ETSI brings virtualization of telecommunication networks closer with announcement of NFV Release 2

Sophia Antipolis, 27 September 2016

NFV Architectural Framework gains further traction as greater breadth of key parameters are determined

ETSI has today announced the availability of the NFV Release 2 specifications, delivering requirements, interfaces and information models for Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV).

This underlines the significant progress made in the development and future utilization of NFV technology. Undertaken by the ETSI Industry Specification Group on NFV (ETSI ISG NFV) now covering an expansive range of core activities, the successful completion of the specifications from the Release 2 roadmap will move the telecommunication sector closer to the goal of a more agile, flexible and cost-effective network infrastructure.

Building on the ETSI ISG NFV documentation that was published in late 2014, NFV Release 2 incorporates 11 new group specifications, in addition to the many NFV specifications already published. These detail the various requirements, interface descriptions and information models enabling interoperability of solutions based on the ETSI NFV Architectural Framework. Release 2 outlines the necessary functional requirements in relation to a wide set of functional areas, such as the management of virtualized resources, lifecycle management of both network services and virtualized network functions, network service fault/performance management, virtualized resource capacity management, etc.

“ This represents another major step towards our objective of defining a comprehensive set of specifications that will facilitate the deployment of NFV throughout the telecommunication industry, with significant benefits being subsequently derived in many interrelated sectors, ” states Telefonica’s Diego Lopez, the newly appointed Chairman of ETSI NFV ISG. “ Through the collaborative efforts of all parties involved in the ETSI NFV ISG, we have been able to identify and define the required capabilities, following a practical approach that leverages proofs of concept to explore and demonstrate what was proposed. The combination of wide consensus and experimental evidence has led to NFV being recognized as a completely viable and highly valuable technology. This has allowed us to make progresses at a fast pace. ”

“ By drawing upon the combined merits of a well-defined standards structure and the support of the open source community, we have been able to accelerate the development process and ensure widespread interoperability, ” Lopez continues. “ I am therefore confident that the ETSI NFV Architectural Framework will be the foundation upon which future virtualization of the network is established - enabling cost effective allocation of resources and the rapid addition of new services, while still ensuring the highest degrees of security and reliability, as well as painless and seamless integration with existing infrastructure. ”