ADN Enables Gigabit Optical Networks, Empowering Business Agility and Efficient O&M

[Beijing, China, April 15, 2021] The China Cloud Network Conference 2021 (formerly China SDN/NFV/AI Conference) was held in Beijing with the theme of "Empowering Networks with Cloud, Intelligence, Integration and Innovation". During the "Cloud and Optical Network Integration" forum hosted by China Unicom, Luo Xianlong, chief architect of Huawei NCE Transport and Access domains, shared ideas on how to enable gigabit optical networks, business agility, and efficient O&M using the autonomous driving network (ADN) solution.

Chief architect of Huawei NCE Transport and Access domain

In recent years, digital transformation has accelerated globally. According to the research report by International Data Corporation (IDC) — Future Space 2020 — 85% of enterprises will deploy new digital infrastructure on the cloud by 2025. As networks enter the cloud era, telecom carriers and Internet service providers are faced with the challenge of improving their network openness and capability to rapidly deploy network services.

Network-based and cloud-centric cloud-network synergy is a necessary tool for enterprises that seek to accelerate their digital dividends. It requires the super transmission capability of gigabit optical networks and super cloud-based computing capability.

Gigabit optical networks help enterprises quickly access the cloud with high quality; however, these networks still face many challenges: OTN coverage is insufficient, and usage is low. The cloud and networks are separated, and service provisioning is a long-term process. On top of that, it is difficult to measure and guarantee the quality of optical networks in digital mode, and business monetization needs to be enhanced. Furthermore, the "dumb resources" of optical fibers have passive physical characteristics, resulting in current optical network O&M that is mainly driven by complaints and passive response. As a consequence, O&M efficiency is low and high network quality cannot be ensured.

To solve these problems, Huawei's all-optical ADN solution applies intelligence into the NE, network, and cloud layers, thereby bringing intelligence into gigabit optical networks. Through three-layer organic intelligent collaboration, an autonomous network featuring automation, self-healing, and self-optimization is ultimately achieved.

All-optical autonomous driving network solution

This solution helps carriers achieve business agility and efficient O&M in terms of wider service scope, highly-integrated operations, increased revenue, and improved efficiency, extending premium connections to numerous industries and households.

Wider service scope:

OTN P2MP private lines can be provisioned in E2E mode, connecting various industries and achieving premium connections with wide coverage by extending services to the metro and access sides. In addition, MSTP+OTN converged service provisioning revitalizes inventory MSTP network resources on the live network and improves network usage.

Highly-integrated operations:

With the network as a service (NaaS) capabilities and fully-open network resource, configuration, performance, and alarm functions, iMaster NCE simplifies the integration with the upper-layer OSS/BSS and reduces costs, accelerates the one-stop provisioning and collaborative operation of cloud-optical services, and reshapes customers' user experience during service operations similar to e-commerce. In addition, the OTSN-based private network technology can provide customers with hard-isolated private networks featuring multi-dimensional bandwidth granularities, such as wavelengths, sub-wavelengths, and OSUs. This achieves a multi-purpose network and meets the requirements for high security, reliability, and differentiated assurance in multi-industry scenarios.

Increased revenue:

Based on the 0.1-millisecond-precision latency measurement technology and the three-dimensional (site, fiber, and protection) availability evaluation method, iMaster NCE implements digital measurement and full-process assurance for service-level agreement (SLA) indicators. A pre-sales basis exists, services are provisioned and committed in contracts during sales, and after-sales service SLA monitoring and warning are supported, helping carriers implement differentiated sales monetization of network quality.

Improved efficiency:

Through big data intelligent analysis and inference, iMaster NCE can obtain the subhealth status of fibers and wave channels in real time and predict over 90% of incipient fiber faults. Additionally, it utilizes the intelligent algorithm for co-route identification to automatically identify the co-cable fiber risks and revitalize dumb fiber resources, enabling carriers to proactively optimize networks in advance. Furthermore, based on the standard multi-vendor, multi-domain, and cross-technology SDN northbound standards (ACTN standards), multi-domain and multi-vendor interconnection and service automation are accelerated.

As of March 2021, over 700 sets of all-optical ADN solutions with iMaster NCE as the core were commercially deployed worldwide.

"Huawei's all-optical ADN solution brings intelligence to gigabit optical networks," commented Luo Xianlong. "From one perspective, intelligent O&M enables the change from passive response to proactive O&M, reducing costs and improving efficiency. From another perspective, this solution helps carriers extend all-optical connections with deterministic experience to numerous industries, achieving agile business monetization."

Huawei keeps pace with the development of global carriers; strengthens communication and dialogue with global industry partners; implements more extensive, in-depth, and efficient cooperation; jointly builds a new open cooperation ecosystem; promotes the large-scale application of ADN; and contributes to the high-quality development of the digital economy.