Converged Supercore Architecture to Improve Network Economics

Juniper Networks today announced a new suite of products and services that delivers the industry’s first Converged Supercore for service and content providers. Juniper’s Converged Supercore is an integrated end-to-end packet transport solution optimized to deliver the switching and transport technology necessary to accommodate the core networking requirements of the new connected economy.

With nearly one billion mobile smart devices and an increasing shift toward cloud-based and video applications generating exponentially growing and unpredictable traffic, service providers have to evolve the core network to flexibly accommodate new levels of peak demand while improving the economics of the core network infrastructure. For the first time, the Converged Supercore combines the inherent efficiency of MPLS, the simplicity of switching and integrated optics to deliver unmatched network scale with fewer network elements.

“The new flexible approach to network architecture that Juniper is advancing accommodates the increasingly unpredictable traffic patterns, driven by new and emerging cloud computing, video and mobile applications,” said Kempei Fukuda, Senior Director, Global Network, NTT Communications. “By creating a hybrid approach to the packet and optical networks, Juniper has introduced a cost-effective converged solution that dramatically reduces complexity while building in the scalability we need to quickly adjust to unforeseen traffic demands.”

“By 2015 there will be 1,000 percent more laptop data traffic and 10,000 percent more smart phone data traffic and users will access their personal services from the cloud wherever they are and with whatever device they use,” said Marc Rouanne, head of Network Systems and member of Executive Board of Nokia Siemens Networks. “Juniper’s Converged Supercore combined with its IP/MPLS router solutions addresses this opportunity and the emerging needs of our customers, and it completes our solution portfolio including efficient optical networking, network management and professional services.”

Traditionally, service providers have relied on circuit switching in their core networks, which requires provisioning enough bandwidth and infrastructure to accommodate the highest possible traffic peaks to maintain integrity of the network services. The rigid circuit switching model, however, breaks down when confronted by unpredictable, burst-prone traffic patterns, with peaks up to 12 times higher than the average. While traditional IP routing has the required flexibility and is the most cost-effective solution to date, it does not fully address the economic pressures of the core network.

In an industry first, Juniper’s new architecture blends best-in-class optical transport with industry-leading packet switching in a Converged Supercore, making the best use of both technologies. In addition to leveraging a single, state-of-the-art network management system for the entire transport network, it also marks the first time that a single operating system, Junos, powers both the optical layer and the packet layer. The Juniper Networks PTX Series Packet Transport Switch was purpose-built to allow service and content providers to collapse network layers, saving money in network management and operations and taking the uncertainty and cost out of core network provisioning, resulting in network capex cost savings of 40 to 65 percent compared to traditional architectures and a 35 percent savings versus a pure IP routing solution.

“To avoid breaking the economics of core network provisioning, service providers must extract every bit of cost out of their networks while improving service delivery and the quality of experience for their customers,” said Stefan Dyckerhoff, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Platform Systems Group at Juniper Networks. “Success for service providers hinges on finding a more economical and effective model for building and maintaining their core transport networks and that’s the foundation of our new Converged Supercore architecture and solution set.”

Juniper Networks