Spirent announces the launch of a full suite of O-RAN solutions for end-to-end testing and validation

Spirent Communications has announced the release of end-to-end, ODU and RIC testing, completing its open radio access net­wo­rk (O-RAN) test solution portfolio. Building upon its previously available O-CU and O-RU test solutions, the company now of­fers the most robust and realistic O-RAN testing, a move that will help accelerate widespread O-RAN adoption. Spirent’s comprehensive testing approach and 5G ecosystem expertise will en­su­re O-RAN functionality, interoperability and field-ready performance.

Spirent’s unique O-RAN portfolio provides the following features:

  • Comprehensive multi-vendor interoperability and advanced performance testing using real-time emulation: Spirent offers the most thorough, reliable and realistic testing using comprehensive test portfolios and real-time (bidirectional) emulation, which most accurately reflects a live, real-world O-RAN environment.
  • Automation: Spirent’s O-RAN solutions provide pre-built test libraries across performance, resiliency, security, compliance and more with a fully integrated system with open APIs. Ad­ditionally, the solution is designed to plug-and-play seamlessly into any automation pipeline.
  • Single user experience: O-RAN testing requires a variety of testing and emulation approaches, which Spirent has integrated into the industry’s only system managed through a single user experience, regardless of the testing type being executed.

Ciena launches WaveLogic 6: Industry’s first 1.6 Tbps coherent optic solution

Ciena has announced the latest generation of its WaveLogic technology. Optimised for high capacity transport required with next-generation routing data paths and associated wholesale services, Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 will support up to 1.6 Tbps single-carrier wavelengths for metro ROADM deployments, 800 Gbps over the longest links, and energy-efficient 800 G pluggables across 1,000 km distances. As service providers grapple with the dual challenge of satisfying unabating bandwidth demand and reducing energy use, WaveLogic 6 can go a long way in suppo­rting the capabilities and evolution paths needed to meet current and future network and business requirements.

Industry-first performance achievements in the sixth generation of WaveLogic are made possible through Ciena’s unique expertise in coherent DSP and high-bandwidth electro-optics, leveraging the most advanced 3nm silicon technology to once again set the standard in optical innovation.

WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e), Ciena’s performance-opti­mi­sed solution, integrates new coherent DSP innovations to provide the highest capacity over fibre, supporting 1.6 Tbps single-carrier wavelengths for metro ROADM networks, 800 Gbps across the longest links, and 15 per cent improvement in spectral efficiency compared to the previous generation. WL6e will also deliver significant economic benefits, including a 50 per cent re­duction in space and power per bit compared to Ciena’s industry-leading 800G technology today. The first coherent optical solution operating at 200GBaud, WL6e will maximise coverage of 800 Gbps connectivity across networks.

WaveLogic 6 Nano (WL6n), Ciena’s footprint-optimised sol­ution, powers 400-800G coherent pluggables to drive cost, power and space efficiencies in 400G long-haul and 800G met­ro/re­gi­onal applications, as well as interoperable 800 ZR DCI ap­p­li­ca­tions. With Ciena’s unique engineering innovations, WL6n can also deliver a fit-for-purpose 800LR design, bringing coherent technology inside the data centre campus for the first time.

Mavenir introduces converged packet core solution for hybrid and multicloud deployment with Red Hat

Mavenir has announced the launch of its open virtualised radio access network (open vRAN) solution running on Red Hat OpenShift for cloud deployment, running on general purpose, common-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware available from market-leading server vendors. The solution complies with the O-RAN Alliance’s O-Cloud specifications, using the O-RAN O2 interface to allow Mavenir’s cloud-native network functions to manage the resources provided by Red Hat OpenShift, the industry’s leading enterprise Kubernetes platform.

The integrated offering provides a full stack solution to operationalise O-RAN, including life cycle management, orchestration and automation, to lower the barrier to entry for service providers and enterprises deploying 4G and 5G public and private networks with real-time use cases that require on-premises equipment.

Mavenir’s open vRAN runs on Red Hat OpenShift and can be deployed in any combination of network models such as 4G, 5G standalone, 5G non-standalone and 5G massive MIMO.

Keysight launches wireless test platform for 5G RedCap and CIoT industry progression

Keysight Technologies, Inc. has announced its new E7515R solution based on its 5G network emulation solutions platform, a str­e­a­mlined network emulator specifically designed for protocol, ra­d­io frequency, and functional testing of all cellular internet of th­ings (CIoT) technologies, including RedCap. The E7515R ex­pa­nds Ke­y­sight’s 5G network emulation solutions portfolio, the in­d­ustry’s most robust, which is used in mobile device validation ac­ross the workflow, from early design to acceptance and deployment.

The 5G RedCap specification introduces support for wireless devices with reduced 5G capabilities. These devices are less complex and consume less power, allowing them to address new CIoT use cases such as industrial sensors and wearables such as smartwatches. Like other cellular devices, RedCap devices require time-consuming and expensive certification from accredited labs before they can be released to the market. By performing lab validation ahead of time to identify and correct design issues, device and module manufacturers can shorten the certification process for RedCap and other CIoT devices.

The Keysight E7515R addresses this need as a network emulation test platform designed specifically for 5G RedCap and supporting all CIoT technologies. The solution features streamlined capabilities for RedCap without the additional features needed to test a full-spec 5G device.

Huawei launches three solutions to embrace F5.5G and stride to 10 Gbps everywhere

Huawei has launched three solutions – Huawei fibre-to-the-room (FTTR) Opti­Xstar F30, industry’s first commercial 50G PON, and Huawei OptiX Alps-WDM, for all-optical home, ultra-broadband access, and all-optical metro network fields. While helping operators build E2E green all-optical networks to support high quality development of all services, these solutions also support smooth evolution to F5.5G networks and striding to 10 Gbps everywhere.

Huawei FTTR OptiXstar F30 is the industry’s first all-optical FTTR networking product that runs on the C-WAN architecture to achieve six major improvements:

  • Four colours and three installation modes allow it to blend in perfectly with the design of a modern home.
  • Hardware acceleration and algorithm optimisation ensure a 2,000 Mbps connection throughout the entire house.
  • Multi-beam smart antennas improve coverage by around 30 per cent.
  • Huawei’s innovative seamless roaming coordinated network algorithm enables imperceptible roaming in the entire house.
  • Multi-device collaboration minimises Wi-Fi interference and allows up to 128 devices to connect concurrently.
  • One-stop premium 5A service capabilities enable operators to deliver premium installation, maintenance and operation services. Huawei FTTR OptiXstar F30 enables users to enjoy a digital life and helps operators to enhance broadband competitiveness. It has opened up a trillion-dollar market.

In the ultra-broadband access field, Huawei 50G PON is the industry’s first commercial solution to implement the following functions:

  • It provides high-density symmetrical 50G PON to meet the increasing bandwidth requirements in future campus, industrial interconnection, enterprise and home scenarios.
  • It uses an innovative tapered amplifier and a superlattice ref­lection structure to increase the optical power budget by arou­nd 25 per cent and enable ODN deployment on the live network without re-cabling.
  • It integrates GPON, 10G PON and 50G PON into one port, allowing for service upgrades on demand and minimising in­vestment costs for operators. As a next-generation PON technology defined by ITU-T, the 50G PON effectively supports 10 Gbps everywhere. Huawei’s innovative 50G PON solution provides a TCO-effective evolution path for operators to up­grade their networks to 10G.

In the all-optical metro network field, Huawei OptiX Alps-WDM solution provides four capabilities:

  • This capability extends OXC to the network edge and enables a one-hop optical connection and flexible grooming on the entire network, improving network connectivity performance and shortening service provisioning time from months to minutes.
  • The metro-oriented innovative 100G coherent module helps move 100G OTN to CO, improving bandwidth by 10 times and reducing costs remarkably.
  • By using the wavelength selective switch technology to integrate nine traditional subracks into one module, this architecture allows nine access rings to share 96 wavelengths, significantly improving wavelength efficiency and reducing equipment room footprint.
  • This capability attaches digital optical labels to wavelengths and uses a centralised management and control unit to ac­hieve automatic planning, construction and O&M, thereby reducing opex.

Vertiv powers cell sites and 5G radio networks with new compact outdoor rectifier and lithium-ion battery

Vertiv has introduced the new Vertiv NetSure IPE outdoor rectifier to facilitate 5G roll-out and enable operators to increase capacity in ar­eas where demand for data is vast. These easy-to-deploy devices, available with lithium-ion ba­­ttery backup, help to minimise power losses while feeding radios on top of towers and roof­tops, common in these types of applications. The NetSure IPE R48-2000C2 is now available globally.

The next-generation technology of NetSure IPE R48-2000C2 outdoor rectifiers quickly and reliably powers the radios needed to increase capacity and expand 5G networks. If the grid fails, depending on load and battery capacity, lightweight and maintenance-free lithium-ion batteries efficiently keep the network running for an hour or longer, while operating at higher temperatures and charging faster than lead-acid alternatives.