There are clear evidences of a growing interest
of Operators and Service Providers (both Telecoms and OTTs) on the exploitation of SDN, NFV and the evolution of Cloud towards Edge-Fog
Computing for their "digital business transformation" towards the 5G Era.
This is a global move world-wide, which is
accelerating with a tremendous effort in R&D and Innovation and with a common medium-long
term target, which is 5G.
Some examples.
In the following press release Verizon is claiming that its next-generation network based on network functions virtualization
and software-defined networking is rapidly taking shape.
In this link, AT&T elaborates how ECOMP is
expected to get rapidly on-board new services (created by AT&T or third
parties) requested by customers. ECOMP provides a framework for real-time,
policy-driven software automation of network management functions
Moreover this press points out how Machine Learning
and Artificial Intelligence (A:I.) will be part of the story: A.I. will handle
more that 80% of the operation processes of network management and service
provisioning (it’s about actionable big data).
...but I would even add that A.I. will be the game changer also for "cyber-security".
It worth also mentioning the amazing Telecom Infra
Project (TIP) which is including OTTs, Telecom operators, infrastructure
providers, system integrators, and other technology companies joining together
to innovate approaches to building and deploying future telecom network
infrastructure based on open hw and open sw paradigms
…and the very recent press release from ON.Lab
and The Linux Foundation announcing the formation of the Central
Office Re-architected as a Data Center (CORD) initiative as a new,
independent open source project. In addition, Google, Radisys and Samsung
Electronics Co. are joining CORD and ONOS Projects as new partners.
In Europe we have also the 5GPPP, i.e., the 5G
Infrastructure Public Private Partnership initiated by the EU Commission and
industry manufacturers, telecommunications operators, service providers, SMEs
and researchers. The 5G PPP aims at delivering solutions,
architectures, technologies and standards for the ubiquitous next generation
communication infrastructures of the coming decade.
…and this
is a very interesting white paper from NTT on 5G
…impossible
mentioning all the related ongoing activities on Standardization Bodies (as in IETF, ETSI, ITU, ONF... 3GPP, IEEE etc, etc), but it is pretty clear the overall convergence towards an industrial infrastructure integrating fixed and mobile, network and IT resources and functionalities, deployable up to the edge and fog, even in the terminals. It is also pretty clear the key role of ML and A.I. both for managing the infrastructure "complexity" by automating the Operations and for hooking the new killers apps. A cocktail of SDN, NFV, Cloud-Edge-Fog Computing and A.I.
One may ask: out of this tremendous effort worldwide,
can we see and abstract a global systemic vision and new strategic biz models for the
future sustainability of Telecommunications and ICT ?
I believe so: follow my next posts and join us!