Displaying items by tag: Ethernet

MEF has announced the 15 MEF 3.0 Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstration teams selected to participate in the sixth annual MEF 3.0 PoC Showcase at MEF19, held 18-22 November 2019 at the JW Marriott LA LIVE in Los Angeles, California.

The Showcase will bring together 46 of the world’s leading service and technology providers to present groundbreaking demonstrations of SD-WAN, inter-provider and intra-provider service automation with LSO APIs, AI/ML, security, intent-based networking, Blockchain, Carrier Ethernet, satellite services, 5G, network slicing, IoT, private cloud, service assurance, and more.

“This has been an extraordinary year of innovation as industry players strive toward a common goal of accelerating adoption of dynamic and assured services across automated, virtualized, and interconnected networks,” said Pascal Menezes, CTO, MEF.

He continued, “We look forward to the PoC teams spotlighting the huge progress being made in MEF 3.0 service and technology development and implementation.” 

“It has been a pleasure working directly with top service and technology experts from around world who are participating in the MEF 3.0 PoC Showcase,” said Daniel Bar-Lev, Director, Office of the CTO, MEF.

“The PoCs are always a highlight for our annual event, and I’m extremely excited about what we have in store for MEF19. This year’s Showcase will provide invaluable insight that enterprises, service providers, and technology companies need to successfully navigate on their digital transformation journey.”

The 2019 MEF 3.0 PoC Showcase participants and their demonstration themes include:

Colt Technology Services, PCCW Global, Sparkle, Tata Communications, Accedian Amartus, and Clear Blockchain Technologies: Standardization of Blockchain Billing and Settlement Utilizing MEF 3.0 Framework

PCCW Global, DCConnect Global, and R3: Automated Inter-Carrier Credit Ratings Using Blockchain

NTT Communications, ADVA, NEC/Netcracker, Silver Peak, Spirent Communications, and Versa Networks: Orchestrated Virtualized Multivendor SD-WAN Services

Comcast Business, Cox Business, Ciena, and Nokia Networks: MEF SOAM for High Value Multi-Operator Carrier Ethernet Services

Spectrum Enterprise, Equinix, Nefeli Networks, Nokia Networks, and Vitria: Intelligent, Intent-Based Network Scaling Using IoT Services

AT&T, Fortinet, and Nokia Networks: Slicing the Edge

CMC Networks, Intelsat, Nokia/Nuage Networks, Infovista, Cloudify, and Kontron: SD-WAN over Satellite Access

BT, ADVA, and Infovista with radio support from Accelleran, Attocore, and Radisys: Wholesale Network Slicing for 5G Access

Equinix, Unitas Global, and Ciena: AI-Driven Federated Domain Operations for Ultra Resilient Services

Tata Communications Transformation Services (TCTS), Fortinet, and Spirent Communications: Security Assurance in SD-WAN Application Flows (“The Protectors”)

CenturyLink, Telia Carrier, and Infinera: AI/ML and Policy Driven Networks for the LSO-Based Architecture

CenturyLink, Spirent Communications, and Versa Networks: SD-WAN Services and API Automated Certification

Amdocs and Cisco: Private Enterprise Networks

TELUS, Ekinops, and Inmanta: Multi-Domain Orchestration of MPLS, SD-WAN and Cloud Services

NTT Communications, NTT Labs, and Okinawa Open Laboratory: 5G xHaul Sharing as Slices with LSO Orchestration

MEF will be hosting a special MEF 3.0 PoC Awards Ceremony at 6:40pm – 7:00pm on Wednesday, 20 November, in the MEF19 Networking Hall. These awards will recognize leadership and innovation across multiple categories.

MEF today introduces the Third Network Professional Certification Framework for creating a global ecosystem of certified professionals with leading-edge skills required to support agile, assured, and orchestrated Third Network services.

The framework comprises a family of essential, professional, and expert level certifications. These will cover the concepts and skills needed to build automated, virtualized, and interconnected networks powered by LSO (Lifecycle Services Orchestration), SDN, NFV, and CE 2.0 (Carrier Ethernet 2.0). Development of these advanced networks will accelerate the worldwide transition to on-demand Third Network services that provide user-directed control over service capabilities.

"MEF is building upon our experience with the world's most popular vendor-neutral professional certification - MEF Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (MEF-CECP) - that is achieving a major milestone this month," said Nan Chen, President, MEF. "We are reaching 5,000+ certified professionals employed by 440 companies in 83 countries. Building on this solid track record, we aim to create the industry's most coveted professional credentials for networking professionals."

"A highly skilled and well-trained workforce is essential to providing consultation and networking solutions that will address the needs of global enterprises now and in the future, particularly with the rapid migration to cloud-based services," said Paul Savill, SVP of Global Product Management, Level 3. "To this end, since the inception of the MEF-CECP program, more than 500 Level 3 professionals have attained certification."

The Third Network Professional Certification Framework includes the following certifications:

Essential Level: Foundational Certification for Careers Supporting Advanced Networks MEF Third Network Foundations (MEF-TNF) - available 3Q 2017 Third Network Foundations certification validates individuals' concept-level understanding of key Third Network terms, processes, and elements. Knowledge and practice domains include SDN, NFV, Connectivity Services/CE, LSO/Orchestration, and use cases in all of these areas.

Professional Level: IT Certifications for Practitioners in Advanced Networks MEF Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (MEF-CECP) MEF-CECP certification recognizes individuals who demonstrate expertise and excellence in technological knowledge and understanding of Carrier Ethernet service specifications and definitions. The certification exam will be periodically updated to ensure individuals have the most current Carrier Ethernet expertise that is most relevant to the Third Network era.

SDN/NFV Certified Professional - coming in 2018 MEF will work with subject matter experts to design and deploy the first ISO-accredited professional certification that validates knowledge, skills, and abilities in both SDN and NFV.

LSO Certified Professional - coming in 2018 LSO certification will cover major orchestration platforms from a practitioner's point of view.
Professionals will, among other things, validate their knowledge of emerging LSO API standards for orchestrating services across multiple service providers and multiple technology domains.

Additional Professional Level Certifications - future offerings MEF envisions launching additional professional certifications in advanced network security, SD-WAN, network design and architecture, and other topics during the next several years.

Expert Level: Mastery in Vendor-Neutral and Vendor-Specific Network Technologies MEF anticipates recognizing Expert Level professionals who achieve multiple Professional Level certifications, including combinations with vendor-specific mastery certifications.

British telecoms giant BT has been fined 42 million pounds ($53 million) by the regulator Ofcom for failing to deliver on contracts with telecoms providers and also failing to pay the required level of compensation for delays in Ethernet installations. The error is estimated to cost the company around 300 million pounds in compensation, according to reports.

BT was supposed to pay compensation for delays outside its contracted Ethernet installation time of 30 working days, according to Ofcom’s regulations. There are circumstances where there could be logistical or technical issues with the installation, so the company could assume the customer agreed to an extension. But during its investigation, Ofcom found that BT had been abusing its extension clause to reduce compensation payouts.

BT was accused by Vodafone in 2015 of failing to meet its contractual compensation terms and late delivery of Ethernet services, and Ofcom launched an investigation into operations at BT’s Openreach operation.

“These high-speed lines are a vital part of this country’s digital backbone,” said Ofcom investigations director Gaucho Rasmussen. “Millions of people rely on BT’s network for the phone and broadband services they use every day. We found BT broke our rules to pay other telecoms companies proper compensation when these services were not provided on time. The size of our fine reflects how important these rules are to protect competition and, ultimately, consumers and businesses.”

BT has subsequently accepted the accusations and secured a 30 percent reduction in the amount for admitting full liability. BT has reportedly agreed to compensate all of the operators involved within 12 months.

US telecoms giant AT&T successfully completed the first of a multi-phase trial testing 400 gigabit Ethernet data speeds. This brings AT&T one step closer to quadrupling network speeds for businesses.

In the field trial, AT&T established a 400GbE connection between New York and Washington, D.C. This proved the AT&T nationwide software-centric network is ready for next-generation speeds.

400GbE end-to-end service was transported across the network, which was carrying live traffic. A software-defined network (SDN) controller created a service along the direct path between the two cities, and through software control rerouted the service to a second path to simulate a response to a network failure.  

Late last year, AT&T announced its intention to be the first in the industry to demonstrate 400GbE service across our production network, aligning with its shift toward a software-centric network.

Traffic on the AT&T network continues to grow. 400GbE speeds will allow AT&T business customers to transport massive amounts of data faster than ever. That also means faster uploads and downloads and ultra-fast video streaming.

"Our approach to roll out the next generation of Ethernet speeds is working. We continue to see enormous data growth on our network, fueled by video. And this will help with that growth," said Rick Hubbard, senior vice president, AT&T Network Product Management.

Next-generation speeds like 400GbE can help transform the way AT&T’s customers do business.

The company is moving on to the second phase – a 400GbE end-to-end service transported across the AT&T OpenROADM metro network to the customer. This will show the network is ready for 400GbE to serve customers in metro areas.

Phase 3 will test the first instance of a 400GbE open router platform. The "disaggregated router" platform uses merchant silicon and open source software – another industry first.

Stockholm-based Telia Carrier recently announced it has established an additional point of connectivity in Budapest, Hungary, to meet an increasing demand for wholesale IP transit and Ethernet services amongst carriers, content and cloud providers alike. As a critical center for technological innovation in Europe, Budapest’s fast-moving business environment has given rise to a dramatic increase in on-demand connectivity.

Home to eighteen universities and the headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), Budapest is a hub for technological innovation and a start-up scene that rivals Stockholm and Silicon Valley. This expansion of its top-two ranked IP backbone, AS1299, compounds Telia Carrier’s presence and allows it to serve more customers in the second fastest developing urban economy in Europe.

“Telia Carrier has watched the growth and innovation that has helped Budapest become a major destination for business interests in Europe,” said Simon Barlow, global product manager, Internet Services, Telia Carrier. “By deepening our presence in Budapest, and in addition to existing PoPs throughout the region, Telia Carrier’s AS1299 services carriers, operators and cloud providers in more facilities is one of the fastest growing cities and regions in Central and Eastern Europe.”

Telia Carrier’s global fiber backbone has grown organically, without acquisitions, and is the first to be 100G-enabled in both Europe and North America. It is also the first network to successfully transmit 1 Tb/s on its US network.

According to Dyn Research’s global backbone rankings, AS1299, Telia Carrier’s global IP backbone is currently ranked top-two. Telia Carrier’s rapid growth and ascension through the rankings was recently highlighted in Dyn’s ‘Baker’s Dozen, 2015 edition’ report. The company enables worldwide connectivity by connecting more than 200 Points of Presence (PoPs) across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East including over 70 PoPs in North America alone.

Telia Carrier announced that it has extended the reach of its global, top-two ranked IP backbone to complete the Frankfurt-Warsaw Express, a direct DWDM route from Frankfurt, Germany to Warsaw, Poland. The additional route provides increased resiliency and redundancy to Telia Carrier’s network, offering wholesale IP Transit, Wavelength and Ethernet services for carriers, content providers, cloud providers and mobile operators in the region.

The Frankfurt-Warsaw Express includes break-outs in Prague and Nuremberg, allowing Telia Carrier to not only service the growing Czech and Polish regions, but also address network traffic coming in to Warsaw from China and Russia. Additionally, the wholesale carrier offers a low latency alternative path to major datacenter hotspots in Germany, such as Berlin and Munich. As well as offering customers increased quality of service, the Frankfurt-Warsaw Express further extends Telia Carrier’s top-two ranked global IP backbone, AS1299.

“Frankfurt to Warsaw is one of the largest telecom routes in Europe, this expansion enables Telia Carrier to serve customers in the region with diverse connections and low latency,” said Johan Godal, global product manager, wavelength and network outsourcing services at Telia Carrier. “By adding more routes eastward, Telia Carrier continues to be at the forefront of providing global connectivity services on a resilient backbone.”

Telia Carrier’s global fiber backbone has grown organically, without acquisitions and is the first to be 100G-enabled in both Europe and North America. It is also the first network to successfully transmit 1 Tb/s on its US network. According to Dyn Research’s global backbone rankings, AS1299, Telia Carrier’s global IP backbone is currently ranked top-two.

Telia Carrier has established a new point of presence (PoP) in Minneapolis within the Cologix 511 11th Street downtown data center. Carriers, content and cloud providers now have access to Telia Carrier's wholesale IP transit, Ethernet and IPX services to meet their connectivity needs. With its PoP in Minneapolis, Telia Carrier continues its expansion in North America to meet the demand for 100G services at the edge.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul area is the second largest economic center in the Midwest, providing a major traffic hub for regional carriers, broadband providers and data center providers due to its power costs, tax incentives and colder climate. Eighteen Fortune 500 companies and leading healthcare, research and education organizations are based in Minneapolis. With a new PoP in the market, customers in the region can connect to Telia Carrier's AS1299 fiber optic backbone, one of the largest in the world, at the highest speeds available in the region.

"As Telia Carrier continues to expand into Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, Minneapolis provides an ideal location within the region for establishing a PoP," said Art Kazmierczak, Director of Business Development, Americas at Telia Carrier Inc. "Cologix has become a gateway to edge markets for Telia, with Minneapolis becoming the fourth market where the companies have partnered. Enhancing the local ecosystem, Telia Carrier will support increased demand for high capacity services, providing high performance and reliable connectivity for online video, cloud, gaming and other applications."

"With Telia Carrier expanding into Minneapolis, we are providing the area's most powerful network hub to meet the needs of carriers, cloud and content providers," said Wayne Dietrich, Chief Sales Officer, Cologix. "Through our continued partnership, we are committed to supporting customers at the network edge with our interconnection solutions."

Telia Carrier was the first carrier with a 100G enabled backbone in both Europe and North America in addition to owning and operating a top-two ranked Global IP backbone. The company enables worldwide connectivity by connecting more than 200 Points of Presence (PoPs) across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East including 63 PoPs in North America alone.

Telia Carrier has told Active Telecoms that it has established a new presence in Montreal, now providing wholesale IP transit, Ethernet and IPX services for carriers, content and cloud providers. Montreal complements its presence already established in Toronto and underscores Telia Carrier's continued commitment to expansion in North America.

As one of the leading providers of 100G services, Telia Carrier enables Montreal customers to connect to its AS1299 fiber optic backbone, one of the largest in the world, at the highest speeds available in the region. Montreal is a major media hub for the French Canadian market and the region's low power costs are also a draw for content providers and cloud technology companies. Montreal is uniquely positioned as a key aggregation point for international traffic, from both the US as well as transatlantic directly to Canada from Europe via east coast Canadian cable landing points.

"Telia Carrier is dedicated to delivering a responsive, connected experience to address the continued demand in the Canadian market," said Art Kazmierczak, Director of Business Development, Americas at Telia Carrier. "By moving into Montreal, in addition to already being in Toronto, Telia Carrier strengthens its presence in a high growth IP transit market in Canada, and reinforces our commitment to meeting customer demand for consistent and reliable performance worldwide."

Telia Carrier was the first carrier with a 100G enabled backbone in both Europe and North America in addition to owning and operating the #1 ranked Global IP backbone. The company enables worldwide connectivity by connecting more than 200 Points of Presence (PoPs) across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East including 62 PoPs in North America alone.