Maximize the power of IBM Cloud Pak for Network Automation
IBM works collaboratively with a wide range of partners to expand the capabilities of IBM Cloud Pak® for Network Automation and co-create tailored solutions that augment the capabilities of this best-in-class platform. The technology enterprises and system integrators of this growing ecosystem play an integral part in transforming your network to achieve zero-touch network operations with cloud and AI-powered automation.
Browse ecosystem partners and solution providers by use case category: telco network functions, network access or enterprise connectivity.
Telco network functions
Find more information about the partners in this category below.
Casa Systems
Casa Systems provides pioneering solutions to help mobile, fixed, wireline and converged service providers accelerate their 5G transformation.
Altiostar
Altiostar provides 4G and 5G open virtualized radio access network (open vRAN) software that helps build a disaggregated multivendor, web-scale, cloud-native mobile network and enables operators rapidly scale the network and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO).
Samsung
Samsung provides end-to-end 5G network solutions, including chipsets, devices, radio and core equipment. Based on a stateless and microservice architecture, the Samsung 5G core CNF is fully containerized with CNCF-compliant open-source toolsets.
HPE
HPE helps you to drive innovation with open solutions. With traffic surging, and the pace of change accelerating daily, telcos must leverage their connectivity advantage to transform networks and operations to respond to digital-first customers.
Enea
Enea offers a product portfolio that spans the network from the edge to the core. Its cloud-native solutions help connect, optimize and secure services for mobile subscribers, enterprises and the Internet of Things.
Telco network functions partners
Altiostar
Altiostar provides 4G and 5G open vRAN software that supports open interfaces and virtualizes radio access baseband functions to build a disaggregated multivendor, web-scale and cloud-based mobile network.
Features and benefits:
- Agility: In open vRAN solutions, cycle time for introduction of new features in software is shorter, reducing time to market through CI/CD and agile software development.
- Security: Open, standardized interfaces remove vulnerabilities or risks that come with proprietary implementations. Transparency provides an operator full visibility and control over the cloud environment and network in general.
- Programmability: Standardized application programming interfaces (APIs) on the new open vRAN architecture for 5G is enabled with the introduction of near real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC). With open APIs, a new wave of innovation in wireless network is possible.
- Scalability: Standardized hardware can be shared across multiple workloads, increasing utilization efficiency through statistical multiplexing gains. This results in a significant reduction in CapEx and increased scale in the network.
- Resiliency: In open vRAN, application loads for single cell sites can be distributed across multiple VNFs, providing much better resiliency and smaller footprint of impact in the event of failure of a single CNF.
- Automation: The use of open-source cloud platforms, such as Red Hat OpenShift, with open APIs in NFV, brings a high degree of operational automation and consequent reduction in OpEx. As baseband functions are deployed as CNFs, it is possible to automate various operational tasks, such as new cell site integration (auto-commissioning), detection and automated recovery from failures (self-healing), and further minimize the OpEx.
Deployment scope:
- Server (BIOS, firmware) automation
- vRAN automation
- Ceph automation
- vCU/vDU onboarding support with Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes (RHACM) (LLS-C3 only, without any disaggregated cell site gateways (DSCG) switch automation)
- RHOCP 4.8 single node OpenShift (SNO) deployment
- Modelled 5G core in siteplanner
- Modelled 5G RAN in siteplanner
Credential: IBM Cloud Pak for Network Automation Lab Validated
Additional resources:
Samsung
Samsung 5G core CNF is fully containerized with Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)-compliant, open-source toolsets. They are based on a stateless and microservice architecture and provide an infrastructure-agnostic and agile cloud-native core solution. Samsung 5G core automates end-to-end network operations by integrating RAN, core, and MEC centering on its automation platform to respond to any changes in 5G network to boost operational efficiency.
Features and benefits:
- AMF performs mobility management of terminals within the 5G Core system and the ability to communicate control messages between NFs inside the Core system and terminal/base station.
- SMF and embedded GW-C feature performs establish/change/delete of connections for 4G/5G PDU sessions, collect billing data, transfer QoS information to UPF Selection and UPF
- UPF and embedded GW-U feature performs 4G/5G PDU Session Management and Policy Enforcing, Packet Handling, Transfer Functions and DPI Functions.
- NRF handles Service Discovery and manages available NF instance and supported services on an SBA-based 5G core signaling plane.
- NSSF provides the selection of appropriate network slice for 5G UE
Deployment scope:
- Samsung 5G mobility management entity (MME), AMF, SMF, NRF, NSSF, UPF running on RHOCP 4.8
- On-boarded and deployed through IBM Cloud Pak for Network Automation 2.2
- Automated network 5G core configuration
- Automated RAN CU, RAN DU configuration
- CNF-level auto scaling of core CNF
- Rollback on failure automation
- Service validation after initial deployment test tool
- Zero-touch provisioning
Credential: IBM Cloud Pak for Network Automation Lab Validated
Additional resources:
HPE
HPE’s open cloud-native solutions span the enterprise edge, the telco network, and multiple clouds. Together with its partners, HPE helps telcos automate operations, drive efficiencies, and transform their businesses. With HPE, one can create new differentiated services leveraging 5G and edge, disaggregate the network through open multivendor solutions based on scalable, optimized infrastructure, use consumption-based models to reduce the risk of entering new markets, and enable AI/ML-based automation to manage operational complexities.
Features and benefits:
- Authentication server function (AUSF) authenticates the user equipment (UE) for the requester network function (NF). Provides keying material for the requester NF. The authenticate service operation allows the requester NF to initiate the authentication of the UE by providing the UE ID and the Serving Network Name.
- Policy control function (PCF) is a carrier-grade software solution used to implement convergent policy management and real-time policy decision solutions for the network service providers across the business support systems/operations support systems (BSS/OSS) domain, core network domain, and content application domain.
- Unified data management (UDM) is specifically designed to be cloud native and is based on a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) service-based architecture, helping to avoiding vendor lock in. HPE 5G NFs are self-healing, scalable, modular and automated and can help enable faster network updates.
- Unified data repository (UDR) provides a structured data storage service that can be exposed to a 5G NF, as per 3GPP standards. It is specifically designed to be open, secure, cloud native and uses a 3GPP service-based architecture, helping to avoiding vendor lock in. HPE 5G UDR is ACID compliant, offers high availability, geo redundancy, hybrid storage and common provisioning gateways.
- Unstructured data storage (UDSF) provides services for the storage and retrieval of unstructured data for a 5G Core NF, as per 3GPP standards.
Deployment scope:
- HPE 5G UDM/UDR/AUSF/PCF/UDSF/integrated home subscriber server (iHSS)/Ignite running on RHOCP 4.8
- On-boarded and deployed through IBM Cloud Pak for Network Automation 2.2
- Automated network 5G core configuration
- Automated RAN CU, RAN DU configuration
- CNF-level auto scaling of core CNF
- Rollback on failure automation
- Service validation after initial deployment test tool
- Zero-touch provisioning
Credential: IBM Cloud Pak for Network Automation Lab Validated
Additional resources:
Enea
Enea’s 5G MicroCore is a unique private 5G solution, complete and ready for deployment. It includes subscriber integration, subscription provisioning and SIM-card enablement for faster time to market. Put simply, it is a ready-for-business data management solution for all verticals considering private 5G. The 5G MicroCore includes UDR, UDM, AUSF and mini-home subscriber server (HSS). Enea’s 5G MicroCore stores and manages data across all 5G core and edge functions, supporting 4G/5G interworking and is based on technology that has been proven in multiple commercial deployments globally.
Features and benefits:
- Business oriented: Products have zero-touch operations using self-management features, allowing quick adaptation of business logic.
- Containerized and cloud native: The 5G MicroCore utilizes a containerized and modularized architecture designed to integrate seamlessly into enterprise edge architectures.
- SaaS pricing model: The solution is designed and developed to cater for all Industry 4.0 use cases, making a viable edge 5G entity through improved network economics.
- Highly interoperable
- Automated deployment
- Comprehensive agility: Enterprises can benefit from a complete solution that leverages Enea’s data and traffic management capabilities.
Deployment scope:
- UDM, AUSF, PCF running on RHOCP 4.6
- Cloud Pak for Network Automation 2.2
- Integrated with Casa Systems 5G core to have full 5G core components
Credential: IBM Cloud Pak for Network Automation Lab Validated
Additional resources:
F5
F5 provides multicloud security and application delivery solutions that optimize applications throughout their entire lifecycle, across any environment, helping its customers deliver differentiated, high-performing and secure digital experiences.
Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks provides networking and cybersecurity solutions that help address the challenges and complexity inherent in the 5G and cloud era.
Network access partners
Juniper Networks
Juniper vSRX is a virtual security appliance that provides security and networking services at the perimeter or edge in virtualized private or public cloud environments. vSRX runs as a virtual machine (VM) on a standard x86 server. vSRX is built on the Junos operating system (Junos OS) and delivers networking and security features similar to those available on the software releases for the SRX Series Services Gateways. vSRX on standard x86 servers enables you to quickly introduce new services, deliver customized services to customers, and scale security services based on dynamic needs. vSRX is ideal for public, private, and hybrid cloud environments.
Features and benefits:
- Stateful firewall protection at the tenant edge
- Faster deployment of virtual firewalls into new sites
- Ability to run on top of various hypervisors and public cloud infrastructures
- Full routing, VPN, core security, and networking capabilities
- Application security features (including IPS and App-Secure)
- Content security features (including antivirus, web filtering, antispam and content filtering)
- Centralized management with Junos Space Security Director and local management with J-Web Interface
- Juniper Networks Sky Advanced Threat Prevention (Sky ATP) integration
Deployment scope:
- Juniper-vSRX-3.19
- ALM 2.2 /TNC 1.2
- LMCTL 2.6.3
- OpenStack 4.0.0 /Nova 13.1.4
Credential: IBM Cloud Pak for Network Automation Lab Validated
Additional resources:
Enterprise connectivity
Find more information about the partners in this category below.
Turnium
Turnium provides software that powers software-defined wide area networks (SD-WANs) and helps service providers across the globe help deliver better services and experiences to customers.