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New Viavi Extension Gives Techs Same Tool for New 5G Tasks Surging fiber demand and operators' efforts to prepare for the impending arrival of 5G is driving vendors to develop new tools for technicians tasked with deploying the cable that supports these transformative infrastructures. Service providers are expanding to higher frequency bands, with several vendors and CSPs (including AT&T, Softbank, U.S. Cellular and Verizon) already conducting trials of 5G radios in the 28 GHz spectrum. As providers incorporate these higher frequencies, they need to equip their technicians with new tools (See Techs Need New Tools for Next-Gen Networks.) "5G will require multiple aspects of the network -- from the air interface to the core -- to be upgraded and enhanced, requiring upgrades to fiber infrastructure, fronthaul, high-speed backhaul, automation and virtualization," Kashif Hussain, Wireless Solutions director at Viavi Solutions Inc. , told UBB2020. To address these needs, Viavi Solutions extended capabilities of its CellAdvisor JD700B Series of base station analyzers to analyze spectrum and interference of 5G signals in 28 GHz frequency bands. The downconverter for the CellAdvisor JD700B series allows technicians to use the same platform to conduct 5G's higher, more complex wavelengths. "Our customers are conducting 5G trials while serving hundreds of millions of subscribers on existing networks. They would prefer to minimize cost and complexity by using test and measurement systems their technicians and contractors already know," said Kevin Oliver, vice president and general manager, Converged Instruments and Virtual Test at Viavi Solutions, in a statement The growing number of user devices, complexity of networks and adoption of ultra-broadband are not the only reasons service providers and their contractor partners seek increasingly sophisticated yet easy-to-use tools for diagnosis, testing and analysis, said Hussain. "By using field test solutions that offer workflow management and automation, low-skilled technicians can quickly and accurately test fiber and coax interfaces. Cell site installation and maintenance can be extremely challenging and time-consuming, traditionally requiring skilled field technicians," he said. "As service providers seek to reduce opex costs, there is a trend toward a less skilled workforce and more use of third-party contractors, necessitating field testing tools that are faster and easier to use." Related posts:
— Alison Diana, Editor, UBB2020. Follow us on Twitter @UBB2020 or @alisoncdiana. |
In a flurry of activity throughout the week, Donald (DJ) LaVoy, Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development at the US Department of Agriculture, and his team spent about $145.8 million in the non-urban or suburban areas of seven states.
Calix reported revenue of $120.19 million – up 4% – in Q4 2019, putting a bounce in the step of company president and CEO Carl Russo and a shine to Calix's ongoing transition from hardware vendor to a provider of platforms enabled by cloud, APIs and subscriber experience.
Looking to curtail e-waste and improve the bottom line, BT will require customers to return routers and set-top boxes, although subscribers will not have to pay a fee when they receive regular broadband equipment.
The industry standards organization is looking to ease operator pain from residential WiFi, while it also sees initiatives in connected home and other projects bear fruit.
Deploying DOCSIS 3.1 across its entire footprint gave Rogers Communications the ability to offer speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s,
contributing to a broadband segement that generated about 60% of the Canadian operator's $3.05 billion (US) in Q4 cable earnings.
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