Sprint adds new vendors as part of nationwide network functions virtualization OpenStack cloud deployment
Sprint announced it is collaborating with Metaswitch and Mavenir as part of its nationwide network functions virtualization OpenStack cloud deployment in a recent company blog post. The vendors will work with Sprint as the operator upgrades its network to gigabit LTE and 5G.
Sprint Chief Operating Officer Günther Ottendorfer wrote in the blog post that network functions virtualization (NFV) is “an essential building block” in accomplishing this feet. The company has been building out a virtual core in order to substitute standalone platforms with an individual network functions virtualization infrastructure (NFVi), which Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and IP Multimedia Sub-System (IMS) platforms can reside upon as virtual network functions.
NFV decouples software from hardware, allowing service providers to spin up various network functions of inexpensive nodes automatically. The aim of Sprint’s NFV initiative is to provide additional services for devices customers are dependent on at home or work, while minimizing the cost of infrastructure and operations. Ottendorfer wrote the company is expanding its vendor ecosystem with the push toward 5G:
“With this next step for NFV, Sprint is extending its existing vendor ecosystem with the introduction of new, agile, innovative, and smaller players. Sprint is using new providers in many areas starting with the SBC (Session Border Controller), the Call Session Control Function (CSCF), and the Telephony Application Server (TAS) functionality. Our providers are Metaswitch for the SBC, CSCF, and the Breakout Gateway Control Function (BGCF) as well as Mavenir for the TAS, Media Resource Function (MRF), and policy Diameter Routing Agent (pDRA). Virtualizing the EPC and IMS onto a single NFVI will enable Sprint to scale the core up or down dynamically to support new 5G services, depending upon demand.”
These efforts are founded on Sprint’s open source NFV and SDN-based mobile core reference solution C3PO, which made its debut back in May. C3PO is a meta-acronym consisting of two abbreviations: C3PO stands for Clean CUPS Core for Packet Optimization, and CUPS stands for Control & User Plane Separation. The open source project encompasses seven network functions, including serving gateway, packet gateway, deep packet inspection, child protection filtering, carrier-grade network address translation (NAT), static firewall and service function chaining classification.
Ottendorfer also mentioned in the blog post that Sprint is conducting internal “Open Door Day” dialogues in an effort to create “passion amongst our key technology teams for the paradigm shift to a virtualized world.” Ottendorfer said the company intends to expand its data centers as needed to power its “cap and grow” approach to NFV commercialization.
