Towards Building Quality-Driven Next-Generation Mobile Networks with Carrier-Grade Virtualized Platforms

在过去几年中，对高带宽网络连接的需求一直在显著增长。尽管这种快速增长为移动的运营商带来了商机，但它也暂停了迫切的网络容量挑战，需要及时做出响应。投资于额外的基础设施始终是一种解决方案。然而，在这种情况下，这远非魔杖，因为资本投资回报率可能很低。不可否认，提升网络容量在很大程度上取决于网络所依赖的基础设施。然而，实现特定硬件设置的真正潜力是一个具有更现实的改进空间和可见影响的目标。运营商一直在寻求一种创新的改变游戏规则的解决方案，以提高网络容量超过预期的网络性能水平。此外，网络运营商正在应对其他多层次的挑战，这些挑战与不断增长的需求一样重要。不断增加的能源、财务和社会成本，加上缺乏设计、实施和协调日益复杂的基于硬件的基础设施的专业人员，是运营商的主要担忧。这些问题的范围不仅限于收入损失;涟漪反应表现为上市时间滞后，以及供应链挑战和信息和通信技术（ICT）行业创新的一般障碍。虚拟化技术获得了更多的动力，提供了一个网关，降低了运营商的机会成本，旨在减少对专有硬件的依赖。虚拟化技术具有促进硬件和软件解耦的能力，以及实现更有效的资本投资和更高的资本回报的手段，有可能彻底改变电信行业。

The demand for high-bandwidth network connectivity has been growing significantly over the past few years. As much as this rapid increase represents a business opportunity for mobile operators, it also pauses pressing network capacity challenges in need of a timely response. Investing in additional infrastructure is always there as a solution. However, this is far from a magic wand in this situation since the return-on-capital investments can be minimal. It is undeniable that upgrading network capacity depends heavily on the infrastructure upon which the network relies. However, realizing the true potential of a specific hardware setup is an objective that has more realistic room for improvement and visible impact. Operators are in insistent search for an innovative game-changing solution to elevate the network capacity beyond the expected network performance levels. Furthermore, network operators are juggling other multi-layered challenges as critical as increasing demand. Increasing energy, financial and social costs coupled with the lack of personnel with expertise to design, implement, and orchestrate a progressively complex hardware-based infrastructure are the primary concerns of operators. The scope of these issues is not limited merely to revenue loss; ripple effects manifest through lags in time-to-market, as well as supply chain challenges and general hindrances to innovation within the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) industries. Virtualization technology gained more momentum offering a gateway reducing the opportunity cost for operators aiming at reducing dependency on proprietary hardware. Empowered with the ability to facilitate hardware and software decoupling and the means to achieve more effective capital investments with higher returns on capital, Virtualization technology has the potential to revolutionize the telecommunications industry.