Universal Network Entry, Varied Control Levels
Open access networks present a compelling opportunity for operators seeking to enhance the profitability of their fiber infrastructure. Leveraging the Nokia Altiplano Open Access solution, powered by the Nokia Altiplano Access Controller cloud platform, facilitates seamless neutral-host network sharing and wholesale broadband services.
This solution delivers distinctive operational isolation and streamlined process automation, bolstering flexibility while preserving network oversight and control for Virtual Network Operators (VNOs). Consequently, wholesalers can position themselves as premier infrastructure partners, offering cutting-edge digital broadband services.
A prominent global digital infrastructure firm with a vast portfolio encompassing approximately 226,000 tower sites and various communications real estate assets spread across 25 countries ventured into the Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) sector in response to requests from its Mobile Network Operator (MNO) clientele originating from their tower-side operations. These MNOs expressed interest in a model where the organization would deploy a neutral host fiber network, mirroring the successful business model for leasing tower resources.
Challenges | Integrating With Multiple Operators, Legacy Systems, and Diverse Deployment Models
The primary hurdles for the organization to transition into an open access provider centered around integrating with multiple operators, particularly concerning each VNO’s OSS/BSS platform. Traditional wholesale solutions exacerbate this challenge by treating each VNO integration as a separate project, leading to significant development costs for the company and the VNO. Additionally, there’s a notable time-to-market issue as integration into legacy platforms often spans several months, despite the availability of outside plant resources and deployed electronics.
The situation is further complicated when VNOs employ diverse deployment models and demarcation strategies, such as FTTH and FTTB. Addressing each use case requires additional integration efforts in scenarios where a VNO operates across disparate market segments.
This multifaceted challenge underscores the intricate process of establishing the organization as an open access provider within the digital infrastructure landscape.
Solution | Nokia’s Altiplano SDN Platform
Software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) present a potent and adaptable resource-sharing approach within networks. In South America, the organization has opted for the next-generation Nokia Altiplano SDN platform, which enables the slicing of physical networks, virtualization, and customizable control levels for access seekers, offering flexible integration to suit their requirements.
SDN solutions align seamlessly with the organization’s objectives of serving multiple services and tenants. Firstly, SDN’s primary objective of automation aims to reduce the operational expenditure (OPEX) associated with network deployment while ensuring a viable return on investment. The company can establish a dynamically programmable network orchestration and process automation platform with an SDN domain controller.
Secondly, the business sought to extend its infrastructure model into the FTTH realm, empowering operators to independently target residential, SMB, or enterprise subscribers. Fixed Access Network Sharing (FANS) through SDN and Altiplano’s capability to offer fully autonomous network partitions to VNOs provided a suitable framework. This framework enables them to focus on maintaining the health of the physical infrastructure and active elements while VNOs concentrate on delivering tailored services to their subscribers.
This solution grants operators or VNOs a degree of flexibility previously unattainable with traditional wholesale solutions built on legacy platforms. Thanks to this innovation, customers can autonomously design and develop their services, exerting complete control over the entire lifecycle, from sales execution to subscriber activation. Additionally, this approach allows the company to adopt a hands-off approach while affording VNOs the desired autonomy, making the platform seamlessly integrate into their existing networks.
Results | A Standardized NaaS Model and Optimized Onboarding For New CSPs
In collaboration with Nokia, the organization has developed a standardized blueprint for delivering the Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) model, ensuring a consistent approach across South America and beyond regions. This standardized approach and the Cloud-based architecture facilitate the relatively seamless deployment of the NaaS Open Access solution in new geographic locations as needed.
A broad spectrum of VNOs exists, ranging from global service providers operating across multiple countries to small local entities seeking to include broadband services in their offerings. Large ISPs often possess extensive network engineering capabilities and adhere to global network and systems integration practices, whereas smaller ISPs may have limited staff and adopt a more pragmatic approach.
For smaller ISPs, the organization offers a low-effort integration model, allowing access to a user-friendly web interface for provisioning and post-launch operations. This streamlined approach enables rapid deployment of services on the network infrastructure, catering to the needs of both retail and B2B ISPs aiming to connect a smaller number of high-value subscribers.
Conversely, medium and large Communication Service Providers (CSPs) can leverage standard REST APIs, providing access to a dedicated SDN domain controller. This deployment model affords greater flexibility and autonomy to CSPs, complemented by access to an inventory database for resource availability within the network.
By utilizing Altiplano’s standard API layer, the integration process for onboarding new CSPs has been significantly optimized, reducing complexity, integration costs, and time to market from approximately a year to just five to six weeks. This enhancement underscores the company’s commitment to facilitating seamless integration and empowering CSPs with enhanced operational efficiency.
Benefits | Simplified, Standardized, and Automated
The SDN Open Access solution revolutionizes network management by enabling the creation of virtual access networks, supported by robust monitoring and control tools that offer transparent reporting for neutral hosts and VNOs. The organization has selected Nokia’s Altiplano platform to streamline asset exposure, service integration, subscriber management, resource isolation, and data consolidation processes. This solution facilitates the sharing of access networks in various configurations, all through a unified platform developed in collaboration with tier-1 global service providers and endorsed by the Broadband Forum (BBF).
Made up of two key software components, the solution includes an Infrastructure Controller for the neutral host to manage and control physical access nodes, allocate resource partitions, monitor utilization, ensure SLA-based isolation, and expose virtual access nodes to VNOs. Additionally, a VNO Controller empowers tenants to autonomously provision subscribers, configure services, monitor, and automate operations within their network partition, covering FCAPS use cases atop virtual access nodes provided by the neutral host.
Technically, the Infrastructure Controller establishes a controlled overlay interface atop physical access nodes, leveraging virtualization and software-defined networking to expose virtual access nodes mirroring physical counterparts.
One Platform To Meet Multiple Needs
The company’s Altiplano-based neutral host solution offers multiple integration models for VNOs, ranging from traditional hands-off integration via a web GUI to full FCAPS management, complete with service health views. VNOs can pre-provision service infrastructure, subscriber equipment, and services for locations and physical endpoints connected to virtual access nodes. VNOs can independently design and differentiate services that are seamlessly integrated with their network design.
Operational views provided by Altiplano facilitate general maintenance and troubleshooting. These views comprise network views, alarm analysis, and performance management utilities. These views grant comprehensive access to virtual access node configuration, operational status, alarms, operational control, and historical data, employing state-of-the-art protocols and IT technologies.
The SDN platform, powered by virtual access nodes and data plane isolation, grants each VNO complete autonomy to program and configure the virtual access node to align with its unique service design, subscriber devices, and network infrastructure. For VNOs that do not necessitate such granular control, a shared virtual access node with predefined services is available, ensuring simplified integration while still providing advanced monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities.
Standardized in the Broadband Forum
Standardized interfaces are pivotal in facilitating efficient data exchange among entities, reducing operating costs, and fostering a competitive environment conducive to innovative broadband services. The Altiplano Open Access solution adheres to multiple Broadband Forum (BBF) standards, ensuring interoperability and portability of provisioning and operational automation practices.
Key BBF specifications governing the Altiplano Open Access solution include TR-370, which delineates the SDN-based Fixed Access Network Sharing (FANS) framework, maximizing the flexibility of control and resource partitioning. TR-413 provides a programmable access node interface, facilitating high control and data plane programmability. Additionally, TR-411 outlines the standard model for intent-based networking, defining interfaces for VNO Controllers and Infrastructure Controllers. Additionally, WT-386 issue 2 (currently in progress) defines Yang models to program the slicing engine and expose virtual access nodes, ensuring interoperability across various OLT hardware layouts.
These standardized models and APIs enhance interoperability, simplifying integration with VNO and Infrastructure Controllers, regardless of the provider or whether each VNO utilizes its own SDN controller. This interoperability underscores the adaptability and versatility of the virtual access network provided by the organization, empowering VNOs with seamless integration and operation within the open access ecosystem.
Automated Subscriber Activation Process
Automating subscriber activation is crucial for streamlining interactions between neutral hosts and VNOs, reducing manual interventions in sharing network resources. VNOs gain autonomy by independently adding subscribers and services. VNOs utilize a virtual network inventory to trigger an allocation request upon receiving a new subscription request. This initiates automated processes within the organization’s SDN NaaS, conducting necessary database lookups and binding subscriber locations to VNOs. Once the provisioning process is finalized, VNOs can confidently deliver and manage services using their designated VNO Controller.
About Infinity Technology Solutions
Infinity Technology Solutions specializes in broadband and critical communications infrastructure development. We help our channel partners create and deploy private wireless, microwave backhaul, IP/MPLS, and optical networking technologies.
For more information, give us a call or fill out the contact form below.
