The project Mobile Cloud Networking (MCN) was concluded on 27 January in Berlin, with a successful audit.
This project was design with the intent to create and operate a complete mobile operator in a virtualized environment. It enabled the complete virtualization of network components and complex support systems (RAN, EPC, IMS Charging, Billing, Monitoring, SLA, Video Services, etc.) by using data centers spread across multiple partners testing laboratories. In the end it allowed to completely integrate all the systems customers may need (eg MVNOs) for requesting, on-demand, the instantiation of all services, fully operational and integrated in minutes without human intervention.
MCN has also implemented agile mechanisms for automatically increasing network functions or support systems, thereby adjusting its resources to the current needs based on real time monitored data. In order to manage and orchestrate all capabilities, the project developed a complex ecosystem that allows the deployment and scalability of the entire infrastructure and services. The entire architecture of this project was designed from scratch, since this was a pre-ETSI NFV project that began in November 2012 and ETSI NFV only publish the first results one year later. Therefore, this was a truly innovative project, having successfully surpassed all challenges.
Altice Labs contributed for this project as leader in the design of the management and orchestration architecture. It also participated in the architecture implementation enabling to virtualize ip-Raft ANDSF product thus acquiring the necessary know-how to develop other products under this model.
This project is a proof that the business is ever closer to a business model of services in the cloud over the traditional deployment of products in the customer’s network.