Oracle Communications Advances the Cloud and IT in the Network with the Demonstration of Next-Generation Network as a Service

Communications service providers (CSPs) know they must quickly transform from a static and network-device-centric service model to one that is dynamic and cloud-centric by leveraging advancements in software defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV). This shift is especially critical for CSPs that provide services to business customers because setup and delivery can be highly manual and costly, and businesses can’t control how much or how little of the resulting network they use. Oracle Communications,in collaboration with InfoVista and Juniper Networks, will lead a Catalyst project at TM Forum Live!, “ Zero-Touch Network as a Service: Agile, Assured, and Orchestrated with NFV,” that squarely addresses this challenge. This Catalyst project—which will be showcased at the conference 1st-4th June 2015, in Nice, France, provides CSPs with a blueprint for simplifying and standardizing how they can deliver network services to business customers and give those customers direct control over how they consume those services. Using this on-demand network-as-a-service (NaaS) offering as an example, the Catalyst will show CSPs how to:

• Implement such services while their underlying network evolves from physical to hybrid with the deployment of virtualized customer premises equipment (vCPE)
• Create the agility in business processes and systems that can enable CSPs to realize the benefits of an increasingly dynamic network, powered by SDN and NFV technology adoption
• Efficiently integrate the network with essential business processes, including customer relationship management and customer billing, to better monetize and manage such services throughout their lifecycle

With the Catalyst, Oracle Communications, in conjunction with the contributions of InfoVista and Juniper Networks, will demonstrate its expertise in orchestrating business and operational processes and virtualized network services.Champions for the Catalyst include the MEF,which represents more than 130 CSPs globally; Charter Communications’ business division, Spectrum Business; PCCW Global; and Axtel, and will show the Catalyst project’s business context and use case. “The newly dynamic network, made possible by SDN and NFV, gives CSPs so many opportunities. But, they need the agility on the business operations side to take full advantage of it,” said Doug Suriano, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Communications. “This Catalyst project is an example of how we are helping CSPs to converge IT and the network to close that gap—and apply it to CSPs’ critical B2B services opportunity.” The Catalyst also advances industry standards to help CSPs more easily deploy, operationalize, and monetize NaaS. Specifically, it demonstrates how the full lifecycle of zero-touch orchestration and assurance for NaaS, across an SDN- and NFV-enabled network, maps to TM Forum, MEF, and ETSI standards, bridging the work of these industry organizations. “This Catalyst further advances the TM Forum and MEF UNITE program—it clearly demonstrates how standards from the TM Forum and MEF can align to enable a useful and very compelling use case with NaaS,” said Ken Dilbeck, vice president, Collaboration, TM Forum. “This project will offer tangible learnings for service providers globally as they look to enable more-dynamic network services over virtualized infrastructure, building on the best practices we’ve put in place that support CSPs’ agility goals in light of the shift toward an SDN- and NFV-based infrastructure.” “To deliver the zero-touch NaaS value proposition, CSPs need an end-to-end, standards-aligned view of how all components fit together. To get to deployment quickly, many service providers are taking customized, siloed approaches to implementing NaaS for the vCPE use case to deliver enterprise-managed services via NFV,” stated Michael Howard, senior research director, Carrier Networks, IHS/Infonetics. “But, if you have a dynamic network that is combined with business and operations agility and automation, you can fundamentally change not just your network, but your business as well. I believe service providers will be interested in how this Catalyst project will help them envision how to get there, leveraging the combined IT and network expertise of Oracle and other contributors.” Catalysts are proof-of-concept projects that bring together large and small companies to create innovative solutions for common communications challenges.