Network operator becomes first major US carrier to join open source group founded by AT&T and others to address orchestration and more.

June 26, 2017

2 Min Read

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Windstream, a provider of advanced network communications, announced today that it has joined the Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) Project, underscoring the company’s commitment to collaborating with peers in the open source world and supporting breakthroughs and innovation within the communications industry, as well as helping to set the stage for building uniform standards for software defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) technologies.

As Windstream continues to demonstrate leadership in the SDN realm – including its recent Software Defined Network Orchestrated Waves (SDNow) announcement – the company will be able to leverage ONAP resources to maximize the technology standardization and adoption required in a complex, multi-vendor environment. Pioneering such industry standards offers Windstream the opportunity to constantly evolve and enhance its solution portfolios across all customer segments - including residential, small to medium business, enterprise and wholesale – as well as further development of added benefits such as automation and acceleration for both service ordering and installation.

“Partnering with ONAP brings about groundbreaking collaborative possibilities for Windstream as we work with other organization members and the Linux Foundation to share best-in-class technologies and resources,” said Mark Wyman, senior vice president of application development for Windstream. “This initiative is spurring necessary transformation from traditional telecom networks, as we embrace an open source approach and lay the foundation to morph into software-centric networks.”

Recently formed through the merger of open source ECOMP and Open Orchestrator Project (OPEN-O), two of the largest open source networking initiatives, the ONAP Project is focused on creating a harmonized and comprehensive framework for real-time, policy-driven software automation of virtual network functions. The ONAP Project, which includes participation by prominent networking suppliers and industry-leading service providers from around the world, enables software, network, IT, and cloud providers and developers to rapidly create new services.

“Combined with our rapid advances in SDN, Windstream’s participation in ONAP increases the value of our network for all of our customers, as we move to virtualization and cloud-based technologies that offer affordable and efficient next-generation services,” said Art Nichols, vice president of network architecture and technology for Windstream. “For example, not only does our SDNow solution offer automation and accelerated service delivery, but it forges the path that will allow us to deliver flexible, on-demand services across our multi-vendor network ecosystem.”

Windstream Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: WIN)

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