7
Déc, 2023

Pioneer Consulting expands in Asia


Press Release

Pioneer Consulting, the full-service submarine fiber optic telecommunications consulting and project management company, announces it has expanded its Core Team by hiring a rising industry leader in subsea telecommunications, Jonathan “Nathan” Javier, as Director of Client Solutions. As a new Core Team member, Javier will be pivotal in expanding Pioneer’s global footprint and addressing the needs of Pioneer’s growing customer base.

As the company’s first employee based in Asia and with over ten years of experience, Nathan is uniquely qualified to support Pioneer’s plans for the region. Most recently, he spent four years helping build out the Asian submarine cable portfolio for Meta, working on key projects such as SJC2 and BtoBE/CAP-1. Prior to Meta, he served at Globe Telecom in various engineering roles.

“The cable industry in Asia is expanding rapidly, and we are pleased to welcome regional industry expert Nathan Javier to the team. With boots on the ground in the Philippines, Pioneer is even better positioned to engage with current and future customers in the region,” said Gavin Tully, Managing Partner at Pioneer Consulting. “Nathan brings an impressive portfolio of experience and a fresh perspective to our organization, and the subsea telecom industry stands to benefit from adding young talent.”

“I am delighted to join the company to support the growth and development of critical infrastructure for subsea telecommunication systems,” said Nathan. “I look forward to helping continue the incredible work that the Pioneer team has already done and is positioned to accomplish over the coming months.”

Nathan will work from his office in the Philippines, where he will build and strengthen regional and global partnerships through business development and relationship management.

Submarine Networks EMEA, the leading annual subsea connectivity event will be back in London on 29th – 30th May 2024. GET INVOLVED

6
Déc, 2023

Vietnam’s cable issues over – for now

Is the long-running saga of the five broken undersea cables linking Vietnam with the world now over? Regional reports suggest it may be, at least for now.

Repair efforts have apparently now finished on all five broken undersea cables linking Vietnam with the world, according to a representative of an ISP in Vietnam this week who was not identified.

The Intra-Asia (IA), SMW3, and Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) cable systems were restored in late May and September. SAAG (Asia, America Gateway), a 20,000-kilometre submarine communications cable system connecting Southeast Asia with the United States across the Pacific Ocean via Guam and Hawaii, was fixed in early November. Finally The AAE-1 (Asia-Africa-Euro 1) cable, which broke down on September 27, was fully restored in late November. 

But, says news resource VietNamnNet, over the next few years the country will have at least four and as many as six new undersea cables. The Vietnam Telecommunications Authority (VNTA) suggests the new cables will be available by 2030.

We reported earlier this year on the imminent arrival of two of these: SJC 2 and ADC. State-run Viettel hopes to use the ADC cable by the end of the year. Another state-owned telecommunications company, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, plans make use of the SJC 2 cable.

Last month saw FPT Telecom, a subsidiary of Financing Promoting Technology, the largest information technology service company in Vietnam, approve an investment initiative for the ALC undersea cable project.

Cable issues have been in the news for some while in Vietnam. As regular readers may be aware, four (out of five) undersea cable routes used by Vietnamese carriers were experiencing issues as long ago as January this year.

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6
Déc, 2023

Deutsche Glasfaser selects Ekinops for network technology


Press Release

Ekinops, a leading optical transport and network access specialist, today announced the selection of its Ekinops360 optical transport platform by Deutsche Glasfaser in a multi-year contract to modernize and unify its optical transport network infrastructure throughout Germany.

Deutsche Glasfaser (DG) is a leading competitive service provider in Germany, serving nearly 1,800 municipalities with over 1.2 million households and adding around 40,000 new homes passed per month. DG is expanding rapidly by organic growth. Recognizing the need for a unified network to simplify operations, DG sought a new flexible, modern optical transport infrastructure that could not only automate its service provisioning and speed its time-to-market, but also lower its capital and operational expenditures as it scaled.

After considering multiple competitive bids, DG selected Ekinops as a single vendor for deployment of the Ekinops360 portfolio across all tiers of its optical transport network including the Core, Aggregation, and Central Office (street cabinet). Ekinops’ FlexRate™ 100G to 400G coherent solutions are being introduced with its advanced colorless and gridless ROADM architecture. Enhanced by Celestis NMS management system to provide flexibility, ease-of-use and the seamless support of Alien wavelength services. Ekinops ETR (Extended Temperature Range) solutions are being deployed in central offices to extend capacity as close to the customer as possible and to support the deployment of 10Gbps XGS-PON access technology as standard across DG’s network.

“As pioneers of fiber rollout in Germany we have always sought to employ state-of-the-art technology in our network,” commented Pascal Koster, Chief Operating Officer of Deutsche Glasfaser. “The Ekinops360 gives us the ability to streamline our operations with a single end-to-end system that meets our ambitions to be even more efficient and responsive.”

“Deutsche Glasfaser is an innovative, forward-thinking service provider that is heavily invested in expanding Germany’s digital capabilities, even into its smallest communities” said Frank Dedobbeleer, Chief Revenue Officer, EMEA & APAC at Ekinops: “The Ekinops360 provides both the technological and economical basis for DG to accomplish its project objectives and we are pleased, as a strategic partner, to support DG.”

Connected Germany is taking place right now! Keep up with all of the action from the German telecoms market with #ConnectedGermany

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6
Déc, 2023

EU gives green light for €1.2 billion cloud computing funding 


News 

The move aims to increase the EU’s presence in the global cloud computing market 

The European Commission has this week agreed to provide €1.2 billion in state funding for cloud computing.  

The funding will support a European cloud computing project in an attempt to increase the EU’s presence in the global cloud computing ecosystem. Currently, the international cloud market is dominated by US firms, such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. 

The project, which is named IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI CIS) has so far been backed by seven counties: France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. 

As part of the project, 19 companies including Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica Spain, Orange, and Telecom Italia will undertake 19 projects, working closely together to develop together the first EU-wide and interoperable multi-provider cloud edge continuum in Europe. 

“The participating Member States provide up to €1.2 billion in public funding, expected to unlock an additional €1.4 billion in private investments,” said Commissioner Didier Reynders (who is in charge of competition policy) in the European Commission’s statement. 

“The IPCEI will provide for highly ambitious research, necessary to enable the uptake of innovative data processing applications and services for European businesses, public administrations, and citizens,” he continued. 

The Commission stated that at least 1,000 jobs are set to be created during the research and development phase of the project, which will run between 2023 and 2031. The image below highlights the structure of the project. 

IPCEIs are designed to boost the economic growth and competitiveness of the EU by combining research, finances, and business acumen across member states. The European Commission has approved six IPCEIs since 2018, with the projects covering batteries, hydrogen, and microelectronics and communication technologies. 

The first results of the project are expected around 2027. 

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5
Déc, 2023

Huawei and etisalat by e& demo net zero 5G massive MIMO

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5
Déc, 2023

FCC chairwoman urges U.S. Congress to renew funding for Affordable Connectivity Program


News

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has urged lawmakers to renew funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)

This article was originally published by our sister publication, Broadband Communities

Over 22 million Americans currently get assistance from the ACP to pay for high-speed internet access but FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said current funds to maintain the program will run out by April of 2024.

Rosenworcel made the comments when she addressed the Congressional Subcommittee on Communications and Technology on Nov. 30.

“Across the country, I have met with people who have been able to get online and stay connected thanks to this program,” Rosenworcel said, according to published opening statements. “Our current projections indicate that our appropriated funds to continue this program and keep these households connected will run out by April of next year.”

The ACP is described as an FCC benefit program that helps ensure households can afford broadband, according to the FCC’s website.

“The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands,” the commission’s website stated.

Households are eligible for the ACP if their income is at or below 200 percent of poverty guidelines set by the government, according to the FCC’s website for the ACP.

In addition, households participating in the ACP can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price, according to the FCC’s program summary, which said households in the ACP are limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.

“I strongly support funding the Affordable Connectivity Program into the future to help more families get and stay connected to the high-speed internet they need to participate in modern life,” Rosenworcel told the subcommittee. She said the ACP is the largest broadband affordability program in the nation’s history.

Rosenworcel isn’t alone in urging Congress to renew funding for the ACP.

In October, the Biden Administration announced a request for additional funding to bolster the ACP by extending free and discounted high-speed internet for eligible households through December 2024.

According to the White House, Biden requested the money be allocated as an emergency request as part of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

“The world is watching and the American people rightly expect their leaders to come together and deliver on these priorities,” the president previously said in a statement. “I urge Congress to address them as part of a comprehensive, bipartisan agreement in the weeks ahead.”

Reach editor Brad Randall at brad.randall@totaltele.com.

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