AT&T (NYSE: T) has added managed service as the latest feature of its on-demand service capability, giving business customers an option to adjust and add network capabilities as needed.
As a virtual service that leverages NFV, business customers won't need to house router hardware at their locations. Routing functions will be run and accessed from AT&T's core network.
Initially available in select U.S. cities later this fall, AT&T plans to expand the service by the end of the year. It will also offer additional Network on Demand-enabled services at a later point.
Set on making network service setup simpler, a real estate firm renting office space could turn up network services in minutes as tenants come and go. By using an online portal to make adjustments, AT&T claims it can improve provisioning times by up to 95 percent.
The managed service builds on AT&T's Switched Ethernet Service via Network on Demand service. Since it launched that service last year, it now offers it in 170 U.S. cities and has over 200 customers.
In related news, AT&T also signed agreements with a number of its key network equipment vendors including Brocade, Cisco, and Juniper to deploy a number of advanced virtualized technologies, including software-based customer premise equipment (CPE) that will deliver expanded benefits to business customers.
This new service enhancement represents the telco's desire to implement more software throughout its network. By the year 2020 it plans to have 75 percent of its network controlled by software by the year 2020.
The service provider continues to make progress towards reaching this goal. Earlier this year, AT&T said it is close to reaching 5 percent of the 75 percent goal. In 2016, the software transition progress will continue to ramp.
For more:
- see the release
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