Juniper Networks has unveiled two new solutions to help mobile operators migrate towards a software-defined network architecture, plus new security line cards.
The SDN launches are part of the US-based vendor’s “four-stage vision” for operators to move to an all IP future.
The first solution, a Space Services Activation Director, provides for centralized network management, analytics and configuration functionality that enables operators to provision “thousands of services”, including multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) and Carrier Ethernet for mobile backhaul.
The US-based vendor claims this will reduce opex costs by simplifying deployment as well as giving operators greater insight into their networks.
The second solution see’s the vendor’s Mobile Control Gateway being offered as a virtualised function on its JunosV App Engine, providing signalling and control functionality for LTE, 3G and 2G radio access networks that enable rapid up- and down-scaling for capacity management.
Juniper said by comparing a standalone physical appliances approach to a virtualized approach, mobile operators have the ability to accelerate deployment time by as much as 46 percent and reduce deployment cost by as much as 61 percent.
“With mobile traffic growth exploding, operators need a virtualized Mobile Packet Core for scaling capacity up and down to both increase service velocity and control costs,” commented Dr Ray Mota, managing partner at ACG Research.
Meanwhile, Juniper has also launched the new range of its SRX Series secure line cards specifically for its LTE-enabled SRX5600 and 5800 range of Service Gateways.
According to the vendor, the new secure line card range offers vastly improved performance and reliability for LTE mobile network providers.
Nawaf Bitar, senior vice president for Juniper’s security business unit said that the massive influx of traffic that service providers face as they migrate to all IP-based LTE networks requires security technologies that provide strong protection without adversely impacting performance.
“Juniper’s new SRX 5000 series line cards offer unprecedented scale for firewall, VPN and other security services, zero downtime for hardware and software upgrades and the ability for our existing customers to protect their current investment,” he added.
Other key features of the secure line cards include the promise of ‘always-on’ carrier-grade reliability, as well as scalability for LTE networks, supporting up to 100 million concurrent sessions.
The new SRX cards also offer up to 200Gbps of firewall throughput via a single SRX Series Services Gateway, and, backwards compatibility with operators’ existing SRX5000 equipment investment.
The new cards are also network-aware of mobile specific filters such as GTP and LTE-SCTP, supporting enhanced protection for firewalls from network attacks.