Perhaps concerned that it will be regarded as too slow-moving for virtualization's vanguard, the Open Source MANO (OSM) group has emerged from its first official meeting with a June target for the launch of its initial "Release 0" code.

OSM was formed under the auspices of European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) earlier this year, around the same time as the OPEN-Orchestrator Project (OPEN-O), a Linux Foundation group that is taking a different approach to unified open source-based orchestration efforts. (See As the Code Flows...)

At the time both groups emerged, industry analyst Caroline Chappell, the respected practice leader, Cloud and NFV, at Heavy Reading , noted that both had their merits, but that the OSM's focus on developing a common information model (CIM) might lead to accusations that it will be too cumbersome and regarded as too slow for the pace of development within the cloud and network functions virtualization community. (See Split Emerges in Open Source MANO Efforts.)

Now OSM, founded by Telefónica, BT and Telenor and supported by major names including Intel, Canonical, RIFT.io and Mirantis, seems determined to show it can move swiftly. Having held its inaugural meeting, the group has announced that Release 0, which is based on the code developed by Telefónica's OpenMANO Project, will become available "within the next two months," and be followed by new releases every six months.

"We want to move fast to become a reference implementation for the industry," noted the group's chairman, Francisco-Javier Ramón Salguero of Telefónica, in an update released by ETSI.

The group, which also boasts the likes of SK Telecom and Sprint among its members, says it will use "best-in-class open source workflows and tools to ensure rapid development and delivery," and base its development around "guidance" from its major operator members related to functional requirements and integration challenges, particularly those related to interworking with existing OSS and BSS systems.

A reliable management and orchestration system is going to be essential for the successful implementation of virtual network functions (VNFs) by the telcos, which are keen to benefit from the greater agility, enhanced service-creation opportunities and (eventually) efficiencies that virtualization promises. Operators such as Telefónica are keen to move to commercial deployments of NFV capabilities this year, which is why the Spanish giant is doing all it can to develop working MANO capabilities as quickly as possible. (See Telefónica CTO: It's Time for Unica Phase II.)

OPEN-O also has big-name support, with China Mobile, China Telecom, Ericsson and Huawei amongst its supporters.

— Ray Le Maistre, , Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading