Network Infrastructure
PR Newswire | January 16, 2024
DISH Wireless, a subsidiary of EchoStar, was awarded a historic $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish the Open RAN Center for Integration & Deployment (ORCID). ORCID will allow participants to test and validate their hardware and software solutions (RU, DU and CU) against a complete commercial-grade Open RAN network deployed by DISH.
"The Open RAN Center for Integration and Deployment (ORCID) will serve a critical role in strengthening the global Open RAN ecosystem and building the next generation of wireless networks," said Charlie Ergen, co-founder and chairman, EchoStar. "By leveraging DISH's experience deploying the world's first standalone Open RAN 5G network, ORCID will be uniquely positioned to test and evaluate Open RAN interoperability, performance and security from domestic and international vendors. We appreciate NTIA's recognition of DISH and ORCID's role in driving Open RAN innovation and the Administration's ongoing commitment to U.S. leadership in wireless connectivity."
To date, this grant represents NTIA's largest award under the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (Innovation Fund). ORCID will be housed in DISH's secure Cheyenne, Wyoming campus and will be supported by consortium partners Fujitsu, Mavenir and VMware by Broadcom and technology partners Analog Devices, ARM, Cisco, Dell Technologies, Intel, JMA Wireless, NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Samsung.
NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson and Innovation Fund Director Amanda Toman will join EchoStar Co-Founder and Chairman Charlie Ergen, EchoStar CEO Hamid Akhavan, EVP and Chief Network Officer Marc Rouanne and other stakeholders to announce the grant and tour a DISH 5G Open RAN cell site later today in Las Vegas.
During this event, DISH will outline ORCID's unique advantages, including that it will leverage DISH's experience as the only operator in the United States to commercially deploy a standalone Open RAN 5G network. DISH and its industry partners have validated Open RAN technology at scale across the country; today DISH's network covers over 246 million Americans nationwide.
At ORCID, participants will be able to test and evaluate individual or multiple network elements to ensure Open RAN interoperability, performance and security, and contribute to the development, deployment and adoption of open and interoperable standards-based radio access networks. ORCID's "living laboratory" will drive the Open RAN ecosystem — from lab testing to commercial deployment.
Below are highlights of ORCID:
ORCID will combine both lab and field testing and evaluation activities. ORCID will be able to test elements brought by any qualified vendor against DISH's live, complete and commercial-grade Open RAN stack.
ORCID will use DISH's spectrum holdings, a combination of low-, mid- and high-band frequencies, enabling field testing and evaluation.
ORCID will evaluate Open RAN elements through mixing and matching with those of other vendors, rather than validating a single vendor's stack. DISH's experience in a multi-vendor environment will give ORCID unique insights about the integration of Open RAN into brownfield networks.
ORCID's multi-tenant lab and field testing will occur in DISH's secure Cheyenne, Wyoming facility, which is already compliant with stringent security protocols in light of its satellite functions.
About DISH Wireless
DISH Wireless, a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), is changing the way the world communicates with the Boost Wireless Network. In 2020, the company became a nationwide U.S. wireless carrier through the acquisition of Boost Mobile. The company continues to innovate in wireless, building the nation's first virtualized, Open RAN 5G broadband network, and is inclusive of the Boost Infinite, Boost Mobile and Gen Mobile wireless brands.
Read More
Network Security
PR Newswire | January 19, 2024
Arqit Quantum Inc, a leader in quantum-safe encryption, and Ampliphae Ltd (Ampliphae), a leader in network cyber security solutions, have today announced successful completion of a project that will deliver enhanced quantum-safe security for Private 5G networks.
The Security Enhanced Virtualised Networking for 5G (SEViN-5G) project, funded by Innovate UK, the UK Government’s innovation agency, leveraged Ampliphae’s network security analytics technology and Arqit’s Symmetric Key Agreement Platform to deliver a quantum-secure Private 5G testbed that can protect against both current and future cyber threats. Athonet, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise acquisition, provided the Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment for the project with a cloud core hosted on AWS.
Private enterprise networks based on 5G cellular technology are accelerating digital transformation across industries including manufacturing, healthcare, defence and smart cities. Private 5G gives enterprises access to high-speed, massively scalable, and ultra-reliable wireless connectivity, allowing them to implement innovative IoT and mobile solutions that enhance productivity, drive automation and improve customer engagement.
The security of these networks will be paramount as they will support safety-critical infrastructure and carry highly sensitive data. But like any new technology, 5G comes with potential new threats and security risks including the threat from quantum computing. The project finished in December 2023 and customer engagement has already begun.
David Williams, Arqit Founder, Chairman and CEO said:
“Enterprises want to deploy Private 5G networks with complete confidence that they will be safe from both current and future cyber threats including from quantum computers. Working alongside Ampliphae, we have shown that a quantum-safe Private 5G network is deliverable using Arqit’s unique encryption technology.”
Trevor Graham, Ampliphae CEO said:
“Private 5G can be hosted partly or completely in the Cloud, giving enterprises the opportunity to rapidly set up their own cellular networks customised to support their operations. With Ampliphae and Arqit they can now be certain that those Private 5G networks are monitored and secure against eavesdropping and disruption.”
Nanda Menon, Senior Advisor Hewlett Packard Enterprise said:
“In an era where security is paramount, the completion of the SEViN-5G project is a significant milestone. The delivery of a quantum-secure Private 5G testbed, achieved where Athonet have combined the Athonet core with CableFree radios, underscores the commitment to innovation and reinforces the confidence enterprises can have in deploying networks that are both cutting-edge and secure from both present and future threats.”
About Arqit
Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, ARQQW) (Arqit) supplies a unique encryption Platform as a Service which makes the communications links of any networked device, cloud machine or data at rest secure against both current and future forms of attack on encryption – even from a quantum computer. Compliant with NSA standards, Arqit’s Symmetric Key Agreement Platform delivers a lightweight software agent that allows devices to create encryption keys locally in partnership with any number of other devices. The keys are computationally secure and operate over zero trust networks. It can create limitless volumes of keys with any group size and refresh rate and can regulate the secure entrance and exit of a device in a group. The agent is lightweight and will thus run on the smallest of end point devices. The Product sits within a growing portfolio of granted patents. It also works in a standards compliant manner which does not oblige customers to make a disruptive rip and replace of their technology. Recognised for groundbreaking innovation at the Institution of Engineering and Technology awards in 2023, Arqit has also won the Innovation in Cyber Award at the National Cyber Awards and Cyber Security Software Company of the Year Award at the Cyber Security Awards. Arqit is ISO 27001 Standard certified. www.arqit.uk
About Ampliphae
Ampliphae’s distributed network analytics technology provides insight into how networks are used to support enterprise operations at every level. A graduate of the prestigious LORCA cyber accelerator in London, and the AWS European Defence Accelerator, Ampliphae’s technology is already used by enterprises across multiple verticals to discover, analyse and secure the network traffic that supports their key applications and business processes. Ampliphae’s Encryption Intelligence product operates at enterprise scale to discover devices and applications that use cryptography, analysing their encryption capabilities to detect risks, including assets that are vulnerable to future quantum computer attack. Using Encryption Intelligence, the organisation can gather effective operational intelligence about their encryption landscape, both within and outside the organisation, and build an effective mitigation program to address current and future vulnerabilities.
Read More
Network Infrastructure
Business Wire | October 17, 2023
IP Infusion, a leading provider of open network software and solutions for wireline and mobile network operators, today announced a strategic partnership with NTT DATA, a global digital business and IT services leader. NTT DATA and IP Infusion are collaborating for go-to-market open networking solutions to bring enhanced disaggregation, scalability, and choices to network operators.
NTT DATA (part of NTT Group) is a global innovator of IT and business services headquartered in Tokyo that offers consulting, industry solutions, business process services, IT modernization and managed services. NTT DATA will offer IP Infusion Cell Site Routers, Routed Optical Networking, Aggregation Router and Data Center software products, including bundled solutions, on a broad portfolio of white box hardware.
This collaboration for expanding broad connectivity was initiated by the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), including TIP solutions for Disaggregated Cell Site Gateways (DCSG) or Cell Site Routers and Cassini for Routed Optical Networking projects. Both NTT DATA and IP Infusion are members of TIP, which is driving development and deployment of open, disaggregated, and standards-based technology solutions to advance global connectivity.
“We are deeply committed to accelerating network disaggregation throughout our global ecosystem of customers and partners,” said Teodoro López Palacios, Partner, Telecom Sector at NTT DATA Europe & LATAM. “IP Infusion is a proven leader in open networking, providing award-winning and field-tested solutions that reduce total cost of ownership while expanding services. We are excited to help propel innovation, greater access, and better network outcomes to more users.”
“The systems integrator role is important for the TIP community, and the IP Infusion and NTT DATA alliance is a big step forward for bringing disaggregated solutions to a diverse range of use cases,” said Kristian Toivo, Executive Director of Telecom Infra Project. “NTT DATA and IP Infusion have long demonstrated deep expertise in open network solutions and this collaboration will help create a stronger, more flexible supply chain, supporting high-quality connectivity.”
We are pleased to partner with NTT DATA to drive further market penetration for open networking, said Atsushi Ogata, President and CEO of IP Infusion. It’s great to be working with NTT DATA, a trusted global innovator for business IT solutions, which clearly understands the powerful potential of network disaggregation. We are proud to be furthering TIP’s ideals for expanding open networks and paving the way for a connected future.
Along with this partnership with NTT DATA, IP Infusion continues to receive acclaim for its products and services. This spring, leading independent global provider of technology industry insights GigaOm designated IP Infusion as Leader and Outperformer for the third consecutive year in all three of its 2023 Network Operating System Radar Reports. The IP Infusion software platform was identified as the most complete of the more than 20 NOS vendors GigaOm analysts evaluated, outperforming incumbent providers including Cisco and Juniper.
In addition, TIP recognized IP Infusion’s Disaggregated Cell Site Gateway (DCSG) solution with the TIP Validated Solution Gold Badge in 2022. IP Infusion’s software was recognized for satisfying the stringent requirements set by the TIP Open Optical Packet Transport Project (OOPT) group for the DCSG.
About IP Infusion
IP Infusion manufactures open network software and solutions for carriers, service providers and data centers. With hundreds of customers and thousands of deployments, IP Infusion is a market leader in Network Operating Systems. Our flagship software platform OcNOS® allows network operators to disaggregate their networks, streamline operations, and reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Network OEMs may also disaggregate network devices to expedite time to market, offer comprehensive services, and achieve carrier grade robustness.
IP Infusion is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and is a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of ACCESS CO., LTD. Additional information can be found at http://www.IPInfusion.com.
IP Infusion and OcNOS are trademarks or registered trademarks of IP Infusion. ACCESS is a registered trademark or trademark of ACCESS CO., LTD. in the United States, Japan and/or other countries. Northforge Innovations is a registered trademark of Northforge Innovations, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, or registered service marks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
Read More