Sri Lankan operator Dialog Axiata has claimed a first: the deployment of the world’s first commercial virtual base station controller (vBSC) with Ericsson.
The vBSC is a virtualised version of the traditional base station controller. It runs as software on virtualised hardware rather than as a physical piece of equipment, thus, says Ericsson, allowing for more flexibility and scalability in managing and controlling the networks.
The world's first commercial implementation of this technology is described by Ericsson as a significant leap forward in telecommunications infrastructure, offering new opportunities for network modernisation of any generation of technology and seamless migration to virtualised network functions.
The vBSC – which is compatible with all generations of mobile technology – is designed to harness the capabilities of Ericsson's network function virtualisation infrastructure (NFVI) platform to deliver the same essential functions as its hardware-based counterpart.
As the first customer to deploy the vBSC, Dialog is leveraging virtualisation to enhance operational efficiency and reducing dependency on proprietary hardware. Ericsson says the modernisation initiative will replace BSCs while significantly reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) that virtualisation can provide.
In fact the deployment of vBSC also offers significant operational savings in terms of power and space compared to its native hardware counterpart, presenting an opportunity for operators to embrace virtualisation as a means to extend the life cycle of critical communications, enhance operational efficiency, and realise substantial operational savings.
Emphasising this point, David Hägerbro, Head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, says: “Ericsson's virtual Base Station Controller deployment is set to transform the telecommunications industry by providing a cost-effective, efficient solution to modernise networks and significantly reduce operating expenses.”
