Software is becoming an increasingly important part of telecommunication networks and deployments as both wired and wireless carriers look to add functionality to operations while increasing simplicity and reducing costs. RCR Wireless News is keeping an eye on recent developments through its weekly “Software” wrap up.
AT&T this week highlighted the growing focus telecom operators are placing on software, announcing it plans to virtualize and control more than 75% of its network using software architecture by 2020. This move is expected to be accomplished through the use of cloud, SDN and NFV technologies.
AT&T has been very aggressive in moving toward software and virtualization, with recently named SVP of architecture and design Andre Fuetsch, telling RCR Wireless News that the telecom operator’s legacy mindset has had to change over the past few years.
“We have been a traditional carrier for quite some time and have had to change our mindset as we move to this software-centric architecture,” explained Fuetsch. “Typically when we have talked about our network and creating network solutions we have done this in a more vertical-stack model with partners in our supply chain. That is now changing where we are now driving more toward commodity-based hardware like the Web world and de-coupling the network functions from that hardware and putting in a more flexible environment. A lot of what we have been talking about in the industry and through various forums that we are part of and have a leadership position in is driving more of that software control into this more flexible and open environment.”
In other telecom software news:
• A new survey of telecom operators by Current Analysis found that SDN and NFV deployments are being driven nearly equally by support for revenue generation, service enablement and cost savings.
Among vendors, Huawei was cited by large service providers as having the highest “perception” in terms of SDN and NFV deployments. Cisco was ranked No. 2, followed by Juniper and Dell.
• Oracle announced that the latest release of its Communications WebRTC Session Controller 7.1 includes such functions as voice calling, video and chat within an Android or iOS mobile application. Oracle added that the latest update is designed to improve bandwidth utilization and cost savings by actively switching among anchored media, peer-to-peer media and P2P data depending on a telecom operator or enterprise’s network topology.
• Array Networks said it has joined the Open Platform for NFV Project as a silver founding member, noting the move will allow for greater collaboration to “map out the best practices needed to advance the evolution of NFV.”
The OPNFV Project was launched earlier this year as an offshoot of the Linux Foundation. Platinum-level founding members include AT&T, Brocade, China Mobile, Cisco, Dell, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Juniper Networks, NEC, Nokia Networks, NTT DoCoMo, Red Hat, Telecom Italia and Vodafone. Silver-level founding members include 6Wind, Alcatel-Lucent, ARM, CableLabs, Cavium, CenturyLink, Ciena, ClearPath, ConteXtream, Coriant, Cyan, Dorado Software, Ixia, Metaswitch Networks, Mirantis, Orange, Sandvine, Sprint and Wind River.
Make sure to check out the latest in telecom-related software news at RCR Wireless News’ dedicated software page. Also, if you have telecom software news to share, please send it along to: dmeyer@rcrwireless.com.
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