Colt has gained experience implementing SDN and NFV technologies including: 1) A SDN overlay for network virtualization in their data centers. 2) A modular managed service platform with SDN automation of the WAN. 3) A pre-NFV virtualized L3 CPE solution. Upcoming projects include an NFV proof of concept evaluating virtualized L3 CPE, load balancers, and route reflectors. The document also outlines potential use cases for SDN and NFV in mobile backhaul networks.

1. © 2015 Colt Technology Services Group Limited. All rights reserved.
Colt’s SDN & NFV: Experience,
Learnings and Future Plans
January 2015
Javier Benitez
Strategy & Architecture, Business Strategy & Development

2. 2
2
Agenda
Colt’s SDN/NFV Strategy
DC Network Virtualization
NFV Use Cases
WAN SDN
MBH & MNO Use Cases
Summary
1
2
3
4
5
6

3. 3
3
Colt – The Information Delivery Platform
• Business customers
only !
• 28 countries / 3
continents / 205
connected cities / 47
MANs
• 47,600km EU Fibre
network / 120,000
Subsea
• 29 Colt owned data
centres / 22,000
connected buildings
• 500+ NNIs /
customers in 85
countries
• 520+ connected third
party DCs
• MEF / ONF / NFV
Member

4. 4
4
Colt vision: IT & Network Integration
The integration of the network and IT platforms from
the service, technology, system and process point of
view to offer innovative services, reduce
provisioning time, automate end-to-end
orchestration and offer truly combined network and
compute services.
Network
automation,
virtualisation,
elasticity and
rapid innovation
Modular Carrier
Ethernet
Integrated
Networks
Next Gen Data
Centre Fabric
SDN/NFV
SDN/NFV
SDN/NFV
will be the
glue that
binds the
elements
together
Key
elements of
Colt’s IT &
Networking
Strategy
Investment programme

5. 5
5
Colt’s SDN/NFV Infrastructure Development
Network
Functions
Virtualisation
(NFV)
DC Fabric &
Network
virtualisation
(CCN)
DC Fabric
• OpenFlow DC Fabric evaluation (2012, not mature enough)
DC Network virtualisation & Architecture:
• SDN Overlay: L2-L4 DC Network Virtualisation & DC Architecture
WAN SDN
Live
Feb’14

6. 6
6
Colt DC – Gen 3 vs Gen 4
Gen 3
IP Core
(Internet)
L3 PE
(IP VPN)
L2 PE
(L2 VPN)WAN
Access
(traditional
Ethernet)
Customer
Services
VLAN
Cust 1 Cust 2
Cust 2 Cust 3
Cloud Platform
Backup Management
Gen 4
IP Core
(Internet)
L3 PE
(IP VPN)
L2 PE
(L2 VPN)
WAN
Modular
MSP
Cust 3
Cloud Platform
Cust 2
Cust 1 Cust 2
SDN
Overlay
Leaf (+ Overlay
Gateway)
Spine
Leaf
Backup
Management
VXLAN
VLAN
SDN
Controller
Overlay
Gateway
SDN
Orchestrator

7. 7
7
Colt’s SDN/NFV Infrastructure Development
DC Fabric &
Network
virtualisation
(CCN)
DC Fabric
• OpenFlow DC Fabric evaluation (2012, not mature enough)
DC Network virtualisation & Architecture:
• SDN Overlay: L2-L4 DC Network Virtualisation & DC Architecture
WAN SDN
Live
Feb’14
L3 CPE router virtualisation (pre-NFV, PE based)
• virtualisation of the L3 CPE functionality (Internet access / IPVPN)
NFV: Formal Evaluation (RFI) & PoC in 2014
• vL3CPE / vDC Appliances (FW/LB) / vControl Plane (BGP RR)
Network
Functions
Virtualisation
(NFV)
Live
Nov’12

8. 8
8
vL3CPE (Internet Access / IPVPN) – Definition
Customer
MSP /
L2 CPE
M-MSP
Gen 4 DC
Compute
Storage
Physical
Compute /
Appliance
IP/MPLS
(Internet/IPVPN)
Spine
Leaf
L3CPE
• Traditional Managed
L3 services (Internet
Access and IPVPN )
delivered with
dedicated L3 CPE
router
• vL3CPE means
removing the L3 CPE
router and delivering
the functionality as
Virtual network
Functions
vCPEvCPE
vCPE
vCPE
vCPE
vCPE
vCPE
PRE-NFV
NFV

9. 9
9
Pre-NFV vL3CPE: lessons learnt

10. 10
10
Lessons learnt
vCPE is complex !!
QoS, NAT, security ??
Engineering
Our enterprise
customers
will not like it !!
Product
Management
I can’t configure this
service !! The process
doesn’t work.
Service
Delivery
I don’t know how
to troubleshoot
this service !!
Service
Operations
Our inventory
tool cannot represent
a virtual CPE …
IT
I can’t design
this service !!
Presales
Our customers
will want a
discount !!Sales

11. 11
11
M-MSP
vL3CPE – the NFV chapter
Customer
MSP /
L2 CPE
Gen 4 DC
VNF VNF
Compute
Storage
Physical
Compute /
Appliance
VNF
VNF
VNF
IP/MPLS
(Internet/IPVPN)
1
2
3
• L3CPE functionality
virtualised
– Main target location: Colt
DC (NFV Platform / SDN
Overlay)
– Optional additional
location: L2 CPE
(distributed NFV)
• Network Segment 1:
– MSP (Ethernet) from
customer to DC
• Network Segment 2
– DC Gen 4: SDN Overlay
– DC Gen 3: traditional
Ethernet (Vlan)
– Includes Service Chaining
• Network Segment 3:
– MSP (Ethernet) from DC
to L3 service instance on
the PE
VNF
VNF
Spine
Leaf
Leaf

12. 12
12
vDC Appliances (vFW, vLB) - Definition
M-MSP
Gen 4 DC
NFV Compute
Storage Physical
Compute /
Appliance
IP/MPLS
(Internet/IPVPN)
Spine
Leaf
Leaf
• Traditional DC
Solutions (both Colo
& Cloud) deploy
dedicated, per-
customer FW and LB
– In some cases Contextual
FWs are also used,
shared across different
customers
• vFW and vLB means
removing dedicated
FW & LB appliances
router and delivering
the functionality as
Virtual network
Functions
vFW vLB
vFW
IaaS Compute
Colo Cust 1
IaaS
Cust 2
FW
LB
LB
FW
vLB

13. 13
13
vDC Appliances (vFW, vLB) - Setup
M-MSP
Gen 4 DC
NFV Compute
Storage Physical
Compute /
Appliance
IP/MPLS
(Internet/IPVPN)
Spine
Leaf
Leaf
vFW vLB
vFW
IaaS Compute
Colo Cust 1
IaaS
Cust 2
vLB
• DC Appliance
functionality virtualised
– Target location: Colt DC
(NFV Platform / SDN
Overlay)
• Network Segment
– DC Gen 4: SDN Overlay
– DC Gen 3: traditional
Ethernet (Vlan)
– Includes Service Chaining

14. 14
14
vBGP Route Reflector – Definition
Customer
MSP /
L2 CPE
M-MSP
Gen 4 DC
Compute
Storage
Physical
Compute /
Appliance
IP/MPLS
(Internet/IPVPN)
Spine
Leaf
Leaf
• Traditional BGP RR
(Internet Access and
IPVPN ) delivered
with dedicated
routers
– Internet: embedded in IP
Core routers
– IPVPN: dedicated,
centralised routers
• vBGP RR means
removing the
dedicated routers and
delivering the
functionality as Virtual
network Functions
vRR vRR
BGP
RR
BGP
RR
iBGP
iBGP
iBGP

15. 15
15
vBGP Route Reflector – Setup
Customer
MSP /
L2 CPE
M-MSP
Gen 4 DC
Compute
Storage
Physical
Compute /
Appliance
IP/MPLS
(Internet/IPVPN)
Spine
Leaf
Leaf
vRR vRR
• BGP RR functionality
virtualised
– Target location: Colt DC (NFV
Platform / SDN Overlay)
• Network Segment 1
– MSP (Ethernet) from PE/P to
DC
• Network Segment 2
– DC Gen 4: SDN Overlay
– DC Gen 3: traditional Ethernet
(Vlan)
– Includes Service Chaining
• BGP Sessions
– iBGP sessions both to create
full-mesh as well as to RR
clients
• Design
– All Address families in scope:
Internet/IPVPN/Multicast/IPv4/I
Pv6
– Centralised designed
(LON/FRA/PAR) both for
Internet and IPVPN
iBGP
iBGP
iBGP
1
2

16. 16
16
Colt’s SDN/NFV Infrastructure Development
DC Fabric &
Network
virtualisation
(CCN)
DC Fabric
• OpenFlow DC Fabric evaluation (2012, not mature enough)
DC Network virtualisation & Architecture:
• SDN Overlay: L2-L4 DC Network Virtualisation & DC Architecture
Live
Feb’14
L3 CPE router virtualisation (PE based): NLI Project
• virtualisation of the L3 CPE functionality (Internet access / IPVPN)
NFV: Formal Evaluation (RFI) & PoC in 2014
• vL3CPE / vDC Appliances (FW/LB) / vControl Plane (BGP RR)
Network
Functions
Virtualisation
(NFV)
Live
Nov’12
WAN SDN Network (Optical/Ethernet/IP):PoC/Field Trial Q1’15
• Modular MSP (Integrated L2/L3 WAN Network)
• End to end WAN network abstraction & full automation in a multi-
vendor, multi-layer environment
• Flexible connectivity, i.e., ability to dynamically / on-demand change the
connectivity attributes of the service (BW, QoS profile, etc).
WAN SDN
Live
Nov’13

17. 17
17
Building on top of Colt Modular MSP: Circuits/Bw/QoS on demand
Colt
MSP
HN PE
Modular MSP
10G ring
1G ring
Colt
MSP
HNPE
Modular MSP
10G ring
1G ringColt
LDN
Cyan
Customer
Customer
Customer Colt OSS/BSS
Phase 1 (Live) : London, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid, Barcelona,
Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Dusseldorf
Colt WAN SDN / PoC Q1’15

18. 18
18
WAN SDN Overlay Vision
L2/L3
PCC
L2/L3
PCC
L2/L3
PCC
L2/L3
PCC
WDM
OTS
WDM
OTS
WDM
WDM
L2
L2
L2
L2
Implicit
Provisioning
(GMPLS)
NMS
Provisioning
MPLS/SR
L2/L3
Packet
Optical Legacy
Ethernet
SDN Controller
Legacy Ethernet
NMS
Topology Export:
• BGP-LS (BGP Link State)
Provisioning
- PCEP (Path Computation
Element Protocol)
- Segment Routing List
Business
Orchestrator
NMS integration (API)
Set up circuit from A to B
With 1Gbps Bw
A B
PCC: Path Computation Client
SR: Segment Routing
OTS: Optical Transport Switch
Topology Export:
• JSON, XMPP
Provisioning
- OpenFlow

19. 19
19
Colt MNO/MBH Strategy & Proposition
• Mobile traffic is shifting from Macro to Small Cells (SCs)
– Explosion of mobile data will lead to huge # of SCs deployed (typically in cities)
• Fibre preferred by MNOs for street level SCs connectivity
– Carrier Ethernet & Dark Fibre options depending on the MNO model
• Colt brings small cells experience at International basis
– Dense network to secure a quick roll out of services inside 47 Metropolitan cities
– Mobile operators require backhaul and real estate to deploy their network
– Colt has partnered to secure turn-key solution for these two requirements (20k+
turn-key locations already identified in 12 cities)
– Colt has established a strong relationship with street asset owners
• Colt already delivered fibre based access connectivity up to 300
Mb/s – ready for LTE-Advanced- on sites located at street level
- Gaining experience in European capitals such as Amsterdam or Berlin
- Using different Fibre connectivity, Ethernet /Dark Fibre, and different operational
models, lead either by 3rd party or the MNO directly

20. 20
20
Colt SC MBH Architecture – High Level Design
• Protected fibre rings of ~8 sites until DC
that can host MNO Network Infrastructure.
• Resiliency provided by the ring topology
and relying on protected path
• Colt CPE Modular MSP installed and pre-
provisioned in street furniture or street
cabinet
• Management of several flows to support
several applications on the targeted site
Colt BackboneMNO Hub
(Data Centre or
Macro Site)
Fibre 10G
Colt Node
Pre-concentration
Main Ring
Fibre 10GSub Ring
Fibre 1G
Sub Ring
Fibre 1G
Sub Ring
Fibre 1G
Sub Ring
Fibre 1G
Independent services (e.g. 1x LTE
Small Cell + 1x Public Wi-Fi)

21. 21
21
Colt’s SDN/NFV – MNO/MHB Use Cases
Scalability &
Agility for
MNO/MBH
Access
Network
• Challenge: control the cost of the access network connectivity while
exponential growth the mobile data traffic (mainly video) and multiplication of
end points (due to small cells)
• SDN/NFV value-add:
• Virtualise transport elements: vCPE / L4-L7 on demand (e.g. security)
• Better Capacity Management: WAN on demand
• Self configuration/optimization: WAN automation
Cloud-RAN /
FrontHaul
Architecture

22. 22
22
E-Line for S1
L3 VPN (w/ L2 CPE) for X2
E-Line for S1
E-LAN (w/ L2 CPE) for X2
SC MBH Use Case
Evolved Packet Core
L2 CPE
backhaul MNO mobile coreMNO cell sites
small cell/eNB
L2 access &
Aggregation
(WAN SDN)
S-GW / MMEL2/L3 edge
NFVI
vFW
vCPE
Colocation Cloud
(IaaS)
vLB
Colt DC

23. 23
23
Colt’s SDN/NFV – MNO/MHB Use Cases
Scalability &
Agility for
MNO/MBH
Access
Network
• Challenge: control the cost of the access network connectivity while
exponential growth the mobile data traffic (mainly video) and multiplication of
end points (due to small cells)
• SDN/NFV value-add:
• Virtualise transport elements: vCPE / L4-L7 on demand (e.g. security)
• Better Capacity Management: WAN on demand
• Self configuration/optimization: WAN automation
• Challenge: Transport huge capacity (variation) between pool of BBU’s
(BaseBand Unit) and Radio units with very stringent latency (typ. 0,1 ms)
• SDN/NFV value-add:
• FrontHaul Packet SDN: WAN on demand/automation
• Colt’s NFVI platform for MNOs to implement NFV based BBU’s
Cloud-RAN /
FrontHaul
Architecture

24. 24
24
Cloud RAN / FrontHaul Use Case
EPC
packet backhaulMNO super macro
cell sites (BBU pools)
super eNB
L2 access &
aggregation
L2/L3 edge
S-GW
MME
small cell/eNB
fibre and
L1 Ethernet
(packet
WAN SDN?)
CPRI backhaulMNO cell sites MNO
mobile core
L2 CPE

25. 25
25
Cloud RAN / FrontHaul Use Case
EPC
L2 CPE
packet backhaulMNO NFV based
(BBU pools)
L2 access &
aggregation
L2/L3 edge
S-GW
MME
small cell/eNB
CPRI backhaulMNO cell sites MNO
mobile core
NFVI
BBU
BBU
Colocation Cloud
(IaaS)
BBU
Colt connected DC
BBU
fibre and
L1 Ethernet
(packet
WAN SDN?)

26. 26
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Summary
• SDN and NFV technologies are maturing - few products are GA
(but typically 1.x)
• Consider the business transformation challenges !!
• We have delivered
– Data Centre SDN overlay
– Modular MSP with SDN automation
– Pre-NFV vL3CPE
• Coming next:
– NFV RFI & PoC (Q4’14-Q1’15): vL3CPE / vLB / vFW / vRR
– WAN SDN PoC/Field Trial (Q1’15): L1 Optical / L2-L3 Packet / Inter-DC
– FrontHaul Use cases PoC (under discussion)

27. © 2015 Colt Technology Services Group Limited. All rights reserved.
Thank you
www.colt.net
javier.benitez@colt.net