Nokia's new 7730 router line addresses new edge IP networking opportunities

Nokia is expanding its IP router portfolio with its new 7730 Service Interconnect Router (SXR) product family, addressing growing IP edge, core and IP access aggregation network demands.

Ideal for smaller/distributed IP edge locations, the platforms can address the increased capacity and capability demands driven by broadband investments and evolving cloud network architectures.

“Several things are happening here impacting why we're making this investment,” said Heidi Adams, head of IP/Optical Networks marketing at Nokia. “We’ve seen a lot in accelerated broadband access investment. This is driving the need for more profound capacity into the network, including IP access, the edge and the core network.”

Nokia’s timing comes as new broadband cloud providers are scaling their networks.

According to a recent Dell’Oro Group forecast, the cumulative revenues spent on Service Provider (SP) Router and Switch equipment are projected to reach $77 billion over the next five years. The research firm said this represents a 9 percent increase compared to the cumulative revenue of the previous five-year period, propelled mainly by a combination of applications driving higher volumes of traffic, such as the proliferation of 5G on mobile networks, residential broadband shifting to higher speed Cable, and PON, and increased use of video.

“We expect the combined SP Edge Router and Aggregation Switch segment’s growth to be propelled by SPs’ expansion of mobile backhaul networks followed by broadband expansion,” said Ivaylo Peev, Senior Analyst at Dell’Oro Group. “Broadband SP investment in fiber will result in significant traffic increases. Broadband providers will continue upgrading Edge Routers to support faster speeds and lower latency.”

Addressing scalability, security

As providers expand broadband network reach, including fixed, fixed-wireless access and 5G, there will be a need for greater capacity and intelligence more profound in aggregation and metro networks. The 7730 SXR family is also enabled by SR Linux, Nokia’s network operating system (NOS), to accommodate the ongoing evolution of network architectures.

“SR Linux is our is our Linux based microservices architecture, which enables automation at scale,” Adams said.

Adams added that the new platform offers extensibility, which “allows providers to create their applications and access the networking equipment to drive it as needed for their networking requirements.”

Another critical consideration of the platform is network security. A proliferation of end devices contributes to increased attack surface and security threats. In response, these platforms can address security concerns with support for MACsec, ANYsec and DDoS mitigation with traffic inspection.

“The platform’s ability to provide higher visibility to protect customer traffic from security vulnerabilities and attacks is critical,” Adams said.

Right-sized silicon

Nokia is also enabling providers more control over quality and speed with its latest silicon line—FPcx—a set of fully programmable network processors that complement Nokia’s higher-end FP5 line.

FPcx is custom-designed for service providers and mission-critical IP networks. FPcx is fully programmable and offers true deep buffering and rich telemetry, optimized for delivering secure and assured services.

Further, assured IP services are enabled through FPcx’s deterministic performance, advanced QoS capabilities and approach to helping in-service software upgrades. Power efficiency and reduced TCO are also realized through right-sized capacity and interface speeds, support for more efficient network designs, and a system-built ground-up for automation at scale in a modern NetOps environment.

This new silicon will be hosted in the 7730 SXR service interconnect router line.

Adams said the FPcx “brings all the values of what we do and that product in our FP5 silicon line in a more compact form factor optimized for the next-generation access aggregation and small edge space.”

The platform is already getting the attention of several Tier 1 provider customers, including TELUS, which has deployed Nokia’s previous generation of IP routing platforms in its network. “TELUS is always at the forefront of technology advancements, and we are looking forward to leveraging Nokia’s new 7730 SXR system enabled by SR Linux NOS,” said Ibrahim Gedeon, CTO of TELUS. “This solution supports network automation and aligns well with our goal of distributing services closer to the network's edge in a cost-effective, flexible and reliable manner.”

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