A quartet of companies will demonstrate what they are calling “intent-based” SDN operations, including on-demand automation of wavelength services in a multi-platform and multi-domain environment at the MEF17 Proof of Concept (PoC) Showcase, which will be held Nov. 13 to 16 in Orlando. The goal of the PoC is to demonstrate end-to-end activation, including turning up and turning down service, of Windstream SDNow 10G bandwidths on-demand offering.
Supporting the Windstream demo will be Ciena, Coriant and Infinera. The PoC will be connected to Windstream’s network, the carrier said in a press release.
Windstream SDNow
“In line with MEF’s focus on enabling dynamic Third Network solutions, Windstream’s partnership with these three industry pioneers – Ciena, Coriant and Infinera — highlights the benefits of our multi-vendor network ecosystem,” said Joe Harding, executive vice president and enterprise chief marketing officer for Windstream Wholesale. “This collaborative effort — using multiple hardware platforms orchestrated in real-time via multi-domain service orchestration with APIs to underlying domain controllers – will demonstrate how end-users can take advantage of maximum network control and access to agile, on-demand bandwidth solutions, as well as simplified and accelerated service delivery using minimal human touchpoints.”
Executives from Ciena and Infinera elaborated on their respective contributions in the press release. Ciena is providing its Blue Planet orchestration and Infinera is providing its Xceed Multilayer SDN Controller and Intelligent Transport Network.
In late June, Windstream joined the Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) Project. The initiative is aimed at creating open source NFV and SDN standards. The demonstration at MEF17 goes hand-in-glove with the goals that led Windstream to join the group. ONAP aims to maximize technology standardization and adoption in a complex, multi-vendor environment.
The overriding idea is that SDN, NFV and other virtualized environments will cross carrier boundaries. Standards are a necessity to make this process efficient, reduce costs and shorten time-to-market.
