NTT DoCoMo has launched 4G LTE services in Guam via its DoCoMo Pacific subsidiary. Services will initially be provided in high traffic areas including Tumon, Tamuning, Dededo, Sinajana and part of Hagatna with coverage increased to other areas going forward, according to the operator. The network will offer theoretical maximum download speeds of 37Mbps and uplink of 12Mbps. It is the first overseas launch of 4G LTE for a DoCoMo subsidiary.
Telstra Global has launched a Tier 3 data centre in Singapore in a bid to meet increasing demand for hosting in Asia-Pacific. The facility, which is located in an industrial park close to the city’s central business district, will provide hosting space and cloud solutions for financial, media and technology enterprises. It will also provide several connectivity options including co-location services and a backbone network, allowing access to Telstra Global’s Asian network and the rest of the world.
US service provider MegaPath has completed a nationwide Ethernet over Copper (EoC) network expansion with services now available in 50 markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and San Francisco. Megapath is touting EoC as a reliable and cost-effective alternative to high-speed broadband and is offering speeds of up to 45Mbps to customers. The EoC service is backed by the company’s MPLS network and is claimed to be the largest in the country.
Research and education network operator Internet2 is claiming to have launched the United States’ first 100G open, nationwide software defined network (SDN) to support advanced services and cloud applications. The 8.8Tbps optical network will be used by member institutions to support education, research, industry and innovation. The SDN will supply the higher education community with enhanced capabilities for science, medicine and education. These include specially designed cloud computing programmes, HD and multi-cast video distance learning and telemedicine.
Eutelsat Communications has been selected by the Albanian government to provide 850 post offices, schools and local government offices in rural areas with internet access via satellite broadband. The contract is part of the country’s Digital Age of Communications Agenda to increase free public internet access for citizens. Eutelsat affiliate Skylogic has partnered with Albania’s Tring Communications to equip the sites with the broadband service, which is powered by the KA-SAT satellite. A total of 1,000 access points will be deployed, offering users speeds of 8Mbps.
Telefónica Global Solutions and Verizon Enterprise Solutions have entered into an interoperability agreement to enable companies on both of their platforms to connect to each other for Cisco telepresence meetings. Both companies said that the agreement will enable their customers to expand their collaboration pool and meet face to face across more video enabled locations worldwide for greater productivity and business efficiency. This latest agreement adds to Telefónica’s existing telepresence deals with Orange, Cisco, Tata and Telecom Italia. Verizon has interoperability agreements with BT, Cisco, Orange and Tata.
CDN provider Akamai has opened a services and support centre in Costa Rica. The centre is designed to support significant demand for cloud infrastructure from Latam countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. It will employ over 50 people by the end of 2014. Akamai cites research from Gardner as one of its justifications for the move with $140 billion in IT expected in Brazil during 2012. The site will add to Akamai’s existing business development offices in São Paulo.
GTS Central Europe has deployed Cisco’s carrier routing system for its next-generation internet core. Cisco claims that the solution offers the industry’s first coherent 100Gbps Internet Protocol over dense wave division multiplexing (IPoDWDM) and will allow GTS to easily address anticipated growth in internet traffic, generated by demand for cloud computing and high bandwidth applications. The vendor also said that its solution will lower total cost of ownership by as much as 36% by reducing provisioning times of separate IP and optical networks.
Submarine cable and data centre provider Main One Cable Company has joined The International Data Centre Group (IDC-G), a global alliance of carrier neutral data centres, as part of an increased focus on its data centre business. The move comes as Main One plans the construction of additional data centres in Lagos, Nigeria, to add to its existing site at the Main One cable landing station in the city. The company also operates another data centre at its cable landing site in Accra, Ghana. The addition, Main One will add west Africa to the IDC-G’s footprint as part of its focus on emerging and high-growth markets.
Latam provider INTERNEXA is to deploy 100Gbps DWDM optical coherent technology to dramatically increase the speed and capacity of its data network. The deployment, which will utilise Alcatel-Lucent’s 100Gbps solution, is also designed to enable INTERNEXA to meet growing demand for data services in Peru. INTERNEXA is in the process of migrating digital content located outside Latam to data centres in Colombia and Brazil through agreements with CDNs and as a result needed to upgrade its infrastructure to reduce complexity and manage large volumes of data traffic.
Telstra Global has been selected to host a suite for UK business communications provider Daisy Group in its London Hosting Centre in the Docklands area. The multi-year contract comes with the intention to support Daisy’s long-term plans for cloud and co-location services growth in Central London. Telstra will provide Daisy with 70 racks of co-location at the site and renew Daisy’s existing data services. Daisy’s CEO, Matthew Riley, said that the facility will enable the company to meet rapid growth demand from businesses.
Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), Cisco and Harris have completed the initial section of the Public Safety Communications Research (PCSR) programme's phase 3 LTE demonstration network test plan in the US. The public safety test is considered an important step in realising FirstNet’s public safety broadband network plan, which involves the roll-out of a nationwide multi vendor LTE network for use by public safety personnel like police, fireman and emergency medical staff. All three companies completed conformance and interoperability testing of their public safety LTE solutions. NSN supplied its public safety LTE radio access network solution in partnership with Harris. The solution is being used in the 700MHz band in 14 LTE pilot programmes with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and with police officers in Miami-Dade County Florida.
