2017 has undoubtedly been a year of many changes for Latin America. Most telecommunications service providers are striving to find differentiators in a region that is in a constant process of globalisation.
Some operators find their differentiator in the agility of provisioning services; others in reducing total cost of ownership (TCO).
It is important to emphasise that OPEX (Operating Expense) has become one of the major influencing factors that differentiate operators' services.
Cognitive networks open up a horizon of possibilities for operators seeking to differentiate their services in the market, streamlining their services and incorporating new economic models to compete in the region.
What are they?
The future of information transport networks will rely on cognitive networks which are made up of 5 main pillars:
1. Advanced analytical tools
2. Machine Learning
3. Autonomous Networks
4. Predictive Networks
5. Prescriptive Networks
This type of network will use analytical tools and machine learning to learn the real state of the network.
It will also automate routine tasks that would normally require human intervention, providing autonomy in their operation and maintenance.
In addition, it predicts problems that may occur and prescribes possible solutions to optimise transport routes or mitigate risks.
A cognitive network brings these five pillars together into a coherent system that allows the network to learn over time about its components and how to react proactively to possible changes.
Where are we?
The first step towards cognitive networks is to ensure that transport networks are flexible and dynamic. To date, many of the optical transport networks in Latin America are static and rigid.
Perhaps the key step towards achieving dynamism is the adoption of Software Defined Capacity (SDC) models.
Software-defined capacity is the feature that allows users to use network capacity as a flexible and mouldable resource.
This technology enables bandwidth to be acquired on demand, can be moved to where it is most needed, and additionally reduces the network planning process from months to minutes.
Infinera has been a pioneer in defining flexible consumption models for the photonic layer. In 2012 it introduced Instant Bandwidth to the market, which provides the industry with the ability to consume prepaid bandwidth along with the help of its photonic integration technology.
In 2017, it introduces a new way to automate these consumption models with Instant Network: this solution incorporates the ability of photonic networks to adopt automated provisioning models, incorporating Instant Bandwidth as a pay-as-you-grow consumption model.
As an industry we still have a long way to go to get to cognitive networks but with the advent of SDN/NFV and the adoption of software-defined capacity models we are undoubtedly at the beginning of a significant transformation towards a new era in telecommunications.
Latin America is ready and in the process of taking the first steps towards cognitive networks in the future.
By Andrés Madero
Director, Service Provider Architecture at Infinera
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