Thai mobile operator dtac preps for carrier SDN with IP/optical systems from Nokia

Thailand's dtac, a mobile operator that is part of the Telenor Group, will upgrade its backbone network with elements of Nokia's IP/optical portfolio, the systems house says. The upgrade will increase capacity and set the stage for the use of software-defined networking (SDN).

The mobile operator expects to use the enhanced capabilities to deliver high-speed mobile broadband to more than 40% of Thailand's population, Nokia adds.

The upgrade will see Nokia's 7950 Extensible Routing System (XRS) and 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) replace dtac's existing IP core routers and DWDM systems. Inherent in these deployments is use of Nokia's Wavelength Routing Engine GMPLS (Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching) Control Plane at the optical layer. Dtac also will be able to leverage an integrated optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR) card within the 1830 PSS.

Nokia also will supply its security gateway for dtac's LTE network.

"Over the last two years we've seen demand for mobile broadband grow exponentially. As we prepare for future advanced technologies we've made a strategic choice for an SDN-ready IP/Optical network because it gives us the control and agility needed to run an efficient network that can rapidly adjust to evolving demand patterns," said Prathet Tankuranun, CTO of Total Access Communication PLC (dtac). "This deployment with Nokia is an important next step in our migration towards full SDN automation."

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