Cisco customer wins at MWC: Airtel, KT, Softbank, Sprint

Airtel has selected Cisco to build India's largest 5G-ready, IP-based fully automated network. Airtel's IP-based network architecture will enable new functionality, including segment routing, traffic engineering and ethernet VPN that helps ensure seamless interoperability and the ability to leverage existing investments in its MPLS-TP network.

KT has selected Cisco to transition its network architecture to better manage upcoming 5G traffic with advanced routing and automation software, intelligent analytics and machine learning. Specifically, KT has rolled out a new 5G mobile network platform with automated and virtualized technologies on Mobile Edge Cloud, featuring Mobile Packet Core, network slicing, segment routing, control and user plane separation (Remote-CUPS). The new architecture with Remote-CUPS is designed to serve reliable, scalable, flexible and low-latency network services. The virtualized mobile packet platform is designed to remotely manage traffic at scale and accelerates packet processing to meet the requirements of commercial 5G services with high throughput and low-latency network services.

The end-to-end network includes a 5G routing backbone with Cisco Network Convergence System Router 6000 and ACI on Nexus 9000 switching platform at KT’s distributed data centers.

“As the global leader in 5G, KT is aligned with innovative technology partners like Cisco that can design and launch commercial 5G services focused on ultra-low latency as the world’s first CUPS architecture use in combination with the strong foundation of IP network hardware, software and cloud-powered technologies” said Su-Kil Lee, Senior Vice President of Network Research Technology Support Unit, KT Corp.

SoftBank is deploying Cisco's Segment Routing IPv6 (SRv6) networks nationwide to build a future network architecture. Cisco says current mobile networks are deployed as divided networks, with several layers and complicated control plane processing, which makes it difficult to respond to strict quality requirements like in the case of 5G. Deploying SRv6 in a 5G mobile network simplifies network layers and integrates user plane functions from end-to-end with only IPv6 protocol, making things simple, controllable, and flexible.

Sprint is relying on the Cisco Network Convergence System 540 router series, which is capable of tripling backhaul network capacity and delivering 100G connectivity into the core transport network, and the Cisco Network Services Orchestrator for performance optimization and network automation.

"Cisco NCS routing technology powered by automation software running traffic over dark fiber offers us an ideal blend of innovative technology to support our LTE Advanced and 5G network," said Greg O'Connor, vice president of Network Core and Access, Sprint. "This mix of innovation strengthens our backhaul network and our ability to support connect-to-everything experiences for our customers."