Smart conducts first test transport network disaggregation in PH

Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), the wireless unit of integrated telco PLDT Inc., has successfully tested transport network disaggregation technology. This trial, which is considered the first of its kind in the country, took place at the PLDT-Smart Technolab in Makati, and showcased collaboration among diverse hardware and software platform vendors.

The transport network, an essential yet often unseen segment of telecommunication infrastructure, facilitates the transfer of data, video, voice, and other communication signals between points. Smart’s adoption of transport network disaggregation aims to enhance infrastructure efficiency, flexibility, and scalability.

“The disaggregated network technology is a significant milestone achievement as we transform our end-to-end network toward a fully Software Defined Network (SDN) and Cloudified network,” said Eric Santiago, FVP and Head of Network at PLDT and Smart.

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According to Smart, this innovative approach holds the promise of revolutionizing network infrastructure and operations, empowering telco operators with increased adaptability, cost efficiency, and agility. 

Network disaggregation

Disaggregated networks empower telcos to choose and integrate multiple vendors swiftly, fostering innovation and technology evolution while reducing reliance on a single vendor. Also, the ability to add or replace hardware and software components without network disruption underlines the scalability and adaptability inherent in this approach.

“By embracing innovations that swiftly respond to market dynamics, deploy new services, and cater to escalating customer and business needs, this technology stands poised to transform the telecommunications landscape,” the telco said.

“The virtualization of routing function and its disaggregation from the hardware platform is a positive step toward the overall transformation of the transport network architecture, which promises to bring more flexibility, agility, and cost efficiency to our backbone infrastructure,” said Arvin Siena, VP and head of Network Strategy and Transformation Office at PLDT and Smart. “The successful functionality and interoperability test conducted in our laboratory indicates that the solution is approaching the maturity stage.”