FASTWEB deploying Italy’s first 100G optical network | Nokia Siemens Networks

FASTWEB deploying Italy’s first 100G optical network | Nokia Siemens Networks

FASTWEB, one of Italy’s largest broadband providers, is deploying the country’s first 100 Gigabit per second (100G) per channel optical fiber network between Milan and Rome. Using Nokia Siemens Networks technology, the network will be capable of simultaneously transmitting up to 40 wavelengths of light, each carrying data at 100G. This will allow a total data transfer speed of up to 4 Terabits per second.

The new 100G link will be operational in the last quarter of 2011. Its deployment will ensure an improved experience for people using the connection, with greater bandwidth and lower latency, or delay, in data transmission. A 2008 report by TABB Group showed that a lower latency advantage of 1 millisecond (ms) is equivalent to more than $100 million in financial transaction revenue per year for NYSE Euronext trading partners*.

“We are witnessing high demand for bandwidth, driven by increased uptake of enterprise applications and rich, bandwidth-intensive smart device applications. The transition to a 100G channel optical transport network will enable us to fulfill the demands of our existing users as well as attract new subscribers by offering differentiated services,” said Mario Mella, chief technology officer, FASTWEB. “We chose Nokia Siemens Networks to offer a cost-effective transition path based on its deep understanding of our network and its proven technological expertise in optical transport networks.”

Nokia Siemens Networks’ Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) solution** comprises the hiT 7300 optical network platform and its network management system for planning and automation. The hiT 7300 platform will ensure cost savings by either adopting no dispersion compensation (DCM-free) techniques on new fiber or simply by utilizing the operator’s installed DWDM network infrastructure. The latter option enables operators to benefit from higher capacity without the costly and time-consuming fiber measurement required by conventional systems***.

Nokia Siemens Networks will also integrate its DWDM equipment into the operator’s existing network infrastructure. In addition, the contract includes delivery of care services, including hardware and software maintenance as well as competence development.

“Operators today have to deal not only with higher data traffic volumes but also with unpredictable traffic patterns. The move to 100G provides the answer; it allows operators to deliver a consistent, high-quality experience by avoiding bandwidth bottlenecks without making costly investments in laying more fiber,” said Francesco Salerni, head of the FASTWEB customer team at Nokia Siemens Networks.

ip.access launches 3G C-class consumer small cell

Cambridge October 12th, 2011 At its European User Group conference in Central London today, ip.access announced a new C8 consumer femtocell Access Point. In front of representatives from its existing customer base, which numbers some 60 network operators, ip.access unveiled the smart new 3G residential small cell which can provide strong 3G signal for up to eight phones simultaneously within a home or home office.

The plug-and-play unit is quick and easy to install, and automatically configures its radio parameters to optimise performance within the surrounding macro network. Designed for operation in Closed Access mode, the C-class AP allows the home owner to choose which phones can access the small cell to make and receive calls, surf the web or download music and movies at speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps.

The new C8 unit is built with ip.access' award-winning Oyster 3G™ technology, which is used by Cisco in the world’s largest femtocell deployment with AT&T in the USA. The C8 AP becomes part of the company’s end-to-end nano3G small cell solution, which enables mobile network operators to get a high quality 3G mobile phone signal inside buildings and other hard-to-reach places, and uses broadband IP backhaul for rapid deployment and low-cost operation.

Making the announcement, ip.access SVP product strategy and marketing, Dr Andy Tiller said: “We lead the world in small cell deployments, both within homes through our work with Cisco and AT&T and in public small cell deployments with our worldwide operator customers.”

“Today, we are further extending our nano3G solution with our own C-class product as a natural complement to our existing S-Class and E-Class 3G units. Our picocells and femtocells already serve millions of subscribers in homes, shops, offices and busy public locations.”

In August this year ip.access announced that its Oyster 3G technology is powering more than half a million small cell Access Points in mobile networks worldwide.

Vodafone to Help The Linde Group Drive Efficiencies with Range of Managed Mobile Services

Vodafone to Help The Linde Group Drive Efficiencies with Range of Managed Mobile Services

Vodafone has been selected by The Linde Group, a world-leading industrial gases and engineering company, to provide mobile voice and data services in 27 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

Under the four-year agreement, Vodafone Global Enterprise - the business within Vodafone which manages the communications needs of its largest multinational customers - will provide Linde with mobile services that will simplify the management of the Group’s international mobile communications. Vodafone Global Enterprise will also help Linde to standardise its mobile communications spend and deliver enhanced cost transparency.

Nick Jeffery, Vodafone Global Enterprise CEO, said: “Like other multinational companies, Linde wants to manage its global mobility needs as simply and effectively as possible while reducing costs. We have the scale, the tools and the expertise to deliver worry-free business communication services that will give Linde the competitive edge it needs.”

Christoph Clausen, Chief Procurement Officer at The Linde Group said: “After a thorough selection process Linde chose Vodafone as it provided us with the most comprehensive and cost-effective solution. As we follow our strategy to be a High Performance Organisation, mobility services are key to delivering sustainable process optimisation and efficiency gains. Vodafone offers us the ability to harmonise our mobility requirements whilst leveraging Vodafone’s global presence.”

ASCOM AND ALTAIR SIGN LTE LICENSING AGREEMENT

Reston,VA., 11 October 2011 – Ascom Network Testing Inc. and 4G LTE chipmaker Altair Semiconductor today announced a licensing agreement which will address their common customers’ needs for network testing solutions for TD-LTE and FD-LTE wireless network rollouts.

Under the agreement, Ascom will receive licensed access to Altair TD-LTE and FD-LTE modem interfaces. This access will enable timely support of Altair chipset-based terminals in the network deployment and optimization tools that make up Ascom’s TEMS™ Portfolio. This agreement will help to further expand the TEMS TD-LTE portfolio and demonstrates both companies’ commitment to and support of TD-LTE as a strategic wireless technology.

“Ascom is very pleased to partner with Altair, a company that has recently demonstrated its quality products and ability to advance LTE technology in the market,” says Erik Tarnvik, Vice President of Marketing, Ascom Network Testing.

"In the highly competitive LTE market, a key differentiator for Altair is being able to provide both a core chipset technology as well as the complementary tools needed to enable smooth deployment and commercialization of LTE technologies," said Eran Eshed, Co-Founder and VP of Marketing and Business Development at Altair Semiconductor. "We are very excited to join forces with a leading vendor such as Ascom and are confident that this partnership will bring substantial value to our mutual customers."

This partnership allows Ascom to further expand its TD-LTE TEMS product portfolio and to address the market demand for LTE network testing solutions. Altair will benefit from Ascom’s extensive installed customer base by ensuring that Altair based-test tools are available immediately for use by network operators and equipment vendors. As Altair-based terminals gain wider acceptance in the market, network operators will require advanced solutions to analyze the performance of their TD-LTE and FD-LTE networks.

Mobile Communications to Transform Smallholding Farmers' Livelihoods in Emerging Markets

Mobile Communications to Transform Smallholding Farmers' Livelihoods in Emerging Market

Vodafone and Accenture today announced the findings of a ground-breaking new research programme intended to measure the impact of mobile communications on the lives and prosperity of farming communities in some of the world's poorest countries.

The research, which has been welcomed by Oxfam, assesses the potential benefits of new mobile data services such as weather forecasts, commodity market information and mobile banking for smallholding farmers operating in marginal circumstances.

The global population is expected to reach more than 9 billion by 2050, requiring a 70% increase in food production above 2006 levels. Most of this increased yield will have to be achieved within emerging economies, many of whose farmers operate on a small scale and are highly exposed to crop failure and adverse commodity price movements.

Additionally, many farming communities in emerging markets are economically excluded with little or no access to capital or banking services. They therefore lack the means to trade (beyond basic barter arrangements), borrow to acquire new assets or invest to provide their businesses with sufficient resilience to withstand macro-economic changes.

The report, ‘Connected Agriculture’, concludes that 80% of the potential $138 billion uplift in emerging market farmers' incomes will be derived from the growth of:

- mobile money transfer systems, such as Vodafone M-PESA, which provide farmers with the ability to exchange, save and borrow small amounts of capital as well as take out short-term insurance policies;

- mobile information services providing detailed and localised weather forecasts, crop prices and resource management information; and

- helpline services giving real-time guidance on issues such as pest control and the challenges linked to climate change, including water scarcity.

The research also concludes that a further uplift in agricultural incomes will emerge as a consequence of the use of advanced mobile communications technology in food production and distribution. This includes installing simple low-cost wireless data devices within storerooms, delivery vehicles and distribution centres to enable emerging market farmers and food producers to develop detailed logistics and tracking systems. These in turn will allow farmers and producers to optimise the movement of crops and produce from farms to consumers' homes as well as gather detailed field data.

Vodafone Group Chief Executive Officer Vittorio Colao said: “Smallholding farmers in emerging markets are both vulnerable and vital: without a steep increase in their productivity, it is hard to see how future generations will avoid global food shortages. Mobile is already transforming hundreds of millions of people's lives in ways unimaginable only a decade ago. This report now provides vivid evidence of how mobile can make a material difference in tackling the global food gap."

Peter Lacy, Managing Director, Accenture Sustainability Services, Europe, Africa and Latin America said: “Mobile networks are now more widely established in emerging markets than traditional fixed networks and have the potential to transform market-led agricultural practices. We have identified 12 mobile communications opportunities which can drive real efficiency in food and agriculture value chains, increasing farmers’ income by 11% and reducing waste and environmental impact.”

Dame Barbara Stocking, Chief Executive Officer, Oxfam said: “With more than 1.5 billion people worldwide dependent on smallholder agriculture - a group that includes half the world’s undernourished people - mobile telephony could have significant potential to help the poorest farmers towards food and income security. We particularly welcome the focus that this research places on how core business, rather than corporate philanthropy, can operate to have a positive developmental impact.”