ETSI open source organization will also have single point of entry to manage network services and network slices with release later this year.

September 25, 2018

2 Min Read
Telefonica's Elizondo: OSM Offers Best Information Model for Service Orchestration

DENVER -- NFV and CARRIER SDN -- The telecom industry still needs to converge on a single information model, and ETSI's Open Source MANO (OSM) group offers the most advanced common information model focused on service orchestration and could drive the industry forward, Telefonica's Antonio Elizondo head of Network Virtualization Strategy & Technology, said here today.

In a single graphic, Elizondo demonstrated what he called the network operator's nightmare around information models, showing how multiple versions of TOSCA emerged from work within OASIS and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), parent of OSM.

Figure 1: A clear illustration of how information models multiply. A clear illustration of how information models multiply.

As each effort progressed and produced or inspired a new information model version, vendors also got engaged but adopted the models at different stages, Elizondo noted. The vendors were then able to claim compliance even though there was no interoperability between their differing versions.

"It is a nightmare for us for service providers because there is no interoperability, no compliance and it is unclear how to progress the information model," he added.

OSM has developed a common information model, and with its Release 5 due out later this year, will provide a single entry point to drive full automation of network service or network slices, Elizondo said.

"OSM has a clear path to become an end-to-end service orchestrator," he commented. That includes managing physical network elements as part of hybrid service orchestration. Telenor and Telefonica are working on a common proof-of-concept to demonstrate how OSM can orchestrate 5G network slices, he added.

Figure 2: OSM's plan for single point of entry to orchestrating network services. OSM's plan for single point of entry to orchestrating network services.

And in a question following the Q&A, he intimated that OSM's common information model could benefit another open source effort, the Open Network Automation Platform, which has a broader scope than OSM's tighter focus on service orchestration. Many companies are part of both efforts and are sharing information, he noted.

"ETSI OSM has the most advanced common information model and has the focus on service orchestration," he said. "We can provide useful feedback" to ONAP, which currently has a collection of information models, on what makes most sense for service orchestration.

— Carol Wilson, Editor-at-Large, Light Reading

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