Telecom Ramblings

These days plenty talk about building fiber infrastructure, but few have taken on the task of rebuilding      the infrastructure of one of the biggest markets in the world from the ground up.  But that’s what DF&I has been doing when it comes to northern Virginia, and that’s what they hope to replicate elsewhere even as they continue to add new routes.  With us today to explore their vision of the dark fiber and conduit business and where DF&I might go from here are the co-founders and veteran fiber builders John Schmitt and Judd Carothers. [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by J. Drew Mullin, Partner, ATLANTIC-ACM        

Despite a 2023 slow-down in the expectation of fiber route mile builds, fiber deployment remains extremely active driven by upgrades, opportunity, and infinite demand for capacity. National carriers continue the shift from legacy copper services to more scalable fiber infrastructure. Regional and emerging fiber-focused players strategically seize niche opportunities including new long-haul routes and densification of existing metro markets. Providers maintain a more disciplined approach to deployment, recognizing it as a strategic land-grab [Read more →]

New partnerships, connectivity, and technology across multiple fronts worth keeping up with: [Read more →]

Some upgrades, some new builds, and some coral reefs: [Read more →]

Over the past few days, Telstra International has made a series of interesting infrastructure moves that will enable new connectivity options. They are investing in a new transpacific route, several intra-pacific cables, and in a growing presence in Latin America. [Read more →]

Three interesting dark fiber projects in the west and southwest: [Read more →]

The pan-European network operator EXA Infrastructure has made some investments in its subsea capabilities across the Atlantic. Yesterday they announced new partnerships with NJFX and and Bulk Infrastructure, and just this morning they added the Amitié cable to their route list. [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Dana Cohen Mizrahi, Product Marketing Manager at Sony Semiconductor Israel.

Non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity is making its way into IoT chipsets, enabling connected devices and installations to be deployed anywhere. Some devices are being outfitted with stand-alone chips that can only connect to satellites, while others are using hybrid chipsets that support both terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity. [Read more →]

Four bits of data center news: one acquisition, two upgrades, and a collaboration in the AI space: [Read more →]

Two data center expansion projects, and two vendor wins: [Read more →]

The age of the terabit draws ever closer. Today Windstream Wholesale and Cisco revealed another successful demonstration at the leading edge of transmission speeds. Top billing went to an industry first of a 1Tbps wavelength over a 1,100km link on fiber between Miami and Jacksonville. [Read more →]

Two of the biggest network operators and the Middle East are teaming up to change the way data traverses the Middle East. Zain Omantel International and Telecom Egypt announced today that they will build a new open-access digital corridor between the Arabian Sea and the Mediterranean. [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Kailem Anderson, Vice President, Global Products & Delivery, Blue Planet

When people sit down to watch a movie on a subscription streaming service, they expect it to start playing at the click of a button, without glitch or buffering. But as anyone in networking knows, a lot needs to go right under the hood to deliver that seamless experience. [Read more →]

Three upgrade projects and one inorganic move from around the world: [Read more →]

Hewlett Packard Enterprise has decided to kick off 2024 with a major inorganic move. HPE and Juniper Networks announced a definitive agreement yesterday under which HPE will pay $40 per share for Juniper. It’s an all cash deal valued at $14B that will effectively double HPE’s networking business and possibly shift the balance of power in the vendor space. [Read more →]

An enhancement, a vendor win, and two more promotions: [Read more →]

A couple of financial transactions, a promotion, and a platform upgrade: [Read more →]

A few items of regional focus to catch up with: [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Lakshmiprasad A, Associate Director, Prodapt

Service providers in the Connectedness industry are challenged with increasing security threats as they handle sensitive data and provide critical services to customers. Security is the need of the hour as service providers target to balance rapid service delivery with adequate security measures, manage the security of complex infrastructure, including networks, servers, and cloud environments, and meet compliance requirements such as GDPR and HIPAA. [Read more →]

We started the week with the question of consolidation targets in the US, and now it’s time for the other side of the coin.  What network operators are most likely to be consolidators in 2024?  We’ll take it as a given that ‘infrastructure funds’ would top the more general list of likely buyers, of course, but let’s focus on the existing network operators looking to expand inorganically in the US.  Last year the perennial favorite Zayo topped the list with Crown Castle and Lightpath in 2nd and third. [Read more →]

Two bits of inorganic activity, and a new subsea cable alongside some other M&A talk over in Europe: [Read more →]

Happy New Year to all!  Last year’s fiber/network M&A activity wasn’t that, well, active in the USA.  And based on the responses to last year’s poll that didn’t surprise too many people, as there was little consensus as to who might be a target.  The Cox/UPN/Segra and Shentel/Horizon deals did land, and on the FTTH front there were some small deals, but the big action was over in Europe in 2023.  Will 2024 be any busier on this side of the Atlantic?  Who you think are the likeliest candidates to be sold (in part or in whole) in 2024.  (Not including already pending transactions). [Read more →]

In today’s interconnected digital landscape, cybersecurity threats continue to evolve at an alarming rate. One such threat that keeps security professionals awake at night is the rise of AI-powered DDoS attacks. These attacks combine the destructive power of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks with the sophistication and agility of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Understanding the implications of AI-powered DDoS attacks is crucial for organizations of all sizes and industries to protect their networks and data.
[Read more →]