It’s been a busy week for AT&T.
The carrier on Monday announced the successful completion of a 400 gigabit Ethernet test using an software-defined network controller, and on Tuesday followed up with news it has partnered with IBM to offer a new Watson-powered Internet of Things analytics capability.
On the Ethernet news, AT&T said it was able to establishing a 400 gigabit Ethernet connection between New York and Washington DC. During the field trial, AT&T said it used an SDN controller to spin up an unspecified service along the path between the two cities. And in a simulation of a response to network failure, the carrier also used the SDN control to reroute the service to a second path.
AT&T said the trial marked the beginning of the second phase of its multi-step move toward 400 GbE speeds. The second step will see AT&T deliver a 400 GbE end-to-end service across its OpenROADM metro network. Afterward, AT&T’s phase three will test the first instance of a 400 GbE open router platform, the carrier said.
IoT analytics with IBM
AT&T on Tuesday also unleashed a new IoT analytics solution.
Powered by IBM’s Watson artificial intelligence program, AT&T said its new platform taps into its M2X, Flow Designer, Control Center and other solutions to allow enterprise customers to manage and monitor devices and data. IBM has also contributed Watson’s IoT portfolio to help connect, build, launch, and manage IoT apps and devices, as well as its Watson Data Platform for cognitive decision making using multiple sources of data and its Machine Learning Service.
“We have more than 30 million connected devices on our network today and that number continues to grow – primarily driven by enterprise adoption,” Chris Penrose, AT&T’s president of IoT Solutions, commented. “Businesses are eager for actionable data insights from their connected devices that help improve their processes and take the guesswork out of decision-making. Integrating the IBM Watson Data Platform into our IoT capabilities will be huge for our enterprise customers.”
The new capabilities are available to enterprise customers immediately, AT&T said.
Filed Under: IoT • IIoT • Internet of things • Industry 4.0, Infrastructure