T-Day Bytes: Hawaiki, Ciena, AMS-IX, Vonage, Kao Data

A few international upgrades, deployments, partnerships, and new positions before everyone in the USA heads out (or home) for Thanksgiving.  Stay safe folks!

Hawaiki is upgrading its transpacific cable system again already. They are deploying Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme technology as well as its MCP domain controller in response to surging demand for more capacity during the global pandemic. The upgrade will enable them to deliver 500Gbps wavelengths over the 9,000km between Sydney and Hawaii, the longest leg of the cable system connecting Australia and New Zealand with Oregon on the US west coast.

Ciena also picked up a key win in the Middle East this week. Etisalat has deployed software from their Blue Planet division to manage their new multi-vendor DWDM transport network across the EMEA region. The UAE-based international operator hopes to reduce manual operation via greater automation, anticipating a reduction of 70-90% in the time to introduce a new service.

Also in the Middle East, AMS-IX has lined up a partner to deploy a new internet exchange. They have signed a strategic partnership with Telecom Egypt to build EG-IX in Cairo. The two will deploy the infrastructure within Telecom Egypt’s new data center within the Smart Village in west Cairo when the facility opens in early 2021.   Given Egypt’s strategic position as an infrastructure crossroads, it seems like a natural place for an IX, one wonders why it hasn’t happened until now.

Vonage has picked up a global enterprise customer for its Messages API technology. Fisher & Paykel will be using the technology to support its global appliance manufacturing business via instant SMS notifications and post-sale services. Fisher and Paykel is based in New Zealand, but operates in 30 countries worldwide with a significant presence in Italy, Thailand, and Mexico.

And a familiar face has a new gig over in the UK. Kao Data has brought in Lee Myall as its new CEO. Lee has moved over from Epsilon where he was CCO to take over from interim CEO Paul Finch, who will continue on as COO. Kao Data is preparing phase 2 development at its data center campus in Harlow, 20 miles outside of London.

If you haven't already, please take our Reader Survey! Just 3 questions to help us better understand who is reading Telecom Ramblings so we can serve you better!

Categories: Datacenter · Interconnection · Software · Telecom Equipment · Unified Communications