Best blogs, books and apps of 2011?

Is there a telecom or datacom book that you have read in 2011 that you would recommend? The same goes for any business or technology book that you found useful.

Also is there a journal or blog site that you have started to read that you have come to value? Apps can also be included.

In the last year I have started to read Ericsson Business Review which I really like. It has impressive forward-looking articles and great infographics. I also like the Telecom Ramblings blog, a valuable resource.

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ECI Telecom's Apollo mission

The privately-owned system vendor has launched Apollo, a family of what it calls optimised multi-layer transport platforms. 

Event

ECI Telecom has launched a family of platforms that combines optical transmission, Ethernet and optical transport network (OTN) switching and IP routing.

The 9600 series platforms, dubbed Apollo, combines the functionality of what until now has required a packet-optical transport system (P-OTS) and a carrier Ethernet switch router (CESR).

The Apollo 9600 series architecture. Source: ECI Telecom

ECI refers to the capabilities of such a combined platform as optimised multi-layer transport (OMLT). Analysts view the platform as a natural evolution of P-OTS rather than a new category of system.  

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Calient brings optical switching to the data centre

Calient Technologies has redesigned its 3D MEMS optical switch technology to address emerging data centre and cloud computing requirements.

Source: Calient

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Webcasts and White Papers

Gazettabyte is adding a couple of pages (see top right column) that highlight upcoming webcasts and newly published White Papers (to be added) of its sponsors.

First webcast is LightCounting's “State-of-The-High-Speed  Interconnect Industry – Optical and Copper” on Nov 1st, 2011.

To see upcoming webcasts, click here.

ECOC 2011: Products and market trends

There were several noteworthy announcements at the European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC) held in Geneva in September. Gazettabyte spoke to Finisar, Oclaro and Opnext about their ECOC product announcements and the associated trends.

100 Gig module

Opnext announced the first 100 Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) transponder at ECOC, a much anticipated industry development.

"Quite a few system vendors .... are looking at 'make-versus-buy' for the next-generation [of 100Gbps]."

Ross Saunders, Opnext

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Transmode chooses coherent for 100 Gigabit metro

Transmode has detailed its 100 Gigabit metro strategy based on a stackable rack, a concept borrowed from the datacom world. 

The Swedish system vendor has adopted coherent detection technology for 100 Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) optical transmission, unlike other recent metro announcements from ADVA Optical Networking and MultiPhy based on 100Gbps direct-detection. 

"Metro is a little bit diverse. You see different requirements that you have to adapt to."

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MultiPhy boosts 100 Gig direct-detection using digital signal processing

MultiPhy has detailed its 100 Gigabit direct-detection receiver IC for use in a pluggable CFP optical module addressing the metro market. 

The MP1100Q chip is being aimed at two cost-conscious metro networking requirements: 100 Gigabit point-to-point links and dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) metro networks.

The MP1100Q as part of a 100 Gig CFP module design. Source: MultiPhy

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