Broadband Pulse

Keysight's Seifert on the 800GE network opportunity

In this latest episode of the Broadband Pulse podcast, we talk to Charles Seifert, senior manager of network test hardware platforms for Keysight, about the 800GE network opportunity. 
Seifert, who has decades of experience in the networking industry, addresses several issues: 
What technologies are driving changes in data center interconnects that affect the buildout of new network infrastructures
How has AI and/or HPC effected Keysight’s strategy for testing network infrastructures
The challenges in building a new network infrastructure for AI and HPC network applications
Listen to this episode to hear from Charles about the emerging 800GE market, and how it will evolve to meet current and future needs. 
 

Marvell's Alvares on the water and power consumption conundrum for data centers

In this latest Broadband Pulse podcast, we talked to Nigel Alvares, Marvell's VP of global marketing and business planning. 
During the podcast, we addressed the need to accommodate growing AI and other applications, and data center power and water consumption is poised to skyrocket. 
Marvell has also been actively enhancing its product line to deal with the AI explosion. 
During the September ECOC 2024 tradeshow, Marvell highlighted new product innovations like:
Orion 800G coherent DSP for carrier and data center interconnect
COLORZ® 800G ZR/ZR+ DCI optical modules with C-Band and L-Band support
Nova 1.6T PAM4 DSP for AI and cloud connectivity

US Signal’s Dan Watts on integrating One Neck assets and organic growth opportunities

Dan Watts, CEO of US Signal, joined the Broadband Pulse podcast to discuss how the competitive business service provider enhances its cloud service reach through acquisitions and new product development.
One of US Signal's critical priorities for 2024 is integrating its earlier acquisition of One Neck, a data center provider from TDS Telecom. This acquisition enhances US Signal’s data center, cloud hosting, and solutions provider operations.
The provider is also actively enhancing its product set. It recently launched its Infrastructure-as-a-Service product, OpenCloud, an alternative response to the volatility in the cloud computing market, including provider shakeups and recent license price hikes.
What will tie all of US Signals ambitions together is its network assets. US Signal has a 9,500-mile-lit fiber network with access to over 225 data centers and POPs, Tier 1 peering relationships, and metro rings in strategic markets. 
Listen to this podcast to gain insights into how US Signal harnesses its capabilities to address the ever-evolving cloud services market.

Orbia Dura-Line is bridging the broadband technician gap

Madison Carroll, Global Program Manager at Orbia’s Dura-Line Academy, joined the Broadband Pulse podcast to discuss fiber broadband workforce issues.
During our conversation, we discussed that while the advent of BEAD will put broadband into more consumers' and businesses' hands, the need to make those connections is challenged by a need for more skilled technicians to install services.
To address this issue, Dura-Line has created an online training academy that anyone can use. The company has alliances with the Power Communications Contractors Association, the Fiber Broadband Association, the Mississippi State Broadband Association, and many others.
Listen to this podcast to gain insights into how Dura-Line academy is helping to close the fiber technician gap.

CHR's software is enhancing the broadband experience

In this latest Lightwave+BTR Broadband Pulse Podcast episode, we talked to Jason Malmquist, EVP and Head of Software and IT Services Business for CHR.
We discussed CHR’s role in the broadband ecosystem and its customer's OSS/BSS concerns.
One of CHR’s latest releases is Omnia360e, which offers one-touch self-service tools to provide the optimal customer experience and automated functionality. 
Another key issue is cybersecurity. CHR recently partnered with Kaseya to address cyberthreats in the telecom industry.
Tune in here for insights on these critical issues facing broadband providers scaling their networks to enhance customer satisfaction and ARPU.

Funds for Learning CEO addresses cybersecurity and Wi-Fi E-Rate issues

In this latest Lightwave+BTR Broadband Pulse Podcast edition, we talked to John Harrington, CEO of Funds for Learning.
We discussed the recent launch of Funds for Learning’s 14th annual E-rate survey, which enables applicants to provide confidential feedback about essential aspects of the federal E-rate program.
Two of the key highlights of the survey were cybersecurity and Wi-Fi. Recently, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to make off-campus Wi-Fi hotspot services eligible for E-rate program discounts.
The regulator also proposed a $200 million pilot program over three years to finance advanced cybersecurity products and services for schools and libraries.
Tune in here to hear Funds for Learning’s insights on these critical issues facing schools and libraries.

Technetix shows how to reduce network power consumption by up to 30%

Governments the world over are committed to keeping global temperature below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. To achieve this, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must halve by 2030, and drop to ‘net zero’ by 2050. Ambitious but crucial, it’s a challenge an increasing number of companies across every sector are accepting. Telecommunications is no exception.
A significant contributor to GHG emissions is electrical energy consumption. SCTE estimate between 44% and 50% of cable operators’ power consumption is consumed by the outside plant.
In addition to this, global warming, an increased share of EVs, and geopolitical events have had a worldwide impact on driving up prices per KWh. Price increases have materialized at a pace higher than inflation in recent years, with a growing number of countries implementing time of use (TOU) rates.
As part of their commitment to minimizing environmental impacts, it became clear to Technetix that a solution was required to enable to reduce their own electricity consumption in the outside plant. Technetix’ CTO team began investigating what could be done to not only to reduce powering costs for operators, but to help them achieve their own carbon neutrality targets. The likes of amplifiers and other active devices that construct HFC architectures require power. This is typically injected into the network with a linear or ferroresonant transformer-based power supply that converts the power from the grid 100-240VACRMS to a lower voltage range of 63-89VACRMS at the same frequency of 50/60Hz.
Furthermore, all active devices use solid state technology that requires DC power. Subsequently, the power received from the network must be converted to DC to be useful. This is achieved with the built-in device power supplies.
 
Yet this power conversion process entails losses due to two main factors:
1.-Used for decades to covert high-to-low voltage, linear and ferroresonant transformers depend on the percentage of the connected load to determine efficiency. This typically increases as load gets closer to 100%. However, with the wide distribution range of loads within HFC networks, actual transformer-based power supplies operating beyond 85% efficiency are extremely rare: 80% efficiency or lower are more common. This means for every Watt consumed in the HFC network, 1.25 Watts are actually extracted from the electrical grid.
For network design purposes, all components(including passives) should have a low-as-possible resistive behavior. In practice however, cables present an inductive component to their resistance levels. This is proportionate to their length, with active devices adding a capacitive behavior. These two variables contribute to the load present in the network power supply, which at this point must feed both the resistive and reactive components – inductance and capacitance – of the load. The ratio between the true power (power in the resistive load) and the apparent power (power considering both resistive and reactive loads) is defined as power factor. A power factor of 1 means the load is purely resistive and apparent power equals true power. Power factors between 0.8 and 0.9 are common in today’s networks, depending on the depth of the architecture (N+x) and the length and type of trunk cable used.
Both these variables create inefficiencies in the energy transmission in HFC networks.
 
With this in mind, Technetix investigated alternative ways of powering HFC networks.
The first concept was to use direct current (DC) only. This would directly improve efficiency by supporting a power factor of 1. In addition to this, the evolution of switching mode power supplies (SMPS) since their 1970s origin has been significant, with efficiencies above 90% a reasonable expectation today..
DC-only powering was put to the test both in Technetix’ lab in an N+4 topology, and in the field in one of their European customer’s active networks. While the lab environment yielded an impressive energy saving of 26%, the field trial offered a staggering reduction of 33%. Thanks to the presence of SMPS in all active network devices, direct DC power is supported with no need for any network modifications.
However, corrosion is a considerable issue with using DC-only to power HFC networks. As direct current passes through contrasting metals, usually copper and aluminum in this context, chemical reactions caused by unidirectional ion flow can corrode and damage metallic surfaces. This creates common path distortion noise issues.
By examining the speed of this chemical reaction under different frequencies from DC up to 60 Hz, Technetix identified a sweet spot to optimize energy savings while minimizing corrosion.
Technetix has filed multiple patents around this concept. They have also developed a smart monitoring and auto-adjust algorithm to help cable operators reduce their outside plant energy consumption by up to 30%, and get closer to attaining their carbon neutrality targets.
 
 

Zayo's Bill Long sounds off on the middle mile

In this latest episode of the Broadband Pulse podcast, we talk to Bill Long, Zayo's chief product officer. Long leads the company's overall product strategy, financials, and roadmap.
In this episode, we discuss the importance of the middle-mile fiber network. Zayo has been an advocate for middle-mile networks. The provider is set to receive $92.8 million through the NTIA’s middle-mile program for three separate middle-mile projects touching eight states.
It was recently contracted by the State of Nevada to lead a $153 million open-access fiber network targeting underserved locations throughout rural parts of the state. It also won a $27.8 million funding grant from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to expand middle-mile infrastructure and deliver equitable Internet access across Dallas County, Texas.
 

Broadband Forum celebrates 20 years of TR-69 standard and industry innovation

The Broadband Forum celebrated a milestone this year: the twentieth anniversary of the TR-069 standard. Introduced in 2004, TR-069, known as CPE WAN Management Protocol (CWMP), provided service providers an interface for the remote configuration and management of user devices. TR-069 has streamlined service provisioning and reduced operational expenditures for ISPs. 
Now, TR-369/User Services Platform (USP), which builds on the TR-069 blueprint, has become the new device management.
In this latest Broadband Pulse podcast, we talked to two key members of the Broadband Forum about what's next, including: 
Craig Thomas, CEO of Broadband Forum
Jason Walls, QA Cafe, Broadband User Services Work Area Co-Director at Broadband Forum
 

MEF's CTO Pascal Menezes takes on the IP service automation opportunity

In this first episode of Lightwave+BTR's podcast series, The Broadband Pulse, we talked with MEF's CTO, Pascal Menezes, about the organization's goals for this year and into 2025.
MEF's big focus in 2024 is helping service providers enhance their Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) offerings. As MEF sees it, NaaS combines on-demand connectivity, application assurance, cybersecurity, and multi-cloud-based services delivered across a standards-based automated ecosystem of partners. It recently announced a joint initiative with the TM Forum aimed at aligning their respective API and product and service models.  
Listen to this episode to hear from Pascal as he addresses these new networking trends while providing a sneak peek at the Global NaaS Event (GNE) event coming this fall. 
Pascal Menezes, CTO at MEF, is a seasoned expert with a laser focus on cutting-edge technologies. His areas of expertise encompass SD-WAN, SASE, cloud-scale architectures, real-time media networks, SDN, NFV, and LSO. With a decade at Microsoft Skype for Business Global Carrier Group, and a track record of success in five startups, Pascal has earned global thought leadership awards, presented at renowned events, contributed to industry standards in the IETF, MEF, and Broadband Forum (MPLS), holds 30+ patents. Pascal hosts MEF's Executives at the Edge podcast. Get access to the 2024 MEF State of the Industry Report on SASE here.