Etisalat UAE, NEC and NetCracker complete highly successful virtual CPE trial

NEC Corporation and NetCracker Technology have announced that Etisalat UAE, one of the world's largest mobile communications service providers, has successfully completed a series of comprehensive virtual customer-premises equipment (vCPE) trials. The vCPE solution was provided through NEC's and NetCracker's joint business brand, NEC/NetCracker SDN/NFV Solutions, and demonstrated new ways to optimise customer experience through an innovative self-service portal.

Etisalat UAE is the Middle East's leading telecommunications provider, offering a wide range of 3G, 4G and fibre-to-the-home services to more than 11 million customers across the region.

The proof of concept (PoC) validated the NEC/NetCracker vCPE solution's ability to move highly complex IP and connectivity functionality from end-user gateways to Etisalat's data centre, which will reduce complexity for residential customers and provide them with more control over services. Etisalat's deployment of the vCPE solution will enable it to experience a number of critical advantages, including the ability to provide next-generation connectivity without deploying highly complicated equipment at customer locations, resulting in reduced costs and fewer truck rolls.

"Our investment into virtual infrastructure is critical in enabling our long-term success in a highly competitive Internet-enabled market, where instant gratification and micro transactions dominate," said Esmaeel Alhammadi, Senior Vice President of Network Development at Etisalat. "We collaborated with NEC and NetCracker because of their deep domain expertise and in-depth knowledge of the rapidly evolving virtualisation technologies. The proof of concept validated the technology and business benefits associated with implementing their vCPE solution."

During the PoC, NEC and NetCracker demonstrated several highly sophisticated use cases for Etisalat, including the ability to let customers personalise device- and subscriber-specific usage controls through an easy-to-use self-service portal. NEC and NetCracker also showed how customers can extend their LAN to enable cloud-based L2 services and content, as well as the vCPE solution's ability to deploy virtual firewalls.

"By implementing the NEC/NetCracker vCPE solution, Etisalat can provide customers with access to a diverse set of services and capabilities through a self-care portal. The vCPE solution will also help Etisalat enable IPv6-based Internet connectivity without the need for any complex on-site processes," said Noboru Takahashi, President & CEO at NEC in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

"Given the increasing demand for virtualised solutions, we are excited to work with Etisalat and demonstrate the in-depth capabilities of our innovative vCPE solution," said Sylvain Seignour, Vice President of Global Sales at NetCracker. "We are pleased with the results of this PoC and look forward to expanding our relationship with Etisalat as the market and demand for virtualised technologies grow."