CenturyLink has acquired strategic assets of the company formerly known as Active Broadband Networks, a provider in software-based broadband networking.
These assets will help accelerate CenturyLink's efforts to automate its network, move network functions into the cloud and deliver software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) services to its customers.
US-based Active Broadband Networks uses SDN and NFV technologies to provide broadband edge solutions to service providers, enabling them to deliver cloud-based service infrastructure.
CenturyLink said the acquisition strengthens CenturyLink's ability to virtualize core network functions.
“This acquisition provides us with people and technology resources that will help us continue to develop and implement our platform strategy and integrate SDN and NFV technology into our network,” Aamir Hussain, CenturyLink EVP and CTO said.
“Moving services into the cloud, particularly at the network edge, is essential as we continue to focus on providing our customers with a wide variety of virtualized network functions that help them more effectively manage their business.”
Separately CenturyLink has unveiled a fully managed SD-WAN service.
The latest solution in the company’s advanced networking services portfolio, CenturyLink SD-WAN unifies network management across disparate network types, creating an agile, responsive wide area network.
To ease customer adoption of this wide area network technology, CenturyLink is providing businesses with an exclusive proof-of-concept program.
CenturyLink will provide the customer-premise devices, access to an intuitive management portal and full customer support for up to five sites to showcase the substantial improvements this network technology can bring to businesses.
The emerging market for SD-WAN services is expected to expand rapidly. Research firm IDC recently noted that nearly 70% of organizations expect to use SD-WAN in the next 18 months and the market could reach approximately $6 billion annually by 2020.