Lenovo and Red Hat to Provide Telcos with NFV Infrastructure
Even though many telecoms just finished deploying their 4G networks, they are making way for the transition to 5G. This is because the great potential 5G will give telecoms in deploying new services, and reclaiming some of the revenue they have lost to OTT service providers. The new partnership between Lenovo and Red Hat will increase the capabilities of telcos by delivering network functions virtualization (NFV) running Red Hat's NFV and OpenStack software built on Lenovo's infrastructure.
Under this partnership, Lenovo will be able to deliver integrated and open systems for telcos with its Open
( ), which was recently unveiled at the Red Hat Summit.As operators look to create scalable networks that are more agile and programmable to address the demands of their customers, Lenovo will be using this open infrastructure platform for NFV. According to Lenovo, the push it is making in the telecom industry is to provide the necessary infrastructures to serve the needs of the initiatives carriers need to deliver rich mobile content, as well as 5G networks and the billions of devices that will come online as part of the Internet of things (IoT).
The company has taken several steps to make that possible, including joining the Open Platform NFV (OPNFV) consortium, which is developing an open, carrier-grade platform enabling members to develop solutions and services using NFV. As part of this consortium, Lenovo and the telcos that acquire its services will be able to use network virtualization to improve their overall operations to more efficiently manage today's dynamic communications environment by quickly shifting workloads and demands, and introducing products and services to market much faster to their customers.
In addressing the potential of this partnership, Brian Connors, VP, Next Generation IT & Business Development, Lenovo, said, "Working within the framework of the OPNFV and OCP communities, Lenovo is aggressively investing in product enablement, system architecture, and research and development to create the best user experience. Together with Red Hat, a leading enterprise OpenStack provider, we’re helping reduce complexity and cost, while enabling even greater flexibility and value."
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Telcos are using NFV because of its ability to leverage IT virtualization technologies that are now readily available in mainstream data centers. With this increased availability, as well as Lenovo's membership into OPNFV, the company will be able to deliver NFV architectures that can be customized to address the needs of service providers.
Lenovo will be developing a certified solution stack based on Red Hat’s NFV Platform, built on Red Hat OpenStack Platform, which is a continuation of the strategic collaboration between both organizations announced late last year. Lenovo already has Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization and CloudForms software as part of its portfolio for faster design and delivery of solutions running Red Hat software on its infrastructure.
The new collaboration will extend that capability even further as telcos look for agile and flexible technologies that will let them compete with new generation services from small companies and large organizations alike outside of the sector.
Edited by Maurice Nagle