ADTRAN partners with Open Networking Foundation (ONF) in reimagined strategic plan

Operators recognize ADTRAN expertise, leadership and commitment in developing deployable, open-source broadband access solutions

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ADTRAN^® , Inc., (NASDAQ:ADTN), the leading provider of next-generation open networking solutions, today announced it has accepted the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) invitation to become a new supply chain partner and strategic advisory board member to help shape, design and integrate next-generation access solutions within the growing open networking ecosystem.

“ADTRAN’s focus on open, disaggregated architectures and disrupting the status quo in the access network has been endorsed by an unprecedented number of operator engagements,” ADTRAN Senior Vice President of Technology and Strategy Jay Wilson said. “By joining ONF at the partner level, ADTRAN furthers its commitment to bring deployable solutions to market as the industry approaches a tipping point of transformation. We are encouraged by ONF’s new strategy and strong operator involvement, and look forward to realizing real breakthroughs toward cost-effective, scalable broadband solutions.”

ADTRAN will provide active leadership and expertise to develop common platforms through a Reference Design (RD) process that will establish “gold standards” for operators to build and operate networks of the future. This new ONF strategy aligns with an ADTRAN priority to offer systems and solutions integration capabilities for all types of operators utilizing both open source components and field-proven products and solutions.

New ONF priority areas include: fixed and mobile broadband access, leaf-spine data center fabrics, multi-access edge, 5G solutions at the edge and a continued push to develop software-defined networks to enable operators to streamline scale, cost and service delivery intervals.

Earlier this year, the ONF announced an operator-led, new strategic plan to reconstitute a supply chain aligned with a vision of white box components, open source software and disaggregation. Operators outlined their intent to seek new partners who not only say they believe in this new ecosystem but have also shown evidence of their dedication.

“The new ONF governance structure places ADTRAN in a pivotal position to help identify, steer and shape access protocols and standards for future open designed networks, as well as how these components and systems are integrated and managed,” ONF board member and Deutsche Telekom Vice President of Access Network Engineering and Cost Engineering Jochen Appel said. “ADTRAN will help accelerate deployable, integrated and managed open access solutions, something they already have experience with, which is why we are excited about their partnership.”

In addition to the new governance and RDs outlined in its strategic plan, the ONF is seeking to create a new open source supply chain where companies work collaboratively to deliver production-ready solutions.

“ADTRAN is a leading provider of open networking communications solutions and services and understands we need to do more to accelerate the adoption of open solutions in operator networks,” ONF Executive Director Guru Parulkar said. “ADTRAN has shown success working within a multi-vendor ecosystem, which is why we are excited they have decided to take a formal, active role in helping to transform the edge of operators' networks with solutions based on open-source hardware and software.”

ADTRAN began driving a path toward open, programmable, scalable networks with its ADTRAN Mosaic™ Software-Defined Access (SD-Access) solutions, which lead the industry in awards. Mosaic combines modern web-scale technology with open-source platforms to accelerate rapid innovation in multi-technology and multi-vendor environments.