The benefits of using disaggregated routers over traditional routers are undeniable. Foremost among them is the ability to skirt around vendor lock-in, thus increasing versatility and flexibility. Adopting disaggregated routers will help service providers lower CAPEX costs and reduce power consumption while giving them the ability to scale up both network capacity and service scope quickly. This is, in part, facilitated by the ease of deployment and operation of disaggregated routers. In the long term, this new disaggregated ecosystem will allow providers to benefit from faster-paced product innovation as the market becomes more competitive and diverse.
What’s more, disaggregated routers have versatile applicability within and outside networks. They include vCPE/uCPE, data centers, data center interconnects (DCI), broadband aggregation, peering, network core, access networks (broadband and mobile), and RAN. Disaggregated routers are especially relevant in the era of 5G. 5G networks are slated to deliver roughly five times the performance of 4G network and will need up to ten times more base stations. Distributed routing will be critical to connecting these base stations to one another and the network core. Optimal utilization of network resources will be vital to maximizing cost savings and simplification across the whole of networks. Making disaggregated routers even more viable for service providers is the wealth of organizational support for them, including from the Open Compute Project (OCP), Telecom Infrastructure Project (TIP), and Open RAN (O-RAN Alliance). On top of this, there is also widespread support and buy-in from tier-one telco operators, including the likes of AT&T, Vodafone, and KDDI to name a few.
With a growing supply network, including hardware and software suppliers, disaggregated routing has never been this accessible and viable for service providers, telcos, and beyond. This emerging disaggregated ecosystem promises to give beneficiaries the versatility, capabilities, cost-effectiveness, and scope to develop and deploy effective 5G RAN solutions to meet the needs of the world of tomorrow.
Check out Lanner’s white box solutions and start taking advantage of the new possibilities afforded by the disaggregated ecosystem.