AT&T (NYSE:T) is hiring 100 "innovators" to develop its virtualized network of the future and has already posted two sample job descriptions on its site.
The first is for an "advanced development engineer" based in Austin, Texas; Palo Alto, Calif.; or New Jersey. According to the job description, the candidate should have a Ph.D. in computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics or another quantitative science. "You might have at least once tried to implement Paxos for fun, if not profit," it adds.
The second listing is for a "senior integration engineer" based in Austin or Middletown, N.J. This position requires a B.S. in one of the quantitative sciences. "You might have once burned an entire weekend live-migrating your blog from Heroku to Docker on EC2," the job description adds.
According to both job descriptions, "AT&T is building a small team of hands-on experts in distributed systems, software development and systems analysis to prototype and to deliver components of the new architecture."
In addition, the operator continues providing more information regarding the radical transformation it has in mind for itself via integration of the cloud, software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV). Last week, the operator laid out a roadmap to its envisioned network of the future, including the "user-defined network cloud."
Key to this vision is AT&T's Domain 2.0 supplier program, which was first announced in September 2013, and the vendors that will provide technology to AT&T going forward. Named to the first group of suppliers were Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC), Tail-F Systems, Metaswitch Networks and Affirmed Networks.
AT&T is also publicizing a white paper it actually put together last fall regarding Domain 2.0. Among other things, the white paper spotlights the cultural transformation that AT&T envisions.
"Domain 2.0 comprises more than simply a network or service architecture. It requires appropriate business practices, a supplier and software ecosystem, a software-savvy planning and operations organization, and management willing to try alternatives and fail fast," the white paper said.
Meanwhile, John Donovan, senior executive vice president, AT&T technology and network operations, wrote in a blog entry this week that AT&T's user-defined network cloud "will give you control over a personalized network that accompanies you everywhere."
He added that AT&T's cloud model will deliver network as a service (NaaS) to customers, enabling them to, for example, add physical storage capacity to a U-verse DVR or add AT&T Digital Life to their personal network simply by making a few taps on a device.
"Your network won't be confined by the limitations of hardware or specific location, such as your home network router and wireless connection. You'll have your own 'personal cloud' that follows you wherever you are, defined by the software controlling the network," he wrote.
According to Donovan, AT&T intends to offer a common pool of resources so customers, both businesses and consumers, can use exactly what they want, on demand.
For more:
- see this AT&T webpage and white paper
- see this blog entry
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