AT&T invites Alcatel-Lucent, Fujitsu into its user-defined cloud program

AT&T (NYSE: T) is enhancing its growing cloud services ambitions by adding Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) and Fujitsu to its User-Defined Network Cloud program it initially launched in February.

Alcatel-Lucent and Fujitsu join Juniper Networks, which joined the program in April, and other vendors such as Ericsson and Metaswitch Networks.

The service provider said the user-defined network concept is part of a broader change taking place at the company in how it works with vendors and manages systems, platforms and software.

A key piece of the cloud strategy is the implementation of network functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networks (SDN).

During the next few weeks, AT&T plans to announce another round of vendors to participate in the program.

AT&T said that the program will not require it to revise its capital expenditures. Instead, it expects the User-Defined Network Cloud program to "reflect a downward bias toward capital spending," adding that it will rely "less on specialized hardware and using more common off-the-shelf equipment, and deploying open service and network components that are reusable."

Gaining a seat at AT&T's User-Defined Network Cloud program is significant to both Alcatel-Lucent and Fujitsu, particularly as they themselves outline how their own software and cloud platform strategies will work with large service providers.

For more:
- see the release

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