Telecom network maker Nokia today announced the launch of the Shared Data Layer, a central point of storage for all the data used by Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs).
The Shared Data Layer from Nokia frees VNFs from the need to manage their own data, creating so-called stateless VNFs. These are less complex and can be scaled in or out easily and quickly to meet changing demand, said Nokia at the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2016).
In addition to the simplified networks, the result is a more flexible, programmable network for 5G, support for ultra-robust, low latency connectivity and massive networking for the Internet of Things (IoT).
The telecom network maker said Nokia Shared Data Layer reduces turnaround times for introducing new services and can boost operator revenues more quickly. Telecoms can benefit from reduced innovation cycles. Telecoms can create stateless VNFs rapidly without setting up and deploying new infrastructure with less coding and debugging.
Nokia Shared Data Layer provides a common, secure database for all VNF-related data such as subscription and session data. VNFs can store and retrieve their data through open interfaces.
VNFs can subscribe to and share data more efficiently between different VNFs. Less data needs to be routed around the network, data duplication is eliminated and signaling is reduced, thus lowering operational costs.
“Abstracting subscriber and state information from individual network functions, can simplify the design, deployment and operation of cloud-hosted mobile networks,” said Gabriel Brown, senior analyst with Heavy Reading.
“The stateless network will generate new, cloud-optimized architectures that can help operators deliver diverse applications at a significantly lower cost-of-production,” Gabriel Brown said.
