Cisco Live - Over the next five years, strong growth in the number of mobile users, business digitization demands, Internet of Things (IoT) connections and mobile video consumption will place significant challenges on networks. The increasing traffic has yet to show an equivalent growth in ARPU. 

As service providers prepare for the next wave of network speed, extensive architectural transformation involving programmability and automation will be needed to support these capabilities and future innovations, including the evolution of enterprise services, 5G, and IoT. 

Orange knew it could reduce CapEx and OpEx by implementing new architectures on platforms ready for mass-scale networking and by automating a large number of tasks and operations. The company has taken the initiative to improve its business efficiency by deploying the Cisco® Network Services Orchestrator (NSO) software platform to its current and future network as a foundation for infrastructure programmability and automating method of procedure (MOP) operations and customer-facing services.

As a key technology enabler, Cisco NSO will help Orange and its subsidiaries realize new benefits, including:

• Providing a highly efficient abstraction layer between network services and the underlying infrastructure components, even in complex, heterogeneous environments
• Reducing service activation times from days to hours and dramatically increasing TTM for critical service offerings
• Automating its service lifecycles and reducing manual configuration steps by as much as 90 percent across the spectrum of mobile and enterprise networks, including zero-touch provisioning of network devices
• Empowering Orange teams along their journey toward SDN and NFV through use of an open, modern programmable platform
• Reducing failed service activations and network issues by removing risk of human error

"Cisco's model-driven approach to network automation and service orchestration is enabling Orange to drastically speed delivery of services across our entire lifecycles," said Christian Gacon, vice president, Wireline Networks and Infrastructure, Orange. "Global deployment of Cisco NSO also provides uniform configuration management tools and consumable network APIs for business applications and customer self-service portals."

"Visionary service providers like Orange recognize the value network automation and SDN offer to drive innovation in their markets," said Yves Padrines, vice president, Global Service Provider EMEAR, Cisco. "Cisco's network automation software and product portfolio enables carriers to simplify their operations through sophisticated data analysis and proactive control, helping them to continue delivering superior customer experiences without interruption."

Cisco is leading the disruption in the industry with our technology innovations in systems, silicon, optics, and security and our unrivalled expertise in mass-scale networking, automation, optical, cable access, video, and mobility. Together with our portfolio of professional services, we can enable service providers and media and web companies to reduce cost and complexity, help secure their networks, and grow revenue.