Following the announcement of its LTEHaul solution at MWC 2013, Huawei has announced new products which will support software-defined networking (SDN) capabilities will be supported to offer operators a comprehensive solution to traffic congestion, a key problem affecting operators today.
SDN-based Mobile Backhaul is able to manage the vendor’s ATN910 series cell site routers as a virtual cluster through centralised SDN controllers embedded in new CX600 series aggregation routers.
The embedded SDN controllers provide a centralised control plane for the cell site routers, performing centralised path calculation, service provisioning and traffic control, while the U2000 network management system provides a GUI-based unified system for both the cell site and aggregation routers.
According to Huawei, SDN-based Mobile Backhaul is a plug-and-play solution and early tests have shown efficiency improvements of 85 percent, with a reduction of more than 50 percent in network alarms.
The new SDN features can be enabled through software upgrades to the network and can be used on existing network hardware.
In a statement, Huawei said it is keen to protect “investments in existing deployment topologies” while “offering flexibility for new deployments”.
Gai Gang, President of Huawei Carrier IP product line, added: “Huawei is committed to helping our customers achieve business success through innovative technology solutions. Our progress with SDN technology demonstrates Huawei’s practical and effective leadership within the Carrier SDN industry.”
Infonetics Research reports that Huawei now ranks second in the global IP router market following the fourth quarter of 2012 and is the faster growing vendor in this space.