Vol. 10 No. 3 (July 2016)

NEC answers the needs and demands of telecom carriers with “Real Time”, “Dynamic” and “Remote” value provided by our proprietary carrier-grade technology in the form of solutions: SDN/NFV, TOMS, Core Networks, Metro Networks (optical and IP), Submarine Cable Systems, Wireless Access, and Service Platforms.
This special issue describes how NEC technologies and solutions are not only responding to the many challenges facing telecom carriers, but also providing new value.

Special Issue on Telecom Carrier Solutions for New Value Creation

TEJIMA Shunichiro

KITO Eiji

While usage of mobile phones and the Internet continues to grow and reach every corner of the globe, telecom carriers are facing an increasingly severe business environment. For telecom carriers around the world, reducing investment in facilities, cutting operation costs and maximizing profits as well as enhancing user satisfaction are becoming critical business challenges. This article will provide a general overview of the directions for value creation that responds to these issues, and will introduce some of the key solutions provided by NEC in the domain of the telecom carrier business.

SDN/NFV solutions to offer new values for network systems

ARAI Tomoya, YOSHIKAWA Naoya, MIBU Ryota

SDN/NFV is a technology for improving the efficiency of operations and management by applying virtualization technology to telecommunications networks. It is expected to be adopted especially for its capability of allowing flexible actions to be taken in responding to significant increases in traffic and the diversification of service requirements of the telecom networking field. NEC has long been leading the world in tackling R&D in this field and now possesses an impressive arsenal of technologies and achievements. This paper introduces an overall description of NEC’s SDN/NFV solutions for telecommunications carriers or telecom carriers, as well as of relevant technological systems.

ARAI Tomoya, GOKURAKUJI Junichi, OOHIRA Mayo

MANO (Management and Orchestration) is the technology of the total management/control and optimization (orchestration) of network services and resources in the Network Function Virtualization (NFV) architecture. As it is expected that NFV will be introduced in telecom networks and that such networks will be used in various industries, MANO technology must be capable of “total management and smooth migration” as well as “handling diverse services”. NEC is responding to these requirements by commercializing MANO products that feature extensions of the orchestration target from NFV alone to the legacy environment. NEC is also conducting R&D for advancing optimization technologies in order to further improve the MANO technology.

TSUKAGOSHI Tsutomu, SAEKI Shuichi, TERADA Junpei
SUNAGAWA Yuta, SHIMAMOTO Hiroshi, IGUCHI Tomohito

The key to achieving an effective SDN/NFV solution is the development of an efficient software-based means of handling user data transfer processing among mobile core network devices. We focus on the performance-related components of telecommunications networks such as high throughput and low latency, elucidating the technical problems involved in using standardized software to accomplish user data transfer processing - a task conventionally performed by customized, proprietary hardware. This paper describes how we have solved those problems and describes how to operate the system in a virtualized environment.

KOBAYASHI Nozomu, DOIWAKI Shinji, MORIMOTO Masayuki
ABE Satoki

The rapid growth and transformation of mobile communications infrastructure in recent years is accelerating innovation in the telecom sector. Core network devices are now expected to help reduce OPEX/CAPEX, support disaster resistance and congestion control, and have the flexibility to enable rapid innovation and deployment of new services. NEC has been a leader in the development of the two key solutions driving this transition - SDN and NFV - and has already achieved significant results. This paper introduces vMVNO-GW - a product that uses NFV technology for MVNO gateways to provide mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) with a mobile core network.

NISHIHAMA Yuusuke, SHINOZUKA Masahiro, TOKUYOSHI Takaya
NAKAZAWA Tatsuya

As the telecom sector continues to evolve and innovate, efforts are underway to develop more robust, SDN/NFV-driven solutions that can help reduce OPEX/CAPEX, facilitate disaster resistance and congestion control, and accelerate the development cycle to support even more rapid innovation and deployment of new services. NEC is a leader in the development of SDN and NFV and has already achieved significant results in this area. In this paper, we will introduce the virtualized IMS (vIMS) technology we have developed to provide voice communication services as part of our line of SDN/NFV solutions. We will also review NEC’s future plans in this area.

MATSUDA Naohisa, TAKAGI Kenki, HORIUCHI Sho
AOKI Hiroki, AKUTAGAWA Aiko

Under the rapid expansion of the IoT (Internet of Things) market that is associated with the sharp increase in IoT traffic, telecom carriers must be capable of dealing with the traffic requirements that vary between systems and of providing economic and stable networks. As a result, telecom carriers that only expect the volume of the traditional smart phone network traffic may often encounter technical difficulties and cost problems in trying to meet the demands of IoT users. At NEC we believe that IoT dedicated networking is essential to overcome these difficulties. This paper introduces the convenience, service flexibility and economy that can be brought about by the use of IoT dedicated networks. The paper goes on to describe the innovative technologies that will support implementation, such as the NFV (Network Functions Virtualization), MEC (Mobile Edge Computing) and MANO (Management and Orchestration), together with examples of their usages.

TAKAGI Kazuo, MATSUDA Oasamu

The introduction of Software Defined Networking (SDN) that targets the facilitation and advancement of network operation control began in the data center (DC) domain. However, it is expected that in future it will be deployed in the transport domain of the telecom carriers. In addition to layer 2/3 packet communication equipment, a large assortment of diversified multilayer communication systems are used in the transport domain. These include the layer 0/1 communication equipment, such as WDM optical transmission as well as microwave radio transmission systems. The SDN that is designed to match the characteristics of these types of communication equipment is called the Transport SDN. This paper introduces the transport SDN solutions of NEC that enable: “advanced automation of operational control”, “quick service provision and continuation” and the “provision of high added value for the network services based on transport control linked with the cloud services”. This advance is achieved by implementing the comprehensive network operations and control job flows with software.

KAYAHARA Masayuki, KUROSAWA Yusuke, IIDA Tomoyuki
ISHIZUKA Yukari

As smartphones continue to proliferate, communication service providers (CSPs) today must deal with constantly growing volumes of communications traffic that vary both in quality and quantity, making it much more difficult to assure the performance of applications and services, while maintaining stable and reliable quality. To address this, NEC has developed Traffic Management Solution (TMS), a specially configured suite of products that optimally controls communications traffic to provide end users with dependable, high-quality smartphone usage environments. By optimizing and streamlining traffic flow to assure user satisfaction, NEC’s TMS helps maximize return on investment (ROI) by enabling communication service providers to increase average revenue per user (ARPU), capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX), as well as making it possible to create new revenue-generating services.

KAYAHARA Masayuki, KUROSAWA Yusuke, IIDA Tomoyuki
ISHIZUKA Yukari

NEC’s Traffic Management Solution (TMS) is a comprehensive package of technologies designed to overcome the significant management challenges faced by today’s communication service providers (CSPs), enabling them to manage communication traffic as required to maintain maximum operational efficiency and ensure high-performance delivery of critical services. This solution consists of four products centering on TMS Media Optimizer (TMS-MO), a traffic optimization engine, deployed in the core network of CSPs. Optimization technologies include TCP optimization to improve throughput, SSL Pacing to reduce traffic, a dynamic control to maximize efficiency, and a visualization function to visualize network conditions. As Internet technology is constantly evolving, NEC will continue to stay on top of current technological trends and aggressively incorporate new technology into our management solutions for CSPs.

Transport systems to cope with the rapidly increasing traffic

TAKASHIMA Masanori, TORIGOE Keisuke, OKUMIYA Keiji
SUZUKI Yoji

As cloud services, big data, virtualized data centers, and IoT become ever more critical to the operation of today’s businesses, there is a growing need for dynamic, elastic network services capable of keeping pace with the growth of data centers. This paper introduces the OpenFlow Ethernet Fabric (OEF), an innovative network architecture used in our UNIVERGE PF Series, which offers large-scale data centers the extensibility and flexibility they need in today’s rapidly evolving computing environment. OEF is a leaf-spine network fabric that boasts excellent cost performance. To get around the need to use 4,904 VLANs, the OEF uses the QinQ method. This paper examines network virtualization with OEF, as well as reviewing the issues faced by data center operators and providing a general overview of OpenFlow Spec Version 1.3 and OCP White Box, which are used in the UNIVERGE PF5340.

OOGUSHI Sadaichirou, SATOU Sou, SAEKI Naoto

Japanese fiber-optical Internet services are built primarily around PON systems. However, as Internet traffic grows ever more complex and data-intensive, it becomes more difficult for these systems to handle the increased load. For example, the growing popularity of high-definition video streaming has massively increased traffic, as has mobile data communications caused by Wi-Fi offloading. In response to accelerating demand for higher speed and capacity over the past few years, NEC has developed a 10G-EPON system that achieves transmission speeds 10 times faster than conventional PON systems. In this paper we will first look at the basic technological underpinnings of PON and then outline the configuration and features of NEC’s 10G-EPON system. Finally, we will look at standardization activities and future trends.

YABUHARA Osamu, TSUCHIYA Masahiko, OGUMA Takefumi
ISHIGURO Makoto, KAGESHIMA Hideo, AONO Yoshiaki

Exponentially increasing communications traffic and the fast-growing popularity of cloud services is putting tremendous stress on backbone networks, forcing telecom operators to boost the capacity of their networks and to introduce flexible transport systems capable of adapting to continuously changing network demands. At the same time, it has been desired as social network infrastructure that systems are reliable enough to ensure uninterrupted communications in the face of wide-area disasters. To address these needs, NEC has been developing technologies that support high-capacity, high-reliability networks. This paper discusses the various technologies developed and the latest network system based on these technologies, and also indicates future approaches.

MATSUI Junichiro, HORITA Satomi, ITO Yota
SATO Masaki, OKAMOTO Takeshi, YOSHIHARA Tomoki

Due to the explosive growth of the Internet traffic, the capacity demand of the optical communication has rapidly increased. NEC has developed the packet optical integrated transport system “SpectralWave DW7000” by implementing the digital coherent optical transmission technology. This paper provides an outline of this technology.

AIDA Ryuji

The optical submarine cable system that connects the countries of the world via optical fibers plays an important infrastructure role in supporting international communications networks. This paper introduces the latest optical submarine cable system and outlines its major components, such as the digital coherent terminal equipment, submarine transmission line, submarine repeater and submarine branching unit. We also discuss technical trends that are aimed at future increases in capacity.

Solutions to achieve highly advanced wireless transport networks

MOGARI Haruka, UNNO Ryuji, ITO Takeshi

The rapid expansion of mobile communications traffic that has taken place over the past few years has also led to the need for larger network capacity in mobile backhaul. However, telecom carriers around the world face severe price competition, making it difficult to pass on increased CAPEX and OPEX costs to subscribers. This means that it has become critical for telecom carriers to meet the needs of subscribers, while increasing network capacity and enhancing efficiency - all without increasing spending. This paper discusses the measures NEC’s commitment is taking to solve these problems, focusing in particular on a solution tailored for telecom carriers in Russia.

IMAI Yasuhiro, EIKAWA Satoshi, ARAKAWA Motoyuki

In Saudi Arabia the spread of smartphone and tablet use has led to a rapid increase in the volume of high-speed data communications by mobile users and this trend is becoming an important issue. There is now a need to extend current systems by adopting LTE/LTE-advanced systems with large-capacity data transmission capabilities. As a result it has become an urgent need for the mobile telecom carriers to build communications systems that feature high speed and large capacity in order to meet the needs of subscribers. NEC has prepared a solution that introduces the latest technological advances of the iPASOLINK series in meeting this need and to increase the functionality and capacity of the mobile backhaul system that connect the base and exchange stations. This paper introduces the large-capacity wireless transmission system that was proposed by NEC and was actually implemented by a Saudi Arabian mobile telecom carrier.

SASAKI Eisaku, KAMIYA Norifumi

Microwave communication systems are used for mobile backhaul worldwide. With the rapid growth in traffic over the past few years, the need for an efficient way to further expand capacity in microwave bands where bandwidths are limited has become critical. The optimal solution would be to introduce a super multi-level modulation system that has high frequency usage efficiency such as 1024 QAM. Before such a system can be introduced, however, it is necessary to find a solution to the problem of phase noise. This paper takes a look at the effect of phase noise on the super multi-level modulation system and introduces the phase noise compensation technology NEC has developed to maintain stable transmission quality. Thanks to the development of this technology, NEC has improved phase noise resistance by more than 10 dB compared to conventional systems and achieved 2048 QAM, making it the world’s highest multi-level modulation system.

KONDO Seiji, IMAE Yuki, YOSHIDA Mitsutaka
TOKUNAGA Michita, ISHIKAWA Yasuaki, ITABA Naoto
SHIMOYAMA Yuji, IWASAKI Motoya

The increase in the capacity of mobile communications is being conducted by mixing the macro cells that cover wide areas while using multiple frequency bands with the small cells that cover local cells that support heavy traffic. In order to conduct efficient communications in such an environment, it is necessary to use the C-RAN architecture that can significantly increase the number of cells and the users covered by each base station and implements carrier aggregation with a high degree of freedom. To deal with this need, NEC has developed a high-capacity BDE (Base-station Digital-processing Equipment) and has improved its functionality in several steps. This paper introduces the architecture and the key technologies of high-capacity BDE.

ICT solutions for telecom carriers

MIYAZAKI Makio

NEC announced the “NEC Cloud System” in October 2015. This solution features an OSS building model that was developed mainly by using open standard technologies and combining products and technologies already demonstrated via NEC’s achievements in support of its cloud platform services. In order to enhance its competitiveness it is essential for the corporation to market solutions that are easily understandable and installable. In consequence, it enhances our abilities to integrate systems, in other word, the solution of system integration (SI). This paper introduces our SI strategy aimed at achieving such a result.

KON Yoshinori, HATTORI Masahiro, WATANABE Noriko

The combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data promises to add tremendous value to the telecommunications business. One particularly valuable source of data is contact centers, which collect a massive amount of direct comments from customers. Effective utilization of this data is key to improving customer service and delivering new solutions and products that will appeal to customers. To better facilitate analysis and exploitation of this data, NEC has developed and deployed conversation analysis solutions that use a combination of our own voice recognition and text analysis technology to support fast, effective quick decision-making. This paper introduces our conversation analysis solutions and provides a detailed example of how it can be applied in real-world conditions.

WATANABE Tetsu, NITTA Tetsurou, HARUI Daisuke
YAGINUMA Osamu, YOKOTA Nobuyuki, HIDAKA Yoshinari

Systems development on cloud platforms (PaaS, IaaS, etc.) has recently become common practice among the telecom carriers and the targeting of highly important mission-critical systems is now expanding. Systems integration (SI) in cloud platforms has certain advantages, such as flexibility in resource procurement. However, it also poses issues specific to the cloud platform, such as fault complications and resource conflicts. This paper introduces the issues posed in the process of systems development on cloud platforms and the SI techniques proposed as a means of solving these issues. The point is that the ultimate purpose of the process is to achieve optimum quality and that it should be approached based on the integrated collaboration of the application (App) development teams and the platform (PF) teams.

TAKEDA Kimiko, YAMASHITA Takayuki

Telecom carriers are expected to provide services matching the tastes and likings of individual subscribers quickly and in a timely manner in order to increase the sales per subscriber. To achieve this, not only the data scientists but also the content providers themselves should be expected to quickly and intuitively analyze the data of their customers and services. They would then be able to create and improve their services by optimally utilizing their own knowledge and expertise (self-service business intelligence, or hereinafter called “self-service BI”). This paper introduces the series of techniques from the introduction up until the establishment of a self-service BI environment, which is to be added to the existing analysis environment used by the data scientist.

General Paper

Ghassan Karame, Wenting Li

NLE’s Secure De-duplicated Multi-Cloud Storage is the future of primary storage. This solution combines the use of multiple public cloud storage services with fast local access to cached data, data deduplication, and enhanced security and reliability at very low costs. By doing so, this solution is ideal for enterprise customers as well as governments and large telco-operators. Namely, our solution focuses on security and storage-efficiency, ensuring that the data is always available, is repaired in case of any partial data loss, and is protected from the strongest of adversaries, without hampering performance nor usability. As a result, our solution allows us to extend the range of current datacenter services and features, without incurring high infrastructure costs and at competitive margins.

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