Alcatel-Lucent and Intel announced a global collaboration aimed at accelerating the development and delivery of optimized virtualized cloud, wireless and IP Network Functions using Intel architecture.
The companies said Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) appeals especially to mobile service providers now because it allows them to innovate more quickly and easily while providing the best return on their investments in an all-IP network infrastructure such as LTE.
Specifically the expanded collaboration will focus on three areas:
- Virtualized Radio Access Networks (RAN) portfolio, developing and optimizing Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE and LTE-Advanced wireless products. The solution will enable operators to use general purpose platforms in configurations that will reduce TCO and increase operators’ ability to scale networks to satisfy mobile data demand with rapidly changing devices and applications.
- Cloud Platform, developing and optimizing Alcatel-Lucent’s CloudBand NFV platform including joint contributions to the Open source community and a push to accelerate service provider testing, validation and deployment of NFV technology and products.
- High-performance Packet Processing for advanced IP/MPLS platforms and functions to enable Alcatel-Lucent’s IP development team the insights required to use the features and capabilities of Intel architecture to deliver improved performance in virtualized IP/MPLS functions.
Earlir this month, Alcatel-Lucent outlined its product roadmap for network functions virtualization (NFV) technologies, including plans to virtualize every element of its IMS platform and even key elements of its LTE RAN product set.
Specifically, The virtualized portfolio includes:
A virtualized Evolved Packet Core (vEPC). This automates the authentication and management of subscribers and the services they access, as well as the creation of and connectivity to services within the operator’s network and to the wider Internet on a massive scale, with the quality and performance subscribers demand. Alcatel-Lucent’s vEPC leverages a software base that has been proven in the networks of the world’s largest mobile network operators. The company is currently conducting five customer trials using the vEPC.
A virtualized IMS (vIMS) solution – a cloud communications platform for delivering a rich portfolio of multimedia services over IP networks. Alcatel-Lucent’s vIMS embraces new open cloud technologies whilst retaining the high performance leveraged from being operational at scale in the largest communication networks with 100% availability. Alcatel-Lucent’s vIMS is already being deployed within customer networks and the company is engaged in eight vIMS cloud customer trials.
A virtualized RAN portfolio – encompassing a virtualized 3G Radio Network Controller (RNC) and virtualized proof of concept for LTE and LTE-Advanced Radio Access Networks. The LTE components leverage Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE software deployed in eight of the top ten mobile operator networks and advanced wireless algorithms from Bell Labs.
