TelecomTV TelecomTV
  • News
  • Videos
  • Channels
  • Events
  • Directory
  • Smart Studio
  • Surveys
  • Debates
  • Perspectives
  • DSP Leaders World Forum
  • DSP Leaders
  • Great Telco Debate
    • |
    • Follow
    • |
    • Subscribe
  • |
  • More
  • Webcasts
  • Surveys
  • Debates
  • Perspectives
  • Great Telco Debate
  • |
  • Follow TelecomTV
  • |
    • Subscribe
    • |
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Follow TelecomTV
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Sign In Register Subscribe
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
    • Register
  • Search

NFV

NFV

Etisalat deploys cloud­-based NFV infrastructure in Abu Dhabi

Guy Daniels
By Guy Daniels

Jul 19, 2016

© Flickr/cc-licence/modified/Andrey Larin

© Flickr/cc-licence/modified/Andrey Larin

  • NFV telco cloud at the centre of Etisalat’s Sahaab project
  • Open source multi-vendor deployment using OpenStack
  • Ubuntu Server continues to dominate the OpenStack OS sector
  • Etisalat to roll out further NFV deployments beyond Abu Dhabi

Last week, UAE-based telco Etisalat activated its first live Network Function Virtualization (NFV) telco cloud in Abu Dhabi. The NFV deployment has been built with Quanta servers, Arista switches and Canonical Ubuntu OpenStack, which Etisalat says is the first time such a multi­vendor combination has been integrated for production anywhere in the world.

The deployment is based on the open­source OpenStack cloud platform, and further activations are in progress in more sites across the UAE. On top of this telco cloud, Etisalat intends to virtualize its infrastructure and services across its portfolio of data, communications and video, beginning with mobile services.

Etisalat launched a corporate­wide programme earlier this year to “cloudify” its network, dubbed Sahaab – an Arabic word that translates to “cloud”. The program aims to balance the legacy hardware­centric services with the evolution to new software­centric cloud services.

“It’s a different world that we’ve embarked into,” said Esmaeel Alhammadi, SVP of Network Development in Etisalat and Sahaab program lead. “We thought it was a technological step, requiring a mere upgrade of the network and services, but it turns out to be more than that. It’s a shift in mindsets and how things get done. It’s not every year that we have technologies like these that have the potential of adapting to customer wishes faster and opening new avenues for future innovations and collaborations.”

NFV is currently the second largest area of interest for OpenStack users, with 59 per cent interest. It only lags behind containers with 76 per cent. Not bad, considering the telecoms sector currently accounts for just 12 per cent of total OpenStack deployments. In fact, Platform as a service with 54 per cent and IoT with 33 per cent are two other major areas of focus for the OpenStack community. Ubuntu Server dominates the OpenStack OS sector, with 65 per cent of the market for large deployments.

“Etisalat is demonstrating real vision and innovation by the speed at which they are embracing network function virtualisation,” said Anand Krishnan, EVP Cloud, Canonical. “We are delighted that Etisalat has selected Canonical OpenStack as their NFV infrastructure and Juju as their generic VNF manager. As the global leader in OpenStack deployments, we will work closely with Etisalat to ensure its customers can benefit from the virtualisation and cloudification of network functions that this will deliver.”

Related Topics
  • Analysis & Opinion,
  • Canonical,
  • Cloud,
  • Digital Platforms & Services,
  • Etisalat,
  • News,
  • NFV,
  • Telco & CSP,
  • Transformation

More Like This

Open Networking

ADVA expands Ensemble Harmony Ecosystem to include disaggregated packet networking

Jan 12, 2021

Digital Platforms & Services

Ribbon appoints Steve McCaffery as Executive Vice President, EMEA and APAC Sales

Jan 11, 2021

5G

Could you be our 2020 telecoms quizmaster?

Dec 23, 2020

NFV

ADVA expands industry’s most comprehensive multi-vendor NFV program

Dec 14, 2020

5G

AirHop Communications brings real-time 5G network intelligence solution to Microsoft Azure 4G/5G

Dec 7, 2020

Email Newsletters

Stay up to date with the latest industry developments: sign up to receive TelecomTV's top news and videos plus exclusive subscriber-only content direct to your inbox – including our daily news briefing and weekly wrap.

Subscribe

Top Picks

Highlights of our content from across TelecomTV today

1:4:29

Great Telco Debate: Live Debate – Day 2 (On-demand)

1:18:20

Great Telco Debate: Live Debate – Day 3 (On-demand)

43:08

Developing an ecosystem for vRAN

1:5:11

Great Telco Debate: Live Debate – Day 1 (On-demand)

  • TelecomTV
  • Decisive Media

TelecomTV is produced by the team at Decisive Media

Menu
  • News
  • Videos
  • Channels
  • Directory
  • Smart Studio
 
  • Surveys
  • Debates
  • Perspectives
  • Events
  • About Us
Our Brands
  • TelecomTV Tracker
  • TelecomTV Perspectives
  • DSP Leaders
  • DSP Leaders World Forum
  • The Great Telco Debate
Get In Touch
[email protected]
+44 (0) 207 448 1070

Request a Media Pack

Follow
  • © Decisive Media Limited 2021. All rights reserved. All brands and products are the trademarks of their respective holder(s).
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Legal Notices