Openreach to plug in Nokia's Altiplano platform across network

The plan is that it will help boost automation, network visibility and control, and product flexibility for both Openreach customers and their end user customers. Ultimately this is supposed to make Openreach’s fibre network ‘easier to manage, more efficient, reliable (e.g. quicker to identify faults via automation) and also cut some operational costs,’ so goes the pitch.

The release lists some advantages of using this platform as opposed to the Nokia AMS platform it is using now to manage its full fibre FTTP network: “Altiplano’s abstraction capabilities and modern interfaces gives us the benefit of OSS simplification by leveraging the use of “intents” - asking Altiplano to configure an end to end services across the cluster, rather than our OSS needing to understand complex network topology and configure each individual component in cluster.”

It also says it will use Altiplano to manage ‘clusters’ of Nokia equipment which will support FTTP and point to point ethernet for EAD2 in either dedicated or shared configurations, and that it will enable streaming telemetry which is supposed to give greater insight into network performance in near real time.

“We are working on what we believe to be a world first deployment of the Altiplano access controller platform to enhance resilience and service in our fixed full fibre network – to manage a cluster that includes the OLTs and the IP equipment and has required Nokia to develop new capabilities for us,” said Trevor Linney, Director of Network Technology for Openreach. “This is the next step in our plans to build a future proof, multi-service, one network platform – that supports both full fibre FTTP and future ethernet products.”

The new Altiplano deployment will go live in April 2025 and a full product launch will follow in 2026.

In August Openreach said it plans to launch its first symmetric ultrafast FTTP broadband product, offering 1Gbps in certain locations. It plans to make the new service available at premises which make up its ‘Type C’ bid to build full fibre in concert with the Government’s wider Project Gigabit programme, and will also look to launch in April next year.