Mobily, a leading telecom operator in Saudi Arabia, and Ericsson have jointly carried out a successful test of the Dynamic Service Chaining solution, achieving an important milestone in their plans for transforming Mobily’s network using Software Defined Networking (SDN).

The positive test results pave the way for the start of broader field trials in the Mobily network. Ericsson’s Dynamic Service Chaining solution will enable the company to offer increased value and better experience to its customers through new, more personalized services, said a statement from Mobily.

Mobily and Ericsson are working together to explore SDN-based solutions that are needed to drive the transformation to create a programmable network infrastructure. This is in line with Mobily’s continuous efforts to ensure its networks are state of the art, and to provide better services for their customers, it added.   

The Ericsson Dynamic Service Chaining solution uses SDN technology to intelligently chain service functions, so that traffic from each subscriber only traverses a particular set of service functions as defined by the policy for that particular subscriber.

By integrating SDN control with policy management, the traffic path for any arbitrary flow can be dynamically changed by simply changing the policy associated with that flow.  

This capability can be then utilized to create highly personalized service packages

Maziad Bin Nasser Al Harbi, the chief technology officer in Mobily, said: "Our commitment to our customers is to provide them with an unparalleled experience, which includes faster connectivity, more reliable products, and services that are designed for them."

"Through our long-term partnership with Ericsson we have now prepared our network for the next step of transformation that will allow us to better serve their needs," he noted.

Ali Eid, the president of Ericsson, Saudi Arabia, said: "Connectivity in Saudi Arabia is growing on a massive scale, with users demanding more products that are tailored to suit their particular needs. By using our SDN solution, Mobily will have a fully transformed network infrastructure that is capable of meeting the needs of users today and in the future."

Mobily said it has a long-standing partnership with Ericsson and through their joint strategic collaboration they have provided seamless network performance.

With this agreement, Mobily will continue to deliver an unparalleled customer experience for its users Saudi market is a promising market since more than 50 per cent of the population in Saudi Arabia uses broadband on a regular basis with multi-access 2G, 3G, LTE, WiFi and FTTH, it added.-TradeArabia News Service