Stock Exchange Licenses to be awarded in April “for real this time”

RANGOON — Burma’s Ministry of Finance will begin issuing licenses for financial services on the Yangon Stock Exchange—set to open in October—in April, according to Deputy Finance Minister Maung Mg Thein. “We’re going to start calling on companies from four services to seek securities exchange licenses,” the deputy minister announced on Saturday at the offices of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers and Commerce Industry. Licenses will be granted to underwriting, brokerage, dealing and consulting firms based on investment and clean-spending criteria. Applications will be available on Jan. 19, and interested firms must submit materials to the ministry’s Security Exchange Working Commission by Feb. 27, the deputy minister said. Maung Mg Thein estimated that about 10 public companies are currently in compliance with all requirements and ready to apply, though several other institutions could be included. The list of companies likely to be approved could include Forest Joint Venture Company, Myanmar Thilawa SEZ Holdings, Myanmar Citizens Bank and Yoma Strategic Holdings, according to a financial analyst. Brokerage firms are required to commit to a 7 billion kyat (US$7 million) initial investment before applying, while dealing, underwriting and consulting firms must invest 10 billion, 15 billion and 30 million kyats, respectively. The stock exchange, which is being developed by the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) and two Japanese partners, is expected to be a major advancement in Burma’s financial field; offering stability to what has long been an unregulated and volatile investment landscape. CBM’s partners, Tokyo Stock Exchange and Daiwa Securities Group, will own a 49 percent share in the $32 million investment. Daiwa, a Tokyo-based investment firm, has been active in Burma since 1996, when it teamed up with state-owned Myanma Economic Bank—which until 2013 was subject to US sanctions—to create the Myanmar Securities Exchange Center, Burma’s sole organized stock market. Economists have welcomed the development of a more sophisticated trading center, though some have warned that the costs are too steep for Burma’s underdeveloped financial institutions. Senior consultant to Burma’s ministry of Commerce, Maung Aung told The Irrawaddy that the ministry ought to take a more prudent approach to allow for a diverse and inclusive marketplace. “We understand that the amount [of capital required to apply] is in line with international norms, but as an initial step in Burma it’s too much,” he explained. Even the 7 billion kyat benchmark for brokers, he said, is too high and should begin at a lower rate, adding that, “as a developing country, there will be many challenges.” By KYAW HSU MON / THE IRRAWADDY| Monday, January 12, 2015 Original Article here

Final Telecoms Partners in September by Burma telecomm ministry

By KYAW HSU MON / THE IRRAWADDY| Wednesday, September 2, 2015 Chit Wai, deputy permanent secretary of Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the winning bidders will be announced by the end of September. Last July, a year after two foreign operators revolutionized Burma’s mobile market, the government called on local companies to bid for the country’s remaining telecom spot. Seventeen local firms have entered the bid to become part of a newly formed public company, Chit Wai said,, and the government is now looking into which have met the prerequisites set by the ministry. Those approved for inclusion in the public company will partner with an overseas firm selected by the ministry. “I can’t say how many local companies will be rejected. That’s why we’re checking details. The committee expects to announce winners at end of the month,” he said. He declined to say which companies applied, however. The ministry requires that firms demonstrate possession of adequate financial capabilities –at least 3 billion kyats (US$2.3 million—as well as enough capital reserves to form a new public telecommunications company. “There’s no limit for how many companies can apply. As long as they’re following the rules and meet the criteria, we will select them,” Chit Wai said. Interested companies do not have the opportunity to choose their overseas counterpart. The successful bidder is expected to accept the selection committee’s decision regarding a foreign partner. The winner is also responsible for providing technical services, market strategies, and a share of both the licensing fees and consulting fees to help in the selection of a foreign partner. In the local telecom market, two foreign operators—Telenor and Ooredoo—and state-owned Myanmar Post and Telecommunication (MPT) have been providing fierce competition by offering various services to users in Burma. Among these services are reduced competitive call rates and attempts to build more towers across the country. Thiri Kyar Nyo, a communication officer for Ooredoo, welcomed the competition, remarking that “it’s good for the country, too, since all operators will try to attract users with new services.” “Moreover, building more towers will bring additional improved services,” she said. In late January, MPT claimed to have reached 11 million subscribers, well ahead of Telenor’s 3.4 million and Ooredoo’s 2.2 million at the end of last year. All three firms are concentrating on expanding telecommunications infrastructure into the country’s northern hinterlands and border areas, with combined funding commitments currently totaling around US$4 billion. By KYAW HSU MON / THE IRRAWADDY| Wednesday, September 2, 2015 Original Artcle here

Telenor to debut cheap SIM cards in September

Telenor will introduce its telecom service in September by selling SIM cards for Ks 1,500 (about US$1.60) apiece, company said in a press release. It will not be necessary to register in advance to buy a Telenor SIM card. Customers can buy as many SIM cards as they like as long as they can show a National Registration Card, Telenor staff said. Internet speed on the 3G network will depend on how many users are surfing in a particular area, but the lowest speed should range from 700 Kbps to 1 Mbps at peak user time and the highest from 4-6 Mbps, Telenor staff said. The range in the the 2G network could be as low as 100-150 Kbps during peak hours in some locations. Telenor said it plans to offer a 4G service if there are enough handsets on the market to support one. Telenor plans to construct 8,000 telecom towers across the country, but is facing a massive hurdle to install the first 1,000 stations by September. After the first thousand are installed it plans to add 300 to 400 per month. The speed of mobile internet connections occasionally exceed 1 Mbps on the 3G network, but are usually about 100 Kbps. Internet connections via a smart phone are either slow or nonexistent, users say. Telenor said it plans to open 200 SIM cards sales centres and will also sell the cards through 100,000 SIM retail shops nationwide. Published on Friday, 06 June 2014 16:40 Specialize in telecom, Datacenter, & inter-networking supply here’s original Article

Artificial Intelligence: A New Frontier in Data Center Innovation

Google made headlines when it revealed that it is using machine learning to optimize its data center performance. But the search giant isn’t the first company to harness artificial intelligence to fine-tune its server infrastructure. In fact, Google’s effort is only the latest in a series of initiatives to create an electronic “data center brain” that can analyze IT infrastructure. Automation has always been a priority for data center managers, and has become more important as facilities have become more complex. The DevOps movement seeks to “automate all the things” in a data center, while the push for greater efficiency has driven the development of smarter cooling systems. Where is this all headed? Don’t worry. The data center won’t be a portal to Skynet anytime soon. Data center managers love technology, but they don’t totally trust it. “You still need humans to make good judgments about these things,” said Joe Kava, vice president for data centers at Google. “I still want our engineers to review the recommendations.” Kava said last week that Google has begun using a neural network to analyze the oceans of data it collects about its server farms and to recommend ways to improve them. Kava said the use of machine learning will allow Google to reach new frontiers in efficiency in its data centers, moving beyond what its engineers can see and analyze. While there have been modest efforts to create unmanned “lights out” data centers, these are typically facilities being managed through remote monitoring, with humans rather than machines making the decisions. Meanwhile, Google and other companies developing machine learning tools for the data center say the endgame is using artificial intelligence to help design better data centers, not to replace the humans running them. Romonet: predictive TCO modeling One company that has welcomed the attention around Google’s announcement is Romonet, the UK-based maker of data center management tools. In 2010 the company introduced Prognose, a software program that uses machine learning to build predictive models for data center operations. Romonet focuses on modeling the total cost of ownership (TCO) of operating the entire data center, rather than a single metric such as PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness), which is where Google is targeting its efforts. The company says its predictive model is calibrated to 97 percent accuracy across a year of operations. Google’s approach is “a clever way (albeit a source-data-intensive one) of basically doing what we are doing,” Romonet CEO and co-founder Zahl Limbuwala wrote in a blog post. “Joe’s presentation could have been one of ours. They’ve put their method into the public domain but not their actual software – so if you want what they’ve got you need to build it yourself. Thus they just shone a light on us that we couldn’t have done ourselves.” Romonet’s modeling software allows businesses to accurately predict and manage financial risk within their data center or cloud computing environment. Its tools can work from design and engineering documents for a data center to build a simulation of how the facility will operate. Working from engineering documents allows Romonet to provide a detailed operational analysis without the need for thermal sensors, airflow monitoring or any agents – which also allows it to analyze a working facility without impacting its operations. These types of models can be used to run design simulations, allowing companies to conduct virtual test-drives of new designs and understand how they will impact the facility. “I can envision using this during the data center design cycle,” said Google’s Kava. “You can use it as a forward-looking tool to test design changes and innovations.” BY RICH MILLER ON JUNE 6, 2014 Original Article here The best products and services in Data center, telecom, and inter-networking supply

What are the various types of xDSL?

There are several forms of xDSL, each designed around specific goals and needs of the marketplace. Some forms of xDSL are proprietary, some are simply theoretical models and some are widely used standards. They may best be categorized within the modulation methods used to encode data. Below is a brief summary of some of the known types of xDSL technologies. ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is the most popular form of xDSL technology. The key to ADSL is that the upstream and downstream bandwidth is asymmetric, or uneven. In practice, the bandwidth from the provider to the user (downstream) will be the higher speed path. This is in part due to the limitation of the telephone cabling system and the desire to accommodate the typical Internet usage pattern where the majority of data is being sent to the user (programs, graphics, sounds and video) with minimal upload capacity required (keystrokes and mouse clicks). Downstream speeds typically range from 768 Kb/s to 9 Mb/s Upstream speeds typically range from 64Kb/s to 1.5Mb/s. ADSL Lite (see G.lite) CDSL Consumer Digital Subscriber Line (CDSL) is a proprietary technology trademarked by Rockwell International. CiDSL Globespan's proprietary, splitterless Consumer-installable Digital Subscriber Line (CiDSL). EtherLoop EtherLoop is currently a proprietary technology from Nortel, short for Ethernet Local Loop. EtherLoop uses the advanced signal modulation techniques of DSL and combines them with the half-duplex "burst" packet nature of Ethernet. EtherLoop modems will only generate hi-frequency signals when there is something to send. The rest of the time, they will use only a low-frequency (ISDN-speed) management signal. EtherLoop can measure the ambient noise between packets. This will allow the ability to avoid interference on a packet-by-packet basis by shifting frequencies as necessary. Since EtherLoop will be half-duplex; it is capable of generating the same bandwidth rate in either the upstream or downstream direction, but not simultaneously. Nortel is initially planning for speeds ranging between 1.5Mb/s and 10Mb/s depending on line quality and distance limitations. G.lite A lower data rate version of Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) was been proposed as an extension to ANSI standard T1.413 by the UAWG (Universal ADSL Working Group) led by Microsoft, Intel, and Compaq. This is known as G.992.2 in the ITU standards committee. It uses the same modulation scheme as ADSL (DMT), but eliminates the POTS splitter at the customer premises. As a result, the ADSL signal is carried over all of the house wiring which results in lower available bandwidth due to greater noise impairments. Often a misnomer, this technology is not splitterless per se. Instead of requiring a splitter at customer premises, the splitting of the signal is done at the local CO. G.shdsl G.shdsl is an ITU standard which offers a rich set of features (e.g. rate adaptive) and offers greater reach than many current standards. G.shdsl also allows for the negotiation of a number of framing protocols including ATM, T1, E1, ISDN and IP. G.shdsl is touted as being able to replace T1, E1, HDSL, SDSL HDSL2, ISDN and IDSL technologies. HDSL High Bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line (HDSL) is generally used as a substitute for T1/E1. HDSL is becoming popular as a way to provide full-duplex symmetric data communication at rates up to 1.544 Mb/s (2.048 Mb/s in Europe) over moderate distances via conventional telephone twisted-pair wires. Traditional T1 (E1 in Europe) requires repeaters every 6000 ft. to boost the signal strength. HDSL has a longer range than T1/E1 without the use of repeaters to allow transmission over distances up to 12,000 feet. It uses pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) on a 4-wire loop. HDSL2 High Bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line 2 was designed to transport T1 signaling at 1.544 Mb/s over a single copper pair. HDSL2 uses overlapped phase Trellis-code interlocked spectrum (OPTIS). IDSL ISDN based DSL developed originally by Ascend Communications. IDSL uses 2B1Q line coding and typically supports data transfer rates of 128 Kb/s. Many end users have had to suffice with IDSL service when full speed ADSL was not available in their area. This technology is similar to ISDN, but uses the full bandwidth of two 64 Kb/s bearer channels plus one 16 Kb/s delta channel. MDSL Usually this stands for multi-rate Digital Subscriber Line (MDSL). It depends on the context of the acronym as to its meaning. It is either a proprietary scheme for SDSL or simply a generic alternative to the more common ADSL name. In the former case, you may see the acronym MSDSL. There is also another proprietary scheme which stands for medium-bit-rate DSL. Confused yet? RADSL Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line (RADSL) is any rate adaptive xDSL modem, but may specifically refer to a proprietary modulation standard designed by Globespan Semiconductor. It uses carrierless amplitude and phase modulation (CAP). T1.413 standard DMT modems are also technically RADSL, but generally not referred to as such. The uplink rate depends on the downlink rate, which is a function of line conditions and signal to noise ratio (SNR). SDSL Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL) is a 2-wire implementation of HDSL. Supports T1/E1 on a single pair to a distance of 11,000 ft. The name has become more generic over time to refer to symmetric service at a variety of rates over a single loop. UDSL Universal DSL. See G.lite. VDSL Very High Bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) is proposed for shorter local loops, perhaps up to 3000 ft. Data rates exceed 10 Mb/s. Original Article here The best products and services in telecom and internet-working supply

Sprint-CEO-Hesse-Contradicts-Masayoshi-Son-on-Fixed-LTE-Plans

To try and sell regulators on a Sprint takeover of T-Mobile, SoftBank boss and Sprint Chairman Masayoshi Son has been insisting that the deal would allow Sprint to join the fixed-LTE broadband space, bringing additional competition to the home broadband market. This strategy appears to be news for Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, who stated this week that offering a fixed LTE service is nowhere on Sprint's horizon. When outlets pointed out the contradictory positions of Son and Hesse, the company's PR department stated: quote: "Dan was speaking to Sprint's short-term focus--completing our 3G and voice network rip and replace, rolling out our 4G LTE network, launching Sprint Spark, expanding the Framily platform and growing EBITDA--and how they fit with our spectrum and other assets/resources," Sprint spokesman Scott Sloat told FierceWireless. "Masa's remarks have been in the context of his long-term vision." In other words, like I noted in April, Sprint has its hands full just running a decent LTE network right now, and the promise of significant fixed LTE competition is just regulator bait.by Karl Bode 08:23AM Friday Jun 06 2014 original article here The best products and services in telecom and internet-working supply

Google Using Machine Learning to Boost Data Center Efficiency

Google is using machine learning and artificial intelligence to wring even more efficiency out of its mighty data centers. In a presentation today at Data Centers Europe 2014, Google’s Joe Kava said the company has begun using a neural network to analyze the oceans of data it collects about its server farms and to recommend ways to improve them. Kava is the Internet giant’s vice president of data centers. In effect, Google has built a computer that knows more about its data centers than even the company’s engineers. The humans remain in charge, but Kava said the use of neural networks will allow Google to reach new frontiers in efficiency in its server farms, moving beyond what its engineers can see and analyze. Google already operates some of the most efficient data centers on earth. Using artificial intelligence will allow Google to peer into the future and model how its data centers will perform in thousands of scenarios. In early usage, the neural network has been able to predict Google’s Power Usage Effectiveness with 99.6 percent accuracy. Its recommendations have led to efficiency gains that appear small, but can lead to major cost savings when applied across a data center housing tens of thousands of servers. Why turn to machine learning and neural networks? The primary reason is the growing complexity of data centers, a challenge for Google, which uses sensors to collect hundreds of millions of data points about its infrastructure and its energy use. “In a dynamic environment like a data center, it can be difficult for humans to see how all of the variables interact with each other,” said Kava. “We’ve been at this (data center optimization) for a long time. All of the obvious best practices have already been implemented, and you really have to look beyond that.” Enter Google’s ‘Boy Genius’ Google’s neural network was created by Jim Gao, an engineer whose colleagues have given him the nickname “Boy Genius” for his prowess analyzing large datasets. Gao had been doing cooling analysis using computational fluid dynamics, which uses monitoring data to create a 3D model of airflow within a server room. Gao thought it was possible to create a model that tracks a broader set of variables, including IT load, weather conditions, and the operations of the cooling towers, water pumps and heat exchangers that keep Google’s servers cool. Original Article here The best products and services in Data center, telecom, and inter-networking supply

Telenor, Ooredoo get Myanmar licenses

Dylan Bushell-Embling | February 04, 2014 The Myanmar government has finally awarded nationwide telecom licenses to Telenor and Ooredoo, seven months after the two companies won the tender to build mobile networks in the nation. Myanmar lawmakers have after a long delay settled on a regulatory framework for the newly liberalized telecom sector, clearing the path for Telenor and Ooredoo to roll out services in the nation. In a statement, Telenor Asia head Sigve Brekke said the license terms are “a product of an extensive consultation process with the Government of Myanmar and international organisations. “It now represents an acceptable framework that we believe will go a long way to provide the necessary long-term predictability that Telenor requires when it formally starts operations in Myanmar.” Both licenses include mobile spectrum in both the 900-MHz and 2100-MHz bands, and are valid for 15 years. The licenses were awarded late last week, and formally come into effect tomorrow. After this time, the clock will start on the two operators' rollout commitments. Telenor has pledged to achieve geographic coverage of 83% of the nation for voice and 78% for data within five years of the license taking effect. Ooredoo has meanwhile committed to delivering geographic coverage of 84% for both voice and data after five years. Dylan Bushell-Embling | February 04, 2014 We are the number one supply! Specialize in data communication accessories Original Article here

Modular Data Centers: Adoption, Competition Heat Up in 2014

Last week’s Schneider-AST deal highlights the modular data center market, where both adoption and competition are on the rise. Will 2014 finally be the breakout year for pre-fabricated data centers? The year is young, but the modular market has already seen its first major M&A deal, and may soon have its first IPO. With marquee customers in the hyperscale market, and slow but steady progress with enterprise customers, modular designs continue to gain traction. New players and new designs are emerging, further advancing the potential for pre-fab deployments. But barriers remain. The ISO container casts a long shadow over the modular data center market. Executives in the sector say it will take additional education, as well as more public customer success stories, before the new breed of modular designs can overcome customer resistance dating to the early days of the “data center in a box.” M&A and IPOs On Friday, Schneider Electric announced that it had acquired AST Modular, a Barcelona-based modular specialist that has built a global business. The deal reflected the growing importance of pre-fabricated designs and Schneider’s ambitions in the modular sector. The market for modular data centers is also becoming more competitive, with U.K. specialist Bladeroom entering the U.S. market and investment firm Fidelity launching its Centercore design as a product. Late in 2013, IDC Architects announced that it is commercializing a modular design it has deployed for global banking customers, while newcomer NextFort opened a “modular colo” facility near Phoenix.. Meanwhile, IO is hoping to become the first modular specialist to go public. The company has announced plans for an initial public offering, but hasn’t yet indicated the date for its IPO. The Phoenix-based provider counts Goldman Sachs among its roster of clients, and is bullish on the outlook for modules as the delivery model for the “software-defined data center.” “The data center market has spoken, and the consensus is that modular has won,” said Troy Rutman, the spokesman for IO. Progress, But Also Resistance Other executives in the modular sector see pre-fabricated designs making their way into the mainstream more gradually, but say that resistance persists. “You’re deploying a new technology into a mature market that is questioning its delivery,” said Rich Hering, Technical Director Mission Critical Facilities at M+W Group. “Most folks don’t like change.” “A lot of people believe modular is just for scale-out and low reliability,” said Dave Rotheroe, Distinguished Technologist and Strategist for HP. “It’s not true. Modular designs can and do apply in the enterprise.” “Customers are just beginning to understand what modular allows them to do,” said Ty Schmitt, an executive director and fellow at Dell Data Center Solutions. “As the customer base matures and the supply chain matures, we’ll see exponential growth.” Early Adopters Hyperscale cloud builders Google, Microsoft and eBay were among the first earliest users of modular designs. AOL has deployed “micro-modular” data centers both indoors and outdoors. On the enterprise front, Goldman Sachs and Fidelity have been the marquee names embracing pre-fabricated data centers. Modular designs aren’t for everyone, but Schmitt says the concept is being proven with a nucleus of forward-thinking customers seeking cheaper and faster ways to deploy their IT infrastructure. “It’s customers who’ve transformed their business,” said Schmitt. “They’re the early adopters. As more and more customers take advantages of software resiliency, we’ll see more adoption. It’s going to be a series of small hurdles.” BY RICH MILLER ON JANUARY 13, 2014 Original Article here The best products and services in Data center, telecom, and inter-networking supply

Myanmar’s moment: Unique opportunities, major challenges

June 2013 | byHeang Chhor, Richard Dobbs, Doan Nguyen Hansen, Fraser Thompson, Nancy Shah, and Lukas Streiff Myanmar is a highly unusual but promising prospect for businesses and investors—an underdeveloped economy with many advantages, in the heart of the world’s fastest-growing region. Home to 60 million inhabitants (46 million of working age), this Asian nation has abundant natural resources and is close to a market of half a billion people. And the country’s early stage of economic development gives it a “greenfield” advantage: an opportunity to build a “fit for purpose” economy to suit the modern world. Managed well, Myanmar could conceivably quadruple the size of its economy, from $45 billion in 2010 to more than $200 billion in 2030—creating upward of ten million nonagricultural jobs in the process. Myanmar’s moment: Unique opportunities, major challenges, a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute, discusses the challenges of meeting this ambitious goal and points to several areas that could help unlock high growth. Only a diversified economy can double its labor productivity; relying exclusively on energy and mining would not suffice. All the fundamentals—political and macroeconomic stability, the rule of law, enablers such as skills and infrastructure—must be in place. The report also finds that four areas, which have thus far received little attention, could underpin growth and productivity. 1. Harnessing digital technology. Myanmar is beginning its economic-development journey in the digital age, when mobile and Internet technology are increasingly affordable. Harnessing these tools to the fullest could help the country leapfrog to a more advanced stage of development, but that would call for an aggressive telecommunications-infrastructure plan. 2. Supporting a structural shift toward manufacturing. While other emerging economies have experienced a structural shift away from agriculture toward manufacturing, Myanmar’s reliance on agriculture has increased. Today, the country’s manufacturing sector is small in absolute terms—less than half the size of Vietnam’s—but it has the potential to be Myanmar’s largest by 2030. 3. Preparing for urbanization. The vast majority of Myanmar’s citizens live in rural areas, but this is likely to change rapidly. The share of the population in large cities could double, from just 13 percent today to around 25 percent in 2030—an additional ten million people, or two cities the size of Yangon. Myanmar would benefit from preparing for this change through investment, planning, and a shift to local governance. 4. Connecting to the world. Myanmar must consider the best way of reconnecting to the global economy through investment, trade, and flows of people. The nation potentially needs more than $170 billion of foreign capital to meet its overall investment requirement of $650 billion and should develop a targeted strategy to attract it. Trade volumes are not only low but also undiversified, and Myanmar could expand its trade opportunities and increase population flows to encourage knowledge transfers, the building of skills, and expanded tourism. To implement that agenda, Myanmar’s government is likely to require more capacity and may consider setting up a delivery unit dedicated to solving problems and driving the implementation of change. The nation’s businesses could consider their opportunities in different markets, quickly reach international quality standards, and explore foreign partnerships. International companies must move fast, be prepared to commit to Myanmar for the long term, and consider partnerships with local firms. First tier telecomm accessories supply Original Articles here

Race for Burma telecom licenses enters final stretch

By Casey Hynes Jun 05, 2013 4:06PM UTC Share: The quest for mobile licenses in Burma is heating up, with international companies submitting their final bids for contracts that would give them access to a largely untapped telecom market. Twelve companies submitted bids in April, and the winners of the two licenses up for grabs will be announced June 27. Burma has an extremely low mobile penetration rate: less than 10 percent of the population of 62 million currently use mobile phone and other telecom services. This means the market could be quite profitable for foreign telecoms that have the opportunity to develop the infrastructure in Burma and begin putting out affordable products on the market. Pic: Shutterstock.com Indian telecom leader Bharti Airtel submitted its final bid for a license on earlier this week, and is one of 11 other companies still in the running. Bharti Airtel currently has operations in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and parts of Africa. Irish company Digicel is also among those vying for one of the coveted licenses, and submitted a final bid on June 3 as part of a consortium with Burma-based Yoma Strategic Holdings and the investor and philanthropist George Soros’ Quantum Strategic Partners group. The Irish Independent reported that Digicel is so confident in their chances of being awarded a license, they have already launched a marketing campaign within Burma. The Norwegian Telenor Group is another contender for a license, and has vowed to give 99 percent of jobs created through their plans to locals, give out free SIM cards and offer low rates on calls, according to Eleven Myanmar. The news outlet quoted Telenor Executive Vice President and Head of Asia Operations Sigve Brekke as saying, “Myanmar telecommunication industry has been interested by the international firms and job opportunities will be abundant.” While the telecom landscape in Burma appears to be ripe for investment, there are risks associated with setting up business in the country. The low penetration rate presents both opportunities and obstacles, as there may be desire for greater mobile access but even low costs can be prohibitive for the extremely poor in the country. The government began distributing low-cost SIM cards (about USD $2) through a lottery system in April, which signals greater access for common citizens. The cost of a SIM card was once several hundred USD, which far exceeds the cost of SIMS and even mobile phones themselves in places such as neighboring Thailand. First tier telecomm accessories supply This white paper originally published here

NTT Com unveils financial data center in HK

NTT Communications has unveiled the new Hong Kong Financial Data Center (FDC) which is expected to work with close proximity to the data center operations of regional exchanges. NTT said the purpose-built data center offers top-notch IT and network infrastructure to address the growing needs for industries like finance and cloud business with the most stringent requirements. The Tier IV-ready FDC offers 100% uptime service level and unrivalled security measures to protect the mission-critical data assets of enterprises. The FDC comes online as Hong Kong’s finance industry is experiencing rapid changes and increasing demand for enhanced IT infrastructure. Hong Kong houses the sixth largest stock exchange in the world and capital inflow is also expected to see a meteoric rise with the launches of QDII2 and RQDII pilot scheme. Many regional financial services institutions (FSIs) are boosting their IT capabilities in preparation for increasing market opportunities. As a result, computer-driven trading is forecasted to comprise 58% for all equities trading in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and India this year.Staff writer | June 04, 2013 telecomasia.net Phase 2 of the FDC is expected to be completed in 2015. First tier telecomm accessories supply Here’s original Articles

Sumitomo, NEC, NTT to aid Myanmar

Sumitomo Corp. and two of its business allies said Tuesday they have concluded a contract with the Myanmar government to build an optical fiber-based telecommunications network to link the country’s three major cities. Under the contract’s terms, Sumitomo, NEC Corp. and NTT Communications Corp. will build a core high-speed network capable of transmitting data at 30 gigabits per second linking the cities of Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw via the Web. The trio will also lay down fiber-optic networks inside each of the three cities to transmit voice and other data at a speed of 10 gigabits per second. The networks will also provide such services as long-term evolution high-speed wireless communications, fixed-line phones and Internet connections. The companies will take advantage of a ¥1.71 billion grant that the government pledged to provide to Myanmar in late December, they said. They envision completing construction of all necessary facilities by the end of November and providing operational support between December and mid-January to enable Myanmar people to utilize the new facilities. MAY 22, 2013 The best telecomm accessories supply Original Articles here

Lantiq Sampling 3x3 MIMO For Faster VDSL Gateways

Supporting existing VDSL chip, extending bonding. Imran Hajimusa of Lantiq had a great demo of 4 HD channels streaming over WiFi a while back. They are now sampling and about to ship this improved WiFi, 3x3 MIMO 802.11n, a technology they purchased from Metalink. They've also upgraded their bonding capacity, which now can use VDSL profiles 17 & 30 for two line download speeds of 150-200 megabits over short loops. Their previous VDSL bonding could only do up to profile 8, for speeds under 100 megabits. Telcos are screaming for reliable TV grade WiFi. I've heard claims as many as 50% of service calls are due to WiFi rather than DSL problems. When you carry you iPad to the bedroom upstairs, you don't want to lose the football game stream. Dirk Wieberneit of Lantiq reports raw WiFi speeds normally are fine, but don't often reach far enough into the home. The 3 antennas of their MIMO chips allow further reach with beamforming Higher connection speeds require more processing power in the gateway. VTel discovered, for example, that nearly all home "gigabit" routers peaked out at about 300 meg. Since they are delivering a true gigabit. that wasn't acceptable. http://bit.ly/10ukHRp iPads and second multiple HD TVs around the house increase the local bandwidth needs. Swisscom, using the related 4x4 MIMO, rarely has problems with wireless HD TV around the home. Hajimusa believed that in real environments the four antennas of 4x4 made little difference. The folks at Quantenna, shipping 4x4, disagree. I don't have results from the fields by carriers on the effectiveness of 3x3 MIMO and so can't judge. Hajimusa is now at NXP as new management has taken over at Lantiq. From the company. XWAY™ VRX300 Family – Ultra-Fast Access Network Speeds With 200 Mbps Bonding and up to 150 Mbps Vectoring Paired With Industry-Leading Integration and Flexibility for In-home Networking VDSL2-ready CPE system shipments are forecast by IHS iSuppli to grow from about 22 million in 2012 to more than 57 million in 2016. While market Researchers predict strong growth rates for VDSL, Lantiq already today delivers leading edge VDSL2 systems. The Lantiq VRX300 Chip Set Family drives down system costs while improving access and in-home network performance. With the VRX300 Chipset, we are again raising the bar to help equipment providers meet ever tougher requirements and reinforce the competitive position of carriers.Monday, 13 May 2013 11:49 First tier telecomm accessories supply Original Article here

60 Down, 18 Up As VDSL Comes To France

Many lines do not significantly improve. As predicted, ARCEP is allowing French networks to upgrade to VDSL2. Free.fr has been using VDSL chips in DSLAMs and the Freebox for a while, so instantly could go into testing. One lucky customer tested “Gross rate: 68420 kbp/s - 17852 kbp/s.” (Freenews) A second customer at 1500 meters actually saw a (small) drop in speed. By ARCEP estimate, only a modest minority of customers will benefit. Minister Fleur Pellerin remains committed to a wide fiber rollout. Visiting France, she endorsed Stephen Conroy’s fiber network. ““I’m very impressed by your plan to develop very high speed broadband in Australia.High speed broadband is a very important factor in the attractiveness of a country and that’s why we chose also the best technology. In fibre to the home you don’t lose signal according to the distance so it’s the best technical solution.” http://bit.ly/11kiLlK France is still committed to fibering most of the country. Wednesday, 08 May 2013 17:06 First tier telecomm accessories supply Original Article here

Broadband Forum Launches BroadbandSuite™ 6.1: Superfast Broadband Toolkit

News Highlights: x Broadband 6.1 empowers operators to enhance DSL deployments to effectively deliver superfast broadband services x Improves quality measurement for DSL management, architecture and network requirements x Enhances global testing standards for VDSL2 24 April 2013, Paris – The Broadband Forum announced this week at DSL Acceleration the launch of a comprehensive release, BroadbandSuite 6.1 that gives service providers the tools required to provide the speed and stability needed to effectively deliver superfast broadband services such as IPTV. This announcement comes at a time when the growth of bandwidth-hungry broadband services is driving operators to look for new ways to get more speed and stability from their broadband infrastructure. BroadbandSuite 6.1 offers practical implementation resources, functional and performance test plans, and best practice specification for DSL quality assurance, including: Technical Specifications: TR-114i2: “VDSL2 Performance Test Plan” TR-115i2: “VDSL2 Functionality Test Plan” TR-273: “Testing of Bonded Multi-pair Systems” TR-286: “Testing of MELT Functionality on xDSL Ports” TR-188i2: “DSL Quality Suite” Click here for the complete list of specifications in BroadbandSuite 6.1 Whitepapers: MR-180: “IPTV over DSL Anywhere” MR-257: “An Overview of G.993.5 Vectoring” MR-261: “IPTV Home Networking Series: Splitters”BroadbandSuite 6.1 is a vital resource of global test plans, setting the bar for ADSL2plus and VDSL2 function and performance. It also defines vectoring and bonding options for supercharging DSL, and key methods for improving quality measurements, IPTV service delivery and techniques for DSL network management. Robin Mersh, CEO of the Broadband Forum said: “BroadbandSuite 6.1 gives operators a way to boost their existing copper deployments as a valuable part of the multi-access platform that is emerging around the world. High speed VDSL2 works well with fiber, providing Operators the ability to capitalize on existing investments whilst effectively engineering hybrid FTTx solutions to minimize costs, all the while maximizing speed and reach of their superfast broadband networks.” BroadbandSuite 6.1 gives operators the ability to better architect a standards-based network design. The test plans forge greater interoperability and consistent multiservice delivery in the field. Overall BroadbandSuite 6.1 provides the tools necessary for service providers to leverage copper deployments into high speed DSL access, making it a valuable player in today’s converged superfast broadband network. First tier telecomm accessories supply This white paper originally published here

Ikanos: Our 192 Port Vector VDSL Chips Are In Customer Tests

Builds custom chassis to show off 100 meg on every port. “Customers probably will delay volume deployments until late in 2014. Our chip is production ready and will be available well before that,” Kourosh Amiri of Ikanos tells me. It’s an impressive chip, designed for node scale vectoring of 384 ports. It does full cancellation of noise in all tones, which Ikanos claims is substantially more effective than the competition’s “partial cancellation.” A ten gigabit serdes is built in to support the high speed interconnect needed for this kind of performance. (The picture shows Ikanos' reference chassis supporting 384 ports at 100 megabits.) Contrary to Deutsche Telekom’s claims that it’s “impossible” to unbundle vectored VDSL, Ikanos is perfectly comfortable with two ISPs sharing the binder. “As long as the two DSLAMs are within about 50 meters, we can communicate between them and cancel noise on all lines,” adds Amiri. Telecom Italia and Fastweb have an official memorandum of understanding they will do just that. http://bit.ly/WR6tug Each is passing several million homes with fiber/DSL, often in the same node. Huawei, #2 DSLAM vendor to Alcatel, is understood to have the contract and presumably will choose Ikanos chips. Ikanos is serious about interoperability. “If you manufacture VDSL chips, bring a board to our labs and we’ll be glad to test with you.” They claim they are working closely with their lead competitor and expect few problems in interop. Promises, promises I’ve been hearing from everyone in VDSL for a decade, so I’ll remain skeptical of everyone’s claims until they are proven in the field.Thursday, 04 April 2013 22:09 First tier telecomm accessories supply Original Article here

22 applications for Myanmar mobile license

Dylan Bushell-Embling | April 08, 2013 telecomasia.net The Myanmar government has received 22 applications from bidders interested in acquiring one of two new mobile licenses in the untapped telecom market. Myanmar deputy minister of national planning and economic development, Set Aung, told AFP that 22 companies or consortia had submitted pre-qualification applications in time for the August 4 deadline. The government hasn't named all the applicants, but plans to announce the list of companies which have been pre-qualified on Thursday. But ahead of this announcement, a source close to the process has provided TMT Finance with what is purportedly a list of all the initial applicants. The list includes 18 telecom operators – some of whom have already publicly announced their intention to apply – and several investment company consortia. Operators on the list include Malaysia's Axiata, Vietnam's Viettel, India's Bharti Airtel, China Telecom, SingTel, France Telecom/Orange and South Africa's MTN. First tier telecomm accessories supply This white paper originally published here

Vectored DSL - How It Works

Cancelling noise can double short loop speeds. Telco networks are generally built with 25 lines joined together in a binder like the picture. Each active wire generates crosstalk "noise" which interferes with the lines around it, reducing their speed. Cancel the noise and the lines can run faster. In practice, speed doubles to 70-100 meg down, 10-40 meg up, over short loops up to about 300 meters. Up to about 100 meters, a related standard G.fast, promises 200+ megabits. Bond two pair and you inexpensively (less than $125/home) double the speed again. As loops get longer, the crosstalk noise becomes less of a factor and the speed is limited more by the resistance of the copper wire itself and other kinds of noise, like AM radio. Over about 1,000 meters, vectoring has almost no impact. So vectoring matters if and only if you have a box fairly close to the customer. These "neighborhood nodes" can be small; you can connect 48 homes with a "pizza box" DSLAM. The boxes themselves are usually connected by fiber to the exchange. "Fiber" is a magic word and a brilliant AT&T lobbyist came up with the name "fiber to the node," FTTN. It worked; AT&T's node DSL build, U-Verse, got major government concessions. Stanford Prefessor John Cioffi and his former student George Ginis developed the idea back in 2002. The name comes from the vector mathematics used to calculate the noise cancellation. They couldn't demonstrate at the time because the calculations for 25 pairs running at 100 megabits were impractical. As Moore's Law improved chip performance, demonstration systems from ECI and Lantiq began showing in 2009. By 2011, Alcatel demonstrated production-oriented systems that were tested in 2011-2012 at carriers including Swisscom and Belgacom. The results were outstanding, confirming the 70-100 meg speeds. European carriers including Deutsche Telekom and Telecom Italia abandoned fiber plans and switched to the much cheaper vectored DSL. By late 2012, numerous problems emerged from early field trials. Carriers including Belgacom and Deutsche Telekom decided to delay substantial deployments until late 2013 or even 2014. Everyone is confident the problems will be quickly resolved with minor changes in the gear and the software managing the networks. Deutsche Telecom remain confident of deploying 12M to 24M lines in four years. The Germans in particular are anxious to deploy quickly because the cable guys are kiling them. DOCSIS 3 in Europe can offer "up to 200 megabits" down because EuroDOCSIS uses 8 MHz channels. Kabel Deutschland's standard offer is "twice the speed of Deutsche Telekom DSL for the same price." Kabel committed to early deployment of gigabit DOCSIS, perhaps by yearend 2013. Deutsche Telekom's estimate of cost is EUR 6 billion for 24 million homes, less than $450/home passed. Telecom Italia and AT&T have lower estimates. I use a figure of "about $400" for short discussions. VDSL DSLAMs sold for an average price of $38/port in 2012, although if you aren't buying in the millions you'll likely pay a much higher price. Adding vectoring raises the bill of materials by only a few dollars per port, but first to market Alcatel is looking to charge a 100% premium for vector. As Huawei, Adtran, ECI, Calix and others ship systems, the price will come down. Those DSLAMs need to be installed in field cabinets and connected by fiber to the exchange. Most customers need new modems. But at $50/month, three year revenue for VDSL is $1800. The investment is so quickly paid off it fits within the typical telco capex budget. The saving compared to fiber is at least $500/home and possibly $1500-$2000/home. Thursday, 04 April 2013 16:03 First tier telecomm accessories supply Original Article here

BROADBAND FORUM HOLDS INDUSTRY’S FIRST G.VECTOR INTEROPERABILITY PLUGFESTFOR VDSL2

(March 26, 2013, Fremont, CA) Fifteen companies met in Durham, NH, USA during the week of February 25 – March 1, 2013, to participate in the first wide scale interoperability testing of equipment implementing ITU-T G.vector for VDSL2. This plugfest, the first of a planned series of interoperability events organized by the Broadband Forum, and hosted by the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), was focused on detailed testing of G.vector functionality. The participating companies were Actiontec Electronics, Inc., ADTRAN, Alcatel-Lucent, AVM GmbH, Broadcom, Calix, Cisco, EXFO, Ikanos, JDSU, Lantiq, Metanoia Communications, NETGEAR, Real Communications, Inc. and Technicolor, with the support of Telebyte and TraceSpan Communications. Each plugfest offers an opportunity for industry leading companies to come together in a neutral environment to test their G.vector implementations. Testing was conducted according to the Broadband Forum’s G.vector plugfest test plan, and initial results will be provided to the Broadband Forum membership in the coming weeks. Robin Mersh, CEO of the Broadband Forum, said: “There is no doubt that VDSL2 has a pivotal role to play in the future of high speed broadband services. It is rapidly becoming a widely deployed technology and the addition of G.vector functionality is helping to achieve the increased bandwidth needed for today’s applications and consumer expectations. Our role is to ensure that implementations of G.vector are interoperable and perform well, and the plugfest is a key step towards that goal.” G.vector provides a boost to VDSL2 data rates by cancelling crosstalk in real-time between wire pairs in the copper access network. This allows the equipment to operate at higher bit rates, and gives subscribers quality access to even higher bandwidth services. The Broadband Forum series of plugfest events helpsimplementationsto mature, fosters cross-vendor interoperability, and ensuresthat participants keep up with G.vector advancements, thereby expediting quality rollouts of super-fast broadband services over VDSL2 around the world. “Our company appreciates this Broadband Forum initiative, helping to foster interoperability and market readiness for G.vector”, said Manuel Paul, Deutsche Telekom, and member of the Broadband Forum Board of Directors. “Broadband Forum provides a great value to the industry by continuing its successful interoperability programs.” First tier telecomm accessories supply This white paper originally published here