NEC claims first with virtual MVNO platform

Japanese vendor NEC this week made available what it claims is the world’s first virtualised Mobile Virtual Network Operator platform (vMVNO), running in a Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) environment.

The system is installed with an MVNO in order to establish connectivity between an MVNO’s own communication network and the piggybacking carrier’s mobile network. This enables enhancement of security and certification, as well as control management of communication bands and usage amounts.

The software solution runs on a virtualised all-purpose Intel Architecture server, which helps to reduce the cost of equipment as well as operation cost and reduce lead time for equipment acquisition compared to conventional dedicated systems.

“MVNO operators are often required to introduce gateway systems in order to establish connections with carriers through the layer 2 data link,” said Tsutomu Ookurano, senior manager, NEC. “This requires a large amount of time and money, which is further aggravated by facility investment and rapid increases in operational costs. Furthermore, MVNOs face demands from customers for more flexible and scalable services, such as session management, IP address management, charging data collection and security control. This new solution meets these needs and enables MVNOs to provide their original services more easily.”