SoftBank deploys Cisco Network Convergence System 5500 to upgrade next-gen mobile IP network

Aug. 7, 2017

Cisco says it will supply its Network Convergence System (NCS) 5500 series, to SoftBank Group Corp. as part of efforts to optimize operations in its next-generation mobile IP core network. Deployment of the Network Convergence System 5500 series will enable Japanese mobile carrier SoftBank to provide high-density 100GE routing and segment routing technology for optimizing its next-generation mobile IP core network operations, the systems house says.

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) says it will supply its Network Convergence System (NCS) 5500 series, to SoftBank Group Corp. as part of efforts to optimize operations in its next-generation mobile IP core network. Deployment of the Network Convergence System 5500 series will enable Japanese mobile carrier SoftBank to provide high-density 100GE routing and segment routing technology for optimizing its next-generation mobile IP core network operations, the systems house says.

In its recently released Mobile Visual Networking Index (VNI) 2016-2021, Cisco forecasts a sevenfold increase in global mobile data traffic to 1.4 zettabytes over the next five years, resulting from an increase of mobile users, smartphones and the Internet of Things (IoT), as well as the growth of network speeds and mobile video consumption. The company also believes mobile traffic capacity will increase at a rate of 50 percent per year, and large-scale use of 5G infrastructure will begin around 2020.

To meet these demands SoftBank has upgraded core routers used in its existing network to the Cisco NCS 5500 technology, capable of housing 576 100GE ports, says Cisco. The upgrade will allow the company to build a next-generation mobile IP core network that supports bandwidth demand for the deployment of IoT, mobile video, and other new services.

"Cisco's groundbreaking cloud-scale network technologies, such as Cisco NCS 5516 and segment routing, help SoftBank build a highly-reliable, next-generation mobile IP core network featuring bandwidth capacity that supports the future mobile traffic increase with optimized low-cost operation," says Yvette Kanouff, Cisco's senior vice president, general manager, service provider business. "This enables SoftBank to bring to market the mobile experience and service that sets the new industry standard in the 5G/IoT era."

The communication speed, low latency, and improved provisioning capabilities available through 5G networks will enable SoftBank to meet demands of increasing users, and provide new services to mobile home and enterprise markets, Cisco says.

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