In the end of 2015 there were 3.2 billion people online. 67% of Americans now have broadband at home, compared to 70% in 2013, and 13% connect via smartphone only vs 8% in 2013; smartphone penetration in US at 68%. The share of Americans with broadband at home has plateaued, and more rely only on their smartphones for online access. We can see downtick in home high-speed adoption has taken place at the same time there has been an increase in “smartphone-only” adults – those who own a smartphone that they can use to access the internet, but do not have traditional broadband service at home. The American broadband market is notoriously oligopolistic with the majority of citizens offered limited choice, especially at the high-speed end, complete with high monthly fees.
Fixed Internet speeds increase – even without fiber to every house. We will start to see more 1Gbps Internet connections – and not all of them need fiber (2014 was the year of “fiber everywhere”). For example Comcast ‘rolls out’ ‘world’s first’ DOCSIS 3.1 modem, pumping 1Gbps over existing cable. It should, in theory, be quick and easy to get 1Gbps broadband to your home using DOCSIS 3.1, but I expect we will see only very few experimental roll-outs of the service in 2016. The beauty of DOCSIS 3.1 is that it is backwards compatible.
Mobile networks continue to lead the way when it comes to connecting people for the next generation of communications: Mobile subscriptions are now at 7.1 billion globally, and more than 95% of the world’s population are now within reach of a mobile network signal. Mobile cellular subscriptions have overtaken fixed phone subs, mobile broadband subscriptions and households with Internet access. This development most probably causes expectations that Network jobs are hot so salaries are expected to rise in 2016 as especially wireless network engineers, network admins, and network security pros are needed.
There are still some 350 million people globally who have no way of Internet access, mobile or otherwise, and there will be some race to get connections to at least some of those people. High stakes in broadband satellites race as building a satellite network and associated ground-based facilities and user terminals to provide Internet access to even the remotest and poorest parts of the world will be a huge technical, regulatory, and business challenge. Data versions of low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellite networks started appearing in the late 1990’s, followed with mobile telephony via LEO satellites, but never managed to deliver on the hype—partly because of technology constraints or poor business models. Over years there have been huge technology advances in satellites: they can now be made much smaller and lighter, so launch costs are significantly lower. Also component costs associated with the different terminals and handsets have plummeted. These factors have clearly helped the business proposition, but there are still challenges.
There will be new radio frequencies available for wireless communications thanks to WRC-15 Spectrum Decisions: In addition to confirming the use of the 700 MHz band (technically 694 to 790 MHz) for mobile broadband services in ITU Region 1, which includes Europe, Africa, the Middle east and Central Asia, delegates also agreed to harmonize 200 MHz of the C-band (3.4 to 3.6 GHz) to improve capacity in urban areas and used in small cells, and the L-band (1427-1518 MHz) to improve overall coverage and better capacity. So the mobile broadband sector now has, at least in the short to medium term, three globally harmonized bands. There was also decision for spectrum to be used for wireless avionics intra-communications (WAIC).
5G gets started. Just five years after the first 4G smartphone hit the market, the wireless industry is already preparing for 5G: cell phone carriers, smartphone chip makers and the major network equipment companies are working on developing 5G network technology for their customers. There are still many challenges as 5G infrastructure must be able to serve the billions of internet-connected objects of small appliances in addition to large consumers of information.700MHz harmonization is a key feature in operators’ plans to begin rolling out 5G services and C-band is also likely to be used for 5G. After 2016 to get the fastest promised 5G speeds very high frequency bands that will need to be deployed for 5G services, mainly above 24 GHz.
5G will not only be about a new air interface with faster speeds, but it will also address network congestion, energy efficiency, cost, reliability, and connection to billions of people and devices. Many believe that a critical success factor for 5G will be a fully revamped TCP/IP stack and a group of major vendors has put forward an open source TCP/IP stack OpenFastPath they say is designed to reinvigorate the ancient and rather crusty protocol. Cyber security research will be important important in 2016 as 5G networks will be critical infrastructure, on top of which for example. transport, industry, health and the new operators set up their business around 2020. Growing network virtualization functionality and programmability are both an opportunity and a threat to security. Keep in mind that everything connected to the Internet can, and will be hacked.
Heightened interest in the Internet of Things (IoT) and of Everything (IoE) will continue in 2016. IoT networks heat up in 2016 as low-power wide area networks for the Internet of Things have been attracting new entrants and investors at a heady pace with unannounced offerings still in the pipeline for 2016 trying to enable new IoT apps by undercutting costs and battery life for cellular and WiFi. There are many competing technologies in this field, and some will turn out to be winners and some losers. Remember that IoT is forecasted to be 50 billion connections by 2020, so there is lots of business opportunities for many IoT technologies.
2016 will be another booming year for Ethernet. Wi-Fi is obviously more convenient than wired Ethernet cables for average mobile user. But Ethernet still offers advantages — faster speeds, lower latency, and no wireless interference problems. Ethernet matters a lot with desktop PCs, laptops at desks, game consoles, TV-streaming boxes, and other devices – like when building backbone networks and data centers. Assuming it’s easy enough to plug the devices in with an Ethernet cable, you’ll get a more consistently solid connection. Yes, Ethernet is better.
The augmented global demand for data centers is the key driver for the growth in Global Ethernet Switch and Router Market 2016-2020.25G, 50G and 100G Ethernet is finding it’s place in in the Data Center. Experts predict that the largest cloud operators will shift to 100G Ethernet fabrics while cost-efficient 25G and 50G will remain the workhorses for most of the other well-known data-center companies.The increasing usage of advanced technologies, such as 10GbE ports, by enterprises and universities for educational and official purposes, is a significant factor in the enterprise and campus segment. The key players in this segment will be Arista Network, Brocade Communications, Cisco, Dell, HP, Huawei and Juniper Network. The 2015 Ethernet Roadmap shows a roadmap for physical links through 2020 and looks into the future terabit speeds as well.
I expect 2016 will be a year of widespread product adoption around 2.5 and 5 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) bandwidth over twisted-pair copper cabling (2.5GBASE-T and 5GBASE-T) as transition to next generation 802.11ac Wave 2 access points will drive significant demand for 2.5G ports. Enterprise operators are looking to fill the gap between 1G and 10G over this legacy unshielded twisted-pair copper cabling (Category 5e/Category 6) that is installed all over. IEEE 802.11ac is 3x faster and 6x more power efficient than its predecessor, 802.11n, while remaining interoperable with 802.11n. Rapid adoption of 802.11ac is run by fact that tablets and smartphones are becoming ubiquitous in the workplace.
Driven by IEEE standards, Ethernet hits the road in 2016: A new trend emerging in the automotive market in 2016 is the migration of Ethernet, a tried-and-true computer network technology, into connected cars. The proliferation of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features in many vehicles is also expected to expand Ethernet use. The completion of IEEE 100BASE-T1 and 1000BASE-T1 standards are both expected. The emergence of the 1000BASE-T1 standard in mid-2016 provides a roadmap for automotive Ethernet evolution. Ethernet, starting in 2016, will be seen as the dominant in-vehicle network backbone.
Prepare for the PAM4 phase shift. PAM4 (four-level pulse-amplitude modulation) will be coming to wider use in 2016 because we all the time need faster communications links between ICs inside devices. NRZ won’t work at 56 Gbps and it seems that PAM-4 is the way to go as PAM4 doubles the bit rate for a given baud rate over NRZ. At 56 Gbps, 400 Gbps Ethernet can be realized with four lanes of PAM4 but might require eight 28 Gbps lanes with NRZ. PAM-4 is also gaining traction in 28 Gbps links. The bad news is that PAM4 trades off bandwidth for SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) meaning it is more sensitive to noise and timing skew than NRZ. PAM4 does bring SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) to the forefront of design issues. With four voltage level and three eyes, PAM4 requires new design techniques for recovering embedded clocks and for identifying bits in symbols. PAM4 will be used mainly on copper links, but it can be also used with fiber optic links, which has it’s own set of challenges. These and other issues are forging new techniques for how to measure and simulate PAM4 signals.
Cloud Scale Networking term will be seen. The virtualization of networks, storage, and servers is reshaping the way organizations use IT. Cloud computing plays an essential role in this process as cloud delivers the additional capacity required to satisfy growing demand to an enterprise or small business from a third party. The amount of data volume carried by networks has exploded. Cisco estimated last year that by 2017, data centers will handle some 7.7 zetabytes of IP traffic, two thirds of which would be on account of cloud computing. Total global data centre traffic is projected to triple by the end of 2019 (from 3.4 to 10.4 Zettabytes). Legacy, tiered, network designs can be replaced with scalable flat network topologies. They can be future-proofed using open, scalable SDN and NFV platforms. The network is cloud computing’s final frontier, at technology, people and process levels. Service providers seek to reduce costs, create new business opportunities, and introduce new services more quickly.
The “software-ization” of Telco and increasing use of pen-Source Networking will continue in 2016. In 2015, the adoption of OpenStack, OpenDaylight, OpNFV for software and services, and Open Compute for hardware will supported more virtualized, more open source network computing platforms and architecture. The trend will continue. SDN provides control to the enterprises and carriers on the complete network through a single logical point, thereby simplifying the network design and operation. The traditional, one-vendor, proprietary solution is transitioning to solutions involving many suppliers – and this offers customers with significant cost savings and performance optimization. Growing network virtualization functionality and programmability are both an opportunity and a threat to security. Keep in mind that everything connected to the Internet can, and will be hacked.
After COP21 climate change summit reaches deal in Paris there will be also interest in thinking how clean our networking is. It is being reported that communications technologies are responsible for about 2-4% of all of carbon footprint generated by human activity. The needs for communications and faster speeds is increasing in this every day more and more connected world – penetration of smart devices there was a tremendous increase in the amount of mobile data traffic from 2010 to 2014. When IoT is forecasted to be 50 billion connections by 2020, with the current technologies this would increase power consumption considerably. The trend to look for greener technologies is tackling first mobile networks because of their high energy use. Base stations and switching centers could count for between 60% and 85% of the energy used by an entire communication system. More and more facilities, especially big names like Google, Amazon and Microsoft, have looked to renewable energy.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
288-fiber cable for FTTx is 10.4 millimeters in diameter
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2016/08/datwyler-288-fiber-cable-104-mm.html?cmpid=Enl_CIM_ContractorReport_August182016&eid=289644432&bid=1502228
Datwyler Cabling Solutions recently added a fiber cable with 288 singlemode fibers (G.652.D) to its FO Outdoor wbKT S-Micro fiber-optic cable family. The 12×24 stranded loose tube cable is ideally suited for fiber-to-the-x (FTTx) networks. It is 10.4 millimeters in diameter.
“This is an ideal size for blowing into microducts of 12 mm or more internal diameter,” the company said.
“The compact, non-metallic cable with its dry interstices makes for a design which is easy to install and remove,” Datwyler continued. “Users also benefit from its outstanding attenuation figures—0.21 dB/km at 1550 nm, for example—and good mechanical properties which are reflected in an increased tensile strength (2900 N) and very long blowing distances.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Best practices for bonding and grounding armored fiber cable
May 1, 2011
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/print/volume-19/issue-5/features/best-practices-for-bonding-and-grounding-armored-fiber-cable.html
Armored fiber-optic cables are often installed in a network for added mechanical protection. Two types of armoring exist: interlocking and corrugated. Interlocking armor is an aluminum armor that is helically wrapped around the cable and found in indoor and indoor/outdoor cables. It offers ruggedness and superior crush resistance. Corrugated armor is a coated steel tape folded around the cable longitudinally. It is found in outdoor cables and offers extra mechanical and rodent protection.
Installing armored fiber-optic cable has several benefits, but one inconvenience is the need to bond and ground the cable. This inconvenience can be eliminated by using a dielectric-armored cable. Dielectric-armored cable options exist that offer the required protection without the hassle of grounding and bonding the armor, or the extra steps of installing a conduit and cable when the cable is without any armored protection.
During some fiber-optic installations there is a need to provide extra protection for the cable due to the installation environment. That environment may be underground or in buildings with congested pathways.
An alternative to installing armored optical cable is to place conduit and pull in the fiber-optic cable. However, placing a single-armored fiber cable is usually the more cost-effective choice. There is no need to install conduit, resulting in a reduction in the installation cost by up to 40 percent and in the installation time by up to 50 percent.
Why bond and ground?
Proper grounding and bonding is required for the safe and effective dissipation of unwanted electrical current, and it promotes personal and site safety. Typically, fiber-optic systems do not carry electrical power, but the metallic components of a conductive cable are capable of transmitting current. This would occur if a metallic piece of the cable—such as the interlocking or corrugated armor—were to come into contact or close proximity with electrical current from sources such as exposed wiring, faulty electrical systems, lightning or other events. This creates the potential for the occurrence of several hazards, such as electrical shock, fire, damage to electronics and system failures resulting in downtime.
Bonding and grounding of armored fiber-optic cable are simple steps in the installation process that are often misunderstood or overlooked. The National Electrical Code (NEC) and several industry standards have been established to promote safe and effective bonding and grounding practices of armored optical cables.
Pert Article 770 of the NEC, a fiber-optic cable containing non-current-carrying metallic components, such as armor or metallic strength members, is considered conductive. This is why conductive fiber-optic cables should be bonded and grounded as specified in NEC Article 770.100.
According to the NEC and industry standards, bonding is the permanent connection of metallic parts to form an electrical path that will be conductive and continuous. Grounding is the act of connecting that path to the earth or some conducting body that serves as the earth. When all the components of a system are properly bonded together and grounded to the earth, the risk associated with electrical current harming personnel or damaging property and equipment is reduced.
The first step is to connect/bond the cable armor to a bonding or grounding electrode conductor. This can be accomplished right after the cable is accessed, and the armor is exposed. A bonding conductor or jumper is a short length of conductor, such as copper wire, that maintains electrical conductivity between two metal objects. The bonding conductor is required to be UL-listed and made of either copper or another corrosion-resistant conductive metal.
Most cable manufacturers supply an insulated, UL-listed 6-AWG copper strand.
For the conductive fiber-optic cable to be fully grounded, the bonding conductor from the cable needs to be bonded to the intersystem bonding termination (if present), or another accessible location per NEC Article 770.100.
The dielectric alternative
If the fiber-optic cable in a system needs extra protection, there is an alternative to using conduit or a bonded and grounded conductive cable, such as an all-dielectric armored cable.
Because all-dielectric armored cable has no metallic components, there is no need to ground or bond the cable. Also, the cable design allows for quicker and safer cable installation because compared to conductive cable it is lighter, easier to access, and the armor does not produce sharp edges when accessed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Inside the specifications of the new Category 8 cabling standard
August 1, 2016
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/print/volume-24/issue-8/features/data-center/inside-the-specifications-of-the-new-category-8-cabling-standard.html?cmpid=Enl_CIM_ContractorReport_August182016&eid=289644432&bid=1502228
The newly published ANSI/TIA-568-C.2-1 Category 8 cabling standard specifies a 30-meter channel using the familiar four-pair twisted-pair cable construction and 8-contact modular RJ-45-style connectors. The channel configuration is similar to the 100-meter channel configurations of TIA 568-C.2 but it removes two connection points within the channel, providing for a total of only two. This is the so-called “interconnect” channel configuration, with one connector, a patch panel or outlet at one end, and one connector, an outlet or panel, at the other end. This configuration is ideal for data center configurations such as top of rack and end of row.
Tomi Engdahl says:
7 key data center innovations
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2016/08/7-key-data-center-innovations.html?cmpid=Enl_CIM_DataCenters_August222016
Froehlich adds, “If projections are anywhere near accurate, then we’re looking at global growth rate in new data centers of approximately 10% to 15% each year for the foreseeable future. If that’s the case, many of these new facilities will likely be implementing one or more of these innovations to reduce overall energy consumption and keep ahead of computing needs.”
InformationWeek’s list of the 7 top data center innovations in the industry today is as follows:
1. Artificial Intelligence
2. Underwater Data Centers
3. SDN Gains
4. Free Cooling
5. Micro Data Centers
6. Close-Coupled Cooling
7. Directly Modulated Lasers on Silicon
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Interscatter’ Tech Lets Implants Talk Wi-Fi
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1330326&
University of Washington researchers have developed what they call “interscatter communication” technology that backscatters (or reflects) existing signals like Bluetooth in the air, transforming wireless transmissions from one technology to another.
Specifically, the team of UW electrical engineers and computer scientists has demonstrated for the first time that Bluetooth transmissions can be used to create Wi-Fi and ZigBee-compatible signals.
As a result, the new technology can now give power-constrained devices like medical implants the ability to “talk” to other devices using standard Wi-Fi communication.
Instead of generating their own radio signals, those “interscatter” devices can “recycle” radio signals transmitted by nearby devices like smart watches.
“We allow a device like a smartwatch or smartphone to do the power expensive generation of radio signals, and then our low-power contact lens, implant or credit card reflects this signal in a way that encodes its own data,” he explained.
The transmitter of such interscatter devices isn’t a normal radio. It’s just a switch connected to an antenna, Iyer added.
“Turning on and off this switch allows us to change how the antenna reflects energy. Just by turning on and off this switch at the right rate, our interscatter device is reflecting a Bluetooth signal created by something like a smartwatch to make it look like a Wi-Fi packet that can be received on your phone.”
In one example, the team demonstrated a smartwatch transmitting a Bluetooth signal to a smart contact lens outfitted with an antenna.
UW team developed a way to transform the Bluetooth transmission into a “single tone” signal that can be further manipulated and transformed.
By backscattering that tone signal, the contact lens can encode data — such as health information it may be collecting — into a standard Wi-Fi packet readable by a smartphone, tablet or laptop.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Global data center and SDN market nearly doubled last year: Report
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2016/05/global-data-center-and-sdn-market-nearly-doubled-last-year-report.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
ADVA Optical Networking takes key role in silicon photonics data center consortium
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2016/08/adva-dimension-project.html
ADVA Optical Networking announced in June that it is playing a key role in the Directly Modulated Lasers on Silicon (DIMENSION) project. DIMENSION, which brings together a consortium of research and industry partners from four European countries, aims to create a platform for single-chip electro-optical integration. “The breakthrough technology [the consortium] produces will involve lasers built with active III-V materials embedded into silicon photonics chips,” said an ADVA press release. “This will generate the versatile, cost-efficient components needed to optimize data center interconnect (DCI) transport and create the next generation of data centers.” The four-year project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
“Improving efficiency in the DCI couldn’t be more vital given the increasing demand for cloud computing and the growing scale of the internet of things,
The DIMENSION project is coordinated by Dresden University of Technology and involves partners from Germany, Switzerland, Greece and the UK.
“DIMENSION unites specialists from different fields and enables us to address the complete value chain of directly modulated lasers, from materials research to application,” said Bert Offrein, manager, photonics, IBM Research – Zurich. “What we’re bringing to the table is a lot of experience with transformational data center innovation. We’re focusing on incorporating highly efficient III-V materials into silicon chips. Our role is to design and produce the integrated active optical components. This technology will bring the optics to where the data is generated and that leads to improvements in every part of the data center. By enhancing interconnections at different reaches, from centimeters up to kilometers, we’ll be able to reduce size, cost and power on links between boards, computers and facilities.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Expert: Fiber optics prove a valuable investment for the data center
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2016/08/expert-fiber-optics-prove-a-valuable-investment-for-the-data-center.html?cmpid=Enl_CIM_DataCenters_August222016&eid=289644432&bid=1504259
Transforming Network Infrastructure’s optical networking industry expert Laura Stotler notes that, “fiber-optic connectivity is on the rise in the data center as cloud uptake grows and a services-based technology climate becomes pervasive. Service providers are looking for ways to simplify deployment and delivery of new services and fiber optics offer a fast and efficient way to handle the onslaught of traffic and services,” continues Stotler’s latest analysis piece.
Two major data center fiber-optic announcements within the past week signify the massive uptake within the data center sector. U.K.-based cloud and hosting provider BSO announced a fiber-optic network between the New York City financial district and Chicago’s financial district, connecting several Equinix data centers along the way. Amazon is also exploring the best route for a planned fiber-optic cable system across the Pacific Ocean, which will connect data centers in the US, Australia and New Zealand. The cable is expected to go live in 2018.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kaspersky launches its own OS on Russian routers
Four-year build results in OS that aims to secure industrial control systems, мы думаем
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/23/kasperskyos/
Kaspersky Labs has finished building its eponymously-named operating system after four years of quiet development.
Little information about the OS has made it onto the English-speaking side of the internet. Kaspersky Labs Russia told Vulture South to wait a few weeks for the English press release for information.
What we do know is that in 2012 ebullient Kaspersky Lab chief executive officer Eugene Kaspersky described the OS as a ground-up build to help protect industrial control systems.
A more detailed paper published at the time revealed it would be designed to help protect infrastructure like power stations, electricity grids, and telecommunications networks.
The paper described the need to protect industrial control systems with a ground-up built operating system and outlined the following design criteria:
The operating system cannot be based on existing computer code; therefore, it must be written from scratch.
To achieve a guarantee of security it must contain no mistakes or vulnerabilities whatsoever in the kernel, which controls the rest of the modules of the system. As a result, the core must be 100 percent verified as not permitting vulnerabilities or dual-purpose code.
For the same reason, the kernel needs to contain a very bare minimum of code, and that means that the maximum possible quantity of code, including drivers, needs to be controlled by the core and be executed with low-level access rights.
In such an environment there needs to be a powerful and reliable system of protection that supports different models of security.
It appears the operating system has been deployed in routers manufactured by Russian outfit Kraftway, a company that seems to sell into various industrial control system markets, and verticals including government, healthcare, and education.
It has been compared to Cisco’s IOS and Huawei’s VRP operating systems.
Securing Critical Information Infrastructure: Trusted Computing Base
https://securelist.com/analysis/publications/36594/securing-critical-information-infrastructure-trusted-computing-base/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Reminds Us That You Can’t Make People Use an App They Don’t Want
https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/16/08/22/1713248/samsung-reminds-us-that-you-cant-make-people-use-an-app-they-dont-want
Samsung has announced that it will be discontinuing Milk Music on September 22. The announcement comes a year after the South Korean technology conglomerate shuttered Milk Video, another service that didn’t receive the traction Samsung was hoping.
Samsung reminds us — again! — that you can’t make people use an app they don’t want
More reminders to come from Verizon, Comcast and AT&T.
http://www.recode.net/2016/8/22/12585034/samsung-milk-music-video-verizon-comcast
Tomi Engdahl says:
AT&T Says LTE Can Still Offer Speeds Up To 1 Gbps
https://news.slashdot.org/story/16/08/22/2010233/att-says-lte-can-still-offer-speeds-up-to-1-gbps
ATT CTO Andre Fuetsch said at a telecom conference last week that the company’s existing LTE network should be able to reach speeds of 1 Gbps before the standard ultimately gets overshadowed by faster 5G tech. The new 5G technology isn’t expected to arrive until 2020 at the earliest, so LTE has a lot of time left as the predominant wireless connectivity. “There’s a lot of focus on 5G — but don’t discount LTE,” Fuetsch said. “LTE is still here. And LTE will be around for a long time. And LTE has also enormous potential in that, you’ll be capable of supporting 1 gigabit speeds as well.”
AT&T CTO says carrier’s LTE network speeds will reach 1 Gbps
http://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/at-t-cto-says-carrier-s-lte-network-speeds-will-reach-1-gbps
“There’s a lot of focus on 5G – but don’t discount LTE,” Fuetsch, president of AT&T Labs and the operator’s CTO, said this week during his appearance at Nomura’s 2016 Media, Telecom and Internet Conference in New York. “LTE is still here. And LTE will be around for a long time. And LTE has also enormous potential in that, you’ll be capable of supporting 1 gigabit speeds as well.”
Added Fuetsch: “You’ll see a focus in the near term of taking advantage of our LTE capabilities. And there’s a lot of capability and feature functionality, a lot we can do with it.”
Fuetsch specifically pointed to carrier aggregation, a technology that allows wireless operators to essentially glue together wireless transmissions across different spectrum bands in order to speed up users’ download speeds. “We’ll be expanding that in the future,” Fuetsch said. “This is a really exciting time to be in the wireless world.”
Indeed, AT&T in 2014 started using carrier aggregation technology in Chicago and other markets to boost LTE capacity and speeds on its network
Other operators are also employing carrier aggregation. Sprint, for example, recently announced it was able to obtain download speeds of almost 300 Mbps via three-channel carrier aggregation on the HTC 10 smartphone.
Fuetsch said AT&T’s recent 5G trial in Austin provided 14 Gbps speeds to one user.
“We’re making sure 5G evolves,” he added. “This is still a couple of years out.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Internet Upgrades: Don’t forget the MDUs
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2016/08/internet-upgrades-don-t-forget-the-mdus.html?cmpid=enlmobile08232016&eid=289644432&bid=1504911
In a telecommuting world, the line between home and work Internet tends to blur. According to a recent Gallup survey, about 37% of workers telecommuted in 2015, which is up from 9% in 1995.
“With technology, it is easier to telecommute,” Adriano said. “This is technology from a broadband perspective, but also from new apps that allow you to work remotely.”
For those asking what will utilize all the gigabit speeds operators are introducing, telecommuting could be one outlet. While the owner of a single-family house has different options for Internet service providers, an apartment dweller often does not; when a prospective renter checks out a property, its Internet speed and reliability thus become deciding factors in whether to rent there or somewhere else. According to the National Multifamily Housing Council 2015 Apartment Resident Preferences Survey, 94% of renters consider high-speed Internet to be important. About 53% of respondents said they tried out the Internet connectivity when they checked out the rental unit.
“Speed is very important. In the multifamily arena, there are different ways to deliver speed – fiber to the building, to the unit, or DOCSIS 3.1. Another factor is flexibility. Not everybody has the same speed needs. And low latency. It has to be instant,” Adriano said.
The change is not difficult for property owners. Once DOCIS 3.1 comes into a market, moving to higher speeds is as easy as changing modems
Tomi Engdahl says:
VTT and the Dutch PhoeniX Software developed by the EU ACTPHAST project software tools for silicon photonics development. They can be implemented more easily fast data transfer solutions as well as sensors.
In Finland, VTT is one of the pioneers of silicon photonics development – already since 1997. Piifotoniikan design, manufacture and testing of methods have been developed by VTT, in close cooperation with customers and partners.
optical integrated circuits developed on a textured silicon wafers commercial Micronova state of Espoo, where the goal is also a significant commercial production.
VTT used three microns thick silicon light channels offer a combination of extremely dense integration, small attenuation and independence of polarization.
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2016/08/23/uusia-tyokaluja-nopeaan-piifotoniikkaan/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Edge data centers: A culmination of enterprise trends
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2016/08/edge-data-centers-a-culmination-of-enterprise-trends.html?cmpid=Enl_CIM_DataCenters_August232016&eid=289644432&bid=1505049
A blog by Arthur Cole of IT Business Edge contends that ” edge data centers represent the culmination of multiple trends that are taking place in the enterprise center; namely, miniaturization, consolidation, commoditization and the deployment of software-defined data architectures. As data environments become less dependent on fixed hardware, it is somewhat ironic that location can still influence the speed and agility that users require for their digital interactions.”
Cloud computing is leading to a massive centralization of IT resources. If current trends progress, the vast majority of data infrastructure will be housed in giant regional cloud facilities, with only highly converged systems remaining in corporate settings around the world.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Death to copper cables: Intel turns to light for fast data transfers
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2016/08/death-to-copper-cables-intel-turns-to-light-for-fast-data-transfers.html
Intel’s first silicon photonics modules are designed for data transfers between servers. The company believes the days of using copper wires for data transfers, both between computers and inside of them, are numbered because optical communications advancements are rising fast on the horizon. The chipmaker has started shipping silicon photonics modules, which use light and lasers to speed up data transfers between computers.
Read More at CIO India
Death to copper cables: Intel turns to light for fast data transfers
http://www.cio.in/news/death-copper-cables-intel-turns-light-fast-data-transfers
Intel’s first silicon photonics modules are designed for data transfers between servers
Intel believes the days of using copper wires for data transfers, both between computers and inside of them, are numbered because optical communications are on the horizon.
The chipmaker has started shipping silicon photonics modules, which use light and lasers to speed up data transfers between computers.
The silicon photonics components will initially allow for optical communications between servers and data centers, stretching over long distances, said Diane Bryant, executive vice president and general manager of Intel’s Data Center Group.
Over time, Intel will put optical communications at the chip level, Bryant said during a keynote at Intel Developer Forum on Wednesday. That means light will drive communications inside computers.
PCs and servers today use older electrical wiring for data transfers. But the data transfer speeds via those cables had reached a brick wall, and fiber optics provide a way to shuffle data at faster speeds, Bryant said.
In addition to an ability to stretch across kilometers, the fiber optic cables will take up less space than older cables, Jason Waxman, corporate vice president and general manager of Intel’s Data Center Solutions Group, said in an interview.
The first silicon photonics modules will allow for data transfers at up to 100Gbps (bits per second). The technology will be based on the widely used Ethernet protocol, but servers will require special switches to support silicon photonics. Ultimately, silicon photonics could support other data transfer and networking protocols.
The silicon photonics transceivers and other components will be widely available later in the year, though many implementations could take place early next year, Waxman said.
Intel has released a connector called MXC for silicon photonics connections between servers. The chipmaker has also created a protocol called O-PCI (Optical PCI) for PCI-Express communications over optical cables.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Breaker, breaker: LTE is coming to America’s CB radio frequencies
Big names launch CBRS Alliance. Think of it as truckers-versus-tech
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/24/breaker_breaker_lte_is_coming_to_americas_cb_radio_frequencies/
Another industry alliance is gearing up to pitch mobile phone spectrum access to spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band – this time using frequencies formerly devoted to Citizens Band (CB) radio users.
Following a decision by America’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to free up 150 MHz of the “truckers’ Internet” for unlicensed use, industry giants have created a new group to push LTE into the band.
The CBRS Alliance has its eye on frequencies between 3550 MHz and 3700 MHz in America. The group so far comprises six companies: Alphabet’s Access Technologies, Federated Wireless, Intel, Nokia, Qualcomm, and Brocade-owned Ruckus Wireless.
Google has already conducted some field trials in the band, and the CBRS Alliance plans more field trials through 2016.
Intel’s boilerplate boast explains the ongoing desperate hunt for spectrum by pointing out that “a single smart hospital might use up to three terabytes of data per day”.
Announcing the CBRS Alliance
http://blogs.intel.com/technology/2016/08/announcing-the-cbrs-alliance/
Recently, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made a ruling for CBRS or the Citizen’s Broadband Radio Service in the 3.5 GHz band. This ruling opened up 150 MHz of much needed spectrum (3550-3700 MHz) for commercial use.
We must work together to ensure the development of a robust ecosystem to enable access for U.S. businesses and consumers.
With this aim in mind, Intel is pleased to participate in the newly formed CBRS Alliance with five other leading telecommunications and technology companies whose purpose will be to catalyze investment in the 3.5 GHz band in the United States.
Access Technologies, Federated Wireless, Nokia, Qualcomm, Ruckus Wireless and Intel will work together to encourage trials and eventual commercial deployments using shared spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band that will enable better in-building and outdoor coverage as well as capacity expansion. Working together, the Alliance will ultimately build LTE-based solutions for the CBRS band – creating one of the many paths that will make it possible to help meet challenges associated with the coming data capacity crunch, which experts predict will reach over 30 exabytes per month by 2020. For example, a single smart hospital might use up to three terabytes of data per day.
The CBRS Alliance will serve as a coalition to create and experiment within the 3.5 GHz band where access to spectrum in the United States may encourage adoption of these new LTE solutions at scale.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish telecom operator Elisa told reporters yesterday reached the first operator in the world to 1.9 Gbps data rate for 4G test network. Handsome reading is based on the use of the bandwidth and next-generation 4G technology
Elisa’s mobile networks Sami Komulainen, head of view, have been in test use technology is LTE-Advanced Pro. It is defined in the 3GPP Release 13, Organization assays.
Currently, data speed records simply based on a wider bandwidth of the link as well as the use of different MIMO communications. Release 13 allows up to 32 x 20 MHz carrier wave linking together. Elisa test link combined five carrier-wave.
- 800, 900, 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz band, Komulainen lists. These tests were created by means of a channel having a width of about 100 megahertz. Latency, or delay was measured during the test is about 10 milliseconds.
These bands are of course not the normal user is not like a long time. As such is not yet available on any operator. However, the pace is not completely utopian, because the test was based on Huawei commercial base station equipment.
No precise timetables for example, the provision of a gigabit mobile communications,
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4895:elisan-4g-nopeusennatys-syntyi-jattikaistalla&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Unlimited mobile data in America – where’s the catch? There’s always a catch
All you can eat is never quite all you can eat
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/24/unlimited_mobile_data_us/
Analysis Sprint and T-Mobile US are introducing “all you can eat” internet plans, and as you might expect, someone at the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco is horrified. Somebody always is.
It seems that no good deal can go unpunished, whatever it is – and if it offends the slacktivists’ idea of internet purity, then it must be forbidden.
T‑Mobile US’ problems with its ambitious new all-you-can-eat deal aren’t oddball activists, but economics and physics. All-you-can-eat internet plans are never really all you can eat – nor can you reasonably expect them to be, given finite resources and cost constraints. And not one, anywhere, has lasted very long.
“A customer who has used almost all of her data could still binge on HBO, but would be unable to make an important video call with her doctor,” she wrote. And best of all: “Binge On harms free expression by favoring commercial entertainment over other forms of video content.” Like watching lectures by law professors on net neutrality, I suppose, or Albanian folk-dancing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MIT Scientists Develop New Wi-Fi That’s 330% Faster
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/16/08/24/2013255/mit-scientists-develop-new-wi-fi-thats-330-faster
Scientists at MIT claim to have created a new wireless technology that can triple Wi-Fi data speeds while also doubling the range of the signal. Dubbed MegaMIMO 2.0, the system will shortly enter commercialization and could ease the strain on our increasingly crowded wireless networks. Multiple-input-multiple-output technology, or MIMO, helps networked devices perform better by combining multiple transmitters and receivers that work simultaneously, allowing then to send and receive more than one data signal at the same time. MIT’s MegaMIMO 2.0 works by allowing several routers to work in harmony
MIT scientists develop groundbreaking new WiFi that’s three-times faster
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/mit-scientists-develop-groundbreaking-new-wifi-thats-three-times-faster/ar-BBw0beS?li=BBnbcA1
Scientists at MIT claim to have created a new wireless technology that can triple Wi-Fi data speeds while also doubling the range of the signal. Dubbed MegaMIMO 2.0, the system will shortly enter commercialisation and could ease the strain on our increasingly crowded wireless networks.
Multiple-input-multiple-output technology, or MIMO, helps networked devices perform better by combining multiple transmitters and receivers that work simultaneously, allowing then to send and receive more than one data signal at the same time. MIT’s MegaMIMO 2.0 works by allowing several routers to work in harmony, transmitting data over the same piece of spectrum.
“In today’s wireless world, you can’t solve spectrum crunch by throwing more transmitters at the problem, because they will all still be interfering with one another,” Ezzeldin Hamed, lead author on a paper on the topic, told MIT News. “The answer is to have all those access points work with each other simultaneously to efficiently use the available spectrum.”
In June, the Wi-Fi Alliance began rolling out its new ‘Wi-Fi Certified ac’ specification, which brings Multi-user Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) support to routers and networked devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
In Finland Mobile broadband gets more space – TV frequencies for new
TV terrestrial use this 700 MHz frequency range to be in early 2017 for wireless broadband. For the band narrowing of radio frequencies for terrestrial TV networks need to be reorganized. Helsinki metropolitan area and Uusimaa region, the frequency changes start within a couple of weeks.
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2016/08/24/mobiililaajakaistalle-lisaa-tilaa-televisiotaajuudet-uusiksi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mark Bergen / Recode:
Report: Google Fiber chief Craig Barratt was told by Larry Page to halve staff to 500; Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat interceded to defend business model
Google Fiber is pulling back on its broadband rollout as pressure grows to cut costs
Another bump in the road for Alphabet.
http://www.recode.net/2016/8/25/12644888/google-fiber-broadband-cost-cuts
For the past year, Ruth Porat, the CFO of Google and its parent Alphabet, has told Wall Street that Google Fiber is her most expensive unit outside of the core business — and is well worth the costs.
Her bosses may be telling Fiber employees the opposite.
According to a report in The Information, Alphabet chiefs Larry Page and Sergey Brin recently instructed Fiber to severely trim staff and expenses, frustrated with mounting costs of delivering high-speed internet by digging up dirt.
Creating broadband networks via traditional pipes is enormously expensive. And Fiber still hasn’t proven that it has figured out a better way to do it.
Inside the Battle Over Google Fiber
https://www.theinformation.com/inside-the-battle-over-google-fiber
When Google was planning to launch its Fiber broadband and TV service, Fiber executives had ambitious hopes of signing up around 5 million subscribers in five years, said a person close to Google’s parent, Alphabet. But by the end of 2014, more than two years after service began, Google had only signed up around 200,000 broadband subscribers, said a former employee. The current number isn’t known, but it’s still well short of initial expectations, said another person close to Alphabet.
Now the company is rethinking its approach by shifting service to wireless, as has been widely reported. Wireless is a much cheaper way to offer broadband service than digging up streets to lay fiber cables in cities across America.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Focus Shifting To Photonics
http://semiengineering.com/focus-shifting-to-photonics/
Using light to move data will save power and improve performance; laser built into process technology overcomes huge hurdle.
Silicon photonics finally appears ready for prime time, after years of unfulfilled expectations and a vision that stretches back at least a couple decades.
The biggest challenge has been the ability to build a light source directly into the silicon process, rather than trying to add one onto a chip after manufacturing. Intel today said it has achieved that milestone, setting the stage for building economies of scale into the process. That may take several more years, but it nonetheless represents an important step for this technology.
“We have solved the problem of integrating the laser into the process,” said Alexis Bjorlin, general manager of the Connectivity Group at Intel. “We invested in a methodology to bond light-emitting III-V GaN to silicon so that the lasers are defined in silicon. This is the Holy Grail of silicon photonics.”
The first implementations of this technology will be between systems within a data center, where silicon photonics already is in widespread use. This is a relatively price-insensitive but fast-growing market
“Right now we can drive a 3X per bit power reduction. So you have higher-rate switches, and you get an improvement in power consumption. The core differentiator there is the laser integrated on silicon.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Analyst: Copper cables take 77% market share for global Industrial Ethernet cabling, will dominate til 2020
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2016/08/technavio-copper-cables.html?cmpid=Enl_CIM_CablingNews_August292016&eid=289644432&bid=1510612
According to the latest market study released by Technavio (London), the global industrial Ethernet cables market is expected to reach USD 941.2 million by 2020, growing at an impressive CAGR of more than 17%. The firm’s news research report, titled ‘Global Industrial Ethernet Cables Market 2016-2020’, provides an in-depth analysis of the market in terms of revenue and emerging market trends.
According to Technavio’s analysts, the copper cables segment dominated the global industrial Ethernet cables market with a market share of over 77% in 2015, owing to high adoption of CAT 6 and CAT 6a cables with 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps data transmission speed. The analysts do note that, on the other hand, the market for fiber-optic cables is the fastest growing due to increased incorporation of gigabit speed over long distances and the ability of such cables to withstand radio and electromagnetic interference. These cables are highly preferred in the oil and gas and pulp and paper industries.
Technavio’s industrial automation analysis categorizes the global industrial Ethernet cables market into three major segments by application. They are: Factory floor; Machines; Control rooms; Global industrial Ethernet cables market for factory floor.
Global industrial Ethernet cables market for machines
The global industrial Ethernet cables market for machines is anticipated to be valued at USD 291.2 million by 2020, posting a CAGR of above 15%. The industrial and automation industries are being constantly revamped to adapt to high speed and ensure reliability and accuracy. The components used in machines and robots must be precise to satisfy the exacting standards of the industry and follow modern-day communication network standards to stay competitive in the market. Manufacturers are increasingly adopting industrial Ethernet networks such as EtherCAT, Modbus TCP/IP, and SERCOS III to establish communication between HMI, distributed I/O, sensors, controllers, drives, and electric motors within industrial machines or robots. “Industrial Ethernet cabling can withstand extreme temperatures and resist chemical and oil spill”
Global industrial Ethernet cables market for control rooms
The global industrial Ethernet cables market for control rooms is one of the fastest growing segments in the market, growing at a CAGR of almost 17%. A control room local area network consists of printers, HMIs, servers, and wide area network (WAN) devices. Previously, system integrators used a mixed-mode networking solution, where cheap commercial-grade switches and cables were used in control rooms, and industrial-grade switches and cables were limited at field sites. The use of such mixed networks can create several interoperability issues and delay the diagnosis of problem areas. Customized cables are the most preferred in control room applications due to different redundancy requirements within the confined environment.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amar Toor / The Verge:
EU telco regulator publishes final guidelines on net neutrality rules implementation, closing “zero rating”, “fast lanes”, and other potential loopholes
Europe’s net neutrality guidelines seen as a victory for the open web
Regulatory body tightens loopholes that could have jeopardized the future of the internet, advocates say
http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/30/12707590/eu-net-neutrality-rules-final-guidelines-berec
Europe’s telecommunications regulator has published final guidelines on how the EU will implement net neutrality rules that were adopted last year, in what digital rights groups are hailing as a victory for the free and open internet. The guidelines, published Tuesday, clarify vaguely worded provisions that experts say could have been exploited by telecoms to favor certain internet services over others.
Those provisions were clarified under the guidelines published today by the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). “ISPs are prohibited from blocking or slowing down of Internet traffic, except where necessary,” BEREC said. “The exceptions are limited to: traffic management to comply with a legal order, to ensure network integrity and security, and to manage congestion, provided that equivalent categories of traffic are treated equally.”
The guidelines prohibit zero-rating in circumstances “where all applications are blocked or slowed down once the data cap is reached,” though they acknowledge that some cases are “less clear-cut.” European regulators should assess such practices on a case-by-case basis, BEREC said, taking account for factors such as the market share of an ISP, effects on app choice, and the scale of the practice. The regulations also allow for traffic management “under limited circumstances;” traffic management practices that block, interfere with, or slow down services and apps would be banned.
The guidelines provide examples of what could be considered as a specialized service, including VoLTE (high-quality voice calls), linear IPTV services, and remote surgeries, which would operate separately from the internet. Such services would have to meet certain quality and capacity requirements to ensure that they can only operate on networks that are not connected to the internet.
Net neutrality advocates welcomed BEREC’s guidelines as a milestone for the open internet in Europe. “Europe is now a global standard-setter in the defense of the open, competitive and neutral internet,”
“Strong guidelines will protect the future of competition, innovation, and creative expression in Europe, enhancing Europe’s ability to lead in the digital economy,”
“By demanding strong net neutrality in record numbers, Europeans managed to overcome massive lobbying by the telecom industry and narrowly avert a catastrophe for the internet,” Reda said.
BEREC launches Net Neutrality Guidelines
http://berec.europa.eu/eng/news_and_publications/whats_new/3958-launch-of-the-berec-net-neutrality-guidelines
Tomi Engdahl says:
Indoor Nav Leverages LTE
Nanosecond beacons boost E911
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1330379&
Long-term evolution (LTE) has a short-term problem. When indoors it cannot meet the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) 2021 mandate (pdf) for E911 accuracy of within 164 feet when finding the location from which an emergency call was made. When outside, LTE can use the Global Positioning System’s (GPS’s) atomic clocks for accurate triangulation. But when a user is inside no solution exists. Yet.
“NextNav is all about complementing GPS where it does not work,” Tom Wrappe, NextNav’s vice president of ecosystem development told EE Times. “GPS plus our metro-beacon-system give users always presence to handle outdoor, indoor and vertical navigation services which tell you, which floor you want.”
NextNav LLC (Sunnyvale, Calif.) — started by former Sirius XM Radio Chairman Gary Parsons — claims to have the solution.
NextNav’s long-term goal is to enable ultra-precise navigation services for smartphones no matter where they are. To do so, however, not only does NextNav need to deploy beacons worldwide, but they also have to convince smartphone makers to use mobile chip vendors’ GPS+MBS chips instead of just the plain old GPS chip alone. NextNav has already signed up all the major GPS chip makers to add MBS capabilities — starting with Broadcom.
NextNav, however, has the ubiquitous “chicken and egg” problem. Smartphones must adopt the GPS+MBS chips, but won’t do so until nationwide networks are online. However, NextNav has a secret-weapon to beat the chicken-and-egg problem. Namely, the FCC mandate for 164 foot accuracy for E911 calls by 2021.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gigabit Internet: Surveying the Landscape
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2016/08/gigabit-internet-surveying-the-landscape.html?cmpid=enlmobile08302016&eid=289644432&bid=1513438
Gigabit Internet has become such a hot topic that related announcements seem to be coming out at, well, gigabit speeds. To help interested parties keep track, Viavi Solutions (NASDAQ:VIAV) has released a gigabit tracking database, dubbed appropriately, Gigabit Monitor, available at http://www.gigabitmonitor.com. The visual database references current and planned gigabit deployments around the world, from mobile, cable and telco service providers.
http://gigabitmonitor.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cable ONE Grows Gigabit, Launches 500 Mbps Biz Internet
http://www.btreport.net/articles/2016/08/cable-one-grows-gigabit-launches-500-mbps-biz-internet.html?cmpid=enlmobile08302016&eid=289644432&bid=1513438
Cable ONE (NYSE:CABO) has launched its GigaONE gigabit Internet service in Norfolk, NE, and has also debuted a 500 Mbps Internet tier for business services customers.
Last November, Cable ONE announced its gigabit plans, which include having the DOCSIS 3.0-based 1 Gbps service available across the majority of its markets by the end of 2016.
“Our 500 Mbps Elite Business Internet service will support the technology needs of businesses in the communities we serve, now and in the future,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ericsson introduced the world’s first 5G radio
Ericsson radio unit boasts the world’s first 5G-Radio of. AIR6468 device supports, for example, massive MIMO connectivity and multi-user MIMO links with the so-called. MU-MIMO techniques.
Ericsson intends to take to provide the novelty of operators over the next year. Together with the earlier announced 5216 baseband module and 5G-ready software components, operators can take to provide connections that are 5G-compatible.
The radio unit supports 64 connections channel users from the base station and the same amount to the network. Ericsson, the latency connections “are approaching one millisecond”, but more detailed information about the company did not provide. 5G connections, one millisecond is regarded as delays aim, because the various real-time services and applications over the network require it.
AIR6468 radio supports frequencies up to six gigahertz. Ericsson is the first device manufacturer that offers all the components necessary for the implementation of 5G network commercially.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4950:ericsson-esitteli-maailman-ensimmaisen-5g-radion&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
US spectrum auction falls short by, oh, you know, $66bn thanks to tightwad mobile giants
Back to the drawing board for TV airwave sell-off
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/31/fcc_spectrum_auction_66bn_short/
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will have to change its plans for the 600MHz radio spectrum auction for mobile broadband – after the latest stage of bidding raised just $22.4bn of an $88bn goal.
“Bidding in the forward auction has concluded for Stage 1 without meeting the final stage rule and without meeting the conditions to trigger an extended round,” the FCC said.
“The incentive auction will continue with Stage 2 at a lower clearing target.”
The 600MHz auction will see US television networks sell their radio spectrum rights in various US metro areas to mobile carriers, who will repurpose the space to improve wireless broadband networks.
Incentive Auction: Forward Auction – Announcements
https://auctiondata.fcc.gov/public/projects/1000/reports/forward_announcements
Tomi Engdahl says:
A new kind of digital antenna for 5G-mobiles
Aalto University researchers have developed a method that makes use of antennas will soon move from analogue to the digital world.
Aalto University School of Radio and engineering researchers have developed a method that makes use of antennas move from analogue to the digital world. The currently used antennas are mainly based on a half-century old technology. Innovation also shows that it is being Finland’s definitely at the forefront of the development of antenna technology.
- Traditionally, one of the antenna operates in one or a few frequencies. Now we can take advantage of advanced digital electronics and combines a number of small antenna elements to operate as a single antenna, which can be digitally to operate at any frequency, says PhD student Jari-Matti Hannula.
“‘ Now we can take advantage of advanced digital electronics and combines a number of small antenna elements to operate as a single antenna, which can be digitally to operate at any frequency, says the development has been involved doctoral student Jari-Matti Hannula.
” The next step in the development is in progress, the tests of the fifth-generation phone device has been launched in conjunction with Huawei. We are also developing with the Aalto University researchers in digital electronics for controlling the antenna, Viikari says.
Professor of Radio Engineering Ville Viikari believes in a revolutionary new method of the fifth generation of mobile phones, and to like Finland remains one of the country’s leading mobile phone antennas development.
Sources:
http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2016/09/01/uudenlainen-digiantenni-5g-kannykoihin/
http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4957:suomalainen-digiantenni-mullistaa-matkapuhelimet&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mobile Data used during August in Elisa’s network in Finland more than ever before, the operator says in a statement.
Mobile data customers used the data in August 2016, an average of more than 13 gigabytes, equivalent to more than three full-length HD-quality movies. Growth from the previous year was 60 per cent.
“The number of mobile data is increasing in general, but the Rio Olympic Games are the reason for growth just in August”
More than 75 percent of data traffic moves 4G network.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/elisa-mobiilidatalla-surffailtiin-ennatyslukemiin-6579062
Tomi Engdahl says:
India’s Richest Man Launches 4G LTE Network, Offers Unlimited Free Voice Calls
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/16/09/01/1411205/indias-richest-man-launches-4g-lte-network-offers-unlimited-free-voice-calls
India’s biggest industrial house has launched its 4G LTE network and is offering unlimited free voice calls forever to anyone who signs up for its services. It is also claiming to offer the cheapest 4G LTE data rates in the world. After numerous delays and months of testing, India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, today announced the commercial availability of Reliance Jio’s mobile services.
India’s richest man launches 4G network with unlimited free voice calls
http://mashable.com/2016/09/01/reliance-jio-launch-tariff-plans-india/#YDqOtcKJ4PqI
India’s biggest industrial house has launched its 4G LTE network and is offering unlimited free voice calls forever to anyone who signs up for its services. It is also claiming to offer the cheapest 4G LTE data rates in the world.
Jio’s network is being touted as the largest 4G LTE deployment anywhere in the world, Ambani said, adding that the network is also “future proof” with baked in support for upcoming 5G and 6G network technologies. Jio’s 4G coverage is available in 18,000 cities in the country, and over 200,000 remote areas. The company aims to extend the coverage to 90 percent of India’s population by next year.
Jio is offering the country’s 1.3 billion people free voice calls and data tariffs starting at 1GB of data at Rs 50 (75 cents).
This move to make voice calls free would be a big blow for three of India’s biggest carriers — Airtel, Vodafone and Idea, which still make most of their revenues from voice calls.
Its smartphone brand Lyf is offering LTE capable phones starting at as low as Rs 2,999 ($45), and a portable Wi-Fi router starting at Rs 1,999 (30).
Reliance Industries has bet $22 billion on its telecom services.
Reliance Jio is also betting big on content. It is offering users a range of services including messaging, mobile wallet, security suite, magazine newsstand, music streaming, on-demand movies and TV shows, cloud storage, live TV access, and a news app.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rafi Letzter / Business Insider:
Rocket explosion on SpaceX launchpad destroys Facebook’s first Internet.org satellite, worth $200M, which was to provide internet coverage to sub-Saharan Africa — A major explosion during a SpaceX prelaunch test Thursday destroyed Facebook’s first satellite.
A major SpaceX explosion seems to have just destroyed Facebook’s first-ever satellite
http://nordic.businessinsider.com/spacex-falcon9-explosion-facebook-satellite-amos6-2016-9?op=1?r=US&IR=T
A major explosion during a SpaceX pre-launch test Thursday seems to have destroyed Facebook’s first-ever satellite.
AMOS-6, a project of Facebook’s Internet.org program, was built to deliver internet to the developing world. It was intended to ride a SpaceX Falcon 9 into orbit this Saturday, and would have been the first satellite the internet giant put in orbit. The rocket on the launchpad when an explosion rocked Cape Canaveral, Florida Thursday was a Falcon 9.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A major SpaceX explosion seems to have just destroyed Facebook’s first-ever satellite
http://nordic.businessinsider.com/spacex-falcon9-explosion-facebook-satellite-amos6-2016-9?op=1?r=US&IR=T
A major SpaceX explosion seems to have just destroyed Facebook’s first-ever satellite
Rafi Letzter 18 HOURS 676
A major explosion during a SpaceX pre-launch test Thursday seems to have destroyed Facebook’s first-ever satellite.
AMOS-6, a project of Facebook’s Internet.org program, was built to deliver internet to the developing world. It was intended to ride a SpaceX Falcon 9 into orbit this Saturday, and would have been the first satellite the internet giant put in orbit. The rocket on the launchpad when an explosion rocked Cape Canaveral, Florida Thursday was a Falcon 9.
A rocket SpaceX was testing exploded on a launch pad in Florida
http://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-rocket-explosion-launch-pad-2016-9?r=US&IR=T&IR=T
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia’s “almost-5G”: more frequencies and carrier waves
Nokia has launched announced in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress Airscale base station based on the next-generation evolution of technique. 4.5g Pro is the principle of LTE expansion, but the next step 4.9G brings with it a lot more 5G networks combined features.
4.5g Pro brings users According to Nokia, 10 times higher data rates than the original LTE connectivity. By combining the time-multiplexed frequency than the frequency bands is achieved connect up to four different carriers, which brings the best Gigabit data rates of the users.
4.5g Pro, the Nokia speaks of unit shipments as early as next year. Instead, the company’s roadmap 4.9G refers to the years ahead, close to the 5G-time. 4.9G brings several Gigabytes of mobile data rates, for example, accurately directed at the antennas and the multi-user MIMO connections.
4.9G: in the Nokia promises to delay the cell edge of each remain less than 10 milliseconds. This will inevitably mean a cloud-based solution, with a large portion of the calculation is done locally at the cell edge.
For example, the Finnish operators of 4G frequencies currently has about 100 megahertz each. 3.5-gigahertz is a natural area of expansion of spectrum in the next few years.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4961:nokian-lahes-5g-lisaa-taajuuksia-ja-kantoaaltoja&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sweden’s Greta wants to disrupt the multi-billion dollar CDN market
https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/30/greta/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity_1462_6298872280350688511
Swedish startup Greta is on a somewhat quiet mission to disrupt the multi-billion dollar Content Delivery Network (CDN) market. The young company already boasts an impressive list of angel investors — including Jan Erik Solem (founder Polar Rose and Mapillary), Hampus Jakobsson (founder TAT and Brisk), and Jeremy Yap (recently awarded best angel investor at The Europas) — and now new VC BlueYard Capital has also become a backer.
Launched late last year, Greta has developed tech that is able to calculate the most efficient route for site content, such as images and video, and deliver it via traditional server and CDN providers or Greta’s own peer-to-peer solution, based on whichever of the two will provide the best experience for end users.
“The problem we’re solving is that it’s difficult for companies to provide their end users with sufficient site performance, meaning that companies are losing out on potential revenue as well as consumers having to suffer through buffering videos and wasting their time waiting for slow sites to load,” says Ottosson.
“When Greta’s script is added to a site, the site’s traffic will be analyzed in real time, and within a few hours Greta will start suggesting site specific actions to improve your site performance, such as switching CDN in a specific region, or turning on Greta’s own peer-to-peer solution,” explains Ottosson.
“Greta’s peer-to-peer solution is based on webRTC and enables peer-to-peer content delivery directly in the browser, meaning that performance issues such as video buffering and slow or crashing sites can be avoided, especially during heavy traffic. Greta will always optimize for providing the end users with the best user experience possible”.
Meanwhile, the fact that Greta is able to switch to browser-based P2P content delivery, without requiring the end user to explicitly download and install any extra software (presuming their browser supports webRTC), means that site and media streaming improvement can happen in regions where there might not be close proximity to existing CDN networks, such as in Africa or the Middle East.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nic Fildes / Financial Times:
EU’s net neutrality implementation guidelines ban network-wide ad-blocking by telecoms
Blow to telecoms companies as EU outlaws network-wide ad blocking
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0%2Fcd64993e-6ec7-11e6-a0c9-1365ce54b926.html#axzz4JNQk3bO5
Plans by European mobile phone companies to block advertisements across their networks have been dealt a heavy blow after new EU telecoms rules outlawed the process.
Yet guidelines published by the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications on Tuesday advised local telecoms regulators that while consumers should be allowed to install “ad blocking” apps on their phones, network-level blocking should be prohibited.
The guidelines will now be passed on to local regulators, including Ofcom in the UK, to apply.
“European citizens have a right to protect themselves from being tracked, profiled and targeted by AdTech. Lobbying efforts by the advertising industry were successful in obfuscating these fundamental rights,” said Roi Carthy, chief marketing officer of Shine.
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G Wireless Communications
The next major step in mobile communications beyond LTE/LTE-Advanced (4G) sets challenging requirements.
https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/fi/solutions/wireless-communications/5g/5g-overview/5g-overview_229437.html?WT.mc_id=site_com_dsp_WC-141_eee_16-17_fundamentals_wallpaper
Researchers all around the world are investigating possible concepts and technologies for the fifth generation of mobile networks (5G). Many use cases have been summarized in various white papers and reveal challenging requirements. The possible technologies and concepts under discussion to meet these requirements are quite diverse. Beyond doubt there is a need to improve the understanding of potential new air interfaces at frequencies above current cellular network technologies, from 6 GHz right up to 100 GHz, as well as advanced antenna technologies such as massive MIMO and beamforming.
Tomi Engdahl says:
G.hn Solutions
http://www.sigmadesigns.com/media-connectivity/g-hn-solutions/
Next Generation Media Connectivity
G.hn technology is ITU-T Recommendations defining the next generation home AV network standard for distribution of Internet Protocol (IP) content across existing AC power lines, coax cables and phone lines. G.hn provides higher performance and better coverage using existing wiring for services including broadband data, HD programs, video-on-demand (VOD), whole-home HD digital video recordings (DVR), voice over IP (VoIP), and streaming of HD video, music, and photos.
With this universal standard, any power outlet, coaxial outlet or phone jack can establish a connection point on the same mesh network. G.hn delivers the ultimate in performance, including support for multi-room Ultra HD, with the highest level of interconnectivity among devices in the home. G.hn is simple and easy to install, making it an ideal choice for consumers and service providers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Seminar: 5G should be open to all
The fifth generation brings with it new demands in addition to the utilization of technologies and business models, networks and frequencies. Yesterday, organized in Oulu 5G seminar provided a means of sharing both the licensed and unlicensed transmission.
Fiber, and other high-speed links to the base station are 5G in important elements. The cell size reduction will bring a whole new claims. The base stations can be placed in shopping centers, in addition to light poles, and even the latest 5G networks, the home base station is realized. Who delivers and what is the position of the fixed cable connections provider remains to be seen,
The seminar 5G networks, at least indoors should be able to provide access to all operators networks.
Operators did not want this seminar completely transparent national roaming, roaming, but talked more retention of the competitive situation, as well as the importance of a better consumer experience.
The seminar were concerned about how 5G networks, the reliability of connections are handled, if the same spectrum is licensed, unlicensed and referrals.
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2016/09/06/5g-tulee-olla-avoin-kaikille/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia Suri: “5g change many things in our lives”
The USA will be held later this week at CTIA Super Mobility event, with Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri is one of the main speakers. The theme is 5g and the opportunities it offers.
Nokia has sent a summary of Surin in advance of Thursday’s speech. 5g-technology, but also takes up the preceding steps.
“There is no one single 5g-opening date of the amount. It is a more seamless transition 4g to 4.5g and 4.9g Pro via. Nokia is well prepared to support all of these technologies. Every step of the way opens up new opportunities for both companies and ordinary humans, “says Suri release submission.
5g networks promises kymmenkertaistavan mobile networks, the speed of the original 4g of setting boundaries. Nokia announced last week 4.5g Pro technology later this year concerning the introduction and shed light on the future of 4.9g-plans.
Suri declares that 5g impacts in several areas with reference to, inter alia, health care, automation and future traffic.
“Only 5g is capable of providing sufficient capacity and connectivity, as well as a short delay, the advanced applications will require.”
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/nokian-suri-5g-muuttaa-monia-asioita-elamassamme-6580190
Tomi Engdahl says:
EU will force telcos to offer 90 days of ‘roam like home’ contracts
Max continuous use of 30 days, may not apply to UK
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/06/eu_force_telcos_roam_like_home_90_days/
The European Union has published draft plans to force telcos across the EU to offer customers free roaming for at least 90 days a year.
Last year the EU decided to abolish roaming fees from June 2017, after years of negotiations with European telcos.
But today the plans contain a “fair usage” concession which mean users can only take advantage of the “roam like home” agreement for a maximum of 30 consecutive days – and for a total of 90 throughout the year.
That is intended to prevent people abusing the arrangement by buying a contract in a country that offers cheaper rates and permanently using that deal.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Next year, the IoT penetrates the LTE networks. This is evidenced by recent publications modem modules. The first module for LTE network IoT connections: Swiss u-blox has already previously announced that it would launch LTE market: IoT version of the EU, namely to support the NB-IoT-modem connections. Most likely, the market gets even faster than the company’s LTE modem, which supports 3GPP specifications terminal class Cat M1. Its model designation is SARA-R4.
3GPP terminal classes are defined for IoT categories M1 and NB1. M1-modem maximum data rate of the terminal compared to one megabit per second, or four times the NB-IoT devices speed. Lane width is 1.08 MHz, and the transmission power is defined as 20/23 dBm.
The old, familiar, and safe for GSM remains by far the most widely used network technology links between machines in the world. Ovumin, the current situation will continue for another five years. Then, the number one place to LTE.
Research predicts that M2M connections in 2021 are already around 733 million. This means that 8.1 percent of all mobile subscriptions in M2M connections.
In 2021, M2M traffic has grown to a $ 67 billion business. The figure does not include data traffic, for example, NB-IoT connections, ie objects connected to the Internet devices.
Sources:
http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4984:ensimmainen-moduuli-lte-verkon-iot-yhteyksiin&catid=13&Itemid=101
http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4987:gsm-viela-pitkaan-koneyhteyksien-ykkostekniikka&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paper describes evaluating Cat 5e, 6, 6A cabling’s readiness for 2.5 and 5GBase-T
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2016/08/nbase-t-alliance-paper-evaluating-cabling.html
NBase-T Alliance member companies CME Consulting, CommScope, Fluke Networks and Panduit have collaborated to author a white paper that provides guidelines on how to evaluate the readiness of existing Category 5e, 6 and 6A copper cabling infrastructure for NBase-T (2.5G and 5GBase-T) deployment. The paper, titled “NBase-T Performance and Cabling Guidelines,”
“NBase-T runs over the vast installed base of Cat 5e and Cat 6 cabling, enabling speeds faster than 1 Gbit/sec without the wholesale replacement of cables, which incurs substantial installation cost and disruption of day-to-day operations,”
“Certification of category cabling requires measurements of ‘internal’ parameters such as insertion loss, return loss, and crosstalk. These standards use the Category 5e internal cabling specifications for 2.5GBase-T, specified to 100 MHz. Cabling requirements for 5GBase-T extrapolate these requirements to 250 MHz, which is within the frequency range specified for Category 6. This means that Category 6 cabling supports the internal parameter requirements of both 2.5GBase-T and 5GBase-T. It does not mean that 5GBase-T cannot operate over Category 5e, only that additional testing may be needed for assurance. Assessment of Category 5e channels for the internal cabling requirements of 5GBase-T may require retesting, or if originally measured to 250 MHz or above, those results may be reevaluated to establish support.”
NBASE-T Performance and Cabling Guidelines
http://www.nbaset.org/technology/library/white-paper-2/
Tomi Engdahl says:
BI Intelligence / Business Insider:
Verizon to begin rolling out LTE CAT-M network by end of 2016 to offer low-power connectivity for IoT devices; 700M IoT devices are estimated to use it by 2021
Verizon plans to roll out a low-power IoT network by the end of the year
http://www.businessinsider.com/verizon-plans-to-roll-out-a-low-power-iot-network-by-the-end-of-the-year-2016-9?op=1%3fr=US&IR=T&IR=T
Verizon will be introducing LTE CAT-M, a network application for IoT solutions, across its network by the end of 2016, according to SDX Central.
The network is primarily designed for connected healthcare devices and other low-power wearables, though it can also provide service to dashboards that require a browser, voice, or even video connectivity.
LTE CAT-M, which competes directly with ZigBee, Z-wave, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, has three primary benefits:
Less expensive modules compared with the standard 4G LTE modules.
Stronger coverage underground and within buildings, a major issue with hospital devices.
Longer battery life for the IoT devices that it connects.
The network application is likely to benefit companies such as Nokia, Gemalto, or Sierra Wireless, which are developing compatible chipsets but are waiting for network operators to signal that the infrastructure is built out first. LTE CAT-M has already been tested in San Francisco by AT&T, which plans to roll out the network application for commercial uses next year.
Although Wi-Fi and cellular networks can connect IoT devices to the internet, they have inherent characteristics that make them ill-suited to do so for small, low-power components like sensors, smart locks, and smart lights.
BI Intelligence expects that more than 24 billion IoT devices will be installed globally in 2020, and the vast majority of these will fall into the small, low-power category.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The base station antennas sold a record amount
The base stations may not sell at the moment unabated, antennas but sooo needed all the time more.
EJL Wireless Research tells us that the macro base station antennas were sold last year to 3.5 billion dollars.
The reason is clear: more and more base stations becomes more directional antennas. 5G, the base station can have tens of antennas because massive switch to new MIMO systems.
EJL Wireless predicts that in 2020 sold antennas to base stations already 14 billion dollars
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4997:tukiasema-antenneja-myytiin-ennatyssummalla&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
FCC scraps its ambitious cable box plan in favor of apps
http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/8/12852460/fcc-scraps-ambitious-cable-box-plan-in-favor-of-apps
The Federal Communications Commission is making huge changes to its plan to overhaul cable boxes, scrapping much of the initial idea in favor of having cable companies make new apps.
The plan requires large cable providers to create apps that offer access to all of their programming, including live and on-demand content. Those apps would have to be available on “all widely deployed platforms,” which includes iOS, Android, Windows, and Roku. Both native and web apps will be accepted.
TV providers would also be required to open their catalog up to universal searches. That would allow an Apple TV, for instance, to search through a provider’s live and on-demand programming right alongside Netflix, letting a user see results for both at once.
This updated plan still accomplishes one major goal of the original proposal: freeing consumers from unnecessary cable box rentals, which typically require a monthly fee on top of cable service. While consumers will still be able to buy and rent cable boxes, the commission’s hope here is that consumers will just buy a cheap streaming box and download their cable provider’s app instead. Apps will be required on more than just streaming boxes, too — smartphones, tablets, and game consoles are all eligible.
What’s more in question is how much this furthers the commission’s goal of increasing innovating around TV, which has been painfully stagnant for years. The app model will help to move things forward, as it mandates the inclusion of TV content on other platforms. But the interface largely stays in the cable companies’ control; content remains locked inside of apps, so it’s questionable how much this’ll let companies like Apple, Google, and Roku create interesting new ways of finding and watching TV.
Tomi Engdahl says:
US-CERT tells network operators to pay attention and harden up
Recent exploits and golden oldies are making packets perilous
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/09/cisco_exploit_disco_too_hot_for_cert_admins_check_your_patches/
The US-CERT is warning organisations to harden their networks, because resurgent malware plus the recent publication of powerful exploits proved too hot to ignore.
The organisation says that threats like the a leak of Equation Group Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) tooling are bad enough by themselves, but warns plenty of organisations are also yet to knock 2015′s SYNful Knock on the head, too.
Together, the two attacks should put Cisco users in a state of alert.
US-CERT is not alone in its fears: security outfit Rapid 7 reckons it has found more than 50,000 ASA-susceptible devices, many un-patched..
US-CERT made the warnings about the advanced attacks in an alert this week detailing how the exploits occur and offering admins defensive strategies.
“The rising threat levels place more demands on security personnel and network administrators to protect information systems,” US-CERT says.
The agency is also warning of separate ASA attacks in which net scum lure admins to payload websites that exploit a crustier vulnerability (CVE-2014-3393). It says “several reports” of attacks using that malicious code injection in June.
Alert (TA16-250A)
The Increasing Threat to Network Infrastructure Devices and Recommended Mitigations
https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA16-250A
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cable televisions kiss of death in the US
FCC Federal Communications Authority has already for long wanted to increase competition in the cable TV market. Yesterday the chairman of the association, Tom Wheeler released their own proposal as to how the issue should be resolved. When implemented in practice the idea to kill the existing cable TV operators in the United States.
Wheeler according to 99 percent of pay-TV subscribers now rent a set-top-box, because there are no viable alternatives. This lack of competition has led to an increase in prices: the average American household pays $ 231 a year, a mere digital terminal rental.
This system was replaced by the FCC wants a solution, wherein the content is separated from the receiver. Content developers need to enable a viewer app that works on all possible devices. The service will continue to pay a monthly fee, but the terminal does not need to be hired.
The pay-TV service providers are forced to open their source code so that the most popular platforms will create their own applications. Platforms such as Android, iOS and Windows. The FCC also mentions the Roku service to the United States as an internal content provider.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5016:kaapelitelevisiolle-kuolinisku-usa-ssa&catid=13&Itemid=101
More:
Chairman Wheeler’s Plan to Increase Choice and Innovation in Video
https://www.fcc.gov/document/chairman-wheelers-plan-increase-choice-and-innovation-video
Fact Sheet: Chairman Wheeler’s Proposal To Increase Consumer Choice and Innovation In the Video Marketplace
Tomi Engdahl says:
Key high-speed connector layout techniques
http://www.edn.com/design/pc-board/4442661/Key-high-speed-connector-layout-techniques?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_pcbdesigncenter_20160912&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_pcbdesigncenter_20160912&elqTrackId=87337ee36c424bc389bc083ca8b30ef7&elq=af5594a4c4a943108009c03be5a6fc4c&elqaid=33810&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=29551
This article discusses the essential considerations of mounting connectors on PCBs. These aspects include the pin assignments for signals and grounds, stubs due to the pins of through-hole or press-fit connector, and impedance mismatch caused by surface mount pads of the connector. A connector is one of the transmission-line elements along a multiple-board signal path between transmitter and receiver. Therefore, it is crucial to select and mount the connector in a manner that best suits the system design.
inverting (S-) and non-inverting (S+) are assigned to two adjacent pins. Furthermore, a signal pair is segregated from another by ground (G). Such pin assignments prevent mode conversion from differential to common. As a result, the risk of inter-pair crosstalk and common-mode noise coupling is minimized.
When a through-hole or press-fit connector is used, it’s important to make sure that the pin length does not exceed the PCB thickness. A stub exists when the connector pin is longer than the PCB thickness.
A differential pair of 100Ω enters the press-fit male connector with various stub lengths (0 mil, 50 mil, and 100 mil) on PCB #1 and exits the press-fit female connector without stubs on PCB #2. The trace length on each PCB is 0.5 inch and medium loss material is used as substrate. The plots of SDD21 and TDR are shown in Figure 3. The model with a 100 mil stub has 20Ω impedance mismatch and 11 GHz resonance. Meanwhile, the model with a 50 mil stub has 14Ω impedance mismatch and 17 GHz resonance. Once there is no pin stub, the impedance mismatch is reduced to 10Ω and resonance extends beyond 18GHz.
Connector SMT pads contribute to impedance mismatch on the transmission line. Once a signal pair with narrower traces reaches the SMT pads with wider copper, the strip capacitance of this segment is increased
A signal pair of 100Ω (6 mil trace width and 1.2 mil thickness in single ended mode) enters the SMT pad of female connector on PCB #1 and exits the SMT pad of male connector on PCB #2