ADVA Debuts Ensemble Activator DCSG Operating System

ADVA has announced the general availability of its Ensemble Activator, the market’s first carrier-grade network operating system (NOS) designed for disaggregated cell site gateways (DCSGs).

Already successful in trials with multiple global mobile network operators (MNOs) including Telefónica and Vodafone, Ensemble Activator disaggregates hardware from software, giving customers new levels of agility and freedom. Developed as part of the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), the feature-rich software enables MNOs to move away from closed proprietary systems and build open, vendor-neutral transport infrastructure with best-of-breed components. Now ready for commercial deployment in mobile networks, it offers MNOs a clear route to cost-effective mass rollout of 5G services.

“Today’s announcement marks the start of a new age of disaggregated mobile networks. By deploying our Ensemble Activator, MNOs will be able to leverage the full benefits of separated software and hardware and inject unprecedented speed, efficiency and flexibility into their transport infrastructure,” said Eli Angel, VP, product line management, Ethernet access, ADVA. “Built on our team’s vast experience equipping the largest public networks with the most advanced connectivity solutions, Ensemble Activator has now proven itself in a wide range of real-life scenarios. These include 5G field trials where Ensemble Activator combined with third-party white box hardware to create an open and cohesive DCSG solution. By turning cost-effective bare-metal switches into powerful packet network devices, it will equip MNOs to build tomorrow’s mobile infrastructure.”

Engineered through the TIP Disaggregated Cell Site Gateway group, ADVA’s Ensemble Activator is optimized for the operation of large, geographically dispersed networks. Proven in multiple tests with third-party hardware from suppliers such as Alpha Networks, Delta and Edgecore, it integrates seamlessly into existing management and control systems.

With its carrier-class capabilities, Ensemble Activator offers a way to grow mobile networks that combines the agility of software-based feature development with the performance and cost-efficiency of bare-metal switches. Its comprehensive set of CE 2.0- and MEF 3.0-compliant interfaces is complemented with proven IP and MPLS protocols.

What’s more, with its open control interfaces and telemetry streaming, Ensemble Activator is a significant step towards automated and eventually autonomous operations.

“Supporting the disaggregation of hardware and software while meeting the performance needs of the most demanding mobile networks is critical in transitioning today’s technology to open, highly scalable mobile transport architectures and enabling the mass rollout of 5G services. We are very excited about ADVA’s Ensemble Activator, as it offers something new to the market and enables a strong ecosystem for DCSG technology,” commented Luis MartinGarcia, manager, network technologies, Facebook and co-chair, DCSG group, TIP. “TIP is all about unleashing the power of collaboration and open innovation, and ADVA’s work demonstrates how quickly we build together in TIP to bring a powerful new technology to maturity.”