Huawei says it has partnered with Vodafone to complete successfully a field trial of its Fixed Access Network Slicing technology, which virtually partitions fiber to the home (FTTH) network bandwidth. The technology enables operators to divide and control different "slices" of the bandwidth separately, either for those operators' various services or to better enable use by multiple entities in applications such as open access FTTH networks.
Vodafone Ireland teamed with Huawei on the trials, which used the Huawei MA5800 optical line terminal (OLT). The service provider used partitioned bandwidth to separate residential and business services. The residential slice carried video and internet traffic to customers, while the other slice carried Vodafone's OneNet business services, including voice. The partitioning followed the standards set forth by the Broadband Forum in its TR-370 Technical Report. Vodafone Group was a major supporter of the Broadband Forum standards development effort.
"Vodafone has deployed several FTTH networks around the world and many of these are with partners. Virtualization of the fixed access network will help us build and fill FTTH networks in a more cost-effective way that takes advantage of new operating models where both Vodafone and its deployment partners are able to differentiate their services over the shared fiber infrastructure," commented Matt Beal, director of strategy and architecture, Vodafone Group Technology.
"The introduction of the access virtualization technology is an important step for our commitment to be at the forefront of technological innovation. This will translate into a better network experience offered to our fixed customers," added Madalina Suceveanu, Vodafone Ireland technology director. "We are committed in supporting the key stakeholders in further developing the technology with a view of deployment in networks in Ireland and across other markets in the near future."
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