On May 17th, Market Mettle’s Telefonicawatch wrote:
Progress is continuing within Telefónica’s research ecosystem on the development of more automated orchestration solutions for next-generation network architecture.
- Trials conducted through an EU-backed research consortium described as providing real world proof of the potential for automated support for network services.
- Startup software provider Sedona Systems, working with ADVA and Juniper gear, claims its automated, service-aware platform can foster a vendor-neutral environment for service providers.
Telefónica Group welcomed the completion of testing at its labs of an optical network orchestration solution that is expected to enable improved service provision and optimisation between IP/MPLS and optical layers of network infrastructure.
The research on optical network orchestration was undertaken by ACINO, a consortium operating within the European Union’s (EU) Horizon 2020 programme, a wide-ranging research and investment initiative that Telefónica is backing on several fronts (Telefónicawatch, passim).
- As well as several academic institutions, the commercial partners that worked on ACINO are: ADVA Optical Networking; Sedona Systems, an automation and network intelligence software SME; and Telefónica.
- In Sedona’s update on the progress of the project, it was noted that Juniper Networks’ routers and controllers were used alongside optical equipment from ADVA in the demonstration.
- The ONOS open source “carrier-grade” software-defined network operating system was used for the demonstration, alongside the open source network planner Net2Plan.
As the apparent provider of the project’s network intelligence software, Sedona stressed the value of the ACINO-tested solution in providing a vendor-neutral capability, and yet another opportunity for major operators to edge away from monolithic major vendors towards emerging independent partners.
“ Sedona’s independence in the realm of network vendors allows the company to completely align with the service provider, allowing our customers new opportunities to break free of vendor and technological lock-in, and enjoy the benefits of a central, automatic control platform.” — Ori Gerstel, Founder and CTO, Sedona.
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