Ekinops : OneAccess puts choice in the hands of operators with its new OneOS6 operating system

Operators can take control of their migration to virtualized services with comprehensive, flexible and completely vendor-agnostic solutions

The new operating system manages both physical and virtual services across a range of service delivery models, delivering both PNFs and VNFs for the SMB, branch office and enterprise markets. This allows operators to retain maximum flexibility and choice in how they migrate to fully automated and virtualized services for their customers. The comprehensive solution also offers a wide choice of service deployment options, which significantly accelerates operators' time to revenue to deliver transaction-based automated provisioning systems based on open APIs.

Firstly, by combining support for legacy provisioning processes alongside a next-generation API, operators can leverage the benefits of transaction-based service delivery either immediately or at a later stage, depending on the readiness of their management and operations systems. Secondly, the use of a common operating system across its portfolio of physical CPE, white-box CPE and VNFs, enables the maximum choice in terms of deployment options as well as reducing downstream integration costs. Thirdly, operators can resist vendor-lock in with the new operating system which, developed using industry-standard APIs for maximum service agility, allows the integration and combination of both OneAccess network functions and those from third-parties. Last, but not least, the new operating system supports both voice and data network functions. Partnered with its Open Virtualization Platform (OVP), operators can choose from a range of white-box CPEs and 'pick and mix' from both OneAccess' portfolio of VNFs and those from other vendors, enabling the service chaining design and delivery of virtualized functions today.

'Many operators are being forced to cede control of their NFV migration to their technology partner before they can move forward,' comments Pravin Mirchandani, CMO, OneAccess Networks. 'OneAccess believes that the operator, not the vendor, should be in charge of this process and OneOS6 has been designed to put them back in the driving seat. OneOS6 empowers operators with a flexible, open and agile OS that gives them the freedom to make their own technology and service choices and define the pace of their own migration, unencumbered by vendor lock-in.'

Crucially, the system integrates full support for NETCONF and REST APIs together with a comprehensive implementation of all voice, data and operations functions in YANG, an approach which is championed by leading industry associations such as Open Networking Foundation (ONF) and the Open Platform for NFV (OPNFV) as essential for realizing next-generation virtualization services.

'The new OS compliments our OVP and catalogue of VNFs perfectly. Using OneOS6 as a springboard, operators can design and deploy blended physical and virtual services for both voice and data using an elegant 'drag-and-drop' service chaining platform, while still maintaining support for traditional PNFs,' adds Mirchandani. 'This is perfect for operators that are mid-migration.'

OneOS6 is available immediately following extensive testing at a number of its customers, some of whom have already started to deploy it for their customers. The new OS will be powering OneAccess' latest branch office CPE products, which cater to the full range of enterprise customers - from SMBs through to large enterprises. Further details of this portfolio will be released in the coming weeks.