Telekom Austria Group’s domestic subsidiary A1 and NEC/NetCracker to test virtual modem solution in a field trial

The Telekom Austria Group announced that its domestic subsidiary A1 has joined forces with its technology partner, NEC/NetCracker, to test a virtual modem solution within the framework of a field trial.

Network Function Virtualization is an important development for the entire telecommunications industry. It is therefore the Telekom Austria Group´s strategy to generate knowledge and experience early on and become a leader in this area. The Telekom Austria Group has already completed a number of successful NFV trials with Vipnet in Croatia, Mobiltel in Bulgaria, Vip mobile in the Republic of Serbia and Vip operator in the Republic of Macedonia. Further trials for 2015 have already commenced or are in the planning phase.

“For Telekom Austria Group NFV technology is a paradigm shift which will have a major impact on the telecommunication industry globally within the next few years. The traditional IT silo world will no longer exist and the telecom landscape will be shaped differently. I am proud that the Group is among the first operators worldwide to set these trends”, says Guenther Ottendorfer, CTO, Telekom Austria Group.

First field trial jointly carried out by A1 and NEC/NetCracker proves highly promising
Modems are devices that convert Internet data streams into electromagnetic signals that are carried over a telephone line to a switching center within a communications network. Nowadays, thanks to the rapid diffusion of Internet access across the country, almost every Austrian household has a modem that allows connectivity to the Internet. This technology has considerably developed in recent years and modems have turned into very complex devices that provide a wide range of functionalities. By virtualizing and outsourcing these modem functionalities to the A1 computing center, the flexibility, security and efficiency of Internet connectivity can be significantly enhanced.

“Managing and maintaining hundred thousands of modems of multiple generations and different manufacturers poses considerable challenges especially in terms of work load. Besides, increasing complexity goes hand in hand with growing fault vulnerability and rising difficulties for our customers to make the best out these devices,” said Marcus Grausam, A1 CTO.In a field trial jointly carried out with its technology partner, NEC/NetCracker, A1 has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of this approach.

“This virtualization solution allows not only for a considerable increase in flexibility and efficiency but also for significant cost savings based on simple and standardized hardware and the reduction to a minimum of all necessary requirements in terms of configuration settings,” said Michael Stückmann, Managing Director NEC Deutschland GmbH.

Minimum hardware, maximum configuration capabilities
Modem configuration and maintenance as well as all necessary security up-dates are carried out by the A1 technicians in the A1 computing center. Numerous individual configurations, such as for instance anti-virus scanning and firewalls, can be carried out by expert customers on a web portal. A particularly interesting option is the possibility to carry out separate configuration operations for single devices or single users. This, for instance, allows customers to manage access to web contents in a simple manner by placing time limits or content-based restrictions on the usage of these devices (parental control).However, the basic functionality of a modem, i.e. the transmission of data via a DSL modulation method, has still to be delivered by the hardware. Nevertheless, modems have now become smaller in size, more energy-efficient and with a uniform design. A1 expects this new technology to be ready for series-production within the next two years.

Modem virtualization is integral part of A1 comprehensive strategy for efficiency optimization
This new virtual modem concept is integral part of A1 comprehensive strategy for the virtualization of central network components, commonly referred to as Network Function Virtualization within the industry. Instead of using special hardware such as routers, switches or firewalls, centrally controlled software manages standardized servers in the A1 computing center. This allows for more simple and rapid development and maintenance of new services.


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