KUALA LUMPUR –– NEC Corporation of Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. and Netcracker Technology announced today their collaboration with technology giants Red Hat, Juniper Networks and Dell EMC to offer an end-to-end multivendor 5G-ready virtualization platform for service providers and enterprises in Malaysia.

The partnership, building off its Ecosystem 2.0 Program will see NEC Corporation of Malaysia/Netcracker positioning itself as a full SDN/NFV (Software-Defined Networking/Network Functions Virtualization) solution provider that is capable of designing and deploying a network architecture concept that uses IT virtualization technologies to virtualize entire classes of network node functions into building blocks that may connect or chain together to create communication services.

At the SDN/NFV Solution and Partnership launch today, Mr. Chong Kai Wooi, Managing Director, NEC Corporation of Malaysia said, “Around the world we are seeing service providers in the US, South Korea, Sweden, Estonia, Turkey, Japan and China upgrading their network infrastructure in preparation to offer 5G communications services which are imminent. Commercializing such services, including the massive connectivity of people, transportation, objects and cities, is expected to take off in the next two to three years.”

“To stay competitive in a global economy, service providers and enterprises in Malaysia will eventually have the need to adapt to 5G technologies. With our SDN/NFV 5G-ready solution, companies will be able to speed up the time-to-market for their potential communications services and/or any applications that run on 5G technology, improve cost efficiency and have the ability to offer new, revenue generating-services.”

A 2017 study conducted by the European Communications on behalf of Netcracker, which surveyed individuals representing 56 different service providers in the communications industry from around the world, discovered that the top four benefits expected from SDN/NFV solutions include reduced time-to-market, improved network efficiency, CAPEX savings and the opportunity to create and innovate new services, including over-the-top services.

Today, service providers and enterprises need six to twelve months to introduce a new service. With the full service SDN/NFV solution in place, leveraging on the Ecosystem 2.0 Program, the time to launch new enterprise services can be reduced by up to 70 percent.

The 5G-ready virtualization platform from NEC/Netcracker comprises Netcracker’s Hybrid Operations Management offering, Business Enablement applications, and NEC/Netcracker’s Virtualization Development and Operations Center and Multilayer SDN Controller.

It also comprises Red Hat OpenStack Platform, a highly scalable Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solution that is designed to enable telcos to create modern infrastructure; Juniper’s NFV networking services platform which seamlessly integrates physical and virtual elements, enabling enterprises the flexibility to deploy scalable, secure and high-performing networks with a simple and open architecture; Dell EMC NFV solution engineered on its industry-leading PowerEdge platform as well as NEC/Netcracker’s Ecosystem 2.0 Program that takes out the pain of operating multivendor SDN/NFV services, reducing time-to-market and enabling rapid service innovation.

“As the industry moves quickly towards 5G technology, getting the management and orchestration environment right is critical to enable new IoT use cases requiring dynamic network slicing,” said Aloke Tusnial, CTO of SDN/NFV, Netcracker. “This is a key focus for us at Netcracker and we are delighted to be part of this strong collaboration to bring 5G virtualization to market faster.”

“Since 2015, we have been working with NEC on NFV system integration with Red Hat OpenStack Platform and now we are excited to extend this alliance to Malaysia. NEC's NFV system integrated with Red Hat OpenStack Platform is designed to deliver mobile packet core virtualization helping communications service providers (CSPs) to accelerate operations to achieve carrier-grade and carrier-scale systems,” said Damien Wong, vice president and general manager of ASEAN, Red Hat.

Mitch Lewis, vice president, APAC Partners and Alliances, Juniper Networks noted, “The industry is at a crucial transition, in which the gradual adoption of SDN/NFV infrastructure brings alongside with it tremendous opportunity in the transformative 5G economy. We greatly look forward to a close, continued partnership alongside our key alliance partners such as NEC as we drive networking innovation and help future-proof the networks for businesses across Malaysia and the world.”

The sentiment was echoed by Erwin Meyer, regional director – Asia Pacific South, OEM Solutions, Dell EMC. He said, “It is a time of unprecedented change globally in how service providers build and operate networks and services, and the focus on enabling businesses to realize the benefits of this new digital era is a top priority for Dell EMC. We are delighted to be part of an industry-leading collaboration that will equip Malaysian service providers and enterprises with the right solutions needed to accelerate the cycle of innovation, create competitive differentiation and ultimately – deliver the best possible customer experience for their customers.”

With 5G, public services can be enhanced further to offer next level of services where federal and state governments to connect people, transportation, objects and cities at higher speed and with fewer delays.

Smart cities or smart communities will also be closer to reality. As technology affects nearly all aspects of life, many governments are committed to staying current with technological developments and innovation to improve the lives of their citizens and continue to evolve in the global economy.

By offering a multivendor 5G-ready virtualization platform, NEC Corporation of Malaysia is optimistic that it can contribute significantly to its revenues in Malaysia.

Currently, 50 percent of its revenues are derived from carrier solutions, and the other 50 percent from enterprise and public safety solutions.

“As service providers and 5G technology services take center stage in the near future, we foresee our SDN/NFV solution to contribute more than 10 percent to our carrier solutions revenues per year within the next three years,” noted Chong.

NEC Corp. (Tokyo: 6701)
Netcracker Technology Corp.