On this week’s NFV/SDN Reality Check, we speak with Ron Haberman, VP of Nokia Network’s CloudBand Business Unit, to discuss platform updates and get an overview on carrier adoption
Nokia Networks recently closed on its acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent, which bolstered its equipment and services portfolio as it competes against fellow telecom vendors Ericsson and Huawei.
The purchase also included Alcatel-Lucent’s extensive virtualization and cloud work, some of which was under the CloudBand banner. That program was rolled out in 2013, with a focus on creating an open ecosystem for service providers, developers and vendors interested in adopting virtualized platforms. The CloudBand business quickly garnered dozens of partners, including telecom operators Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica.
Nokia for its part has also been working on cloud and virtualization platforms, including the launch in 2014 of what it said was the first commercial carrier-grade telecom cloud deployment that used network functions virtualization to enable voice-over-LTE services.
With the once rivals now one, Nokia said it’s looking to accelerate progress in terms of supporting the growing need for NFV and cloud platform from telecom operators. This includes support for the Nokia cloud services and positioning of a standalone NFV platform designed to support carrier needs regardless of VNF or hardware provider.
Nokia added the new portfolio structure more directly matches ETSI architecture and the need of customers for self-contained products in support of interoperability in a multivendor environment; certification tools and processes designed to help service providers get to market faster; and continued emphasis on support of an Open source environment.
The combined platform, which officially launched on April 18 under one umbrella, is scheduled for commercial availability in July.
On today’s show we have an interview with Ron Haberman, VP of Nokia’s CloudBand Business Unit, to get an update on the company’s virtualization and cloud platform work, an update on integrating the Alcatel-Lucent assets with a look towards “5G” technology and the “Internet of Things,” and a look at general trends and challenges he sees in the current mobile telecom environment.
Make sure to check us out again next week when we are scheduled to speak with Red Hat Storage on evolving storage needs for cloud infrastructure.
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