Virtualized Central Office Delivery Instance for Flexible Broadband Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional telecommunications network architectures lack flexibility in providing services due to the bundling of service levels at central office points of delivery, limiting the ability to efficiently manage and operate broadband access networks.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where a central office point of delivery instance, connected to a central office point of delivery management entity, comprises control, management, transport, and edge functionalities, allowing for the instantiation of a virtualized central office point of delivery using a hardware host entity, enabling easy setup and operation of satellite central office points, and managing access functionality through exchange of configuration and operational state information via a virtualization layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If service levels are bundled at central office points of delivery, then service provision is simplified, but flexibility in providing telecommunication services is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the central office point of delivery into a management entity and multiple independent instances that can be deployed at different locations. Each instance can be configured independently to provide different service levels, allowing flexibility without requiring complex bundled architectures. The segmentation enables separate management of access network services from core network services.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses virtualized instances that can be copied and deployed at multiple locations. The central office point of delivery is implemented as a virtual machine or container that can be replicated, allowing the same functionality to be provided at different sites with different configurations. This copying approach enables flexible service provision while maintaining simplified management through template-based deployment.
2Ease of operation
If a virtualized central office point of delivery is instantiated on hardware host entities, then ease of setup and operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtualization layer as an intermediary between the physical hardware and the virtualized central office instances. This intermediary layer abstracts the hardware complexity from the service instances, allowing them to be deployed and managed independently. The virtualization layer handles the complexity of resource allocation, networking, and hardware abstraction, while keeping the service instances simple and easy to operate.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtualized central office point of delivery is designed as a universal template that can run on various hardware platforms. The same virtual machine image or container can be deployed on different hardware host entities, providing multi-functionality. This universality simplifies setup and operation by eliminating the need for hardware-specific configurations, while the underlying virtualization infrastructure manages the hardware diversity.
3Area of stationary object
If satellite central office points are deployed to expand broadband access, then network coverage is improved, but operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action through pre-configured virtualized instances and templates. Before deployment, the central office point of delivery is prepared as a pre-configured virtual machine image or container with all necessary software components, network configurations, and security settings. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex on-site configuration, reducing operational complexity while enabling rapid deployment at new locations to expand network coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the central office point of delivery management entity continuously monitors the status of satellite instances and automatically adjusts configurations. This feedback loop enables self-healing and automatic optimization, reducing the operational burden on administrators. The management entity receives status information from satellite points and can automatically provision resources, resolve conflicts, or adjust parameters to maintain optimal operation across the expanded network.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a delivery instance for an access network of a telecommunications network is provided. The delivery instance is connected to a management entity, where the delivery instance and the management entity include a control functionality, a management functionality, a transport functionality, and an edge functionality. The delivery instance includes an access functionality realized by a plurality of access nodes that terminate physical subscriber lines serving end users of the telecommunications network. The delivery instance is operated using a hardware host. The management entity and the hardware host exchange configuration and setup information to bring the delivery instance into operation on the hardware host. The management entity manages the operation of the delivery instance running on the hardware host, the delivery instance operatively realizes access functionality regarding the end users of the telecommunications network using the plurality of access nodes and the physical subscriber lines thereof.