Verizon and Cisco are collaborating on accelerating adoption of hybrid information-centric networking (ICN), an emerging and innovative approach to content-aware service offerings. The companies say that focusing network communication around “named data” rather than location identifiers such as IP addresses, should enable service providers to simplify next-generation network architecture; enhance user-to-content communication; and improve mobility, storage and security in the network.
Hybrid Information-Centric Networking
Verizon demonstrated Cisco’s open-source ICN software and validated its benefits in comparison with standard TCP/IP solutions for optimized mobile video delivery in a lab at the Verizon Innovation Center in Waltham, Mass. Benefits include dynamic adaptive streaming solutions and dynamic load balancing of media, designed to provide a better user experience. In the network, forwarding/caching strategies are designed to maximize traffic localization and bandwidth savings in backhaul/core via enhanced multicast.
Subsequently, Verizon also demonstrated key features of hybrid-ICN by simplifying the insertion of ICN technology in existing IP infrastructure and enabling coexistence with legacy IP traffic.
“The hybrid-ICN solution delivers all the benefits of ICN communication with minimal existing IP infrastructure upgrades required,” said Srini Kalapala, Verizon vice president, technology architecture and strategy, in a prepared statement. “By demonstrating the benefits of a virtualized hybrid-ICN network at scale, we showcased how the technology can simplify the way users access content in a mobile environment and lead to a better user experience. We’re pleased with the results of our collaboration with Cisco and with the promise of the technology.”
“Cisco’s hybrid-ICN solution provides secure content-intelligent transport for network service providers,” said Dave Ward, Cisco senior vice president, CTO of engineering and chief architect, in a prepared statement. “Through our co-development with Verizon, we found that H-ICN empowers the network edge with low latency caching and computing capabilities for the support of new revenue-generating applications such as enterprise multi-radio access, augmented and virtual reality, and IoT for 5G.”
