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Telefónica Exec Shines Light on Need for Optical StandardsWith its most recent, positive financial results in hand, Telefónica no doubt feels comfortable its digital transformation and 5G strategies are being well-received by consumers, enterprises and the financial world. But the Spanish-based, international operator has plenty of technological opportunities (and challenges) ahead, as Broadband World News discovered during a recent conversation. The service provider recently reported continued organic growth and momentum in its financial report. It also shared news of a 5G use case with autonomous driving and content. Ahead of NGON & DCI Europe 2018, Juan Pedro Fernandez, head of unit, talked to KNect365 writer Logan Armendone-Mowbray for Broadband World News about Telefónica’s latest developments and tests, its impact on optical and data center interconnect (DCI) and how the industry can address the challenges and needs for standards and well-defined interfaces. BBWN: Can you please tell us a bit more about the latest developments Telefónica have been working on? Juan Pedro Fernandez: We have already done some proof-of-concepts in Germany for (software-defined networking) SDN control in the microwave segment. There is already a (request for quotation) process in Germany, which is also covering the IP and optical domains. We are also deploying SDN controllers in 2019 in IP and optical domains in other countries such as Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Brazil. We are still working on the SBI (South Bound Interface) and NBI (North Bound Interface) definition for these controllers for specific use cases. In the optical domain the most relevant use case is partial optical disaggregation so that we can have transport infrastructure (ROADM, amplifiers, etc.) for one vendor, and transmission (100G/200G/400G) channels from other vendors, while enabling dynamic provisioning and restoration. BBWN: What lessons have been learned and what’s their overall impact in the optical and DC industry? JPF: Partial optical disaggregation is technically feasible and it will enable operators to select the best transmission technology available in the market, promoting innovation in this area. However, we still some progress on standardization but it would be much more limited than in a complete disaggregation scenario. BBWN: During 2017, Telefónica performed data tests in Germany: Were there any other countries where tests were performed, what are their objectives and what did they achieve? JPF: In Germany we demonstrated the interworking between different vendors at physical and management layers for point-to-point services. We have also done a field trial in Colombia (presented in OFC 2018) where we also demonstrated optical restoration in a partial disaggregation scenario. BBWN: What do these tests represent to the industry? What benefits and challenges do they address? JPF: They promote innovation in the transmission segment. New solutions with advanced functionalities in terms of security, optical spectrum optimization or optimized cost/bit for 100G and beyond could be easily integrated over existing transport networks by implementing a common SDN architecture. The main challenge is the wide adoption of the standards. BBWN: How can RFI be effectively and cost-efficiently implemented? Can it be monetized and is it viable? JPF: Partial optical disaggregation enables open competition for transmission demands. RFI results will be included as mandatory requirements in RFQ processes in 2018 and 2019. BBWN: How can the industry address the challenges and needs for standard and well-defined interfaces? JPF: As a first step, network operators should clearly explain the use cases, the preferred options and missing gaps in standardization fora. Once standardization is mature enough, operators could include these requirements in their RFQ processes. Juan Pedro Fernandez is a speaker at NGON and DCI Europe 2018, where he will deliver the session "Transport API: Standardization status, interoperability tests and use cases." Find out more about the event and book your tickets today. Related posts:
— Logan Armendone-Mowbray is Content Marketer at KNect365. He's working to make NGON & DCI Europe 2018 the best one ever. (Home page photo source: ECOC-YouTube) |
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