European operator taps NFV to deploy virtualized LTE stack
Telekom Austria Group reported that its Serbian subsidiary Vip demonstrated what it claims is the first fully virtualized LTE stack in a live network supporting data, voice and IP multimedia subsystem services. The service tapped into a virtualized evolved packet core provided by Connectem.
Telekom Austria Group noted that the live implementation followed successful trials of individual virtualized functions, including the V-EPC deployment last year of its Croatian subsidiary Vipnet. That demo involved a live transmission of high-definition video using LTE technology transmitting through Connectem’s cloud-based, V-EPC at speeds of 100 megabits per second.
“It is imperative for mobile network operators to keep [total cost of ownership] at acceptable levels in their journey toward becoming an all-IP based network that can deliver a full suite of services,” explained Sathya Atreyam, research manager for wireless network infrastructure at IDC, who is connected to the announcement. “It becomes critical to leverage innovative solutions in the areas of [network function]virtualization and co-create key competitive services such as [voice over LTE]. By working with newer, innovative vendors, Telekom Austria Group signals its willingness to explore the depth and breadth of transformation possible through NFV.”
The live demonstration also included Connectem’s ecosystem partners, with Metaswitch providing its Clearwater IMS Solution; OpenCloud providing its virtualized VoLTE AS; VMware providing its VSphere platform; Procera providing its NAVL deep-packet inspection service; and Red Hat supplying its Enterprise Linux and Kernel-based Virtual Machine hypervisor that in turn helped support the OpenStack managed NFV implementation.
NEC, NetCracker power V-CPE
In a separate announcement, NEC and NetCracker Technology said they have completed a trial of their virtual customer-premise equipment solution with Telekom Austria Group. That trial included the V-CPE, software-defined networking controller, service and network orchestration, and virtual network functions from multiple vendors.
The companies explained that the platform is able to “instantiate, orchestrate and control third-party VNFs for on-demand applications such as parental control, firewall and [Digital Living Network Alliance], which enables in-home video, music and photo media streaming to compatible devices in the home. By leveraging SDN controller and orchestration, this solution enables real-time, on-demand instantiation and route modification for a range of applications.”
The trial was said to show the viability of the platform to migrate IP functionality from residential gateways to the operator cloud, which is claimed to provide for faster time-to-market for new services and reduce capital and operating costs. The service can also support account management, parental control enforcement, network configuration and usage control management through a self-care portal.
RCR Wireless News recently spoke with Guenther Ottendorfer, CTO at Telekom Austria Group regarding the company’s focus on pushing NFV, SDN and network virtualization platforms.
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