Networking

Networking firm Cisco has appointed Ricardo Mucci as the new country manager for its Brazilian subsidiary.Mucci succeeds Laércio Albuquerque, who has been promoted to a regional role in March as part of a strategy to accelerate the uptake and evolution of the company’s networking systems in the region in a context of digital transformation.

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Formerly head of Cisco’s enterprise segment in Brazil, Mucci joined the company in 2017 as director of the firm’s public sector practice. The new leader was involved in various projects alongside Brazilian city governments aimed at ensuring continuity of essential activities in areas such as health, education and the judiciary through the adoption of the company’s technologies.A veteran of the technology sector in Brazil, Mucci has been working in the field over the last 27 years. Prior to Cisco, the executive was the public sector director at Oracle and also held senior roles in companies such as IBM and Telefonica. “As a leader focused on business growth and digital transformation, Mucci will play an important role in supporting our customers and partners in their digital journeys as businesses move towards the so-called hybrid model,” said Laércio Albuquerque, vice president at Cisco Latin America in reference to the new country manager, who has also been working to expand the footprint of Cisco Networking Academy, the firm’s education and employability program, through partnerships with governments nationwide. “Companies and governments have been advancing rapidly in the digital transformation and we want to help our customers in the development of new secure applications and prepared for the future hybrid world, where the cloud must be at the center of everything”, said Mucci, adding this vision will be made possible through the strengthening of the firm’s channel ecosystem. More

The Department of Homeland Security announced a new deal with AT&T that will see the telecoms giant “modernize and transform” its telecommunications and network infrastructure.In a statement, the organizations said AT&T had been given four different task orders worth a total of $306 Million over the next 12 years. AT&T is planning to shift DHS and its 240,000 employees to an all-IP network.The task orders cover networking services for the DHS headquarters, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Science and Technology Directorate.In addition to IP-based networking services, AT&T will provide all four with data networking, voice collaboration, equipment, security, and labor. DHS will also be given access to FirstNet, a network built for first responders and public safety personnel that offers “wireless edge solutions for primary and failover connectivity.”DHS wants AT&T to virtualize its networking capabilities and provide them with other technologies like SD-WAN and “cybersecurity protections that reduce the number of internet connections for improved monitoring and zero-trust networking.”Work on the projects begins today, according to the statement.  More

Image: APH
NBN CEO Stephen Rue has explained why the company responsible for the National Broadband Network has reversed its previous plans to use G.fast for speeds higher than 250Mbps, and instead announced earlier this month that users would get full fibre upgrades. In the current fibre to the curb (FttC) footprint, due to the company wanting to have a diversity of suppliers, half of FttC connections can only be used with VDSL, while the other half can do VDSL and G.Fast, Rue explained. “If we’re going to provide higher speeds beyond 100Mbps to people, we wanted to look at the long-term, the 15-year roadmap if you like,” he told Senate Estimates on Thursday. “When we looked at it, we took the view that we’re using G-Fast, there would still be things like copper remediation, there may be still some home wiring in the home, and it was also going to be IT system builds for us and the retailers, and a harder thing for retailers to manage because they’d have to explain what service they were getting. “So we concluded that the best return on investment for those customers who wanted more than a 100Mbps was to provide a fibre lead-in.” Rue said it was not a complete abandonment of the technology, and there could be situations where NBN would use it, but retailers would not need to know it was in use. Another factor in favour of full fibre was in the FttC footprint, NBN had already pulled fibre down the street, so it was already close to the premises. “G.Fast absolutely could have delivered, certainly at 250 megs and above,” Rue said. “There’s no technical issue with G.Fast.”

The CEO would not be drawn on how many fibre lead-ins NBN was expecting to build, and asked that the question be deferred to the next set of hearings that would be after the company released its next corporate plan. In response to questions on notice, NBN said it had replaced approximately 47,700 NBN Co Connection Devices (NCDs) used on FttC connections across November to March as a result of severe weather. The company further said, during 2020, it swapped 57,000 NCDs and so far this year it has replaced 44,300 NCDs. In March, the company said it was looking for a long-term solution to lightning frying FttC equipment, which was highlighted in the Blue Mountains area of NSW. On Thursday, Rue revealed NBN had issued around half a million devices that might go pop if struck by lightning, or lightning landed nearby. “Investigations have found that in some instances a component in the device does not meet our design specifications and while these devices are failing in a safe way, it is happening more often than expected in selected areas causing a reliability issue for some customers,” Rue said. “In these areas, when a device does fail due to electrical over-stress, we are now replacing it with an NCD that meets our original design specifications, and is much less likely to fail again under similar circumstances. “Approximately 500,000 devices with the component issue were deployed into the network as the issue coincided with our peak FttC deployment period.” Although the root cause has yet to be established, Rue said the company is implementing a “fast-track” solution that aims to detect a failed device and have a replacement device shipped to customers in 24 hours. Amongst a bevy of questioning about its prime contracting arrangements, NBN revealed the issue with its technician workload software when it launched in New South Wales: It got overloaded. “What happened, when literally it was rolled out in New South Wales, the platform went down and we then had, due to literally the doubling of our workforce on the system, we then add the issues around the functionality where it wasn’t syncing properly, so therefore it caused a poor experience,” COO Kathrine Dyer said. The app uses ServiceMax that sits on top of the Salesforce platform, and it has a ServiceNow functionality in relation to scheduling and how work is fed into the ServiceMax tool, the COO said. Dyer said the software was hit by a trio of factors: A two-day platform outage that hit NBN and technicians; it wasn’t syncing; and updating its functionality. “We were getting agile-based feedback from the sub-contractors in relation to the usability, and we were working with them, based on the feedback we were getting, to streamline the usability as we were rolling out the app,” Dyer said. Related Coverage More

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Singaporean telco Singtel has continued to see its balance sheet contract as it reported decreases across the board for the full year to the end of March. Revenue for the telco was down 5% from SG$16.5 billion to SG$15.6 billion, earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped by 16% to SG$3.8 billion, and net profit halved to SG$554 million. All of these numbers were down in the last financial year, dramatically so in some cases. For net profit, the telco reported SG$3.1 billion in fiscal 2019, SG$2.5 billion higher than this year’s number. “This year’s results are disappointing given unprecedented headwinds from COVID-19 and ongoing structural challenges,” CEO Yuen Kuan Moon said. “NCS and our data centre services proved to be bright spots, showing strong growth as enterprises rushed to digitalise and transform their businesses. We will be capitalising on this mass digitalisation with plans for a strategic reset to drive recovery and growth.” One of the few positive areas for Singtel was the contribution from its regional associates, up 4% to SG$1.7 billion, however all the gains were posted by Bharti Airtel which reversed last year’s SG$403 million loss into profit of SG$23 million. Telkomsel was down 22% to SG$915 million, AIS dropped 8.5% to SG$334 million, Intouch saw its contribution fall 7.4% to SG$94 million, and Globe experienced a 15.6% decline to SG$346 million. Singtel’s consumer business in Singapore reported a revenue drop of 14% to SG$1.8 billion, and said during the second half it had seen reduced roaming, prepaid mobile, and voice revenue, while on the other hand, it had higher handset sales as consumers upgraded to 5G devices. EBTIDA was down 17% to SG$627 million. The enterprise segment reported revenue dropping 1.4% to SG$5.94 billion and EBITDA falling 5% to SG$1.51 billion. Managed services grew 9.7% to SG$1.95 billion, revenue for business application services jumped 5% to SG$592 million, and communications engineering saw sales increase 5% to SG$153 million. Headed in the other direction were all carriage services — mobile, equipment sales, data, and fixed voice — which collectively were down 10% to SG$2.68 billion. Cybersecurity was down very slightly to SG$564 million.

Broken out by unit, NCS saw revenue increase 6.2% to SG$2.3 billion and EBITDA grow 13% to SG$330 million, while Trustwave saw revenue steady at SG$393 million and EBITDA improve 92% to a SG$61 million loss. Along with Amobee, which posted revenue down 17.6% to SG$664 million and EBITDA shrink 85% to SG$4 million, Trustwave is now facing a strategic review. “The exceptional items in the second half year included non-cash impairment charges of SG$589 million ($438 million) and SG$336 million for the intangible assets and goodwill of Amobee and Global Cyber Security Business respectively,” the telco said. “The ongoing industry and operational challenges and COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in underperformance of their business plans and impacted the recoverable values of these businesses. Singtel has commenced a strategic review to consider options for these businesses in order to sharpen the group’s focus and ensure that these assets are positioned for growth.” As well as the review, NCS will be taking on Trustwave’s technology services, as the NCS is slated to become a “key growth driver”. “With its public-sector focus, NCS has been a consistent revenue growth engine for the Group over the years,” Yuen said. “It makes a lot of sense to develop this growth engine by casting its net further afield into the enterprise sector and markets outside Singapore where we have presence and synergies. There will be no letting up in the e-government side of the business, but this is a major turning point for NCS.” As for Singtel’s Australian arm, Optus walked away from the full year to March 31 a little battered and bruised. The company saw declines across the board, and thanks to a number of exceptional items, recorded a AU$208 million net loss for the year, a drop of AU$610 million. “With the completion of the NBN rollout in Australia and the subsequent migration of customers, Optus has undertaken a comprehensive review of its network assets and recorded non-cash impairment charges of AU$197 million due mainly to its legacy fixed access networks that will no longer be used,” the company said. Optus added it also had a AU$98 million item against its payroll review that saw thousands of its current and former workers potentially having underpaid superannuation. Optus is set to spend AU$1.5 billion in capital expenditure over its next financial year, while the rest of the Singtel group will spend SG$800 million. Related Coverage More

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Singapore-owned Australian telco Optus has walked away from the full year to March 31 a little battered and bruised. The company saw declines across the board, and thanks to a number of exceptional items, recorded a AU$208 million net loss for the year, a drop of AU$610 million. Revenue was down 7% to AU$8.32 billion, and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by a quarter to AU$2 billion, and underlying net profit dropped 98% to AU$8 million. The underlying profit turned into a AU$208 million net loss once AU$216 million of exceptional items were taken into account. “With the completion of the NBN rollout in Australia and the subsequent migration of customers, Optus has undertaken a comprehensive review of its network assets and recorded non-cash impairment charges of AU$197 million due mainly to its legacy fixed access networks that will no longer be used,” the company said. Optus added it also had a AU$98 million item against its payroll review that saw thousands of its current and former workers potentially having underpaid superannuation. “Optus has also undertaken a programme to review its staff compensation and has recorded an exceptional charge of AU$98 million relating to staff payroll adjustments, professional fees as well as remediation of Optus’ systems and processes,” it said. Beyond the exceptional items, Optus said the revenue reductions were due to COVID-19, lower payments from NBN for transferring customers coupled with shrinking margins on NBN connections, and lower equipment sales.

“This has been a challenging year with COVID-19 and structural NBN impacts affecting the whole industry,” Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said. “However, Optus continued to prioritise keeping Australians connected, ensuring our teams were safe and employed, and investing in our network, customer service, and digital experiences.” Giving an update on its plans to sell off its tower business, the company said it finished restructuring the towers into Australia Tower Network and began the sale process in April. Optus will be taking bids in June, and will look to wrap the divestiture of up to 70% of the business during the second half of 2021. Australia Tower Network has 3,212 towers under its remit, 565 committed builds, and a current tenancy ratio on its towers of 1.6. For its enterprise segment, revenue was up 2.3% to AU$1.23 billion. Managed services saw sales grow 7.3% to AU$448 million, cybersecurity increased 19% to AU$120 million, and mobile service revenue increased 9.3% to AU$173 million. Headed in the other direction, equipment sales plunged 21% to AU$61 million, data and internet dropped 5.6% to AU$237 million, and fixed voice declined 3% to AU$194 million. EBITDA for the enterprise division increased 21% to AU$116 million. For the consumer division, revenue was down 8.6% to AU$7.1 billion for the full year, EBITDA dropped 26% to AU$1.88 billion. Optus saw its number of prepaid plans drop 12% to 2.97 million, and postpaid plans fell 1% to 5.77 million. Average revenue per user in prepaid grew 2% to AU$19 a month, while postpaid was steady at AU$37. The total number of customers on Optus Sport grew during the year from 821,000 to 870,000. The company is set to spend AU$1.5 billion in capital expenditure over its next financial year, while the rest of the Singtel group will spend SG$800 million. Overall for Singtel, revenue was down 5.4% during the year to SG$15.6 billion, and EBITDA fell 15.6% to SG$3.8 billion. On Wednesday, Optus said it has completed a 5G standalone call using a handset from Oppo and network equipment from Ericsson. “The success of this technology milestone is a leap towards full deployment of Optus’ 5G standalone architecture nationwide, and we are already working on enabling 5G standalone voice calls using Voice over New Radio,” Optus managing director of networks Lambo Kanagaratnam said. “As we evolve our network, 5G standalone will enable future opportunities, including on-premise 5G and end-to-end network slicing allowing personalisation and control for our customers.” Related Coverage More

While most of us are deciding whether or not to upgrade to a new router that supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard (a.k.a. 802.11ax), it turns out there’s another new flavour of Wi-Fi already on its way. Called Wi-Fi 6E (E for ‘Extended’), this new standard adds the 6GHz frequency band to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands currently supported by Wi-Fi 6 and its predecessor, Wi-Fi 5 (formerly known as 802.11ac).   With the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands becoming increasingly crowded, the new 6GHz band adds additional capacity that, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance, provides strong performance “even in very dense and congested environments”, such as sports arenas and business complexes.  Several networking companies have announced new routers that support Wi-Fi 6E, but Netgear is first off the starting block with its new Nighthawk RAXE500 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E Router. Priced at $599.99 (UK pricing TBA), the RAXE500 is very much a top-of-the-range option, boasting a top combined speed of 10.8Gbps, and eight internal antennae designed to stream data to as many as 60 devices simultaneously.   Netgear’s Nighthawk RAXE500 router supports the new 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E standard, delivering combined throughput of up to 10.8Gbps and ‘fast and reliable’ connections for up to 60 devices.
Image: Netgear
Netgear states that the new 6GHz band also allows the use of high-bandwidth 160MHz ‘channels’ — rather like sub-bands within the main 6GHz band — that are ideal for high-capacity applications such as streaming 4K or 8K video for entertainment or video conferencing.  The router is powered by a 1.8GHz quad-core processor and supports the latest WPA3 security standard. As well as providing high-performance Wi-Fi, the RAXE500 also includes multiple high-performance wired connections for an office network. There’s a dedicated 2.5Gbps ‘multi-gig’ Ethernet interface for high-speed internet connections, as well as five additional Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired devices, which also provide the ability to combine — or ‘aggregate’ — two ports for higher speed. The router also includes two USB 3.0 ports for connecting USB storage devices that can be shared with other network users.  Ports on the RAXE500 (left to right): 2x USB 3.0, WAN, 4x Gigabit Ethernet, 2.5Gbps Ethernet.
Image: Netgear
Netgear’s Nighthawk range tends to be primarily aimed at home users, but with so many people still working from home, Netgear is describing the RAXE500 as an ‘all-purpose’ router that’s suitable for video conferencing and e-learning as well.   Orbi Pro WiFi 6 Mini (SXK30): Affordable Wi-Fi 6 mesh networking.
Image: Netgear

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The company hasn’t yet brought Wi-Fi 6E to its business-oriented Orbi Pro mesh systems, but it has just introduced a new Orbi Pro model that aims to provide a more affordable entry-point for Wi-Fi 6 technology.  SEE: Hiring Kit: Computer Hardware Engineer (TechRepublic Premium)Previous models have been expensive tri-band mesh systems aimed at larger businesses, but the new Orbi Pro Wi-Fi 6 Mini is a more affordable dual-band option for home office use and small businesses. There are two options available, both providing Wi-Fi 6 speeds of 1.8Gbps and supporting up to 40 devices. Prices start at $299.99 for a two-piece system suitable for covering areas of up to 2,000 sq.ft, while a three-piece system that can cover 4,000 sq.ft comes in at $399.99. Like other Orbi Pro systems, the Mini allows you to create four separate networks (SSIDs) that can be assigned to different tasks or different groups of users, such as guests, employees, IT staff or admin.  RECENT AND RELATED CONTENT Netgear unveils high-performance network gear Netgear Nighthawk Wi-Fi routers go mesh Netgear releases new managed Wi-Fi access points for SMBs: WAX620 How much internet speed do you really need? Best Wi-Fi router in 2021: Expert reviews of top brands Read more reviews More

In all too many places, your internet choices consist of one cable internet provider or one DSL provider. If you’re lucky, you may get fiber as a choice too. Then, there’s Atlanta. Here in most of the metro area, you actually have real choices! No! Really!Before jumping into this comparison you should keep in mind that, just like everywhere else, the advertised prices are not the same as what you’ll pay. The “list” price doesn’t include taxes or fees. The prices will also vary wildly depending on what deal you get. Many ISPs offer cheaper packages that also offer you cable TV, landline, or 4G/5G phone services. These bundles are normally only for one or two years and require you to sign a contract.  Finally, before talking specifics, always check to see if there’s a data cap. Today, thanks to work and school from home, video-conferencing, and 4K video streaming, many of us use more broadband than we ever had before. One TeraByte (TB) of data per month is indeed a lot, but it may be less than what you need in 2021.

The Fastest home internet in Hotlanta

Starting with the fastest, Google Fiber actually offers, dare I say it, 2 Gigabit per second (Gbps) speeds! The prices for the speed are hard to beat too:Atlanta Google Fiber’s 1Gbps plan costs $70 a month, plus taxes and feesAtlanta Google Fiber’s 2Gbps plan starts at $100 per month, plus taxes and feesYou can also add home phone service for an additional $10 a month.

View Now at Google Fiber

AT&T no longer offers DSL, but Fiber is much faster

AT&T also offers 1Gbps fiber in the Atlanta metro area. AT&T prices vary wildly, like most ISPs’ prices do, depending on the contract length and what other services — AT&T TV (Formerly AT&T TV Now and DirecTV Now) you bundle with it. Generally speaking:300Mbps is $35 a month500Mbps is $45 a month940Mbps is $60 a monthTo these, you can tack on additional taxes and equipment fees.You may sometimes see sites claiming that AT&T still offers DSL internet. That’s no longer the case. Beginning on October 1st, 2020, AT&T stopped offering DSL. Some existing DSL accounts are still being supported. But, AT&T will no longer offer it as a new service.

View Now at AT&T

Fast internet for apartment buildings, townhouse complexes, and businesses

Unlike the other ISPs, you may not have heard of Yomura Fiber. They’re a new fiber company that sells mostly to businesses and apartment buildings. In Atlanta, they’re available downtown and are coming to Avondale Estates, Decatur, and Buckhead. They’re also deploying point-to-point wireless internet, Yomura Air, in the Atlanta area. Yomura gigabit fiber costs $99 a month. Businesses may also want to talk to them about their 10Gbps service, which runs $999 a month.

View Now at Yomura

Small ISP, big bandwidth

Atlanta-based Gigamonster is another small ISP that delivers big bandwidth. Instead of a pure fiber to your doorstep approach, Gigamon delivers fiber to the building or neighborhood and then uses cable for the last few feet. With this “Scary Fast internet” service, you still get up to 1Gbps speeds. Gigamonster prices, because its services come via apartment building owners and townhouse communities, vary. They are usually comparable to the otherGbps ISP prices.

View Now at Gigamonster

This cable ISP promises up to 1.2Gbps speeds

Xfinity from Comcast offers cable internet with speeds of up to 1.2Gbps. Its prices vary depending on your speed, you can go as slow as 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) for $46 a month with autopay and e-billing. On the high side, 1.2Gbps, if available, will run you $106 a month if you agreed to autopay and e-billing. As usual, package deals may reduce your internet costs.

View Now at Xfinity from Comcast

Solid internet cable service

Charter/Spectrum also provides cable internet to greater Atlanta. Speeds and prices are: 200Mbps starting at $50940Mbps for $110I use, and like, the top-end of this service myself to the north of Atlanta in Asheville, NC. 

View Now at Charter-Spectrum

Take what I’ve told you here as a starting point. It’s a pain, but you really need to check out the available plans and take a long, hard look at hidden fees and data caps. All of these change at the drop of a Braves fly ball.  Then, and only then, you will be able to make a smart internet decision. But, look at it this way, at least in Atlanta most of you actually will have choices to make.  In most places, you’ve got no real choice at all.

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OK, so Nashville Tennesee isn’t Chattanooga, which, with its EPB Fiber Optics’ 10 Gigabit per second (Gbps), has the fastest community internet in the country. But Nashville has far more choices than the single fiber-optic Internet Service Provider (ISP), one cable internet provider, or one DSL ISP that many cities and towns are stuck with today. No, Nashville has lots of hot internet choices as well as hot country music venues.  But before diving into Nashville’s top ISP picks, keep in mind that, just like everywhere else, the advertised prices are not the same as what you’ll pay. The “list” price doesn’t include taxes or fees. The prices will also vary wildly depending on what deal you get. Many ISPs offer cheaper packages that also offer you cable TV, landline, or 4G/5G phone services. These bundles are normally only for one or two years and require you to sign a contract.  In addition, not all speeds are available everywhere. For example, I have friends who can 940 Megabit per second (Mbps) AT&T Fiber in some parts of town while friends in Brentwood tell me they can only get 100Mbps.  Also, before subscribing to a service, always check to see if there’s a data cap. Today, thanks to work and school from home, video-conferencing, and 4K video streaming, many of us use more broadband than we ever had before. One TeraByte (TB) of data per month is a lot, but it may not be enough to cover what you use in 2021.

Nashville’s finest and fastest internet service

It’s no 10Gbps, but few people in Nashville who can get Google Fiber 2Gbps speeds will complain! The prices for the speed are hard to beat, too. Nashville’s Google Fiber’s 1Gbps plan costs $70 a month plus taxes and fees. The 2Gbps plan starts at $100 per month. You can also add home phone service for an additional $10 a month. Another Google Fiber plus is it has no data caps. 

View Now at Google Fiber

1.2Gbps speeds and widely available. What’s not to like?

Google Fiber’s one problem is it’s not available in much of greater Nashville. Xfinity from Comcast, on the other hand, is available in much of the city and outlying regions. Xfinity offers cable internet with speeds of up to 1.2Gbps. Its prices vary depending on your speed, you can go as slow as 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) for $46 a month with autopay and e-billing. On the high side, 1.2Gbps, if available, will run you $106 a month with autopay and e-billing. As usual, package deals may reduce your internet costs.

View Now at Xfinity from Comcast

AT&T offers both fiber and fixed wireless internet services

AT&T AT&T also offers 1Gbps fiber in the Nashville metro area. AT&T prices vary wildly, like most ISPs’ prices do, depending on the contract length and what other services –AT&T TV (Formerly AT&T TV Now and DirecTV Now) — you bundle with it. Generally speaking, 100Mbps and 300Mbps cost $35, 500Mbps is $45, and 940Mbps is $60 a month. The 100Mbps service connects you to fiber via a fixed-wireless internet connection between your home and the AT&T access point. To all these prices, you can tack on additional taxes and equipment fees.You may sometimes see sites claiming that AT&T still offers DSL internet. That’s no longer the case. Beginning on Oct.1, 2020, AT&T stopped offering DSL. Some existing DSL accounts are still being supported. But AT&T will no longer offer it as a new service.

View Now at AT&T

Take what I tell you here as a starting point. It’s a pain, but you really need to check out the available plans and take a long, hard look at hidden fees and data caps. Then, and only then, you will be able to make a smart internet decision. But, look at it this way, at least in Nashville most of you actually will have choices to make. In many places, there is no real choice at all.

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