Network functions virtualisation (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) solutions are deployable, scalable and available, and they meet or exceed the performance requirements of numerous markets. Most significant is that NFV brings both cloud computing and information technology (IT) capabilities into the telecom industry.
Because they are developed using an open infrastructure that requires no vendor lock-in, service providers can deliver new services to their customers more quickly, while significantly reducing both operating and capital expenditures.
To maximise the average revenue per user (ARPU) associated with existing voice services and to avoid turning into a “me too” commodity service, service providers must become more agile and flexible, rolling out additional revenue generating services rapidly and repeatable. While NFV provides the ability to roll out services rapidly, a wide ecosystem allows operators to choose the best solutions possible and deliver an extensive range of unique value-added services. Session border control (SBC) is likely to be one of the most deployed virtualised network functions (VNFs) because it has the potential to save tremendous amounts of time and shorten the speed-to-market cycle, which is something every service provider wants to see.
The industry faces a steep learning curve over the next five years; given the number of new technology components involved in enabling network functions to run in the cloud, this is not an area any single vendor or service provider can tackle on its own. Indeed, at this point there are more than enough partnerships and ecosystems that exist to meet the needs of any operator or vendor interested in NFV. The goal now is to see some market consolidation so the best options rise to the top.
To be successful in this new environment, companies that want to be in SDN or NFV must not only transform products, services, form factors and business models, they also must develop a new class of partner ecosystems.
This new demand for viable and complete SDN/NFV solutions means even the largest network infrastructure companies must partner and collaborate with other suppliers to integrate their products and services with other vendors’ products, confirm that each element works together and document what is required for the different elements to function together.
To make their own solutions more attractive for customers, suppliers will need to work with other vendors to give customers a complete list of the different hardware and software elements needed create a whole solution, as well as instructions on how to install and configure each element to make all the pieces work.
As shown in the following figure, the strongest driver for being a part of a NFV partnership/ecosystem is the need to accelerate NFV rollouts. The ability to roll out new NFV services requires the ability to operationalise VNFs. This means the ability to deploy virtual machines (VMs), onboard them, monitor them, scale resources for them, service chain them to other virtual and physical resources, track alarms and do trouble-shooting on the fly and gracefully provide alternative services and paths should the main ones fail. This requires an intelligent orchestrator that also works with legacy OSSs/BSSs and multi-vendor infrastructures.
Author is Denise Culver, contributing analyst, Heavy Reading
