The CEO of Italian IP network solution firm Italtel said operators must upgrade their infrastructure if they are to survive in a changing market
Speaking on the first day of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week, Stefano Pileri said the rise of Internet of Things (IoT), growth of IP traffic, reduction in the profitability of telecommunications services and the increase in the number of devices have all contributed to the need for change.
Pileri made clear his belief that three main elements will drive this transformation; simplification, virtualization and automation, with networks needing to take a minimal architecture which Italtel calls ‘ABC’ (Access, Backbone and Cloud).
This approach will also allow the integration of concepts such as Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV).
The simplified structure will mean a range of benefits for operators, he claimed.
“These include reduced Total Cost of Ownership of around 40 per cent, reduced consumption and reduced operations and maintenance.
“In addition, operators can reduce the time to market for new services and, most importantly, expose network services with standard interfaces to many third-party specialist applications, taking up the role of service enablers.”
Pileri suggested two possible architectures - a cutting-edge "Central Cloud" and "Edge Cloud" - to guide the network transformation, with each type defined by a different use of resources and performance requirements.
Within the new architecture, technologies such as WebRTC, all-IP video solution and hardware and software accelerators should be considered, according to Pileri, as well as the concept of continuous closed-loop control on the dynamic operation through SDN.
Pileri presented the use case of Vodafone Germany vNGN project, to illustrate his recommendations.
Italtel is supporting Vodafone’s Telco over Cloud strategy by migrating the German operator’s fixed legacy networks onto a virtualized infrastructure.
The solution deployed includes IMS, Session Border Controller (SBC), Intelligent Routing, Network Management and Orchestration, WebRTC videoconferencing and using VMWARE and KVM interfaces, all of which support main open standards such as OpenStack and OpenDaylight.
Concluding his speech, Pilari said, “Virtualization, cloud architecture and automation of configuration management are essential factors to achieve the TCO targets of new networks in new competitive telecommunications environments.
“A fully virtualized ‘ABC’ network structure that enables the cycle of continuous control with SDN and NFV at its core will enable a competitive environment for consumers and operators alike.”
