Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Vodafone buys ONO; TeliaSonera faces US probe into Uzbek unit; Orange 4G roaming extended.
Telefónica SA (NYSE: TEF) has undertaken an SDN test whereby optical and IP network elements were configured and managed using an SDN controller -- plus GMPLS (Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching) and PCEP (Path Computation Element Protocol) tools -- supplied by Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. . The test included including multi-layer restoration and the creation of multi-domain Label Switched Paths (LSPs). It's also worth noting that the optical and IP equipment used in the test were also from the Chinese vendor, so this was not a multivendor test. This, though, will be just one step on Telefónica's path towards a network that incorporates SDN and NFV capabilities in the coming years, as laid out in its recently-unveiled next-generation network strategy. Huawei, meanwhile, is just one of many vendors looking to prove their worth in providing tools that can enable centralized control and virtualization that will make wide area communications networks more flexible and more responsive to immediate customer requirements. (See Telefónica Tests Optical/IP SDN With Huawei, Telefónica Unveils Aggressive NFV Plans, One Form of Energy Isn't Sufficient, and Defining SDN & NFV.)
"Defining Transport SDN" is one of a number of key topics that will feature at Light Reading's Big Telecom Event (BTE), June 17/18 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers.
Vodafone Group plc (NYSE: VOD) has agreed to buy Spanish cable operator ONO for €7.2 billion (US$10 billion), ending weeks of speculation that centered on whether ONO would go down the sale or IPO route. ONO has 1.9 million customers for its broadband and pay-TV services located in 13 of Spain's 17 regions. (See Euronews: Vodafone Homes In On ONO and Euronews: ONO Snubs Vodafone, Opts for IPO.)
Orange (NYSE: FTE) is extending its 4G roaming to six new countries -- Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and Switzerland -- taking the total number of nations covered by the service to 11.
Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa (VMMEA), part-owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Mobile Telecoms Ltd. , is planning to launch mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) services in Saudi Arabia in the first half of this year, reports Reuters. VMNEA was one of three winning bidders for an MVNO license.
The European Commission has welcomed the news that the US authorities are opening up governance of the Internet by moving "out of the IANA [Internet Assigned Numbers Authority] function." Until now the US has had the final say in changes to globally used data on top-level Internet domain names, such as .com or .de, but the Commission believes the stage has now been set for future governance carried out on a "multi-stakeholder" basis. For more details and comment, see this Commission statement.
— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading
Want to learn more about SDN and the transport network? Check out the agenda for Light Reading's Big Telecom Event (BTE), which will take place on June 17 and 18 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers. The event combines the educational power of interactive conference sessions devised and hosted by Heavy Reading's experienced industry analysts with multi-vendor interoperability and proof-of-concept networking and application showcases. For more on the event, the topics, and the stellar service provider speaker lineup, see Telecommunication Luminaries to Discuss the Hottest Industry Trends at Light Reading's Big Telecom Event in June.
The 'gleaming city on a hill,' Steve Saunders calls it. But who is going to take us from today's NFV componentry to the grand future of a self-driving network? Here's a look at the vendors hoping to make it happen.
With the mobile ecosystem becoming increasingly vulnerable to security threats, AdaptiveMobile has laid out some of the key considerations for the wireless community.
Understanding the full experience of women in technology requires starting at the collegiate level (or sooner) and studying the technologies women are involved with, company cultures they're part of and personal experiences of individuals.
During this WiC radio show, we will talk with Nicole Engelbert, the director of Research & Analysis for Ovum Technology and a 23-year telecom industry veteran, about her experiences and perspectives on women in tech. Engelbert covers infrastructure, applications and industries for Ovum, but she is also involved in the research firm's higher education team and has helped colleges and universities globally leverage technology as a strategy for improving recruitment, retention and graduation performance.
She will share her unique insight into the collegiate level, where women pursuing engineering and STEM-related degrees is dwindling. Engelbert will also reveal new, original Ovum research on the topics of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, security and augmented reality, as well as discuss what each of those technologies might mean for women in our field. As always, we'll also leave plenty of time to answer all your questions live on the air and chat board.
To save this item to your list of favorite Light Reading content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
(1) | 
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Tweet This