Virtual sanity?

摘要

For operators in need of some good news and a (relatively) easy way to prepare their businesses for the future, the acronym heavy technologies of SDN and NFV appear to be delivering some promise. While both software defined networking and network functions virtualisation have been discussed for several years, 2014 has been the year when operators have backed that up with action. Whether it is Telefonica's Unica project (which you can read about on pages 24-25), AT&T's enthusiasm for virtualisation or the various trials held by subsidiaries of Telekom Austria, the sector is lively with activity. Nevertheless, some operators are more cautious than others. As our survey into SDN and NFV shows (see pages 26-27), while operators are convinced by the merits of both technologies, they are waiting to see how others implement them first before leaping themselves. Interestingly, a majority of operators is expecting a full deployment of NFV products to take place in two to three years' time. Some analysts have dubbed this timeframe as optimistic.