If 2014 was the year of Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) innovation and testing, it is already becoming clear that 2015 will be a year of implementation. Indicative of this is the announcement from Alcatel-Lucent (News 
- Alert) (ALU) that it is to deploy its virtualized radio network controller in Etisalat Group’s access network in both the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka.
This deployment will be a first for the two countries and will enable Etisalat (News - Alert) to leverage NFV’s greater flexibility and efficiency in RAN (radio access network) operations, which will enable them to lower operational costs while meeting escalating demand for data services.
Etisalat is one of the largest telecommunications operators in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, operating in 18 countries. It is in the midst of a major network modernization program in its operating footprint, and this upgrade of its RAN is an important part. Alcatel-Lucent is initially deploying the 9771 Wireless Cloud Element Radio Network Controller (WCE) in Etisalat’s network in the UAE, following in Sri Lanka during 2015. It is of note that earlier this year Etisalat became the first operator to deploy the WCE platform, in Mobily’s Saudi Arabia network.
Hatem Bamatraf, chief technology officer of Etisalat Group, commented on the deployment: “We are focused on meeting the growing and diverse data demands of our customers in a very innovative and efficient way. Following the successful deployment of the WCE in the Mobily network in Saudi Arabia we are pleased to continue our work with Alcatel-Lucent and leverage its cloud expertise to continue to deliver the high performance our customers expect even as their demands grow further.”
“This deployment shows Alcatel-Lucent’s continued commitment to innovation in the area of virtualization of our wireless portfolio,” added Amr K. El-Leithy, president of Middle East, Africa, Turley and Azerbaijan. “Our carrier-class, real-time, signaling software of the WCE leverages our cloud expertise and will bring greater efficiency and flexibility to the control of the radio elements in Etisalat’s network.”
As noted at the top, the momentum of NFV is really starting to pick up steam. This is true on the innovation and deployment fronts as network operators around the world look with an increasing sense of urgency to ways to be more operationally efficient while having the capacity and control to launch high quality and high value new services with compelling user experiences.
This momentum for NFV innovation is reflected in Alcatel-Lucent’s various activities for accelerating NFV adoption. The company is an active participant in the ETSI (News - Alert) NFV advisory board and collaboration with other industry leaders such as Intel and members of the CloudBand Ecosystem Program.
In addition to the virtual Radio Network Controller (which ALU says offers up to 25 percent OPEX (News - Alert) savings compared to traditional RNCs), Alcatel-Lucent has announced virtualization of a wide range of network functions. These include evolved packet core (vEPC), IMS (vIMS), service routing (VSR) and Content Delivery Network (vCDN). And, ALU is participating in over 65 customer virtualization projects leveraging its over five years of development of the CloudBand 2.0 NFV platform and its Nuage Networks SDN capabilities.
The most notable thing about NFV developments these days is just how fast NFV has gone from concept to realization and implementation. Deployment this early in the year news speaks volumes about just how critical NFV is to service provider network transformations.
Edited by
Alisen Downey
