Cisco, Juniper to virtualize AT&T

Cisco and Juniper Networks are intent on granting customer AT&T’s wishes.

Both have been lined up to develop virtualized interpretations of their respective routers for AT&T’s SDN CPE project. AT&T plans to run the routers as virtualized network functions (VNF) on bare metal hardware running at AT&T operating system and software control stack.

The VNF CPE is a component of AT&T’s larger SDN/NFV project known as Network on Demand, or Domain 2.0. The carrier is narrowing suppliers to a select group that can meet its SDN/NFV operational and service needs.

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Cisco will focus VNF development on its Integrated Service Routers with “advanced virtualization capabilities,” a spokesperson said. Juniper will work on “a software-based appliance, designed to AT&T's specifications, which enables customers to run multiple virtual functions on one device.”

The products are intended to give customers more control by allowing them to quickly update network functions without having to buy new hardware, AT&T said.

In addition to business service routing, AT&T is looking at a few CPE opportunities with SDN and VNFs. They include virtualized IP PBX, and optical transport and access.

Reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers and virtualized optical line termination for fiber-to-the-home deployments based on Gigabit Passive Optical Networks are prime targets, the carrier noted.