NEC Corporation and Netcracker Technology have been selected by Etisalat as the prime solution provider for its multivendor telecom cloud programme. NEC/Netcracker will provide systems integration services, operational tools, NFV orchestration and full automation in a DevOps mode to “cloudify” its network. As the prime integrator, NEC/Netcracker will also provide third-party hardware, VIM, SDN control and network equipment to create a full end-to-end cloud platform.

Etisalat’s companywide program, called the Sahaab initiative, will leverage NEC/Netcracker’s NFVI solution to make its network more agile, responsive, scalable and efficient, enabling the deployment of advanced digital services.

Etisalat is the Middle East’s leading communications provider, offering services to more than 160 million customers. Etisalat’s Sahaab program will help it improve operational performance, reduce time-to-market for digital services and enable greater network elasticity.

NEC/Netcracker’s open, standards-compliant solution will introduce new levels of automation for Etisalat, enabling the speed and agility required for optimising virtual network function (VNF) performance. NEC/Netcracker’s NFV Orchestration solution, which can seamlessly scale to manage dynamic network services and virtual resources, will ensure that Etisalat’s cloud-based network can support new digital services such as 5G, IoT and smart cities.

“As enterprises and residential customers embrace practices and lifestyles that use real-time digital services, our network needs to be able to handle the dynamic nature of those offerings,” said Esmaeel Alhammadi, senior vice president for network development at Etisalat.

“NEC/Netcracker’s NFVI solution empowers our network with the elasticity and responsiveness we need to deliver next-generation digital services to our customers.”

“We are honored to have been selected by Etisalat as the prime overall integrator for this second-generation SDN/NFV cloud,” said Shigeru Okuya, senior vice president at NEC. “NEC will leverage its global experience to support these new cutting-edge cloud-based digital services.”

“The evolution of and increased demand for digital technologies has pressured service providers to transform their networks into more software-defined, cloud-based environments,” said Aloke Tusnial, CTO of SDN/NFV at Netcracker. “We are glad to help Etisalat make its important transition to a cloud platform, which will introduce more agility and automation in delivering innovative digital services.”

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