2016 Telecommunications Trends: More Choices, Less Lock-In
Comcast has been using the open source OpenStack cloud platform for four years. Light Reading’s Mari Silbey compiled some stats of its use:
Comcast has used to the platform to traffic 1 petabyte of data across 34 national data centers and has experienced a 400 percent year-over-year growth in demand for its Elastic Cloud service. Comcast has also contributed 73,000 lines of code to the project and runs it on 1 million virtual CPU cores.
OpenStack, like software-defined networks (SDNs), aims to create more programmable and flexible networks. Comcast uses it for its X1 video service, its residential email platform and to move network telemetry, Silbey wrote.
CenturyLink, Education Networks Suing Idaho
CenturyLink Communications LLC and Education Networks of America are suing Idaho for $37 million for non-payment of work they claimed was done on a failed $60 million statewide broadband project. The project, which launched in 2008, was an attempt to link all the schools across the state.
The filings seem to be countersuits. They were filed, according to the Associated Press story in the Salt Lake Tribune, after the state’s attorney general sent letters to the two companies asking for a return of monies already paid.
Both companies say that they were not at fault for the contract being voided and want payment for their work. Taxpayers have spent $29 million on the project; the state wanted to settle outstanding claims for $8 million.
Microwave Market Features Four Leaders, Three Challengers
Microwave equipment is an old standby for the telecommunications industry. Other techniques have been adopted to perform the same task, but microwave remains a mainstay of the telecom providers’ arsenal.
IHS Markit released research describing the state of the market. Commentary points to mobile backhaul connectivity for mobile operations as a key driver. Ericsson, Huawei, NEC and Nokia are among the top seven producers for microwave equipment. Aviat Networks, Ceragon and SIAE were identified as challengers.
The strengths of the various players vary, according to IHS Markit:
Among the leaders, Ericsson ranked first in market presence and fourth in market momentum; Huawei placed first in momentum and third in presence; NEC ranked second in both presence and momentum; and Nokia was fourth in presence and fifth in momentum.
Keeping Data Safe
The most important thing a company owns is its data. Having it stolen is the biggest fear in the age of mobility in general, and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in particular.
Organizations can take steps, however, to mitigate this threat and limit possible damage. A study by Biscom found that 25 percent of employees leaving their jobs take some data with them.
Francis suggests that clear corporate policies on data and information handling be set, rules be put into employee agreements, the issue be a part of employee training, and the company develop a good understanding of how to deal with attacks. He also counsels organizations to encourage employees to report suspicious activities, train workers on best practices, limit access to sensitive data to those who need it, and create and practice response plans.
Google Fiber at Odds with Comcast, AT&T in Nashville
Some acrimonious back and forth is going on in Nashville. FierceTelecom reports on a claim by AT&T that Google Fiber “often” provides it with incorrect information about where it wants its lines attached. AT&T claims that this could lead to damage of its facilities.
The fight is over how lines are moved and ultimately positioned on shared poles as Google Fiber builds out its infrastructure. Under existing make-ready rules, Google Fiber is required to advise Nashville Electric Services (NES) of the need to move cables on poles and where they should be set. NES then contacts AT&T and Comcast, who do the work, the story says.
The president of AT&T Tennessee told the site that Google Fiber is providing them with incorrect information. It is unclear from the story whether the misinformation is technical or rooted in the competitive relationship between Google Fiber and the two other companies.
The situation may change, however. An ordinance under consideration would empower Google Fiber to do the pole work itself.
Carl Weinschenk covers telecom for IT Business Edge. He writes about wireless technology, disaster recovery/business continuity, cellular services, the Internet of Things, machine-to-machine communications and other emerging technologies and platforms. He also covers net neutrality and related regulatory issues. Weinschenk has written about the phone companies, cable operators and related companies for decades and is senior editor of Broadband Technology Report. He can be reached at cweinsch@optonline.net and via twitter at @DailyMusicBrk.
