Wi2: On the virtualization journey

Why NFV and SDN?

Wi2 recently teamed up with Huawei to deploy a virtualization system and network that incorporates NFV and SDN. In 2014, three major factors brought Wi2 to NFV’s door. 

First, compared with mobile tech like 3G and LTE, Wi-Fi’s lack of standardization has slowed business speeds and investment levels. Wi2 believes that NFV and SDN will bring openness and standardization into play. 

The second reason is that Wi2 needs to raise its agility and cut the time spent on tasks such as rolling out networks and dealing with network incidents. The third point in favor of NFV is the benefits it gives in relation to cloud computing – benefits that Wi2 wants to exploit. 

Wi2 has already started to use public cloud, noting that NFV gives the company more agility in terms of cost- and time-efficiency. It also creates valuable business drivers that it expects to start generating new revenue streams soon.

Wi2 on virtualization

In 2014, Wi2 started using a public cloud service commercially in its free Wi-Fi systems for enterprise customers. Understanding the value that virtualization adds to TCO and the speed and ease of operations, we felt it natural to extend it to on-premises systems and the network domain.

Initially, Wi2’s target technology was NFV alone, but after conducting proof-of-concept with Huawei, we added SDN into the mix in 2015 to widen the orchestration scope between existing network assets and virtualized network functions.

In Wi2 and with the support of CEO Koji Otsuka, we combined the CTO and CIO roles, making it easier and quicker to move ahead with virtualization projects by eliminating differences in opinion on technological development, operations, and vendor relationships. 

NFV and SDN: The good

Practical network benefits from NFV and SDN include capabilities for a flexible and scalable resource pool on cloud. The benefits for internal and external stakeholders include better KPIs, optimized operations, and increased organizational skills. 

Better network quality

In 2015, Wi2 was busy deploying networks and systems, but at the same time experienced unexpected traffic peaks and heavy loads. After implementing NFV and SDN, Wi2 expects to cut deployment time by 50 percent and improve user experience, with the virtualized resource pool mitigating issues like overloading and shortages. Moreover, by removing network configuration and operation policy siloes and automatically allocating resources in a flexible way, engineers are free to spend time on higher-value activities.  

Lower TTM

It currently takes between two and three months to deploy a new W-LAN network, because of the procurement and rollout process involved and the huge amount of work required for configuration and testing. However, Wi2 expects NFV and SDN to slash network deployment to two to three days and for resource utilization to greatly improve.

Simple and scalable operations 

By transforming its architecture from an appliance-based silo on the Public Access Controller (PAC) to a seamless resource pool enabled by a virtualized platform and orchestration, Wi2 expects two major outcomes: one, significantly better performance on the PAC system due to seamless authentication across the resource pool; and two, much lower investment in PAC. 

Wi2 has identified several ways to reduce CAPEX and OPEX after ROI analysis. We also evaluated NFV-SDN as a technology shift that the market needs to follow. In the short term, we expect NFV and SDN to improve how we deploy our people, moving them away from complex, onerous tasks and applying them to roles that create value, or developing new skills that improve their position in the professional market. 

A bright future

Wi2 plans to figure out the additional value – both in terms of operating excellence and increased revenues – that can be derived from a combination of public cloud, NFV, SDN, and automation.

Automation enabled by NFV and SDN is a key function that utilizes the capability to shorten network rollout and fault recovery. 

Another option for creating revenue is through big data analytics. With NFV and SDN, Wi2 will have the capability to connect to the public cloud easily, so we can generate value from data analysis. Wi2 has already provided analytic data about user mobility in given areas of Japan and for travelers from overseas who use Wi2’s Travel Japan Wi-Fi service, and we will be able to quickly and easily try out many real-time analytics methods with hybrid cloud technology. 

Alongside SDN and NFV, Wi2 expects big data to open up new business opportunities, thus creating a vibrant future for us and partners like Huawei.