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Finding the edge in automation – as a service

This Catalyst’s use case allows network and application functions to be exposed individually or in combination, depending on requirements and product offerings.

Annie Turner
05 Oct 2020
Finding the edge in automation – as a service

Finding the edge in automation – as a service

There is much interest in both edge computing and network-as-a-service (NaaS), and this proof of concept project combines the two. The Catalyst project showcases edge computing as a service (ECaaS) in a real-world scenario, demonstrating how it can support first responders in emergencies and provide the best performance for all applications during public and private events, rendering them smart-venues. The use cases are very different, but both demand rapid, dynamic reconfiguring of network resources and instantiation of applications at the edge to deliver and monetize critical services in a timely way. This project, The EDGE in automation, is championed by BT, Orange, Telecom Italia, Telus, Verizon, Videotron and Vodafone with special advisors AWS, Hansen and Microsoft, and participants Blue Planet (a division of Ciena), Cerillion, IBM and Optare Solutions.

The advantages of NaaS

In contrast, the NaaS architecture promotes network domains’ exposure of reusable building blocks from which products and complex services can be built. IT domains do not need to know how the building block’s capabilities are defined and integrates with all network domains through the TM Forum standardized, open APIs that are independent of any specific technology or vendor. As integration is simpler and faster, NaaS shortens time to market and improves customers’ experience. Dr. Lester Thomas, Chief Systems Architect at Vodafone Group, says, “By joining the Edge in automation Catalyst, Vodafone is furthering our goal to adopt an open platform approach to accelerate the delivery of innovative new edge services.”

The Catalyst’s use case allows network and application functions to be exposed individually or in combination, depending on requirements and product offerings. They include virtual private networks and firewalls as a service, and can also be combined with partners’ solutions, such as camera-as-a-service and image recognition for the venue surveillance and an emergency service.

The demonstration shows an event organizer buying a gold package with surveillance and emergency services for its gaming conference. During the event, a fire is detected triggering the automated and rapid reconfiguration of the edge to deliver public safety and emergency services – a range of services that exceeds capabilities of any single organization.

Standard payload for edge

A primary goal of the Catalyst is to show how developers can innovate rapidly and deliver on many use cases. In reusing the TMF909 NaaS API component suite for the lifecycle of the catalyst use case services, the focus of the Catalyst will be to define a standard service payload for the edge. The Covid-19 pandemic reduced the team’s access to labs and so prevented work on an edge server, IoT applications and the OSS/BSS connectivity. Nevertheless, systems integrator Optare Solutions, analyzed ETSI’s APIs for Multi-access Edge Computing and combined them with TM Forum’s assets including Procurement & Onboarding of Virtualization Packages (IG1141), ODA Production Implementation Guidelines (GB999 – formerly User Guide for Network Slice Management), the API Suite Specification for NaaS plus the lessons learned from the Becoming EDGY Catalyst in 2019. The team also reviewed input from TM Forum’s Digital Platform Reference Architecture Concepts and Principles (IG1157), MEF’s new Cloud Services Architecture project and GSMA’s Operator Platform. It plans to make contributions back to the MEF “Cloud Services Architecture” and “Interlude-Service Control”, GSMA Operator Platform project, and ETSI MEC project through the TMF Liaison program. One of the Forum’s key priorities is to make it easier for standards development organizations to generate technology payloads and easily integrate these with TM Forum’s Open APIs.

Other goals

The team also plans to provide input to a new TM Forum IG1224 NaaS Service Fulfillment Guidelines, to contribute an automated reconfiguration use case to the Autonomous Networks Project and upcoming white paper, and feed the lessons learned from working with multiple cloud providers into the Open Digital Architecture. The team has already drafted a roles and responsibilities document between cloud service providers and CSPs with input from AWS, IBM and Microsoft. Watch the team present The EDGE in automation on this video as part of the Catalyst Digital Showcase.