Iskratel will illustrate how operators can obtain virtualised, Cloud-based and Central Office Re-architected as a Datacenter (CORD)-compliant infrastructures without the need to upgrade hardware during its showcase of dual-nature GPON and XGS-PON optical line terminals (OLTs) at the Broadband World Forum 2018 in Berlin, Germany, on 23-25 October.
As the world’s first ‘amphibian’ xPON OLT, the solution enables operators to seamlessly upgrade their networks to virtualised, Cloud-based infrastructures via a simple software upgrade.
The disaggregated white box solution can transform Iskratel’s SI3000 Lumia GPON and XGS-PON OLTs into fully virtualised, CORD-compliant physical OLTs with virtual OLT software running in the Cloud via a software upgrade, eliminating the need for hardware upgrades when virtualising the central office and easing Cloudification of the edge. The potential of the solution has already been recognised in an independent analyst report from GlobalData.
“Iskratel’s new compact OLT enables both hardware-based GPON service deployment and a path to OLT virtualisation, providing operators with a solid network upgrade proposition,” said Erik Keith, principal analyst at GlobalData. “With operators increasingly exploring their SDN/NFV and subsequent software-defined access options, vendors that come to the table with GPON hardware that is software-upgradable to virtual OLT functionality offer an appealing, cost-effective network migration solution.”
Iskratel strategy and business development director Janez Öri said: “With our virtualised xPON solution, we are able to offer operators a way to avoid an entire investment cycle when virtualising the central office and enabling Cloudification of the network. This is just one example of how we are delivering on our promise of empowering operators’ journeys to next-generation access, without getting caught in a vicious cycle of repetitive hardware upgrades.”
Iskratel gave further insight into the pitfalls of hardware upgrades and warns operators against buying cheap hardware when upgrading their infrastructures due to the risk of installing inferior, non-upgradable technology, which cannot keep up with consumer demand and market trends.
Iskratel will demonstrate its new GPON and XGS-PON OLTs in CORD mode, at ONF’s booth (B116) at Broadband World Forum 2018, which takes place at the Messe, Berlin, Germany, from Tuesday 23 to Thursday 25 October.