Netcracker, NEC Get Together to Aid NTT's NetroSphere Development
NTT—the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation—has been hard at work on a new communications concept for some time now, the NetroSphere. In a bid to help get it up and running, NTT has brought in a little outside help to contribute from NEC and Netcracker Technology, a move which seems to have done some good for the project.
The NetroSphere is designed to drive some major changes for carrier networks, going from single-service networks built on the backs of hardware designed for one specific purpose to larger, more flexible assemblies of components. This new network calls on tools like virtualized servers, orchestrators, controllers, and a virtualized network running on modular systems. Such a network allows service providers to offer more and more varied types of service, as the components driving the network are better able to adapt to needs on the ground.
In support of that, NEC and Netcracker brought in the NFV Orchestrator system, a tool which has seen use worldwide. The Orchestrator system offers an array of benefits for users, including reduced expenses with policy-driven operations, meaning a minimum of human involvement required to maintain the overall system. More efficient use of current assets, the ability to offer network-as-a-service (NaaS) and other options are all on hand here.
NEC Corporation senior vice president Atsuo Kawamura commented “We are excited to work with NTT in showcasing how the market’s shift into the virtualized and open world is feasible when management and orchestration capabilities are front and center. With the appropriate solutions in place, service providers can become more flexible, making it easier to meet the rapidly changing requirements of their customers and the industry.”
Flexibility and adaptability are indeed two important points of just about any operation, and network transformation is a particularly vital part of putting these to work. It's not enough to be flexible and ready to make changes as need be; the system has to be ready to accommodate these changes, If the system can't handle change, then opportunities can be lost. With an increasing focus on network virtualization and cloud-based matter, it's clear that the network in general needs to be modified to handle this shift in operations. NTT, along with NEC, Netcracker and others, are rapidly working to make sure the network is ready to accommodate this change fully, a move that should put NTT near the top of the heap in network provision for some time to come.
It will likely be a while before we see just what kind of impact NetroSphere can have on the wider market, but for now, it's in a very good position to deliver value for NTT and for its users.
Edited by Maurice Nagle
