Colt's network transformation

Colt's technology and architecture specialist, Mirko Voltolini, talks to Gazettabyte about how the service provider has transformed its network from one based on custom platforms to an open, modular design.

It was obvious to Colt that something had to change. Its network architecture based on proprietary platforms running custom software was not sustainable; the highly customised network was cumbersome, resistant to change and expensive to run. The network also required a platform to be replaced -  or at least a new platform added alongside an existing one - every five to seven years.

Mirko Voltolini

"The cost of this approach is enormous," says Mirko Voltolini, vice president technology and architecture at Colt Technology Services. "Not just in money but the time it takes to roll out a new platform."

Instead, the service provider has sought a modular approach to network design using standardised platforms that are separated from each other. That way, a new platform with a better feature set or improved economics can be slotted in without impacted the other platforms. Colt calls its resulting network a modular multi-service platform (MSP).

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OIF prepares for virtual network services

The Optical Internetworking Forum has begun specification work for virtual network services (VNS) that will enable customers of telcos to define their own networks. VNS will enable a user to define a multi-layer network (layer-1 and layer-2, for now) more flexibly than existing schemes such as virtual private networks.

Vishnu Shukla"Here, we are talking about service, and a simple way to describe it [VNS] is network slicing," says OIF president, Vishnu Shukla. "With transport SDN [software-defined networking], such value-added services become available."

The OIF work will identify what carriers and system vendors must do to implement VNS. Shukla says the OIF already has experience working across multiple networking layers, and is undertaking transport SDN work. "VNS is a really valuable extension of the transport SDN work," says Shukla.

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Ciena launches the 8700 metro Ethernet-over-WDM platform

• The 8700 Packetwave is an Ethernet-over-DWDM platform 
• The 8700 is claimed to deliver double the Ethernet density while halving the power consumption and space required.

Source: Ciena

Ciena has launched the 8700 Packetwave platform that combines high-capacity Ethernet switching with 100 Gigabit coherent optical transmission.

The platform is designed to cater for the significant growth in metro traffic, estimated at between 30 and 50 percent each year, and the ongoing shift from legacy to Ethernet services.

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5th Generation radio: A summary

The IEEE Communications magazine published in its February and May 2014 issues a series of excellent articles on the early work and thoughts regarding 5th Generation radio. Here is a mind-map of some of the issues and thoughts raised in the articles in the February issue.

Click here for a .pdf of the mind-map.

Global optical networking market set for solid growth

Source: Ovum

The global optical networking market will grow at a year-over-year rate of 5 percent through 2019. So claims market research firm, Ovum, in its optical networking forecast for 2013 to 2019. North America will lead the market growth, with data centre deployments and demand for 100 Gigabit being the main drivers.

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Verizon readies its metro for next-generation P-OTS

Verizon is preparing its metro network to carry significant amounts of 100 Gigabit traffic and has detailed its next-generation packet-optical transport system (P-OTS) requirements. The operator says technological advances in 100 Gig transmission and new P-OTS platforms - some yet to be announced - will help bring large scale 100 Gig deployments in the metro in the next year or so.

Glenn Wellbrock

The operator says P-OTS will be used for its metro and regional networks for spans of 400-600km. "That is where we have very dense networks," says Glenn Wellbrock, director of optical transport network architecture and design at Verizon. "The amount of 100 Gig is going to be substantially higher than it was in long haul."

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The art of virtualised network function placement

Telefónica, along with vendors Cyan and Red Hat, are working on a network functions virtualisation (NFV) project. The project involves the careful placement of virtualised network functions in the network to improve their performance.

Cyan is delivering its Blue Planet NFV orchestrator software that will make use of enhancements being made to OpenStack developed by Red Hat in close collaboration with Telefónica.

Gazettabyte asked Nirav Modi, director of software innovations at Cyan, about the work.

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