SOLUTION BRIEF

Four uCPE success stories

Does universal CPE (uCPE) really work? Yes! Here are four real-world examples
of how enterprises and service providers can leverage uCPE for innovative
services.
What exactly is uCPE?
uCPE is built around the idea of replacing dedicated networking appliances (routers, firewalls, etc.) with
software functions running on a standard hardware server, as shown below.

uCPE enables a single hardware platform to be used for multiple functions. And even better, users can change
the functions in real-time as customer requirements change. Want to add a firewall to your managed SD-WAN
service? Go to the user portal and add it!

Let’s look more closely at the architecture of uCPE. It includes:

• An open and standard server as the base of the network functions virtualization infrastructure (NFVI)
• An NFVI operating system (OS) that provides open hosting and virtualization
• A set of third-party virtual network functions (VNFs) and end user applications that run on the NFVI OS

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An example implementation is shown below:

Note: the customer names have been changed.

uCPE success story #1: “Alpha” – National railroad operator in the US

Alpha is a large railroad operator in the US. They wanted to modernize their communications network and move
beyond reliance on MPLS alone. They decided on SD-WAN, but wanted to avoid vendor lock-in and technology
obsolescence. ADVA and Dell were able to provide the perfect solution.

Business challenges
Alpha has connectivity needs that will always require the protection and performance of MPLS. But they wanted
to expand their network where applicable using IP and SD-WAN. And they wanted to avoid vendor lock-in and
have the option to use virtual technology to enjoy flexibility in their network functions.

Solution deployed
ADVA delivered its Ensemble software suite, including Ensemble Orchestrator and Ensemble Virtualization
Director for MANO, and Ensemble Connector for the uCPE network operating system and VNF hosting, as well
as services to support Alpha. Dell delivered Dell VEP servers for uCPE hosting. The VEP is versatile and feature
rich, including options like DC power. The SD-WAN VNF was from Silver Peak.

Business benefits
• The Dell/ADVA solution was an ideal fit to enable Alpha’s network to easily expand
• The solution can easily grow to add more network functions later, including firewall, application monitoring,
IoT, etc.
• The cost savings of replacing legacy routers with a uCPE was roughly one third the cost of the next-
generation appliance from Cisco

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Why ADVA won
ADVA and Dell brought a high-performance solution with open components that are pre-integrated. Alpha has
confidence in the ability of Dell and ADVA to support SD-WAN today and any platform they may choose in the
future.

uCPE success story #2: “Bravo” – Tier 1 CSP in the US

Bravo is a multinational telecommunication company headquartered in the US. They offer communications,
network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services.

Bravo’s SD-WAN service was based on an appliance model, but they recognized that they were behind their
competition. They needed a uCPE offering that enabled services beyond SD-WAN.

Bravo evaluated various platforms, including white and grey box options, but ultimately recognized that only a
white box solution would enable them to deliver the required breadth of service. This included managed VNFs
as well as an edge cloud platform that allowed customers to bring their own applications to this platform.

Bravo ultimately decided on a white box platform from Lanner along with ADVA’s entire Ensemble software.
These components were integrated in the back-office systems to enable full automation and management of
these services.

The initial use case was managed SD-WAN along with a customer-managed firewall on the platform. The open
uCPE model will enable them to add additional services easily, including a broader set of VNFs, as well as
customer applications in an open model.

Business benefits
The choice of ADVA enabled Bravo to select best-of-breed components at each layer, as well as to optimize cost
via the disaggregated model, including white box, VNFs and NFVI/MANO. Longer term, and most importantly,
the ADVA solution gives Bravo service agility to meet customer demand and provides a platform for future
services based on open standards.

Why ADVA won

Bravo initially selected an all-in-one grey box platform with the belief that it would be easy to deploy and have
quick time-to-market. However, they quickly realized that was not the case. The cost, complexity and lack of
openness were showstoppers. ADVA’s solution was selected after extensive testing and validation. We were able
to provide a truly open solution, along with the operational support and scalability to enable global
deployment.

uCPE success story #3: “Charlie” - Tier 1 CSP in the middle east
Charlie is an innovative Tier 1 service provider that offers SD-WAN services. But it wanted to realize the benefits
of an open platform with uCPE to provide a cost-effective entry point and opportunities for upselling.

Business challenges
Charlie offers up to 1Gbit/s services to enterprises and up to 10Gbit/s services to large enterprises and
government sectors for voice, internet and security applications. This required multiple hardware platforms, in
multiple sizes. And to meet demanding service level agreements these platforms had to be stored in multiple
depots. Charlie wanted to be able to provide its managed connectivity, SD-WAN services and security
applications at a lower cost than its regional competitors. This meant offering its existing applications on a
single platform, consuming only the hardware resources they needed. They did not want to deploy and

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administer unused router or SD-WAN capabilities. But Charlie also needed the ability to upsell by upgrading the
solution in place.

Solution deployed
Charlie decided on a white box platform from Dell along with ADVA’s entire Ensemble software suite, which has
a northbound interface into their high-level orchestration management system. The Connector installation
provides an embedded vRouter function using 6WIND’s Turbo Router, which implements PPPoE authentication
with zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) on Charlie’s network and delivers managed routing services.

Business benefits
The choice of ADVA enabled Charlie to select best-of-breed components at each layer, as well as to optimize
cost via the disaggregated model, including white box, VNFs and NFVI/MANO. More importantly, the ADVA
solution gives them the ability to meet different cost and feature points, while also deploying a platform for
future services based on open standards. Charlie can offer a wide variety of services on the same physical
platform, enabling lucrative upselling opportunities with each customer.

Why ADVA won

ADVA’s solution was selected after extensive testing and validation. We were able to provide a truly open
solution that met the specific service requirements up to 10Gbit/s. The specific differentiator for ADVA was
Connector and the 6WIND Turbo Router that provides functions like multi-VRF Layer 3 networking, BGP peering
with the underlay, and L2/L3 VPNs.

uCPE success story #4: “Delta” - Supplier to the US government

Delta is a leading communications services provider for businesses with multiple locations. They provide one-
stop solutions for voice, data, internet, wireless, video and secure network options throughout the United States
and Canada. But they had challenges to solve in creating a solution for Zed, a large government agency.

Business challenges
Delta deals with very large enterprises and government agencies, historically offering a wide variety of
appliance-based solutions such as SD-WAN, router, firewall, etc. For their win at the Zed, which includes a scope
of over 15,000 locations, they wanted to use a virtualized solution to enable flexibility, without requiring site
visits to make any potential changes in the field. Optimizing the footprint and cost of this approach was key to
making a successful business case, given this was a single VNF and a very competitive bid.

Solution deployed
Delta chose to deploy ADVA Connector in the “cloudless” mode, whereby the embedded OpenStack was
removed. This enabled a smaller software footprint for the NFVI and a lower cost on hardware. They chose a 4-
core, 8Gbit RAM, 120Gbit SSD server from Silicom. The application was a single VNF from Fortinet. They did not
need to orchestrate a service chain, so only Ensemble Virtualization Director was included for MANO. ADVA
worked closely with the Delta team to create the tools and processes to completely automate the out-of-box
provisioning from warehouse to customer, including embedding the Fortinet VNF and authenticating the license
for each location through a modified ZTP process.

Business benefits
By enabling this virtual framework, Delta could leverage the Zed model for all future customer projects. This
simplifies the operational process and enables Delta to offer alternative hardware and software-based services.
This is due to leveraging open hardware and provisioning process across all types of services. And this model
enables Delta to easily make changes across a large customer base from a central location.

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Why ADVA won
ADVA was selected after Delta initially tested a competitive solution. But they could not get it to perform at a
level that could provide the automation and scale required for Zed. Once ADVA was engaged in the process, we
were able to prove the performance, automation and scale to address the core requirements for the Zed project.
Bottom line: our product worked well, and our team delivered the configurations to address the operational
needs of Delta. Additionally, ADVA was able to support the right business case model for Zed, reducing
hardware footprint and enabling subscription pricing.

You too can have success with uCPE

It can be hard to make the move to uCPE. But the benefits are significant. Let us help you achieve success with
your move to uCPE.

Contact us here to learn more.

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Product specifications are subject to change without notice or obligation.