Bell Canada to Implement SDN Using AT&T ECOMP

16 Dec Bell Canada to Implement SDN Using AT&T ECOMP

Bell Canada, the largest telecommunication company in Canada has started testing AT&T’s ECOMP (Enhanced Control, Orchestration, Management and Policy ) platform. Bell Canada will use the platform to develop software defined networks (SNDs).

ECOMP is AT&T’s software platform that enables AT&T or third parties to rapidly on-board new services for clients. It provides a framework for real-time, policy-driven software automation and provides the lifecycle management and control of software based network resources, infrastructure, and services.

ECOMP provides service providers and enterprises anywhere better control of their network services, and makes it easier for developers to develop new solutions. End users benefit because the network easily adapts, scales and pre-determines how to make customers’ experiences better.

AT&T developed ECOMP with the aim of making it available to other communication operators and cloud service developers. The platform is available as open source software in partnership with the Linux Foundation.

As part of innovation of its broadband network, Bell Canada is adapting the use of SDN to improve the future of both mobile and wireline access.

Software defined networking (SDN) is an approach to networking elements of communications through software in place of specialized hardware. By converting some of the low-level functionality of the network into a software application, SDN enables network administrators to better manage dynamic networks. SDN separates the logical component of the network infrastructure or the control plane from the component through which the data propagates or the data plane. This approach allows the logical plane to be implemented in the software application.

By using SDN, Bell Canada customers will have easier access to a wide range of communication networks, including datacenters and wide area networks. They will also be in a better position to offer their customers cloud services to virtualize the functionality of hardware such as switches and firewalls.

Founded in Montréal in 1880, Bell Canada is the largest telecommunication company in Canada with more than 21 million customer connections in all Canadian province and territory. Bell Canada owns an LTE-Advanced mobile network and a fiber based broadband network with Gbps speeds, a TV network and other business services.

Bell becomes the second telecommunication company after Orange to collaborate with AT&T on the ECOMP effort.