AT&T software plans updated, highlighting open source targets, cloud milestones
LAS VEGAS – AT&T continues to steadily march towards a virtualized future, which will see the carrier hit software control of 75% of its network by 2020 using software-defined networking and network functions virtualization technologies.
In updating its progress, John Donovan, SEVP for AT&T Technology and Operations, said the telecom giant was on track to have 50% of its planned software built using open source software. In that vain, Donovan said it was asking vendors to focus their efforts on using and supporting OpenStack as well as AT&T’s plans to continue working with open source industry groups like OpenDaylight, Open Platform Network Functions Virtualization, Open Network Lab’s Open Network Operation System and the Linux Foundation.
“We are looking for a better balance between standards and open,” Donovan told attendees at this week’s AT&T Developers Summit.
In addition, Donovan said the company’s deployment of its AT&T Integrated Cloud nodes hit 74 nodes at the end of last year, ahead of its target of 69 nodes deployed. These include international deployments, which Donovan said allow for better alignment with local regulations and improve security.
“Creating this global cloud infrastructure gives us better performance, security and flexibility,” Donovan explained, adding AICs “place these facilities closer to where our customers are,” which helps with increasing security.
In increasing its focus on cloud deployments, Donovan asked developers to keep cloud in mind when they develop applications, which should ease integration down the line.
Donovan also touched on AT&T’s continuing big data focus, noting AT&T Labs recently created an open source big data visualization tool dubbed nanocubes, which is designed to provide a “real-time map of millions or even billions of data points from across the network.”
AT&T announced in late 2014 plans to virtualize and control more than 75% of its network using software architecture by 2020. Donovan said those plans will transform AT&T into a software company.
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