NEC is deploying a “common station network” utilizing SDN at Tokyo Station, one of the world’s busiest train stations, for the East Japan Railway Company.
The SDN, which is scheduled to be complete in March of this year, will provide flexible connectivity for a variety of applications and data management systems.
Key features of the common station network at Tokyo Station:
- The common station network utilizes NEC’s UNIVERGE PF Series, the world’s first commercial product to support OpenFlow.
- Virtualizing the network with SDN makes it possible to integrate the transmissions of individually constructed networks, including train scheduling, platform image and ticket gate networks, to transmit to the common station network.
- The network must be able to respond flexibly and quickly to new services and changes in the station environment.
NEC said the SDN implementation makes it possible to quickly conduct network construction, updates and maintenance without touching the physical networks.