Bell completes network automation use case
Making headway on its Network 3.0 transformation initiative, Bell Canada announced it has successfully implemented the first network automation use case in production using the Linux Foundation’s Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP).
ONAP is an open source community that centers on the lifecycle management of virtual network functions. The project is the offspring of a merger between AT&T’s Open ECOMP and the Linux Foundation’s Open-O in 2017. Bell said it is focused on providing its operations teams with tools to automate the life cycle management of both physical and virtual network functions, incident management and service assurance.
“We expect ONAP to be adopted as the industry standard for network automation built with SDN and NFV,” said Arpit Joshipura, general manager of networking and orchestration at The Linux Foundation. “The project has been endorsed by top global carriers and a vendor eco-system representing more than half of all mobile subscribers. It’s also a clear proof-point that the open source path to standardization is the most viable solution to drive agility and automation, and carriers can start immediately with ONAP.”
According to Bell, it Networks 3.0 transformation strategy centers around technology, process and people as the company re-aligns itself to follow a DevOps model. Amdocs is working with Bell to provide its ONAP and DevOps expertise. While expanding network automation, Bell said it will use the ONAP-based network service orchestration platform to provide new services to customers quickly.
A feature that grew out of this strategy was the development of software that serves as the basis for ONAP Operations Manager (OOM). The ONAP OOM is a tool used to launch, manage and operate the ONAP platform effectively. Bell also said it would leverage the ONAP to automate its data center tenant network provisioning.
“Bell is leading the industry in implementing open source based on automation for NFV services,” said Petri Lyytikainen, vice president of network strategy, services and management at Bell. “Together with Amdocs, we are fostering a new partnership business model to realize the benefits of the ONAP open source community. We are co-developing on the ONAP platform, implementing services and operationalizing the platform using continuous integration and delivery methods to deliver services to market faster and meet the unique needs of Bell’s customers. Amdocs, one of the co-authors of the original ONAP code base, is in an excellent position to help Bell deliver network automation that supports NFV and SDN.”
