Nokia unveils cloud-native IMS Voice Core

Nokia has announced a new cloud-native IMS Voice Core product to help communication service providers (CSPs) simplify their network operations, increase operational agility, and decrease the cost of managing their network.

The Nokia Cloud Native Communication Suite (CNCS) is a simplified, IMS-based product architected as a single Cloud Native Network Function (CNF).

This approach, based on a modular architecture composed of independent functions, greatly simplifies the deployment and operability of the IMS Voice Core, significantly reducing installation and upgrade time; provides automated deployment and configuration, reducing footprint; and lowers costs through operational savings of life cycle management.

Dedicated network elements, such as the Session Border Controller (SBC), Call Session Control Function (CSCF), Telephony Application Server (TAS) and Media Resource function (MRF), are encapsulated as microservices into the CNF.

Nokia Cloud Native Communication Suite improves energy efficiency by 10%-20% compared to other IMS voice cores, because its software architecture improves common resource utilization and internal messaging performance, requiring less infrastructure for the IMS voice service.

Nokia Cloud Native Communication Suite is optimized for Fixed, 4G, 5G and WiFi deployments.

Don Alusha, Senior Analyst at ABI Research, said: “Nokia’s Cloud Native Communications Suite (CNCS) offers a vendor-neutral, 3GPP-compliant IMS voice core that encapsulates complexity by consolidating various IMS voice elements into a more manageable single network function. With a simplified, cloud-native IMS voice core CSPs can reduce their infrastructure footprint, gain better cost efficiencies, and manage the complexity of IMS voice at scale to deliver an improved customer experience while reducing operational costs.”

Fran Heeran, SVP & Head of Core Networks, Cloud and Network Services at Nokia, said: “As 5G pivots to advanced services, and 4G fulfills its all-IP vision by shifting fully to Voice over LTE, the Cloud Native Communication Suite is Nokia’s answer to our CSP customer needs to enhance their network agility, optimize their cost structure, and simplify deployment and operation. With Nokia CNCS, our customers get an off-the-shelf IMS Voice Core with a set of standard-based functions that are implemented to act as a single product.”