Heavy Reading today released the findings of its latest report, revealing that mainstream deployment of SDN and NFV among carriers is unlikely to start before 2015. Both software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) can help telcos cut costs and simplify service creation, and could potentially transform carrier networks, the report says.
Heavy Reading’s new report is based in part on two of its recent surveys. In one of the surveys, the company interviewed senior execs at mainly large Tier 1 operators. Only 13% of operators that have participated in the survey said that SDN would “significantly impact” the competitive landscape for Ethernet, IP and wavelength services before the end of 2014. “However, 2015 is seen as the big transition year, with a significant revenue shift to SDN-based services starting then,” said Graham Finnie, Chief Analyst of Heavy Reading and co-author of the report.
Key findings of the Report Include:
- There are three distinct groups within operators that have interest in NFV and SDN, but are not necessarily coordinating their efforts. These groups are cloud ICT, which often has the strongest interest in SDN; networks, which is focused mainly on NFV at present; and internal IT, which is hampered by a highly fragmented OSS legacy.
- Many operators believe they can get big savings from virtualizing network functions and deploying them on generic x86 hardware. However, there is also a widespread acknowledgment that some functions can’t yet be shifted to this kind of server.
- Initial interest in virtualization is driving some early trials and commercial deployments. However, mainstream commercial deployment of virtualized functions is unlikely to start before 2015.
- Operators are prepared to consider startup SDN/NFV suppliers. This is especially likely if their existing vendors don’t have a convincing roadmap for virtualization. However, existing suppliers will likely be preferred for core functions by many.
Heavy Reading’s report titled “SDN & NFV: A Revolution in the Making” is now available for purchase. For $3,995, companies can get an enterprise license covering all of its employees.
Source: Heavy Reading