-optic-cabling-standards.html?cmpid=EnlCIMAugust312015&eid=289644432&bid=1164263
The Telecommunications Industry Association recently issued several cabling standards and documents related to fiber optics, fiber-optic test instruments, and fiber components. The new documents were produced by subcommittees within the TIA TR-42 Telecommunications Cabling Systems Engineering Committee.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New IEEE 802.3 study groups for EPON, 2.5-, 5 Gb/s Ethernet over copper cable are formed
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/08/ieee-study-groups.html?cmpid=EnlCIMAugust312015&eid=289644432&bid=1164263
The IEEE today announced the formation of two new study groups dedicated to the furtherance of Next Generation Ethernet Passive Optical Network (NG-EPON) and 2.5 Gb/s and 5 Gb/s Ethernet over Backplane and Copper Cable technologies.
“The telecommunications industry is faced with three main components that drive increasing access network speeds: number of subscribers, number of connected devices – and applications – per subscriber, and bit rate required by those devices and applications,” explains Knittle. “All are increasing simultaneously, and these three growth areas combined lead to an exponential increase in bit rates over the fiber access network. The NG-EPON Study Group will explore market drivers, existing and projected technologies, and consolidate the industry around the objectives for the next generation Ethernet Passive Optical Network architecture to address the future needs of network operators.”
Characterizing the new group’s work, IEEE notes that today, fiber-to-the-premise deployments continue at an unprecedented rate and utilize 1G-EPON and 10G-EPON technologies to provide required service speeds.
For more information on the IEEE 802.3 Next Generation Ethernet Passive Optical Network (NG-EPON) study group, visit http://ieee802.org/3/NGEPONSG/index.html.
The new IEEE 802.3 2.5 Gb/s and 5 Gb/s Ethernet over Backplane and Copper Cable Study Group is chaired by Yong Kim, senior director, CTO Office, Networking Broadcom Corporation.
Ethernet standards already address 1 Gb/s, 10 Gb/s and higher rate operation on backplanes and copper cable. However, 2.5 Gb/s and 5 Gb/s represent the long-term mainstream rate to serve sustained HDD rates, and this gap will be considered by the IEEE 802.3 2.5 Gb/s and 5 Gb/s Ethernet over Backplane and Copper Cable Study Group.
“IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards are evolving to address broader markets, such as supporting automotive and industrial networks,” comments Kim. “We are now seeing the evolution of the mainstream object storage market as it transitions to take advantage of the benefits from the use of Ethernet. This study group will explore the objectives and criteria to serve the 2.5 Gb/s and 5 Gb/s Backplane and short reach copper cable applications.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
LTE over Wi-Fi spectrum sets up industry-wide fight over interference
LTE over Wi-Fi spectrum sets up industry-wide fight over interference
Big Cable and Wi-Fi Alliance cry foul over cellular interference with Wi-Fi.
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/verizon-and-t-mobile-join-forces-in-fight-for-wi-fi-airwaves/
A plan to use Wi-Fi airwaves for cellular service has sparked concerns about interference with existing Wi-Fi networks, causing a fight involving wireless carriers, cable companies, a Wi-Fi industry trade group, Microsoft, and network equipment makers.
Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile US plan to boost coverage in their cellular networks by using unlicensed airwaves that also power Wi-Fi equipment. While cellular carriers generally rely upon airwaves to which they have exclusive licenses, a new system called LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) would have the carriers sharing spectrum with Wi-Fi devices on the unlicensed 5GHz band.
Verizon has said it intends to deploy LTE-U in 5GHz in 2016. Before the interference controversy threatened to delay deployments, T-Mobile was expected to use the technology on its smartphones by the end of 2015. Wireless equipment makers like Qualcomm see an opportunity to sell more devices and are integrating LTE-U into their latest technology.
Wi-Fi Alliance seeks delay
The Wi-Fi Alliance is an industry trade group that certifies equipment to make sure it doesn’t interfere with other Wi-Fi-certified equipment operating in the same frequencies. The group this month asked the FCC to avoid authorizing any LTE-U equipment until the Wi-Fi Alliance is able to conduct its own tests on vendor devices using new interference testing guidelines that the Alliance is still developing.
The Wi-Fi Alliance has a long list of members covering pretty much the entire technology industry, including the five companies opposing its request.
“As members of the Wi-Fi Alliance interested in extending the benefits of LTE on unlicensed spectrum to our customers, we urge the Commission to reject this unprecedented request,” Verizon et al wrote to the FCC. “Allowing an organization that certifies interoperability for one particular technology to become the gatekeeper for another technology to use unlicensed spectrum would jeopardize the Commission’s entire framework that has made unlicensed spectrum so successful as an open platform for permissionless innovation.”
Big Cable wades in
Cable TV and Internet providers have gotten involved because they’ve set up networks of Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the country. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), which represents Comcast and many other cable companies, raised concerns about LTE-U and a related technology called Licensed Assisted Access (LAA).
“[R]esearch demonstrates that both LTE-U and LAA would severely decrease the performance of any nearby Wi-Fi network. Widespread deployment of LTE-U or LAA would therefore harm American consumers, schools, and innovators by dramatically reducing the utility of the unlicensed bands for everyone but the companies that already hold licensed spectrum,” the NCTA wrote.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple and Cisco made a deal: iPhone gets a corporate network-pass band
Apple and the network giant Cisco have entered into an agreement whose purpose is to bring more phones to the iPhone and iPad tablet for business use. The agreement, Cisco optimizes network equipment and operate smoothly in conjunction with iOS devices. In addition, the companies plan new joint products and services.
The agreement is a continuation of last year’s Apple-IBM cooperation, the purpose of which was to bring IBM’s applications and services for iOS devices.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/apple-ja-cisco-tekivat-sopimuksen-iphone-saa-yritysverkossa-ohituskaistan-3481739
Tomi Engdahl says:
Better crypto, white-box switch support in Linux 4.2
Penguinistas pulling a long, cold draught of code
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/31/better_crypto_whitebox_switch_support_in_linux_42/
The new kernel only needed a handful of fixes in the past week, according to Linus Torvalds’ release note.
Now that it’s general availability, the kernel does bring some goodies worth having. The Crypto Forum Research Group’s ChaCha20 stream cipher and the Poly1305 authenticator (a reference implementation is described in RFC 7539) are supported, and there’s a new RSA implementation.
The default crypto random number generator API is now DRBG.
The release also adds Generic Network Virtualisation Encapsulation (GENEVE) support, for switch-to-switch encapsulation in white-box markets.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Network equipment manufacturer Netgear Prosafe has presented a new series switch that can be used to intelligently manage as many as 28 out of 10 Gbps link. New XS728T switch is the first and so far the only 28-port switching device.
The device has 24 copper ports and four SFP + ports. It is specifically designed for small and medium-sized enterprises and educational institutions to the needs.
In Finland, the switch price is EUR 5090.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3262:uusi-kytkin-tuo-10-gigabittia-28-portissa&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
10/100 Ethernet switches perform PTP time-stamping
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4440246/10-100-Ethernet-switches-perform-PTP-time-stamping?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150831&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_productsandtools_20150831&elq=fcd4360bb863402195fc2f1ab1823018&elqCampaignId=24577&elqaid=27822&elqat=1&elqTrackId=09fbe9e2a676440c8308f523409c23c0
Three-port industrial Ethernet switches from Microchip, the LAN9353, LAN9354, and LAN9355, provide hardware support for the IEEE 1588-2008 PTP (Precision Time Protocol) to achieve clock accuracy in the subnanosecond range. These 10/100 managed switches offer both synchronization and communications processing from the host CPU.
The LAN9353/4/5 Ethernet switches support widely adopted industry standards, such as MII (Media Independent Interface), RMII (Reduced Media Independent Interface), SMI (Serial Management Interface), Turbo MII, I2C, and SPI/SQI communication interfaces, along with digital I/O. This gives system designers the flexibility to interface the switches with a wide range of microcontrollers, SoCs, and processors.
The LAN9353/4/5 three-port 10/100 Ethernet switches are available now for sampling and volume production, starting at $3.31 each in lots of 10,000 units.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Save WiFi: Act Now To Save WiFi From The FCC
http://hackaday.com/2015/09/02/save-wifi-act-now-to-save-wifi-from-the-fcc/
Right now, the FCC is considering a proposal to require device manufacturers to implement security restricting the flashing of firmware.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, we live under a system of participatory government, and there is still time to convince the FCC this regulation would stifle innovation, make us less secure, and set back innovation in the United States decades.
The folks at ThinkPenguin, the EFF, FSF, Software Freedom Law Center, Software Freedom Conservancy, OpenWRT, LibreCMC, Qualcomm, and other have put together the SaveWiFi campaign (archive.is capture, real link is at this overloaded server) providing you instructions on how to submit a formal complaint to the FCC regarding this proposed rule.
Under the rule proposed by the FCC, devices with radios may be required to prevent modifications to firmware. All devices operating in the 5GHz WiFi spectrum will be forced to implement security features to ensure the radios cannot be modified. While prohibiting the modification of transmitters has been a mainstay of FCC regulation for 80 years, the law of unintended consequences will inevitably show up in full force: because of the incredible integration of electronic devices, this proposed regulation may apply to everything from WiFi routers to cell phones. The proposed regulation would specifically ban router firmwares such as DD-WRT, and may go so far as to include custom firmware on your Android smartphone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
8+ Horizons at Hot Chips
Big leaps forecast for 5G
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1327567&
Talks from last week’s Hot Chips event shed light on the outlook for semiconductors in promising areas as diverse as 5G cellular, neural networking, molecular diagnostics and FPGAs. In addition an AMD executive talked about the company’s work on chip stacks for graphics, and a handful of Intel engineers spoke about the latest x86 mobile and server processors.
A consensus is forming around a unified air interface for 5G cellular based on OFDM modulation, said Matt Grob, chief technologist for Qualcomm, speaking in a keynote. The air interface will support a wide range of implementations from fast, short reach millimeter wave links in cities to 900 MHz for wide-area connections for the Internet of Things, Grob said.
The 5G air interface will support both time- and frequency-division duplexing, potentially unifying a long global split in global standards. In addition it will include new capabilities for low latency and high reliability links, opening doors to use cases such as wireless factories or remotely controlled dialysis, Grob said.
5G also will sport improved channel and connection management features, increasing users’ choices of a mix of licensed and unlicensed services. The multi-connectivity we have with LTE and Wi-Fi is crude right now, but will get much more sophisticated in 5G,” Grob said, noting plans to support multiple non-interfering signals at once.
Spectrum sharing, a contentious issue today, will become increasingly popular with 5G, redefining what it means to be a service provider, he predicted. “The venue owner in some cases will become a spectrum authority choosing which channels use for which apps,” he said.
The overall intent is to make 5G a once-in-a-decade leap forward that expands the pie for everyone. If successful, 5G will expand cellular beyond smartphones to drones and a world of IoT applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CloudRouter now live
Want your open-source NetOps? Here it is
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/03/cloudrouter_now_live/
The collaborative open-source CloudRouter project has come out of beta.
CloudRouter has two network operating system flavours – CentOS 7.1 with Java 1.8, or Fedora 22. It ships with ONOS 1.2 Cardinal and OpenDaylight Lithium, and supports Docker, CoreOS, Rkt, OSv or KVM containers.
Routing is provided by ExaBGP, BIRD and Quagga, and its base functionality includes support for IPSec, VPNs, SSL, L2TP, failver and syncrhonisation.
Security bods get FastNetMon for detecting DOS and DDOS attacks, and BGPstream for analysis.
Since this is the first release, it’s probably going to land in a lot more labs than production networks, at least in the near future.
In July, Turner told The Register’s networking desk that his employer, IIX, needed an open source virtual router, which is why the company kicked off the project.
Manual router operations, he said then, are “tedious and prone to error” for anyone with lots of locations – partly because routers have become bloated.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Service operators increased by more than a thousand
The number of world service operators rose to over one thousand in the summer. An increase of more than 70 percent since 2010, even though their business is remarkably low yielding.
Intelligence, the GSMA report shows that in June the world was EUR 1 017 MVNO operator (Mobile Virtual Network Operator). During the 15 year follow-up period of 210 service operators have either closed down or merged with another.
The report described the service operators, the EBITDA margins of the infamous low. 20 average in the reporting of quarterly results of the service operator’s EBITDA margin was minus 260 per cent.
Service operators, which is in 30 countries, mostly developed-market phenomenon. In Germany, the service operators is 129, 108 in the United States, Britain 76, the Netherlands 56, 49 in France, 43 in Australia, 43 in Denmark, 35 in Spain, 26 in Belgium and 23 in Japan.
Source: http://www.digitoday.fi/mobiili/2015/09/03/palveluoperaattorit-lisaantyivat-yli-tuhanteen-vaikka-ajavat-punaisella/201511330/66?rss=6
Report: Number of MVNOs exceeds 1,000 globally
http://www.fiercewireless.com/europe/story/report-number-mvnos-exceeds-1000-globally/2015-09-02?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_campaign=rss
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia introduced its own 5G network architecture
Nokia Networks has introduced its own vision of the architecture of the future 5G mobile networks. The goal is to automatically import the dynamic allocation of resources to all parts of the network, the core network. Nokia describes the new architecture “system of systems”.
The new architecture is to be rid of the old network architectures stiffness. Data traffic demand varies at different times and in different parts of the network, so the best result is achieved by architecture that flexibly adapts to different situations. In real time.
Nokia points out that the 5G network can be built through the adoption of a new separate network that meets the new requirements. Instead, 5G network to be implemented a system of systems, in order to gradually increase the performance and functionality of the network.
Almost all network operations are becoming software-based. The network is controlled cognitive technologies and content, and the calculation is divided into the network wherever they are needed.
Some of Nokia’s recent product launches, such as the airframe-data center already support the new 5G-architecture vision.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3271:nokia-esitteli-oman-5g-verkkoarkkitehtuurinsa&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
VIRVE goes into new technology , schedule open
Finnish ICN TETRA based on the TETRA technology, which is not designed for transmission of broadband data, such as video. Thus, it is clear that one of the TETRA schedule changes to the LTE network traffic authorities. However, the timetable for the change is completely transparent.
TETRA network, which operates Networks Oy’s products and services, like Operations Manager Sami Orakoski says that there is evidence that Erillisverkot than its customers investigations concluded by the broadband needs.
- We see that the wide-band data is a need to already-government field, but the speech with regard to the TETRA technology is still considerable period of time, if necessary.
Orakoski believe that our network technologies will in the future operate in parallel for a longer time. – Some kind of hybrid model could be the most cost-effective way to cover the whole of Finland.
TETRA replaced with wanted to participate only one technology, tuned to the needs of public authorities, namely LTE-LTE PS (Public Safety LTE). Technical upcoming Release 13 standard – probably publish the 3GPP specifications early next year – is imported, the features, which largely sufficient to authorities.
The big question for LTE technology official use, it is the amount of spectrum available. Orakosken According to the authorities needed to meet the needs of 2×10 MHz frequency range 700 MHz band. Frequency Questions, however, be resolved globally by the ITU Radio Regulations at the meetings and the national implementations can therefore differ considerably.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3268:virve-menee-uusiksi-aikataulu-avoin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Municipal ISP Makes 10Gbps Available To All Residents
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/09/03/1532216/municipal-isp-makes-10gbps-available-to-all-residents
Five years ago, the city of Salisbury, North Carolina began a project to roll out fiber across its territory. They decided to do so because the private ISPs in the area weren’t willing to invest more in the local infrastructure. Now, Salisbury has announced that it’s ready to make 10 Gbps internet available to all of the city’s residents. While they don’t expect many homeowners to have a use for the $400/month 10 Gbps plan, they expect to have some business customers.
City-run ISP makes 10Gbps available to all residents and businesses
We’re not sure who needs 10 gigs, but it’s available in Salisbury, NC.
http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/09/city-run-isp-makes-10gbps-available-to-all-residents-and-businesses/
A municipal Internet service provider in Salisbury, North Carolina, announced today that it is making 10Gbps service available throughout the city, to both businesses and residents.
The city-run Fibrant, which has deployed fiber throughout Salisbury, was created five years ago after city officials were unable to persuade private ISPs to upgrade their infrastructure. Gigabit download and upload speeds have been available to residents since last year for $105 a month, while customers can pay as little as $45 a month for 50Mbps symmetrical service. TV and phone service is available, too.
While business pricing varies based on the deployment, residents would pay about $400 a month for 10Ggbps service. Someone running a business from their home might want more bandwidth than a typical person, but there definitely won’t be a hard sell to residents, local officials said.
“We don’t want to oversell customers and have you paying for a 10Gbps service when you’re using 100Mbps,” said Robert Van Geons, head of the county’s economic development commission, which is partnering with Fibrant.
“To be honest with you, we’re not anticipating residents taking 10Gbps service,”
The first 10Gbps customer is Catawba College, which wants the bandwidth for computer labs and other school buildings. High-definition videoconferencing figures into the college’s heavy bandwidth plans.
Fibrant and one of its main technology vendors, Calix, claimed in their announcement today that Salisbury is now “America’s first 10 gigabit city.” 10Gbps service to businesses isn’t unusual, but Fibrant believes it is unique in making it available to any home or business in the whole city.
(UPDATE: After this story posted, we were pointed to Vermont Telephone (VTel), which in June said it is offering 10Gbps to every home in its rural Vermont service area, for $400 a month. We wrote about VTel’s gigabit service back in July 2013.)
Tomi Engdahl says:
There goes operators’ gold mine – one company grabbed almost the entire business
Telecom operators are left with nothing when the rear in the lucrative text messaging have been replaced by instant messaging applications.
Instant Messaging Applications popularity has grown at a pace that does not seem to wane. On Thursday, WhatsApp announced that its messaging application used at present 900 million people every month.
WhatsApp exceeded 800 million active user mark in April. The service is therefore likely to exceed one billion user mark later this year.
Billion milestone has already exceeded its own way, as Whatsapp is loaded with Android phones, more than one billion times.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/sinne-meni-operaattoreiden-kultakaivos-yksi-yritys-kahmaisi-lahes-koko-bisneksen-3482161
Tomi Engdahl says:
Connecting the Unwired World With Balloons, Satellites, Lasers and Drones
http://datacenterfrontier.com/connecting-the-unwired-world-with-balloons-satellites-lasers-and-drones/
Data centers are where the Internet lives. But the geography of the Internet will soon be expanding, creating challenges and opportunities for the data center industry. Silicon Valley hopes to bring wireless connectivity to the developing world, using everything from balloons to drones to satellites.
These wireless initiatives have major implications for where data centers are located and how they’re built and powered. They’re backed by some of the deepest pockets around, including Google, Facebook, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Richard Branson. While the timetable for deployment of these systems isn’t yet clear, the support of these tech titans brings the horizon closer than we may imagine.
As new technology brings wireless access to untapped markets, Internet infrastructure will extend to new places, supported by facilities that may look very different than the data centers in existing technology hubs. The benefits could be enormous for both society and business.
Consider the changes the Internet has brought to America in just 20 years. In 1995, the Internet meant dial-up access to read static web pages and post messages on AOL or bulletin boards. In 2015, it means always-on broadband that delivers HD video and e-commerce to smartphones and tablets. A similar evolution lies ahead for many emerging markets.
The Challenge
There are about 3.2 billion people using the Internet, but that’s just 38 percent of the global population, leaving an unwired population of more than 4 billion. This is primarily a problem in emerging markets, but the FCC estimates that 55 million Americans – about 17 percent of the population – lack access to advanced broadband services.
But the largest opportunities are in underserved markets like Africa, rural India and Indonesia, where local fiber is scarce and Internet access is focused on mobile.
“It is clear that the mobile Internet will play a key role in bringing the next billion users online,” writes the Internet Society. “Mobile Internet has already leap-frogged fixed access in many countries because of limitations in the coverage of the fixed network, and the availability of mobile Internet access significantly outpaces adoption today.”
Facebook, Google and Microsoft are all investing in efforts to boost access in under-served markets. At Facebook, the Internet.org initiative is supported by the company’s connectivity lab, which is working to deliver wireless Internet via high-altitude solar-powered planes and laser networking technology.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia data rate accelerates
Mobile networks will significantly increase the pace of interconnecting different frequency bands. Now, Nokia has demonnut laboratory for 365-megabit downlink speeds. The receiver was based on the commercial, Qualcomm’s X12 chipset.
The latest development of mobile links is to combine both paired and parittamattomia frequency bands. Japanese demossaan Nokia united Frequency 20 MHz slice of the two time-division 20 MHz frequency channel.
The first link along the data obtained to pass 145 megabits per second, the latter with 40 megahertz tube 220 megabits per second. It was also the first time that three FDD_ and TDDtaajuutta connected to the same link.
The demonstration base iron was commercial merchandise Nokia ie it was based on the Flexi Multi Radio Base Station 10. TDD and FDD spectrum in combination requires its own repertoire to the base station.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3282:nokian-datanopeus-vain-kiihtyy&catid=13&Itemid=101