Open Network Featured Article

The future of innovation is collaborative. One could even say that the present of innovation is collaboration, as the number of companies and groups working in tandem to develop the next generation in networking solutions are enough to make your head spin. The truth is simple: the future is open; and this week, news from ONAP showcases strides in this direction.

Direct from the Open Source Summit North America, Vodafone (News - Alert) announced that it is the newest member of the Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) Project. The addition of Vodafone further cements ONAP’s mission of providing a neutral automation platform for service providers, enterprises and cloud providers tasked with the provision of on-demand services that leverage existing investments.

Vodafone is one of the world’s largest service providers, with a presence around the globe and a pioneer in the virtualization and cloud movement. It already has a program in motion to aid in driving NFV and SDN adoption, which positions it well to further assist ONAP in turning idea into reality.

"We are looking forward to joining and collaborating with the ONAP community," said Fran Heeran, Group Head of Network Virtualization at Vodafone and ONAP governing board member. "In working with The Linux Foundation (News - Alert) and other ONAP members, we look forward to contributing to and driving this exciting initiative as Vodafone continues to implement its network virtualization transformation program. Vodafone's membership demonstrates the company's commitment to open platforms and open source in helping to drive innovation and transformation across the telecommunication industry, especially in the areas of SDN and NFV."

In joining ONAP, Vodafone is the 18^th global service provider working in the collaborative effort shaping the infrastructure of the years to come.

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