SANTA CLARA, Calif. – IP Infusion, a leading provider of network disaggregation solutions for telecom and data communications operators, today announced that it is among the best positioned companies by the Telecom Infra Project’s (TIP) Wireless Backhaul (WBH) Project Group to provide network operating system (NOS) software for its open and disaggregated wireless backhaul solution, the OpenSoftHaul.

With the emergence of new data hungry services and the exponential growth of number of mobile devices, mobile data traffic has outpaced the capacity of legacy backhaul networks. Installing more wireless backhaul equipment at tower sites will increase site rental costs and time to market. Parallel investments in overlapping router and radio technologies will drive cost inefficiencies. In addition to these challenges, mobile operators also face the economic inefficiencies, and supply chain constraints due to vendor lock-in, slowing innovation.

TIP’s WBH Project Group is working with industry leaders to build an OpenSoftHaul solution that will provide future-proof capacity in a feature rich and highly efficient compact hardware footprint. The open, disaggregated solutions will accelerate 5G deployments through convergence of IP and Microwave technologies. This initiative is being led by Deutsche Telekom, MTN, Telefónica, Axiata, and Telecom Italia that jointly developed the common requirements for the OpenSoftHaul product, with the target to have specification-compliant solutions available for RFPs in 2021.

The TIP project aims to provide a disaggregated Indoor Unit (IDU) as part of the OpenSoftHaul solution in which a whitebox that can handle router and microwave functionalities is used. The solution will reduce power consumption, configuration complexities and cabinet space requirements.

“We are honored to be named for TIP’s OpenSoftHaul solution. Mobile data traffic demand is driving the need for the industry to invest in backhaul networks to deliver much needed capacity,” said Atsushi Ogata, President and CEO of IP Infusion. “Open and disaggregated architecture, coupled with SDN-based transport architecture, leads to higher performance, operational and cost advantages. Our contribution to the OpenSoftHaul solution will give service providers the high, scalable capacity to meet the requirements for 5G and support the exponential growth of mobile data traffic.”

“We applaud IP Infusion for its continued contributions to TIP and the Wireless Backhaul Project Group’s objective to build OpenSoftHaul solutions,” said David Hutton, Chief Engineer of Telecom Infra Project. “With support from IP Infusion and other industry leaders, we will be able to accelerate innovation, secure quick deployment of future features, run different software flavors, and expand the pool of suppliers in the network supply chain which will benefit the entire industry.”