Nokia Introduces Enhanced Lightspan and Altiplano Portfolios

ESPOO, FINLAND — Nokia is introducing new enhancements to its Lightspan and Altiplano portfolios that help service providers transition to SDAN and simplify access management across multi-technology, multi-vendor environments. Nokia adds support to its Altiplano Access Controller for Lightspan FX and FWA nodes, providing operators with a single unified network management system for all access technologies. Through a controlled software migration, operators can now also evolve traditional Nokia fiber nodes to Lightspan SDAN programmable access nodes. This allows service providers to continue to invest into their existing networks today and migrate to SDAN in the future when they want, without technology replacement.

Transitioning an Existing Network to SDAN
To meet growing data traffic and address the varied ultra-broadband applications and services customers require, operators are having to continuously evolve their networks to keep up with demand. In today's complex multi-technology multi-vendor environments, the operator's ability to quickly upgrade, provision and manage their networks is limited. SDAN can help by creating an open programmable network that is easier to adapt, change and expand. When virtualization is correctly applied to the network, it can help operators to introduce innovative capabilities, deliver new services and connect more users. For instance, with Nokia's open and programmable SDAN solution, operators can support and leverage a rich set of use-case such as fixed access network slicing or simplify multivendor optical network unit (ONU) deployments. However, as with any technology shift, transitioning an existing network to SDAN can be hard, and as challenging to manage as the network complexity operators are trying to solve.

Controlled Software Migration
Nokia is solving the migration challenge by SDN-enabling its fiber ISAM FX solution for high-density central office environments and adding it to the Lightspan family of SDAN programmable access nodes. Through a controlled software migration, operators can now turn an existing ISAM FX shelf installed in the network into a SDAN Lightspan FX node. For greenfield deployments, Nokia's ISAM FX solution with pre-installed Lightspan software allows operators to immediately take advantage of SDAN today or at any point in the future. Built around Netconf/Yang open networks and standardized APIs, Nokia's Lightspan FX delivers the industry's first solution capable of creating a path to SDAN for an existing installed base and greenfield deployments.

Once SDAN is applied to the network, operators will need to be able to easily manage a physical/virtual hybrid environment. Unified access management provided by the Nokia Altiplano Access Controller enables operators to master this hybrid model and realize the operational efficiencies promised by SDN/NFV. With added support for Fixed Wireless Access nodes, the enhanced Altiplano solution enables operators to visualize, optimize and automate the network across different broadband technologies, vendor implementations and even traditional and SDAN-enabled systems.