Nokia says it has conducted a trial of its Fixed Access Network Slicing (FANS) technology with Ogero of Lebanon. The technology enables creation of virtual “network slices” that Ogero can partition among wholesale customers for its fiber to the home (FTTH) infrastructure.
Ogero, Lebanon’s sole telecom infrastructure provider according to Nokia, operates a 12,000-km fiber network across the country. It offers access to its fiber-optic network to mobile operators, data service providers, and internet service providers. Use of the FANS technology would enable Ogero to maximize fiber usage by providing virtualized slices of its network to each customer. Those customers, as virtual network operators, would be able to exercise autonomous, full control of their respective slices, Nokia asserts. This control includes the ability to set performance metrics for their slices and the services they delivery via them.
The trial leveraged Nokia’s Altiplano cloud-native software platform and SDN-programmable Lightspan FX optical line terminals (OLTs; see "Nokia unveils Altiplano software-defined access platform, Lightspan programmable access nodes"). The technology provider says it contributed to the work that led to the publication of the TR-370 standard on FANS by the Broadband Forum as well as the specification of the YANG modules that are used to achieve FANS.
"As a pioneer in this field, Nokia was one of the only vendors capable of providing Ogero with a mature and secure software-defined access solution that could effectively meet our unique requirements and timelines,” asserted Imad Kreidieh, chairman and CEO of Ogero. “The successful trial demonstrated the power of their solution and its ability to create several virtual autonomous slices that we can offer to customers. With Nokia's solution, we'll be able to better monetize our existing network investments and give customers a platform that allows them to develop new strategies and create service offerings that benefit their end-users."
“Virtual network slicing will become an important part of the fixed access industry going forward,” predicted Sandra Motley, president of Nokia's Fixed Networks Business Group. “Network slicing gives service providers the right capabilities to innovate while unlocking the full business potential of fiber-to-the-home markets. Software-defined access networks will play a key role in revolutionizing conventional network infrastructure management models; helping to simplify operations and deliver better, lower cost services than previously possible."
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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