Nokia Networks shipping industry’s first commercial NFV solution #NetworksPerform

Espoo, Finland – Nokia Networks is delivering the first commercial Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) solution which brings cloud technology to services such as Voice over LTE (VoLTE). Running VoLTE on a cloud platform enables operators to scale and cost-effectively cope with varying traffic by automating the necessary mobile network functions.

Nokia Networks is the first vendor to supply a commercial telco cloud solution compliant with ETSI NFV architecture* for end-to-end VoLTE services. The first network implementation is scheduled to go live with a major operator by the end of 2014.

The company is also debuting Cloud Network Director, an orchestration tool that will automatically deploy, configure, optimize and repair a set of virtualized network functions to simplify the deployment of services like VoLTE. Nokia Cloud Network Director will meet the needs of the recently published ETSI NFV Management and Orchestration specification and is the key component of fully automated network lifecycle management.

Complying with the ETSI NFV Orchestrator**, Cloud Network Director will have open interfaces for easy integration with Virtualized Network Function (VNF) managers from Nokia (called Cloud Application Manager) and other vendors. It will also be integrated with existing operations and business support systems. This multi-vendor capability ensures telco clouds can be implemented flexibly to match mobile broadband operators’ needs and integrate with existing systems.

“The prime motivations for operators to move to the telco cloud are business agility and network flexibility. We are making 2014 the year in which these benefits become reality for operators,” said Michael Clever, senior vice president of Core at Nokia Networks.

To ensure successful implementation, Nokia Networks cloud wise services*** will provide the expertise to integrate, operate and maintain the commercial NFV VoLTE solution. The services will take into account the current network’s needs, appropriate virtualization technologies and the operator’s existing and potential partners. Integration with multi-vendor platforms and applications and protection against potential security breaches are essential.

Nokia Networks is also announcing a telco cloud partner certification program to strengthen its wide-ranging telco cloud partner ecosystem. The program enables third-party software to be certified with Nokia Networks’ telco cloud solutions to deliver extra value by working with the company’s virtual network functions. This approach ensures operators get comprehensive solutions, in line with ETSI NFV, to meet the highest quality and security standards.

“The commercial implementation of NFV capabilities is a major step forward in the development of the telco cloud which many operators are eyeing up as a way to make more efficient use of network capacity and gain greater agility in service provisioning. Making it all work properly together takes end-to-end expertise in telecoms, virtualization and security,” said Sathya Atreyam, Research Manager, IDC.

Click here to download a photo of Michael Clever and here for an infographic about Nokia Networks telco cloud.

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Customers, press and industry analysts are welcome to visit Nokia Networks’ permanent meeting room 203 during Super Mobility Week by CTIA in Las Vegas, U.S.A., September 9 – 11.

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Nokia invests in technologies important in a world where billions of devices are connected. We are focused on three businesses: network infrastructure software, hardware and services, which we offer through Nokia Networks; location intelligence, which we provide through HERE; and advanced technology development and licensing, which we pursue through Nokia Technologies. Each of these businesses is a leader in its respective field.

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Notes:
* Many aspects of the telco cloud are not yet standardized, but the European Telecommunications Standards Institute Network Functions Virtualization (ETSI NFV) working group is aiming to harmonize the various approaches to implement cloud-enabled solutions.

** NFV Orchestrator is a capability defined by ETSI for the network-wide orchestration and management of NFV infrastructure and software that can span several locations. The Nokia Networks approach is to implement this functionality in the Nokia Cloud Network Director with an open northbound interface (NBI) for integration into operations and business support (OSS/BSS) tools. This strategy provides further flexibility and integration options for operators.

*** Nokia Networks cloud wise professional services ensure that complex telco cloud deployments meet each operator’s business objectives. They can comprise areas like migrating existing telco services to the cloud, deploying cloud applications, security solutions, software maintenance and operations support.