NEC and ONF Conclude Proof of Concept on Transport Network Control with OpenFlow Technology

NEC and ONF Conclude Proof of Concept on

Transport Network Control with OpenFlow Technology

– iPASOLINK VR Successfully Operates in OpenFlow-Based Network –

Tokyo, October 14 2015 – NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) today announced the completion of a Proof of Concept (PoC) with the Open Networking Foundation’s (ONF) Open Transport Working Group on wireless transport network control with the use of OpenFlow® technology.

The PoC was conducted this month at IMDEA Networks Institute in Spain for a period of three days. A total of seven companies, including NEC, took part in the PoC.

The aim of the PoC is to encourage the development, testing, and implementation of open Software Defined Networking (SDN) for wireless transport networks. The PoC demonstrated that it was possible to control wireless transport network equipment using the Open Networking Operating System (ONOS), a type of SDN controller. The actual PoC consisted of two technological trials; the first trial concerned the reduction of power consumption of wireless links based on the network load, while the second trial examined traffic control in response to changes in transmission rates on wireless links.

For this PoC, NEC provided iPASOLINK VR ultra-compact microwave communications systems equipped with an OpenFlow interface. The PoC successfully demonstrated that iPASOLINK VR can be controlled with the SDN controller in a network environment that involved equipment from other manufacturers.

The ONF Open Transport Working Group aims to achieve centralized control of different types of transport networks, including wireless and optical communications systems, with the use of OpenFlow technology. Looking forward, it will press ahead with its efforts to formulate certain scenarios for use in transport networks and to standardize the extended specifications for the OpenFlow protocol.

“The next-generation wireless communications standard, commonly referred to as 5G, is required to support a more advanced level of network control, such as the dynamic control of communications equipment and the integrated control of wired and wireless systems. In light of the findings of the PoC, NEC will accelerate its research and development efforts for mobile backhaul products ready for SDN-based advanced networks,” said Hideyuki Muto, Deputy General Manager, Mobile Wireless Solution Division, NEC Corporation.

This activity is partly executed under the “Research and Development of Network Virtualization Technology” program commissioned by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and O3 project.