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17 Apr 2014

CW conference explores SDN’s ‘Radical Future, Pragmatic Beginnings’ with speakers from EE, Cambridge Computer Lab, InterDigital (UK) and Huawei

The idea of applying the concepts used to build IT datacentres and Cloud services to decouple network functions from the physical infrastructure has in a short space of time, catapulted ‘virtual networks' to one of the most disruptive technologies in the networking industry. Software Defined Networking (SDN) – originated at Stanford University – and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) are proving to be far more than just marketing hype. This was confirmed when Nicira, a start-up known for its emerging SDN technology was acquired for $1.26 billion in 2012 by VMware.

“The areas of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Information-Centric Networking (ICN) have gained increasing attention in the wider research community, while gaining credibility through corporate interest and investment,” commented Dirk Trossen of InterDigital UK and the Virtual Networks Special Interest Group (SIG) Champion at Cambridge Wireless, the leading industry forum involved in the development and application of wireless technologies. “With the promise of SDN to simplify the deployment of alternative network architectures, the question arises how SDN and ICN could concretely be combined, deployed and tested.”

To explore the potential of these new paradigms, Cambridge Wireless (CW), is running the first Virtual Networks SIG event in London on 8th May 2014 entitled ‘Radical Future, Pragmatic Beginnings’. This first SIG event will explore potential use cases, both from a short and long-term perspective and separate myth from reality. It will bring practitioners and industry insiders together to exchange their views and discuss what the future of network operations will look like. Speakers will include Philip Bridge of EE, Dr Arjuna Sathiaseelan of Cambridge Computer Labs, Alan Carlton of InterDigital (UK) and Joakim Rönnblom of Huawei.

 “Virtual Networks in the form of SDN and NFV will have profound implications for network operators, and equipment vendors. In five years we might expect the industry and its ecosystems to look profoundly different,” commented Philip Bridge, Senior Network Architect at EE and Virtual Networks SIG Champion. “The challenge for players now is how embark in this journey when the technology and the surrounding business models are in their infancy and still in a state of flux”

The aim of this half-day event is to cut through the hype and FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt), in order to lay out and debate the likely progress of one of the most radical developments in the networking industry in the past 20 years and identify how to prepare for the coming change. Speakers will address the following questions: How can industry players prepare for it? Will the newly-built networks exist as some virtual entities somewhere in the Cloud by 2020? Who will be offering what services to whom? Will there still be a role for specialist networking equipment or can everything be done with off the shelf hardware? As with all CW events providing essential insights and unrivalled networking opportunities, this event will bring together like-minded industry professionals to exchange ideas and gain a broader perspective on the market for Virtual networks solutions.

To join this event to discuss the opportunities and threats for the entire industry, visit the CW event web page. For further information on becoming a Founder Member and attend future SIG events for free, please visit: www.cambridgewireless.co.uk/sign-up.

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