CMC Networks has partnered with German network solution provider aconnic, previously emerged from UET United Electronic Technology AG and albis-elcon, to bring network function virtualisation (NFV) to service providers across Africa and the Middle East.

CMC Networks is deploying aconnic’s uSphir OS & NFV platform as part of its CMC Fusion™ Network as a Service (NaaS) offering, helping to accelerate service deployments for customers across these regions.

The uSphir OS & NFV platform is specially designed for disaggregated networks, integrating hardware, software and applications from multiple vendors to ensure carrier-grade network performance. When combined with the on-demand CMC Fusion NaaS platform, service providers in Africa and the Middle East will benefit from service delivery automation to speed up new deployments at scale.

“NFV enables service providers to deploy services in new and innovative ways, delivering the value customers are expecting with added speed and flexibility. CMC Networks’ customers will be able to select any virtual network function (VNF) and any hardware platform with our open uSphir ecosystem, which is a significant value-add,” says Werner Neubauer, CEO of aconnic.

“We are thrilled to work together with one of the largest pan-African and Middle Eastern network connectivity service providers to enable next-generation connectivity in the region. Africa is strategically important for aconnic to expand the business, and we are looking forward to becoming even more involved in this fast-growing region in the future.”

The uSphir OS & NFV platform enables open network disaggregation to transform any whitebox into a fully operational universal Customer Premises Equipment (uCPE). It provides a turnkey solution with all the benefits of open-source software, but with the added security, performance, management, and orchestration features that service providers require. CMC Fusion™ will integrate this solution, alongside a number of other network services spanning cloud, security, software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) and more, to provide customers with fast and on-demand connectivity at scale.

“CMC has been providing services for over 30 years, combining network reach across six continents with a range of services to solve local challenges with world-class solutions,” says Marisa Trisolino, CEO of CMC Networks. “We are always looking at ways to improve our network even further for our customers, and this a very exciting partnership with aconnic to improve delivery timelines and enhance our value proposition.

“Fast, flexible and on-demand service delivery is critical to the efficient operations of the modern service provider, and a key driver for revenue growth. It’s great to collaborate with a partner that shares our vision for innovation and next-generation connectivity services in Africa and the Middle East.”