The technique could help to lower and control latency for high-bandwidth applications running on Vodafone’s network, to improve the overall entertainment experience for customers streaming video, games and augmented, virtual or mixed reality streams.
According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index Forecast 2016-2021, by 2021 network traffic from wireless and mobile devices will account for more than 63 percent of total IP traffic and the number of devices connected to IP networks will be three times larger than the size of the global population in 2021. To meet this growth in demand for bandwidth and more devices connected to the network, Vodafone has started to use Cisco segment routing technology to simplify its overall transport network operations by automating core functions to better detect and solve traffic congestion issues.
Segment Routing is an innovative IP routing protocol that allows the transport network to differentiate the way it delivers applications, removing legacy protocols and making network operations easier. Using a software defined network for transport, it will be possible to create a low latency ‘slice’ (a virtual route within the transport network), that will ensure chosen types of traffic – for instance automated driving or critical health applications - would always choose the route with the shortest end-to-end latency.
Segment routing also improves network resiliency by using ‘self-healing’ to intuitively restore connectivity in under 50 milliseconds if an issue occurs by rerouting traffic automatically. That will provide better network up-time and allow for faster upgrades.
“Vodafone is well advanced in its network transformation journey,” said Yvette Kanouff, senior vice president and general manager, Service Provider Business, Cisco. “Segment routing marks another example of how Vodafone is transforming its network operations with more software and cloud-powered technology to deliver innovative services faster and more efficiently. Demonstrating this technology in front of live audiences here this week gives us the chance to share the wow factor of how together, we are changing the face of networking.”