ONOS project’s CORD initiative claims mobile platform bolsters 5G plans with programmable RAN, VEPC, mobile edge computing support.
The Open Network Operating System project’s central office re-architected as a data center platform released its first open sourced disaggregated and virtualized evolved packet core, which is based on the Radisys’ EPC framework.
The CORD project, which was formed in early 2015, is the basis for the mobile CORD initiative designed to support “5G” technology deployments. M-CORD is said to support programmable radio access network; disaggregated and virtualized EPC; mobile edge computing; and end-to-end slicing from RAN to EPC.
“CORD and its partners are developing the open M-CORD platform to deliver the capabilities that will enable 5G,” ONOS noted in a statement. “M-CORD is built on CORD as the base platform that delivers economies of scale and cloud agility to the central office by integrating open networking technologies, merchant silicon and commodity white boxes to enable rapid creation of new mobile edge services.”
The CORD initiative was founded with a focus on accelerating the adoption of open source software-defined networking and network functions virtualization solutions for service providers using open source platforms like ONOS, OpenStack, Docker and XOS. The project was recently folded into the Linux Foundation as an independent open source project, and was quickly followed up by the release of its first open reference implementation targeted at providing a single integrated solution platform for creating new customer services. The reference design is said to allow developers to autobuild CORD on a single node within one hour.
RCR Wireless News recently spoke with Manish Singh, VP product management for SDN/NFV at Tech Mahindra, to discuss using the technology in shaping service delivery and reducing carrier capital and operating expense.
RCR Wireless News also spoke with Bryan Sadowski, VP of FlowEngine Product Marketing at Radisys, for a deeper dive into the initiatives that seem to be gaining increased attention from across the telecom space.
The CORD project counts telecom operators AT&T, Verizon Communications, China Unicom, NTT Communications and SK Telecom as members; as well as vendors like Ciena, Cisco, Fujitsu, Intel, NEC and Nokia. The organization earlier this year also welcomed Google, Radisys and Samsung to the fold.
As part of its work with CORD, AT&T earlier this year began a technology trial in a move to accelerate the roll out of its GigaPower broadband service.
“We are very pleased with M-CORD progress towards creating an open platform for LTE and 5G built with merchant silicon, white boxes and open source,” said Andre Fuetsch, CTO and president of AT&T Labs, connected with the open source release. “As we move towards an increasingly open sourced mobile core, we can innovate LTE and 5G solutions faster and create services such as [the ‘internet of things’], safety, mobile health and others with improved [quality of experience] and agility.”
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