ZTE Helps Velcom Build Fully Virtualized Core

MINSK, Belarus -- velcom – the leading mobile operator in Belarus and a 100% daughter company of Telekom Austria Group – and one of the leading network solution providers ZTE Corporation, have conducted a major flagship project with focus on migrating and transforming the core architecture of velcom’s network. All legacy core network components – like HLR/HSS, EPC, MSC, PCRF – were migrated to a fully virtualized platform on OpenStack based NFV and standard hardware. The project team of velcom and ZTE delivered the ambitious project within nine months from contract signature to full deployment.

“With this major step towards the next generation network architecture we are able to significantly reduce our OPEX spending, benefit on massive economies of scale for further growth and provide highest flexibility and service value to our customers on the way towards a fully cloud-based network architecture,” says Sascha Zabransky, Director Technology, Telekom Austria Group.

By transforming and virtualizing its core network into “vCore”, velcom managed to abolish its legacy silo-based network and significantly cut service running costs, while at the same time ensuring higher flexibility, feature richness and reliability for velcom’s customers of voice and packet services. This project provides velcom with one of the most innovative telecom core architectures worldwide. It is also the only project of a size of more than 5 Mio subscribers and a scope of a full-service mobile operator that concluded a migration of 100% of subscribers and legacy services within only nine months to a virtual core, based completely on NFV/COTS hardware.

This breakthrough in system optimization was possible by the implementation of ZTE’s unique OpenStack based TECS software (Tulip Elastic Cloud System), which combines virtualization and cloud infrastructure management for computing, storage and network resources. As the system is convergent with NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) and ready for SDN (Software Defined Networking), it centralizes technical processes and therefore cuts costs, allowing velcom to regain flexibility through easy configuration of new services and improving the security as well as reliability level.

ZTE managed end-to-end architecture and delivery, ensuring with its senior resources a combination of best of breed from both network and IT world.