Du claims region-first in NFV test

Dubai telco completes testing phase, eyes rollout of emerging network function virtualisation

Dubai-based telecoms provider, du, today announced completion of an internal testing phase for network function virtualisation (NFV) technology, claiming to be "the first company in the Middle East" to complete such tests.

NFV allows the virtualisation of network topology components into building blocks that can be used to construct full network functionality that it is kept separate from hardware, simplifying deployment and maintenance. Du hopes to deploy the technology to its existing 4G network, so the telco can offer a slicker service-delivery platform to its enterprise customers.

As the company explained in an emailed statement: "Du's enterprise customers in future will have the option of either being able to run multiple services in a faster and more efficient manner, using possibly just one device, while the backend computing services (such as firewall, load balancer, etc.) reside at du's data centres."

"We are always eager to consider new technologies that not only streamline our network operations, but, more importantly, deliver a superior and simplified user experience to our customers," said Saleem AlBlooshi, executive vice president, Network Development and Operations, du.

"We are excited about network function virtualisation and the successful test paves the way forward for further validation and future deployment."