4 May 2017, Shenzhen, China – ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, has assessed the industrial deployment of network function virtualisation/software-defined networking (NFV/SDN) and its benefits. The NFV Chief Engineer of ZTE Telecom Cloud and Core Network, Mr. Lu Guanghui, delivered a speech on ZTE’s exploration of, and experiences in, NFV/SDN commercial use at the NFV World Congress, San Jose, USA.

At the congress, Lu Guanghui explained that Internet of Everything and over the top (OTT) services and business models are challenges for operators’ traditional networks. Network transformation has been widely acknowledged by the industry as crucial to operators and many have already started, or are planning to start, their transformation. Such a transformation is complex as it requires the combination of cloud computing, NFV/SDN, big data and orchestration, including infrastructure, network function, and operation reconstruction.

Infrastructure reconstruction requires Data Center deployment and leverages SDN technology for highly efficient networking; Network function reconstruction requires “flexible and open” cloud native network function; and operation reconstruction needs an intelligent and automated orchestration, the operation layer is based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. By involving all of the above aspects, network transformation results in large integration workload, long cycle and high complexity.  It will face many challenges such as the low performance, large integration workload and high complexity operation, etc. How to successfully implement the network transformation? Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Mr. Lu Guanghui showed a success practice of network transformation: vEPC commercial deployment case in VEON, to explain what is the benefits, chanllenges and solutions in this deployment case. Finally, he pointed that the experienced equipment vendors are needed to help operators fast, efficiently and securely build a new cloud network and complete the transformation of production mode and production tools.

As the world's leading provider of telecom equipment and solutions, and its rich experience in network transformation, ZTE promotes NFV/SDN technologies, and is a leader in NFV/SDN large-scale commercial application and helps to push industry chain development. Currently, ZTE has deployed its NFV products for more than 180 commercial and proof of concept (POC) projects around the world, and has cooperated with Telefonica, VEON, Telekom Austria Group, Telenor, China Mobile and other mainstream operators. ZTE has joined many standards organizations and open source communities, including ETSI, 3GPP, ONAP, OPNFV, OpenStack, OpenDaylight and ONOS.