Ericsson-LG, SK Telecom cooperating on SDN, NFV research

Ericsson-LG and South Korean operator SK Telecom agreed to cooperate on research and development efforts involving software-defined networking (SDN), network functions virtualization (NFV) and the cloud, all of which will likely play crucial roles in future 5G networks.

"Orchestration of integrated network services is a key for the next-generation 5G network. It is an essential technology to maximize efficiency and automation of an increasingly advanced and complex network, and revitalize a 5G network service ecosystem based on a user-centric, open network," said Park Jin-hyo, head of SK Telecom's network technology R&D center, who was quoted in a telecoms.com article.

In July, Ericsson-LG also entered a technical collaboration with SK Telecom rival KT, which focuses on creating a proof of concept of NFV in a virtualized evolved packet core (vEPC) as part of KT's Gigatopia vision. Ericsson-LG, a joint venture between South Korea's LG Electronics and Sweden's Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), officially launched on July 1, 2010. For more, see this telecoms.com article.