Telecom Ramblings

In December, Ciena created a new business division, Ciena Agility, specifically targeted at the growing opportunities of Software-Defined Networking and Network Functions Virtualization.  With the introduction of itsAgility Matrix software and VNF marketplace, Ciena is looking to help network operators unlock new business models serving the enterprise and enable a broader ecosystem of virtual network function vendors.  With us today to talk about Ciena’s efforts in NFV and SDN in general is Chris Janz, VP and CTO of Ciena Agility. [Read more →]

Here’s a last look at some other news from this week before some of you head into the long weekend: [Read more →]

Later this month, the FCC will vote on applying Title II (or at least parts of it) to the internet’s last mile, and all indications are that it will pass.  While the new regulatory regime will surely be challenged in court, this time the legs holding it up look quite a bit less frail.  What do readers think, and how strongly do you think it?  Pick two thoughts you most identify with, or add your own: [Read more →]

Contributed by Charlie Reed, Partner ATLANTIC-ACM

Technology is redefining the core products and operations in almost every industry. The role of the CIO (or CTO or CDO, etc.) is becoming central to marketing, operations, product development, customer support, security, financial analysis, business planning and more. As CIOs work to tie these vital roles together through efficient, secure, high capacity networks the following trends emerge in the business wireline telecom market: [Read more →]

Level 3 Communications significantly expanded its efforts in the managed security arena this morning. They’ve introduced a new DDoS mitigation service that takes advantage of both the company’s vast network scale and distributed CDN infrastructure. [Read more →]

A quick look at news from the vendors that is worth a look: [Read more →]

Zayo posted its second quarter results this morning, the first quarter they operated in as a public company.  Revenues were held back some by foreign exchange fluctuations but were nevertheless inline with expectations, while EBITDA margins continued their upward trajectory.  Here are a few of the company’s numbers in some context: [Read more →]

Akamai easily bested analyst expectations yesterday after the market closed, posting Q4 numbers that reflected a strong holiday season and a growing appetite for the company’s security services. [Read more →]

There has been a big consolidation development in the European internet infrastructure markets today.  TelecityGroup and Interxion, two of the continent’s largest and most active colocation providers, have announced plans to merge. [Read more →]

Here’s a quick survey of some news from the metro: [Read more →]

One of the more interesting developments of the past few years has been the proliferation and growth of independent internet exchange points around the country. This month another such location is being born in Richmond, Virginia, not too far south from the huge data center mecca of northern Virginia. [Read more →]

One of Houston’s key telecom carrier hotels is changing hands according to an announcement today.  Netrality Properties is acquiring 1301 Fannin Street, a 25-story,  1.1M square foot facility that currently houses 400K square feet of data center space and a dozen networks.   [Read more →]

A fiber operator we don’t hear from too often unveiled an expansion project over the weekend out in the Midwest. Indiana Fiber Network is planning to expand its overall capital investments in the state of Indiana to over than $100M from its current $75M with a multi-year, statewide upgrade. [Read more →]

This article was authored by Jouko Ahvenainen, and was originally posted on telecomasia.net.

Several publications have reported that Google is planning to sell mobile phone plans to consumers. Google is expected to make a deal in the US with Sprint and T-Mobile to sell their capacity. I wrote earlier about Apple’s own SIM card plan. Traditionally MVNO’s have been doomed to fail. Can Apple and Google really challenge carriers? [Read more →]

For this Friday roundup we have two items from the internet exchanges, one from the cloud, and one from the channel: [Read more →]

The rumors of Verizon asset sales turned quickly into reality yesterday after the markets closed. Frontier is spending $10.54B to acquire Verizon’s California, Texas, and Florida holdings, while American Tower is buying Verizon’s tower portfolio for $5.06B and of course leasing it back to them. [Read more →]

I’ve been down with the flu most of this week, but I’m almost all the way back now.  Here’s a quick look at news from overseas to chew on:  [Read more →]

In a leak that will surprise nobody, various reports are out this morning naming the company that may be ready to take about $10B of landline assets off of Verizon’s hands. Yep, it’s still Frontier.  [Read more →]

The UK’s supply of telecommunications operators with acronyms shorter than two letters is about to drop to three. In a widely anticipated consolidation move, BT and EE have come to terms. [Read more →]

When FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler was appointed, the cable and telecommunications giants tried to hide grins while public advocates worried about having a lobbyist with industry ties replace Genachowski. The tide has shifted a few times now, but today it’s definitely all the way back the other way with the new net neutrality rules Wheeler is proposing this week. [Read more →]

Zayo has been moving quickly to make use of the assets it acquired over in Europe last year.  This morning the announced plans to expand across the Irish Sea over to Dublin, lighting various dark fiber assets along the way. [Read more →]

In a release that offered a blizzard of combined, standalone, and pro-forma results for the fourth quarter of 2014, Level 3 started a new chapter of its story with the incorporation of tw telecom.  Lots of data, but just what does it say?  My initial take is that North American enterprise revenue growth remained pretty strong for both legacy Level 3 and tw, wholesale was weak, and acquisition costs were big enough to distort it all quite effectively. [Read more →]

That’s a trick title up there, there’s actually only three items in this cloud & colo news roundup: [Read more →]