Deutsche Telekom has connected the first
live customer to its disaggregated broadband network,
using routing software from RtBrick running on bare-metal switch hardware,
to deliver up to 1000Mbps of internet connectivity.
"Disaggregation represents a new era for our network, and RtBrick joins us in providing full stack BNG
(Broadband Network Gateway) running on the Access 4.0 spine/leaf
fabric connected to our IP core production
network," said Hans-Joerg Kolbe, Chief Product
Owner Access4.0 at Deutsche Telekom. "We wanted to embrace a new
cloud-native approach to building and running our
network. Disaggregation allows
us to independently select the best hardware and
software for any job, it's simpler to automate
and it's more flexible and
open than using traditional systems. That's why we are
one of several operators who have recently highlighted the benefits of open BNG software, like that provided by RtBrick, in the Open BNG white paper and further pursue
this path as part of the TIP (the Telecom Infra
Project) community."
The first subscriber was connected to an
exchange in Stuttgart, Germany, with
a wider roll-out being planned. This followed an
extensive period of testing and a pilot that
included comprehensive integration into
operational support systems.
"Connecting real customers over a disaggregated
network of this scale is a significant milestone for
the whole industry," said Hannes Gredler, founder and
chief technology officer at RtBrick. "The shift
to building networks using open software, rather than
proprietary systems, is probably the
most important development the industry has seen since the arrival
of the Internet, and this deployment is proof
that cloud-native networks are ready for the mainstream."
The RtBrick routing software acts as the BNG in Deutsche
Telekom's network, which terminates broadband subscriber traffic,
along with providing other functions, such as quality of service,
lawful intercept and IPTV. The software runs in a Linux
container on bare-metal-switches, configured using ZTP
(Zero-Touch-Provisioning) and programmed through RtBrick's open APIs. It replaces traditional
chassis-based routing systems.
RtBrick's open BNG is the first use-case of its FullStack IP/MPLS routing software, which
brings the benefits of cloud-native infrastructure to carrier
access networks. To learn more about RtBrick's pioneering approach to networking and
the latest features of its open BNG routing software,
visit rtbrick.com.