DALLAS and PARIS, July 20,
2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* and Orange have signed
an agreement to collaborate on open source and standardization
initiatives that will accelerate the standardization of
software-defined networking (SDN) and network function
virtualization (NFV) technologies. The companies are aligning on a
strategic vision to move intelligence from customer hardware to the
network, reducing cost and complexity. This effort will help the
industry and business customers move faster towards a more agile,
flexible and on-demand networking future.
Today, deploying new virtual network services and functions is
complex. Network service providers (NSPs) and businesses alike have
to deal with proprietary standards, closed architectures and
multiple equipment vendors that have different platforms and
specifications. AT&T and Orange will identify appropriate
forums for industry standardization discussions to drive
standardization efforts forward. By introducing common standards
and interfaces, the industry would simplify technological
integration, increase operational efficiency and reduce costs,
resulting in shorter deployment cycles and a faster pace of
innovation.
Building SDN and NFV technologies on common, open and
interoperable standards will help solve today's challenges by
delivering highly secure, intelligent, application-aware
networking. This benefits both NSPs and business customers by
enabling them to deploy services faster, customize their
infrastructures in near real-time, and innovate more easily within
an ecosystem of interoperable service and equipment providers.
Through a network-centric approach, AT&T and Orange are
committed to making the SDN and NFV vision and benefits more
accessible for both businesses and the industry. The two companies
will concentrate on the following areas:
- Make customer premises equipment (CPE) and services truly
universal by creating common specifications for premise-based
devices, allowing them to work in different NSP environments and
with different network function software providers.
- Streamline the onboarding process for virtual network functions
(VNFs) by introducing common guidelines and templates that will
mature the VNF provider ecosystem and make VNFs more plug and
play.
- Develop standardized APIs that will enable SDN architectures
from different NSPs to interoperate with each other, making
deployment of virtualized network services and functions faster and
easier.
"We're committed to defining a framework that will accelerate
the adoption of SDN. Driving the industry toward a standardized
approach will reduce the cost and complexity created by proprietary
implementation of equipment in the network and on the customer
premise," said Roman Pacewicz,
Senior Vice President, Offer Management and Service Integration,
AT&T Business Solutions.
"Everyone benefits when network services and functions are
designed around a common ecosystem that is delivered on open
platforms. Innovation can happen faster and more easily, and this
model will also help improve reliability and security," said
Didier Duriez, Senior Vice
President, Global Solutions, Orange Business Services.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by
subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T
brand and not by AT&T Inc.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect
with leading entertainment, mobile, high speed internet and voice
services. We're the world's largest provider of pay TV. We have TV
customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. We offer the
best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider.*And we help
businesses worldwide serve their customers better with our mobility
and highly secure cloud solutions.
Additional information about AT&T products and services is
available at http://about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at
@ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/att.
© 2016 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.
AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service
marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated
companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of
their respective owners.
*Global coverage claim based on offering discounted voice and
data roaming; LTE roaming; voice roaming; and world-capable
smartphone and tablets in more countries than any other U.S. based
carrier. International service required. Coverage not available in
all areas. Coverage may vary per country and be limited/restricted
in some countries.
About Orange
Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunications
operators with sales of 40 billion
euros in 2015 and 155,000 employees worldwide at
31 March 2016, including 96,000
employees in France. Present in 28
countries, the Group has a total customer base of 252 million
customers worldwide at 31 March 2016,
including 191 million mobile customers and 18 million
fixed broadband customers. Orange is also a leading provider of
global IT and telecommunication services to multinational
companies, under the brand Orange Business Services. In
March 2015, the Group presented its
new strategic plan "Essentials2020" which places customer
experience at the heart of its strategy with the aim of allowing
them to benefit fully from the digital universe and the power of
its new generation networks.
Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New
York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).
For more information on the internet and on your mobile:
www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com, www.livetv.orange.com or
to follow us on Twitter: @orangegrouppr.
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included
in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services
Limited.
Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking
Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains financial
estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to
risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially.
A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained
in AT&T's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
AT&T disclaims any obligation to update or revise statements
contained in this news release based on new information or
otherwise.
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140408/CG99935LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-and-orange-collaborate-on-open-source-and-standardization-initiatives-for-software-defined-networking-300301224.html
SOURCE AT&T Inc.