China Unicom Deploys Software-Defined IP Radio Access Network with Huawei

The Sichuan Branch of China United Network Communications (Sichuan Unicom) has deployed a software-defined networking-based IP radio access network (SDN IPRAN) in the city of Chengdu.

The deployment, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, uses Huawei’s SoftCOM technology.

Huawei said the use of SDN technology on the IPRAN simplifies network O&M and enables a high-quality packet bearer network for wireless services. After deployment, Sichuan Unicom’s SDN IPRAN increased the efficiency of service provisioning by 60% compared with traditional networks. Virtual management of large volumes of end devices significantly reduces the network management scale and improves O&M efficiency. The control plane is decoupled from the forwarding plane, thus implementing new service provisioning regardless of forwarding devices. This significantly shortens LTE service go-to-market periods and helps respond to market requirements quickly and supports new LTE service development and rapid future innovation.

Huawei also highlighted its IP Flow Performance Measurement (IP FPM) technology, which delivers real-time service performance measurement per service per user.  This makes network performance visible and predictable, helping carriers locate specific network performance bottlenecks.

"We are glad to cooperate with Huawei in the SDN IPRAN field and successfully commercialize the SDN IPRAN. We expect these innovations to improve network operation efficiency, promote rapid innovative service delivery and go-to-market, further improve user experience in UMTS/LTE services, and create more value for our customers," said Mr. Qiao Guiping, general manager of Sichuan Unicom.

http://pr.huawei.com/en/news/hw-346708-sdn.htm#.U7F42_ldVF4