Blue Planet Automation Accelerates CSP Adoption of 5G and Multi-Cloud

Rhea-AI Summary

Ciena has enhanced its Blue Planet intelligent automation software portfolio, enabling communication service providers (CSPs) to effectively monetize 5G and multi-cloud services. Key features include 5G automation for network slicing and improved operational agility through low-code usability. The launch is timed with Digital Transformation World (DTW) 2022, where Ciena aims to address challenges faced by CSPs. These upgrades are expected to facilitate quicker service delivery and enhanced customer experiences, positioning Ciena favorably in the evolving telecommunications landscape.

Positive

• Introduction of new 5G automation capabilities enhancing network slicing and service deployment.
• Low-code enhancements enabling rapid development of services for CSPs, improving operational efficiency.
• Involvement in Nephio, fostering innovation in Kubernetes-based network automation.

Negative

• None.

Enhancements across software product portfolio enable CSPs to design, deliver and monetize new digital services more efficiently

HANOVER, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Blue Planet, a division of Ciena (NYSE:CIEN), has added new software enhancements to its intelligent automation product portfolio, helping communication service providers (CSPs) accelerate their digital transformation and quickly monetize innovative digital services built on 5G and multi-cloud infrastructure. These enhancements deliver end-to-end observability and control to automate service lifecycle management, improve operational agility and optimize customer experience.

The latest software innovations across the Blue Planet intelligent automation portfolio address multiple CSP digital transformation challenges and opportunities:

5G automation: The emergence of 5G standalone, network slicing and multi-access edge computing (MEC) allows CSPs to monetize their network in new ways by delivering innovative slice-based services and offering true digital experiences. Blue Planet is providing new 5G automation capabilities that include:

• An open, productized 5G network slicing solution that incorporates end-to-end orchestration and observability for zero-touch lifecycle management – automating design, activation, assurance, and modification – of slices, including sub-slice management, across the radio access network (RAN) to the core.
• Dynamic inventory for visualizing the optimal placement of physical and cloud-native resources as well as the end-to-end 5G service topology to help CSPs plan and deploy their 5G resources quickly and efficiently.

Multi-Cloud extensibility: Open cloud-based approaches are critical to increasing scale and agility, as well as enabling elastic connectivity models with cloud providers. New Blue Planet multi-cloud enhancements include:

• Broad Kubernetes support that enables the intelligent placement and orchestration of cloud-based network functions (CNFs) and applications in distributed multi-cloud environments. As a truly cloud-native platform, Blue Planet can be deployed in any public or private cloud and can be consumed in a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.
• As a key player in the multi-cloud ecosystem, Blue Planet has recently joined Nephio, a new Linux Foundation open-source project seeded by Google and focused on Kubernetes-based intent-driven automation of network functions and the underlying infrastructure that supports them.

Low-code usability: Low-code technology helps CSPs improve operational agility by empowering them and their system integration partners to design and build new service types and applications for end customers with minimal IT and vendor support. New Blue Planet low-code enhancements include:

• A single set of integrated development tools across the Blue Planet portfolio to accelerate the onboarding of new network resources and declarative templating abilities that simplify the modeling and creation of new services.

"With the rise of 5G and cloudified services, CSPs’ network and service operations will become even more complicated, making automation a necessity. Blue Planet has been making steady incremental progress to enable CSP automation, with its vendor-agnostic, modular, programmable take on service lifecycle management. This latest product upgrade from Blue Planet, with its focus on simplicity for the customer, provides telcos with an opportunity for growth and to engage with the digital economy,” said Francis Haysom, Principal Analyst, Appledore.

"Digitization is accelerating for CSPs as they modernize their operations to deliver innovative new services more quickly and cost-effectively,” said Rick Hamilton, Senior Vice President, Blue Planet. “At Blue Planet, we are laser-focused on creating intelligent automation capabilities that help our CSP customers digitize operations and deliver exciting new digital services to improve the customer experience.”

You can learn more about these new and enhanced features by visiting Blue Planet this week at Digital Transformation World (DTW) 2022, September 20-22 in Copenhagen, Denmark, where Blue Planet is participating in the ‘Supercharged edge-aware marketplaces’ Catalyst demonstration.

About Blue Planet
Blue Planet provides proven software solutions that accelerate digital transformation through intelligent automation. With more than 200 deployments worldwide, our modular, vendor-agnostic product portfolio enables real-time visibility and control to manage changing network operating environments. Backed by a global team of delivery specialists and an ecosystem of partners, Blue Planet is a division of Ciena that combines expertise across IT, network, and business operations to enable the agility necessary for creating differentiated end-customer experiences. www.blueplanet.com.

Note to Ciena Investors
You are encouraged to review the Investors section of our website, where we routinely post press releases, SEC filings, recent news, financial results, and other announcements. From time to time we exclusively post material information to this website along with other disclosure channels that we use. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based on our current expectations, forecasts, information and assumptions. These statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those stated or implied, because of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in our most recent annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies and can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," "will," and "would" or similar words. Ciena assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220920005266/en/

Press: Chua Wei Wei

Ciena Corporation

+65 9833 2654

pr@ciena.com

Investors: Gregg Lampf

Ciena Corporation

+1 (410) 694-5700

ir@ciena.com

 

Source: Ciena Corporation

FAQ

What software enhancements has Ciena introduced in 2022?

Ciena introduced enhancements to its Blue Planet software, focusing on 5G automation, multi-cloud extensibility, and low-code usability.

How do Ciena's new features impact communication service providers?

The enhancements allow CSPs to monetize 5G services more effectively and improve operational agility through low-code tools.

What is Ciena's involvement in the Digital Transformation World conference?

Ciena is participating in DTW 2022 to showcase its latest software innovations that support CSPs in their digital transformation.

What does the low-code usability enhancement entail?

It provides integrated development tools to help CSPs quickly design and build new services with minimal IT support.