Based on IETF standards, the networks convergence will make it possible to unify the planning, management and engineering of optical network layers and IP network layers.
Telefónica will be leveraging the Cisco Open Network Architecture comprised of the Evolved Services Platform (ESP) and Evolved Programmable Network (EPN), combining both hardware and software and including virtual network functions (NfV), software-defined networking (SDN) and advanced orchestration functionality.
Over the next two years, Cisco and Telefónica will be using the Cisco WAN Automation Engine software, and will collaborate on different use cases extracted from the Telefónica network topology, including multilayer restoration, the creation of a multi-domain route and a multilevel by-pass in order to guarantee compatibility between products from different manufacturers.
"We will optimise our core network architecture and respond to the exponential growth of traffic in both capacity and complexity, as well as reducing our costs and contributing to the standardization of the IP Class Optical Convergence technology," said Enrique Blanco, global chief technology officer at Telefónica Group, commenting on the deal.
"Architectural approaches based on network layers that are constructed and run independently generate inefficiencies of scale, provision and operation that must be resolved as soon as possible," added Bill Gartner, VP of optical networking group at Cisco. "What we need is an innovative focus capable of creating an optimally convergent transport infrastructure, and that's what we, along with Telefónica, are trying to provide leveraging SDN technology benefits."
