ADVA (FSE: ADV) today announced the market’s first true carrier-grade network operating system (NOS) for bare-metal switches. Ensemble Activator separates hardware from software, giving communication service providers (CSPs) unprecedented agility and freedom to choose best-of-breed technology. ADVA is drawing on its wealth of carrier-grade networking experience to extend disaggregated NOS applications from data centers into fixed and mobile networks. The multi-layer NOS technology features open management and control interfaces for easy integration into multi-vendor networks. It offers a rich set of Ethernet and IP protocols for the widest range of underlay and overlay applications. With Ensemble Activator, CSPs can deploy open networks, evolve infrastructure at their own pace and select solutions tailored to their exact needs.

“Packet networks are growing at an ever-increasing rate, but so too is the pace of innovation. CSPs no longer have time to wait for their chosen vendor to deliver higher capacity or the latest features. They need complete flexibility to evolve their infrastructure in a way that best suits their business. Our Ensemble Activator frees customers from vendor lock-in and provides unprecedented agility and scale,” said Stephan Rettenberger, SVP, marketing and investor relations, ADVA. “At the end of last year, we launched our FSP 150-Z4806, a highly efficient 100Gbit/s aggregation switch for edge data centers. Now we’re going one step further and making the software solution at the heart of that product independently available. Our Ensemble Activator turns standard bare-metal switches into feature-rich Ethernet/MPLS switch routers and empowers operators to deploy affordable, purpose-built hardware for even the most challenging environments.”

Our Ensemble Activator frees customers from vendor lock-in and provides unprecedented agility and scale. Stephan Rettenberger, SVP, marketing and investor relations, ADVA

Ensemble Activator is the industry’s first disaggregated NOS with the proven capabilities needed for true carrier-class services. Specifically designed through the TIP Disaggregated Cell Site Gateway group to meet the requirements of major global CSPs, Ensemble Activator is optimized for the operation of large, geographically dispersed networks. Its comprehensive set of CE 2.0- and MEF 3.0-compliant interfaces is complemented with proven IP and MPLS protocols. It also includes telemetry streaming and supports the ONIE framework. Ensemble Activator is the result of ADVA’s formidable experience in harnessing NFV to turn application-specific hardware into highly effective open software. It also builds on ADVA’s in-depth knowledge of CSPs’ operational, security and synchronization requirements.

“Our Ensemble Activator offers the best of both worlds. It lets customers combine the agility of software-based feature development with the performance and economics of bare-metal switches. This solution opens the door to a completely different method of growing and developing telecommunication infrastructures. With agile, scalable and vendor-neutral packet networks, CSPs can tackle huge growth in data demand while also rapidly responding to new feature requirements,” commented Ulrich Kohn, director, technical marketing, ADVA. “We want our customers to have the opportunity to develop their networks however they want. Some CSPs prefer purpose-built hardware optimized for their specific needs. For others it’s about harnessing the latest innovation. With Ensemble Activator integrated in their network management system, the choice is entirely theirs.”