AT&T Pulls Cisco Into IP Edge Routing Deployment

AT&T this week expanded its use of open, disaggregated IP routing technology to deploy an edge routing platform with an assist from Broadcom, Cisco, and UfiSpace. The new IP edge routing platform uses the same Broadcom Jericho2-based hardware designs that AT&T procured from UfiSpace for its IP/MPLS core. AT&T this week expanded its use of open, disaggregated IP routing technology to deploy an edge routing platform with an assist from Broadcom, Cisco, and UfiSpace. The new IP edge routing platform uses the same Broadcom Jericho2-based hardware designs that AT&T procured from UfiSpace for its IP/MPLS core. It also marks an evolution for the distributed disaggregated chassis (DCC) white box router that AT&T submitted to the Open Compute Project in 2019. AT&T is using that same hardware to run its network backbone on core routing software from DriveNets, a framework that is expected to carry all of the operator’s traffic by 2023, DriveNets CEO Ido Susan told SDxCentral when that initial deployment occurred in September.  AT&T said its ability to use the same open hardware for core and edge routing demonstrates the power of open platforms and bolsters its broad vision for the use of open source systems.  “This is a really big development in the networking ecosystem,” Andre Fuetsch, AT&T’s CTO for network services, said in a statement. “This model gives us options and flexibility in our supply chain and enables us to use best-in-breed products whether they come from established or disruptive suppliers. And this is well past lab experiments; the technologies and ecosystem have matured, and we are now into the production deployment phase.” Peering, the system that connects AT&T’s IP network with other service providers, is the first IP edge use case that AT&T is targeting under this framework but it’s also working with Cisco to develop services for broadband, Ethernet, mobility, and VPN, Fuetsch said. “We have started the journey to converge the disparate edge implementations we have today onto common software and hardware driving uniformity, simplification, and agility.” Cisco is contributing its IOS XR network operating system to provide AT&T with additional management and control functions, more granular monitoring, and levers it can pull to mitigate security threats.  Jonathan Davidson, SVP and GM at Cisco’s Mass Scale Infrastructure Group, framed this development with AT&T around Cisco’s decision to disaggregate its IOS XR operating system, including the separation of components, hardware, software, automation, and services. “At Cisco, change is deeply rooted in our DNA. We choose to embrace change, even if it means a disruption in the way we traditionally do business. Network disaggregation is a great example,” he said in a statement. “Those that were ready for this new business model prepared their organization to take over the responsibility of customization, integration, security, and lifecycle management.” Cisco IOS XR can now be run on fixed or modular routers powered by Cisco silicon, x86-based servers as virtualized software on public clouds, or a “curated set” of third-party devices, Davidson said.