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EXFO develops smarter network test, monitoring and analytics solutions for the world’s leading communications service providers, network equipment manufacturers and webscale companies. Since 1985, we’ve worked side by side with our customers in the lab, field, data center, boardroom and beyond to pioneer essential technology and methods for each phase of the network lifecycle. Our portfolio of test orchestration and real-time 3D analytics solutions turns complex into simple and delivers business-critical insights from the network, service and subscriber dimensions. Most importantly, we help our customers flourish in a rapidly transforming industry where “good enough” testing, monitoring and analytics just aren’t good enough anymore—they never were for us, anyway. For more information, visit EXFO.com and follow us on the EXFO Blog.


News

LR Tackles 5G & the Cloud at Cable-Tec Expo

9/23/2019
In an industry first, Light Reading will stage two breakfast forums on hot tech topics at next week's Cable-Tec Expo in New Orleans, the first on cable network virtualization and the second on cable's role in 5G.
Light Reading Packs Double Wallop at Cable-Tec Expo

8/19/2019
For the first time, Light Reading will offer two breakfast roundtables on key tech topics at this fall's SCTE|ISBE Cable-Tec Expo in New Orleans – the first on network virtualization and the second on cable and 5G.
Eurobites: S&P Puts Vodafone on Creditwatch

7/17/2019
Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Tele2's earnings up 3% in Q2; Openet goes cloud-native for 5G; Inmarsat takeover comes under scrutiny.
5G: Think Things Over

12/4/2018
A well-thought, innovative and collaborative approach can make the 5G journey successful, writes Dr. Konstantinos Stavropoulos, Solution Marketing, EXFO.
Network Visibility & Data Veracity – the Keys to Operational Simplicity

11/13/2018
Operators need an accurate, up-to-date network and service topology view in order to determine the 'Eulerian path' of service configuration and implementation.
Webinars

Why C-RAN deployments will give you more headaches than D-RAN

On the road to 5G, centralized radio access network (C-RAN) architecture is a key stepping stone. C-RAN is the next logical evolution in fiber-to-the-antenna (FTTA) networks, or distributed RAN (D-RAN), and involves centralizing several baseband units (BBUs) in a location away from the towers and antennas, rather than collocating BBUs with the remote radio head (RRH) on the antenna site.

In this whiteboard video, we will explore 2 specific challenges of C-RAN networks, namely the attenuation issues induced by the long distance between the BBU and the RRH, and the interconnection problems – and finally how to solve them.
How to get your network ready for Next-Gen PON

Households are hungry for bandwidth, whether it’s for smart TVs, video/OTT streaming, supporting multi-screens or running a business for which GPON/EPON have been delivering the necessary bandwidth up to now. Are you deploying GPON/EPON today or planning on it ? Will your networks be ready for XGS-PON/NG-PON2?

This session will explore the current PON technologies being deployed as well as upcoming technologies including XG/XGS-PON, 10G-EPON, NG-PON2 and how you can successfully activate your next-gen customers with first-time-right!

In this session you will learn:
- The impact and challenges of the new technologies on your FTTH network
- How to make sure your deployment methods and procedures, including testing meet the new requirements
40G/100G Data Center Migration

Join EXFO’s Data Center team for an overview of the challenges inherent to 40G/100G and the ultimate 400G fiber-optic network migration, and to gain insight into industry best practices for physical-layer and service-layer testing and monitoring.

This webinar covers the following topics:
- How to anticipate and address the challenges inherent to multifiber push-on (MPO)-based fiber-optic network infrastructures
- How to assess the performance of a future-proof permanent link for a future high-speed line rate
- The importance of connector insertion loss (IL) and return loss (RL) inside the data center
- How to plan a trouble-free data center interconnect (DCI)
In-Service OSNR Measurements of 100G+ Signals

Optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) is a key metric of signal quality in DWDM networks. Over the years, the adoption of new technologies like reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexers (ROADM) and coherent transmission have rendered existing OSNR measurement methods obsolete. In this webinar, we will first review the importance of OSNR as a key performance indicator of system performance. We will then discuss the existing OSNR methods, and why they cannot be used on live coherent signals. We will then introduce a novel method to measure non-intrusively the OSNR of 100G+ coherent signals, EXFO’s in-service Pol-Mux OSNR method.
Best Practices for On-boarding, Verification and Continuous Monitoring of VNFs

Migrating physical networks to virtualised networks running on shared cloud infrastructure creates the challenge of providing performance that is similar or better than the physical network. This requires virtual network function (VNF) onboarding, service chain activation, monitoring and troubleshooting.

Open and orchestrated active testing that is combined with simulation is vital because it enables confirmation that the VNF service is working correctly. Once operational, ongoing monitoring is critical to ensure SLAs are maintained. This is more critical, as networks are no longer static but dynamic and constantly changing.

This session will focus on sharing best practices for development, deployment, operation and management of the network.
RF over Glass at the Premises

With all the talk about EPON and GPON and next-generation PON, it might be easy to forget that RF over Glass remains a viable option for operators who want to reach subscribers with fiber. This webinar will look at how RFoG compares to other all-fiber options and the use cases where it shines brightest.
Test your way to NB-IoT success

The ratification of the 3GPP R13 specifications last year was like the firing of a starting pistol, kicking off the race to deploy NB-IoT networks. NEMs are racing against the clock to support the many changes mandated by these specifications. For their part, MNOs are announcing aggressive schedules to launch their NB-IoT networks and time to market pressures are intense. However, quality and reliability cannot be compromised. Ensuring a successful launch under these conditions requires rigorous and comprehensive testing in a time & cost-effective manner. Not only do compliance, functionality and inter-working need to be verified, but also the ability to handle the load and traffic patterns that can be expected in a live network with several million IoT devices.

This webinar will delve deeply into what it takes to test IoT network elements and networks in order to get them ready for launch. Whether you are interested in conducting end-to-end testing of the network or isolating certain specific elements for testing, such as the eNodeB, MME, SGW or SCEF, for example, you will gain new insights based on our extensive 3GPP technology testing experience.
How a Tier-1 MNO quickly and efficiently deployed C-RAN

Evolving today’s fiber-based mobile networks to a centralized radio access network (C-RAN) delivers many advantages to mobile network operators (MNOs), including higher bandwidth support and reduced operational expenses. However, C-RAN comes with its fair share of challenges.

This webinar will explore a C-RAN field trial that EXFO conducted with a Tier-1 MNO and how together, they addressed the issues commonly seen during fiber-to-the-antenna and C-RAN installations. It will also cover the best practices and tools used to troubleshoot and validate the complete fronthaul network.
Data-centers transformations part-2: The Interconnect Story

With the exponential increase in customers’ need for speed, the use of interconnectivity and cloud-based applications to handle more bandwidth is ubiquitous in data center infrastructure. Data centers must find new solutions for 100G networks and beyond and the Data Center Interconnect (DCI) must grow accordingly.

This session will discuss the best practices to keep in mind when planning the turn-up or upgrade of DCI links, especially for 100G/400G migrations. Topics of discussion will include the full network lifecycle, from commissioning to turn-up and even troubleshooting. The session will provide you with all the latest 100G+ optical and transport testing information, including:
- How to demystify the different types of optical interfaces, including CFP4, QSFP28, QSFP+ and other pluggable transceivers and how to best troubleshoot issues or failures
- Ethernet testing fundamentals, including latency measurement and analysis
- OTN testing
- 400G trends
Transitioning to a 5G world: how testing is evolving to meet operators' needs

Expected 5G spectrum utilization will mean major engineering and design challenges in terms of spectrum characteristics: very high frequencies and very large channels, with high expectations for performance. Vendors, operators and government initiatives around the world are testing and trialing 5G technologies to understand and cope with the challenges of the next-generation of technology. RCR Wireless looks at some of the 5G trials and testbeds, R&D work and how the test industry is supporting the evolution to 5G in terms of chipset, network infrastructure and network software.
Videos

EXFO Multilink Demo

Description: EXFO Multilink is a multi-user, multi-module and multi-platform software application that enables remote-control, web-based access of the EXFO FTBx modules and LTB-8 chassis. Get a quick demo on just how easy and user-friendly EXFO Multilink is!
100G netblazers (Marcos)

Description: Discover the FTBx-88200NGE, EXFO’s next-generation multiservice test module, capable of testing traffic ranging from 10 Mbit/s to 100G and featuring the best 100G port density on a single module with QSFP/QSFP28, CFP4, and SFP/SFP+ slots.
iSAM product demo (Marcos)

Description: In today’s NetBlazer 100Gig Tech Corner, we’re going to take a look at EXFO’s iSAM application and how to use it to configure a Y.1564 and RFC6349 quickly and easily: iSAM uses a three-step approach to validate and activate Ethernet services from 10Meg to 100Gig. It’s the best tool for service providers to easily migrate from outdated and limited RFC 2544 to the newer Y.1564 and RFC 6349 which together cover layers 2, 3 and 4. EXFO is the only vendor to offer such a powerful, yet simple-to-use application. So simple that it will take only a few seconds to show you how to use it: First, configure the local port, in this example 100 Gig Ethernet. Step two, select how many services will be tested and which tests to run. In this case, let’s choose configuration and performance tests. Third step you simply press on the start button and it will automatically discover the far-end unit for bidirectional results. So, as you just saw, it is very simple. Service providers can validate services all the way up to layer 4 and have all the results on one single report. No one else in the industry offers such a smart application. Look, … it’s important here to take a moment to think about the potential time savings that iSAM brings to the table. Think about how many more turn-ups and troubleshooting activities can be done in a single day when your technicians are equipped with test sets loaded with easy to use, powerful and intuitive features like iSAM. In the end iSAM means big operational savings—more testing done in less time. Thank-you for taking some time to learn more about EXFO’s iSAM application. Make sure to take a look at our other NetBlazer 100Gig Tech Corner capsules.
Multifiber connector inspection the EXFO way

Description: Learn about how EXFO's Automated Multifiber Connector Inspection Solution can help technicians minimize multifiber connector inspection times, all while ensuring no fiber is missed! You'll even discover how EXFO eliminates the hassles of manipulating scanning knobs. It can be done...the EXFO way!
Meet the Only PON-aware power meter

Description: Testing next-gen and legacy PON overlays? Meet EXFO’s next-gen PON power meter. Thanks to its built-in intelligence, it automatically detects and adapts test parameters to the PON technology in use. Compatible with: GPON, EPON, XG-PON, XGS-PON, NG-PON2, 10G-EPON, RFoG. Be PON-aware.
A Unique, Non-Intrusive Way to Detect Live Fibers

Description: How to deliver fast response 24/7 to deal with failures on your leased fiber networks, even with minimum visibility on active service provider equipment?
Understanding Fiber Network Surveillance Dark Fiber

Description: How to deliver fast response 24/7 to deal with failures on your leased fiber networks, even with minimum visibility on active service provider equipment? This video shows how FiberGuardian – a proactive fiber network monitoring solution – can help achieve the very best repair times out there. It also walks you through FiberGuardian’s easy integration at all levels of your company.
iOptics

Description: In this video, Arthur Moll introduces us to EXFO’s iOptics, the industry’s first intelligent testing solution to quickly and accurately validate any pluggable transceiver from 10M to 100G. Arthur provides compelling case studies as to how EXFO’s customers are able to mitigate transceiver failure thanks to iOptics. He also provides a demo to show how easy it is to use iOptics to address pluggable optic challenges. If you’re a CSP or NEM looking to rapidly scale and effectively test your high-speed network's transceivers, this video is a must-see!