F5 Networks Reveals New Solutions to Boost Service Provider IoT and 5G-Readiness

New range of services and capabilities to be showcased at Mobile World Congress; Customer use-case demonstrations set for prominent spotlight at global event

BARCELONA, SPAIN – F5 Networks today announced a range of new 5G- and IoT-ready solutions and capabilities to help global service providers better optimize, secure and monetize their networks.

The news ties in with F5’s attendance at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, where the application delivery and security expert will unveil and demonstrate its latest suite of solutions.

F5 will also collaborate with a range of service provider customers to showcase how its technology can fuel the adoption of rapidly evolving trends such as 5G, IoT, NFV and multi-cloud deployment scenarios.

“Our service provider solutions have been specifically designed with the future in mind, consolidating and optimizing networks functions for the 5G and IoT era to reduce TCO, as well as facilitate multi-layered end-to-end security that encompasses devices, networks and applications,” said Mallik Tatipamula, VP of Service Provider and IoT Solutions, F5 Networks.

“The key is to enable new and innovative services and business models that will improve customer retention and expand market-share.”

Key updates include:

• Realizing the Potential of NFV

To help service providers harness a perfect storm of 5G, IoT and cloud, F5 is introducing a high-performance NFV 40G Virtual Edition, expanding service providers’ ability to scale networks with more flexible and agile architectures.

• Making IoT Go

To help service providers effectively optimize and secure their network for explosive growth in IoT traffic, F5 is announcing the support for specialized IoT protocols such as Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT). The first service provider-focused IoT-specific capability is MQTT Message Delivery, with the ability to intelligently steer IoT traffic and apply specific policies. F5 is also bolstering its IoT support with solutions for IoT Security, Access and Authentication. 

• SGi-LAN Enhancements

F5 Networks is consolidating its market leadership for SGi-LAN Layer 4-7 network services. New features include enhancements of the F5® BIG-IP® Policy Enforcement Manager™ (PEM), adding flexible licensing options to unlock new levels of network flexibility and control, enabling operators to evolve their use cases over time. In addition, SGi-LAN TCP Optimization has been updated with auto-tuning enhancements and is also closely coupled with subscriber awareness to provide advanced capabilities to operators. The new additions complement a host of existing SGi-LAN specific services, including Intelligent Traffic Steering, Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT), DNS, Firewall, and Service Chaining.

• SP Security Carrier Class Firewall Step-change

Key improvements to F5’s end-to-end dynamic Carrier Class Firewall include subscriber/policy awareness for F5® BIG-IP® Advanced Firewall Manager™ (AFM), stronger DDoS capabilities, and security and logging integration with SevOne, which provides a digital infrastructure platform for cutting-edge, actionable insights. Furthermore, the integration of Carrier Class Firewall and Carrier Grade NAT enables operators to easily handle transitioning their networks to IPv6.  

F5’s news comes hot on the heels of IDC’s prediction that the IoT market will grow to $1.29 trillion at a CAGR of 15.6% by 20201, a year by which Frost & Sullivan estimates that people will own 5.1 connected devices2.

IoT is also forcing itself to the top the strategic agenda in boardrooms worldwide. A recent report3 by the Internet of Things Institute noted that 65% of 1,000 surveyed global business executives agreed that organizations leveraging IoT internet will have a significant advantage.

Meanwhile, according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report there will be 550 million 5G connections by 2022. There will also be 29 billion connected devices in use – 18 billion associated with the Internet of Things (IoT)4.

Customer is King

The diversity of F5’s service provider capabilities will be amplified throughout MWC via a range of customer use-cases. Notable examples include:

Next Generation On-Demand Services

F5 has provided extensive support to Orange in developing its “On-Demand Mobile Networks” demonstration, which will take place on Orange’s booth during Mobile World Congress (Hall 3 Stand 3D10). The demonstration illustrates new innovative on-demand services using SDN/NFV technologies.

F5’s solution is used to facilitate virtualized mobile traffic management for the introduction of new mobile services. The demonstration will show how, in just a few minutes, a new “access parental” control service can be introduced into Orange mobile networks. Parents can then instantly subscribe, activate and control on-demand services, without any interaction on their children’s devices.

“F5 is a key partner for developing on-demand next-generation services in Orange. This demonstration shows how its products are particularly powerful to help build brand new services in a short timeframe,” said Jehanne Savi, On-Demand Networks and All IP Program Director, Orange Corp.

Digital Services Transformation

Since 2015, Telenor Denmark has worked with F5 Networks on an IT enhancement project to support its transformation from traditional telco to multifaceted digital services provider.

Danish telcos are under increasing pressure to ensure quality of service for customers in what is one of the world’s most demanding markets, particularly when it comes to managing exponentially growing data use.

 “From day one, our IT improvement strategy has been entirely focused on creating a new level of user experience, pioneering better services and safeguarding every aspect of our infrastructure,” said Peter Ditlev Nødbak, Head of Network, Telenor Denmark.

“Working with F5 has enabled us to dramatically simplify our operations. A company like Telenor is never static. We need to move fast, and F5 gives us the tools we need to optimize and secure our infrastructure.”

Connecting the Unconnected

Swedish web pioneers Joors, together with F5 Networks, has devised a solution that enables mobile operators anywhere in the world to bring affordable connectivity to users via innovative business-models such as ad-funded access. Joors’s solution is one of the first of its kind and is based on an agile and flexible network with advanced management capabilities.

F5® BIG-IP® Local Traffic Manager™ (LTM) is central to this approach, simplifying, automating, and customizing application delivery. Another key component is F5® BIG-IP® Policy Enforcement Manager™ (PEM), which provides insight on subscriber behavior and effectively manages network usage with a wide range of policy enforcement capabilities.

The solution, which will be publicised on F5’s MWC booth, has given Joors policy enforcement across its networks, all of which operate in a completely virtualized and hardware independent environment and can be controlled remotely from Sweden.

“What drives Joors is the joy of creating something new, of connecting people in ways that were previously unthinkable or restricted by hardware limitations and cost,” said Carl Aspenberg, CEO and Founder, Joors.

“We get phenomenal support from F5. Their commitment and engagement levels really stand out. We are on equal terms – they are an extension of our team, helping to shape the evolution of our products on a daily basis. F5 understands disruption, they are application-centric and their cloud and security solutions really deliver.”

You can find F5 @ Mobile World Congress in Hall 5, #G11

In addition to the customer demos, F5 will also be showcasing demonstrations of new F5 technologies and capabilities in the areas of IoT security, DNS security, SGi-LAN Monetization and NFV-based Dynamic Service Function Chaining. 

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1https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42209117

2http://www.frost.com/sublib/display-market-insight.do?id=294383010

3http://www.ioti.com/iot-trends-and-analysis/infographic-2016-iot-trends-survey

4https://www.ericsson.com/mobility-report

About F5

F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) makes apps go faster, smarter, and safer for the world’s largest businesses, service providers, governments, and consumer brands. F5 delivers cloud and security solutions that enable organizations to embrace the application infrastructure they choose without sacrificing speed and control. For more information, go to f5.com. You can also follow @f5networks on Twitter or visit us on LinkedIn and Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technologies.

F5 is a trademark or service mark of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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