• Proposing a three-step approach to automation for CSPs
• From virtualisation through to distributed cloud and network slicing
• Ericsson keen to see a merger of ONAP and ETSI MANO
• Two disparate standards environments could fragment the industry

As Marton Sabli explains, CSPs are at different stages of network automation. Some are a long way down the road and, having already achieved closed-loop automation and service orchestration, can now run several parallel network services while others have yet to take the first step on the automation journey. He says that Ericsson has devised a series of steps for the CSPs to climb to achieve full automation. They start at the first stage of virtualisation all the way up to the distributed cloud and 5G network slicing.

Moving on to the open source debate about whether or not the industry in the age of the virtualised network actually needs both an open-standards initiative and traditional standards, Marton Sabli notes that ONAP is now more than two years old, is picking up momentum and has a big community of interest behind it even as ONAP is working towards a standard for important aspects of Zero Touch configuration including fault management and performance management. Meanwhile ETSI MANO and other more traditional standards bodies are making progress in addressing orchestration and automation in the data centre environment. Ericsson is working towards merging both initiatives because, it is claimed, the sector will not flourish given that two disparate standards environments could fragment communities, ecosystems and the greater global industry.

Filmed at: SDN NFV World Congress 2018, The Hague