EXFO plans 5G Middle of Excellence in Montreal

AI, ML and cloud computing would be the focus of the brand new facility, which the federal authorities helps to fund

Take a look at and monitoring options maker EXFO introduced Monday that it has acquired CAD$15.9 million from the federal authorities of Canada to superior 5G telecommunications within the nation. EXFO mentioned it’s utilizing the cash to open a 5G Middle of Excellence in Montreal, Quebec, the place it expects to make use of 50 individuals.

Philippe Morin, EXFO CEO, mentioned in an announcement that the corporate will use the federal cash to develop superior cloud computing, Synthetic Intelligence (AI), and Machine Studying (ML) applied sciences used to robotically predict and detect 5G points and outages. 

“In the end, our improvements will assist service suppliers in Canada and past deploy 5G networks quicker and extra effectively than ever earlier than,” mentioned Morin.

The cash got here from the Authorities of Canada’s Strategic Info Fund (SIF). The fund exists to supply assist for tasks that assist to maintain Canadian companies aggressive and affluent within the “world knowledge-based economic system.” The aim of this system is to encourage high-tech R&D and product commercialization in Canada.

EXFO introduced service assurance for 5G earlier this yr. EXFO claimed the brand new resolution will “shut the visibility hole amongst cloud-native infrastructure and the community and repair layers.” It combines EXFO’s present adaptive service assurance (ASA) platform with Intel platform telemetry, the corporate mentioned.

EXFO has additionally labored with Purple Hat to allow adaptive service assurance for 5G networks utilizing Purple Hat’s OpenShift platform in hybrid cloud environments. Particularly, EXFO’s Nova Lively μ-Verifier service assurance resolution is now obtainable as a Purple Hat-certified container. The Nova Lively μ-Verifier resolution, as EXFO describes it, helps “shut the visibility hole between service and community layers in hybrid 5G networks and cloud infrastructure,” offering container-based testing that allows cellular community operators to detect and troubleshoot points.

EXFO can also be providing telco cloud service assurance and analytics by means of Amazon Net Providers (AWS). EXFO’s ASA resolution generates real-time efficiency information that correlates High quality of Expertise (QoE) and High quality of Service (QoS) key efficiency indicators (KPIs) with telemetry information produced by Amazon CloudWatch, the monitoring and administration service offered by AWS. CloudWatch collects monitoring and operational information as logs, metrics, and occasions, then visualizes that information utilizing automated dashboards to present operators a unified view of the AWS assets, purposes and providers they’re working. These AWS environments can embrace Kubernetes-based deployments by means of Amazon EKS Wherever, utilizing numerous AWS service choices together with AWS Areas, AWS Native Zones, AWS Wavelength for MEC, AWS Outposts and AWS Snowball for 5G non-public community environments. 

EXFO isn’t the one telecom beneficiary of SIF funding. Earlier this month, Nokia introduced plans to take a position $248 million to increase its headquarters in Ottawa as a part of an effort to carry greater than 300 high-value jobs to the realm. The SIF is contributing tens of thousands and thousands of extra federal cash to help the tech heart’s buildout. 

Nokia mentioned that the brand new tech heart will increase Nokia Canada’s capability in next-generation info and communications expertise (ICT) and cybersecurity innovation. Nokia Canada plans to start website building in 2023 and expects to open the brand new facility in 2026. This venture will remodel Nokia Canada’s 26-acre campus on the Kanata North Enterprise Park right into a mixed-use company, residential and industrial hub.