Los Angeles and Sophia Antipolis, 8 October 2015

The ETSI Network Functions Virtualisation Industry Specification Group (NFV ISG) and the MEF are collaborating to advance Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) service agility for CE 2.0 (Carrier Ethernet 2.0) services using LSO (Lifecycle Service Orchestration). The organizations recognize that collaboration is necessary to develop specifications that will enable interoperable CE 2.0 services in virtualized infrastructures. The MEF’s LSO provides an architectural framework for agile, assured connectivity services that are orchestrated over automated and interconnected networks. ETSI NFV ISG provides a framework for end-to-end network services delivered using virtualized network functions.

“ The MEF Board and the ETSI NFV ISG’s Leadership Team have acknowledged the valuable role that each organization is playing in reshaping the networking landscape and have agreed to collaborate where possible on LSO and NFV related standards development that will benefit service providers and service end-users, ” said Nan Chen, President of the MEF. “ We are pleased to work closely with the industry’s specification authority for NFV and look forward to sharing results of our joint work in the coming quarters. ”

Steven Wright, Chair of the ETSI NFV ISG, commented: “ These are exciting times for the industry with the development of NFV, LSO, and SDN technologies and standards that will enable the creation of more agile networks and unleash innovation in a much more dynamic software environment. We recognize the leadership role MEF is taking to address the challenge of automating the end-to-end Ethernet service lifecycle with LSO and look forward to working closely with MEF to advance Ethernet service agility through application of NFV technologies. ”

Initial elements of the collaboration effort include:

• Joint Development of NFV + CE 2.0 Use Cases
• Coordination on acommodating Ethernet Services in the NFV Industry Roadmap

The two organizations each bring pioneering industry leadership and standards development experience to the table in this collaboration effort.

About the MEF

The MEF is the driving force behind the $80+ billion global market for Carrier Ethernet services and technologies and the defining body for LSO (Lifecycle Service Orchestration) standards that underpin emerging Third Network services with CE 2.0, SDN, and NFV. An industry alliance consisting of nearly 220 member organizations based in 43 countries, the MEF operates through a powerful collaborative framework of service providers, network solutions suppliers, and other stakeholders to achieve CE 2.0 and LSO development and globalization objectives – including alignment of LSO with SDN and NFV. MEF’s flagship work is CE 2.0, including specifications, operational frameworks, and certification programs for services, equipment, and professionals.

Building on fourteen years of success with Carrier Ethernet, the MEF is now focused on development of LSO with APIs to enable paradigm-shifting agile, assured, and orchestrated services over more efficient, automated networks. The MEF’s vision for the transformation of network connectivity services and the networks used to deliver them is referred to as the “Third Network,” which combines the on-demand agility and ubiquity of the Internet with the performance and security assurances of CE 2.0. For information on the Third Network and LSO download the MEF’s Third Network Vision & Strategy White Paper and Third Network Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) Vision White Paper.