At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014, ZTE today unveiled the world’s first virtualized Cloud NF (network function) solution for multi-RAT (radio access technology) networks.
ZTE Cloud NF solution integrates the functions of core networks and controllers through network functions virtualization (NFV).
The Cloud NF solution uses virtualization technology to separate hardware from software in the architecture and integrates all network element functions of the mobile network. In addition, it applies the software-defined networking (SDN) concept to separate the gateway forwarding function from the core network, which improves forwarding efficiency.
In collaboration with Intel, ZTE has used a common Intel architecture hardware platform to build the entire system and achieve better performance.
Liu Jianhua, CEO of ZTE’s Core Network Product Line, said: “Our architecture provides an efficient solution for deploying multi-mode 2G/3G/4G multi-layer networks; and enables the smooth transition from legacy networks through to 5G networks.”
The ZTE Cloud NF solution has completed joint testing with a leading operator in China, during which the mobile network virtualization solution performed well.
