LG U+ Deploys First Carrier-Grade NFV Router in Korea to Prepare for 5G

To prepare for 5G and next-generation mobile services, LG U+ knew a Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)-based solution using virtual routers was the best path forward.

LG U+ provides communications services in Korea, including mobile communications; optical, IP, hybrid fiber coaxial network, converged broadcasting, and telecom services. In 2013, LG U+ became the first company in the world to commercialize “100 percent LTE,” doubling the speed of LTE services.

Overview


Company LGU+
Industry Telecommunications
Products used MX SeriesRoutage virtuel vMX
Region APAC
LGU+ Image
"This project is the first commercialization of a carrier-grade [less than one-millionth failure rate] NFV-based router in Korea led by LG U+ in cooperation with Juniper Networks and Wind River, a network virtualization solution company. We have been working on this project with confidence that we can secure a stable system through network automation and improve management resource efficiency."
Jae-ho Choi IP Network Development Team, LG U+

Business Challenge

LG U+ had to prepare for the advent of 5G and the next generation of mobile services. Given the fast pace of innovation associated with these services, coupled with consumers’ high expectations regarding service uptime, LG U+ needed a flexible, highly reliable networking platform.

Technology Solution

The provider chose the vMX Virtual Router, which has complete feature and operational consistency with the physical MX Series routers and supports high-performance virtual route reflection and NFV orchestration based on OpenStack. With the vMX, LG U+ became the first service provider in Korea to deploy a carrier-grade NFV-based router with a failure rate of less than one-millionth.

Business Results

Its scalable NFV infrastructure will enable LG U+ to roll out 5G services quickly and efficiently. The provider reduced operational costs by minimizing reliance on underused, dedicated hardware and dynamically allocating server and memory resources on demand. Now LG U+ can deploy a new virtual router with just a few mouse-clicks.

"As the first service provider in Korea to deploy a carrier-grade virtualized router in a commercial network, we were able to improve routing performance and also provide more secure and varied services to customers."
Jae-ho Choi IP Network Development Team, LG U+