Press Release

Taiwanese Manufacturer to Deploy First Truly Cloud-Native 5G SA Network to Ensure High Performance, Reliable, and Secure Connectivity for Robotic Automation

ACTON, Mass. – December 16, 2020 – Affirmed Networks announced today that it has been selected by Inventec, a leading Taiwanese manufacturer of consumer technology solutions, to deliver secure, private 5G networks for their smart manufacturing. This selection is an important part of Inventec’s adoption of Industry 4.0 and their transformation towards digital operations and robotic automation for large-scale manufacturing. Affirmed’s 5G Standalone (SA) UnityCloud™ will drive the connectivity for Inventec’s Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) systems.

Inventec’s long history of innovation has been a key component of the company’s sustained growth and leadership. The company’s current digital transformation initiative is being deployed in alignment with its regional Industry 4.0 strategy. Industry 4.0 serves as a model for how industrial processes can leverage smart technologies such as AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data. By using advanced technologies to automate and improve operations, Industry 4.0 enables companies to proactively respond to changing environments and markets—an increasing concern for manufacturing companies in the wake of COVID-19’s effect on global markets and supply chains. Inventec’s UnityCloud deployment is the first fully Cloud-Native 5G Standalone network within the Industry 4.0 arena.

“Inventec has fully embraced the Industry 4.0 initiative, as it is in direct alignment with our focus on innovation and our digital transformation strategy,” said Albert Chen, Senior Vice President, Inventec.  “As the most critical component of IoT and Smart Manufacturing, connectivity must be ubiquitous, reliable, and secure. After evaluating some of the more traditional approaches, we realized that the implementation of our own Private 5G network was the best way to ensure we had ‘always on’  coverage. Affirmed Networks was the obvious partner for us, as their innovative, cloud-native 5G standalone core delivers unrivaled performance that matches our Industry 4.0 needs.”

To deliver on its goal of automating manufacturing operations across its campus in Taoyuan city, Inventec sought a network solution with the inherent performance, scale, and security capabilities to ensure carrier-grade connectivity. After ruling out Wi-Fi and centralized solutions from service providers, the company selected the Affirmed UnityCloud solution to serve as the cloud-native core of a private 5G network capable of connecting robots, devices and machines, while automating operations throughout its campus.

Affirmed UnityCloud is a 5G core, cloud-native solution built on an open, webscale architecture that enables the delivery of 5G networks capable of improving reliability and performance while decreasing network operation costs by as much as 90 percent. UnityCloud converges “Any G”—including 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G networks, and wireline core—onto one unified platform, greatly simplifying the overall network architecture. Affirmed has partnered with HPE Communication and Media Solutions for its 5G Subscriber Data Management and ASOCS to provide Inventec with a complete end-to-end 5G solution to enable this innovative use case for Industry 4.0.

“Inventec is an example of an innovative company that seeks to use cutting-edge technology to deliver on its digital transformation objectives and ambitions,” said Sanjay Mewada, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Affirmed Networks. “Through their selection of Affirmed Networks as their 5G partner, Inventec is ensuring that its Smart Manufacturing initiative is equipped with the flexibility, security, and performance required to deliver upon its Industry 4.0 vision.”

To hear more about how Inventec reduced their manufacturing cost while increasing the yield using Private 5G Networks, click here to tune in to this exclusive on-demand webinar on Mobile World Live.

About Inventec
Founded in 1975, Inventec manufactures computers, telephones, notebooks, and servers and has developed a strong foundation for global success. Upon entering the 21st century, our company has become even more active in such industries as cloud computing, wireless communication, intelligent devices, IoT and green energy. For many years, the business concepts of Inventec have been “Innovation, Quality, Open Mind, and Execution.” At the forefront of our corporate beliefs are “Talent Assets” and “Social Responsibility.” The combination of business concepts and corporate beliefs create the core of Inventec that encourages us to embrace sustainable operations.

About Affirmed Networks
Affirmed Networks was founded to transform the future of the mobile industry. Our vEPC and cloud-based solutions are enabling Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to change the economics of deploying and scaling networks. CSPs have deployed Affirmed’s NFV solutions to deliver differentiated 5G services, including mobile broadband, IoT, carrier-grade Wi-Fi roaming, connected cars, and more. Proven in more than 100+ networks and over 80 countries, our NFV solutions are deployed in the world’s largest networks. Affirmed Networks was acquired by Microsoft in April 2020. For more information, please visit www.affirmednetworks.com.

Virtualized Network Deployment and 5G Adoption Enable the Delivery of Innovative New Services for Enterprises; Sets the Foundation for Continued Geographic Expansion Across Europe

ACTON, Mass. – August 18, 2020 – Affirmed Networks, the leader in the virtualization of mobile networks, today announced that it has been selected by Netmore Group as the partner to deliver Private LTE Enterprise Networks and infrastructure. The partnership with Affirmed will enable Netmore to also deploy 5G enterprise services including IoT.

Headquartered in Sweden, and with a presence in several European countries including the UK, Germany, and Ireland, Netmore Group is a provider of IoT systems and services for properties, industries, cities, and people. As part of their service offerings, Netmore delivers a range of communication technologies such as 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, and NB-IoT and is currently the leading LoRaWAN® supplier in the country.

Affirmed’s market-leading, cloud-native mobile core solution has demonstrated itself as being ideal for the rapidly growing market of private LTE enterprise networks. Enterprises’ unique requirements require that operators have the deployment flexibility enabled by Affirmed’s mature architectural attributes such as CUPS, slicing, multitenancy, and low latency. As regulators release new spectrum to the market and enterprises realize the benefits of using cellular service infrastructures instead of Wi-Fi, Affirmed anticipates significant growth in private networks for business-critical enterprise services.

An important aspect in Netmore’s selection of Affirmed as a partner was its cloud-native capability including separation of the control and user plane, enabling a much higher and robust performance at the edge. With this functionality, Netmore will be able to diversify its geographic footprint and improve service performance and quality to support low-latency, high-bandwidth applications such augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) and IoT.

After a careful evaluation of several vendors, Netmore was impressed with Affirmed’s unique architecture and diversity of features which, in their opinion, clearly outperformed the alternatives.

“After almost a year spent finding and evaluating in detail many 5G cloud-native mobile cores, we found Affirmed Networks to be the best for our modern business model,” said Stefan Stanislawski, CEO of Netmore UK. “In these unprecedented times, providing fast, reliable, ubiquitous connectivity and access to real-time information to our customers is more important than ever. Through our partnership with Affirmed, we aim to deliver a range of new innovative private enterprise services to our customers through our expanding global network. In our evaluation of a modern mobile core, Affirmed’s mobile core solution with its cloud-native and microservices architecture seamlessly met the service demands in a single, future-proof platform and stood out for its technology innovation.”

“Netmore is a prime example of an innovative provider that understands how the innovative deployment of a private LTE enterprise network can accelerate new revenues and transform their bottom line,” said Sanjay Mewada, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Affirmed Networks. “By developing innovative use cases that are supported by 5G and next-gen architectures, Netmore is demonstrating how the new breed of services – including rich-media applications such as AR/VR and IoT have the ability to serve as a catalyst for improved productivity and new experiences for enterprises and consumers.”

When fully deployed, Netmore’s private enterprise networks will serve as the foundation for supporting the company’s continued expansion to enterprises and locations across Europe.

About Netmore
Netmore Group AB is an IoT operator that develops a comprehensive solution for cities, industries, properties, and homes. Together with our partners, we build a safe and sustainable ecosystem for Internet of Things, locally, nationally, and globally. Netmore Group was formed in 2010 and is listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market since 2017. Website: netmoregroup.com

About Affirmed Networks
Affirmed Networks was founded to transform the future of the mobile industry. Our vEPC and cloud-based solutions are enabling Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to change the economics of deploying and scaling networks. CSPs have deployed Affirmed’s NFV solutions to deliver differentiated 5G services, including mobile broadband, IoT, carrier-grade Wi-Fi roaming, connected cars, and more.

Proven in more than 100+ networks and over 80 countries, our NFV solutions are deployed in the world’s largest networks. Affirmed Networks was acquired by Microsoft in April 2020. For more information, please visit www.affirmednetworks.com.

Affirmed’s orchestration and automation platform to accelerate deployment of digital services and next-gen infrastructure

ACTON,  MASSACHUSETTS, USA, July, 28, 2020 – Etisalat, which provides innovative solutions and services in 16 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, announced today that it has further expanded its partnership with Affirmed Networks by selecting and deploying Affirmed’s comprehensive orchestration and automation platform. This platform will accelerate the automation of Etisalat’s existing and upcoming digital services and infrastructure and pave the way for a smooth, quick rollout of 5G and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) services.

Known for its rich history of innovation, Etisalat first selected Affirmed Networks in 2016 to provide virtual packet core solutions, making Etisalat one of the first telco operators to deploy a fully virtualized mobile core. As the industry now prepares for widespread deployment of 5G and edge services, Etisalat is deploying Affirmed’s automation capabilities to:

• Create a common activation layer across a multivendor environment capable of providing visibility and automation across the operator’s mobile, fixed, and enterprise offerings;
• Reduce the barriers to service creation and accelerate service activation across all of Etisalat’s service offerings by leveraging Affirmed’s innovative “no code” approach;
• Accelerate the deployment of next-generation virtual and cloud infrastructure including multivendor MEC and 5G.

Affirmed Networks’ industry-leading orchestration and automation platform leverages CI/CD and DevOps models, enabling operators to adapt to new market requirements such as 5G at the speed of business. By offering a unique “no code” approach, operators can rapidly iterate service model creation and modification, expediting delivery of services tailored to unique customer requirements. Operators can reduce operational complexity and costs with integrated activation across all service domains.

Etisalat has also deployed the Affirmed Cloud Edge (ACE) solution in a successful proof of concept as part of their MEC implementation that is a stepping stone in Etisalat’s journey towards rollout of innovative new 5G services. The deployment of MEC architectures will be critical to leveraging 4G/5G and significantly reduce latency to deliver a new breed of revenue-generating services such as virtual reality gaming, autonomous driving, augmented reality, mission-critical IoT, and others.

Esmaeel AlHammadi, Senior Vice President, Network Development, Etisalat said: “This strategic partnership with Affirmed Networks will focus on enhancing Etisalat’s next-generation networks with advanced automation, enabling rapid provisioning of new services. This is in line with our vision and strategy to ‘Drive the digital future to empower societies’ by enabling digital innovation and transformation across our services and infrastructure. With Etisalat as one of the first operators to deploy a fully virtualized core, this collaboration will accelerate the deployment of virtual and cloud infrastructure including mobile edge computing and 5G.”

“Etisalat has long been an industry pioneer at the forefront of deploying innovative technologies and services capable of providing the best possible customer experience,” said Sanjay Mewada, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Affirmed Networks. “Through their ongoing digital transformation, Etisalat has gained a first-hand understanding of how automation can simplify operations and drive network agility. This has served as the foundation of our ongoing partnership and has allowed us to make great strides around the delivery of new digital services that will be supported by next-gen architecture and infrastructure including MEC and 5G.”
Etisalat is a multinational, blue-chip organization operating in 16 countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, with a history of innovation within the global telecommunication industry. Through its work with Affirmed, Etisalat is continuing this track record of innovation by demonstrating how a new generation of applications and services will be delivered to their subscribers over 4G and 5G.

About Etisalat

Etisalat Group is one of the world’s leading telecom groups in emerging markets, with consolidated net revenues at AED 52.2 billion and consolidated net profit of AED 8.7 billion for 2019. Its high credit ratings reflect the company’s strong balance sheet and proven long-term performance. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, Etisalat was established over four decades ago in the UAE as the country’s first telecommunications service provider. An international blue-chip organization, Etisalat Group provides innovative solutions and services to 150 million subscribers in 16 countries across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
Website: www.etisalat.com

About Affirmed Networks

Affirmed Networks was founded to transform the future of the mobile industry. Our vEPC and cloud-based solutions are enabling Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to change the economics of deploying and scaling networks. CSPs have deployed Affirmed’s NFV solutions to deliver differentiated 5G services, including mobile broadband, IoT, carrier-grade Wi-Fi roaming, connected cars, and more. Proven in more than 100+ networks and over 80 countries, our NFV solutions are deployed in the world’s largest networks. Affirmed Networks was acquired by Microsoft in April 2020. For more information, please visit www.affirmednetworks.com.

New partnership lowers the barrier of entry to lawful intelligence platforms

MILPITAS, Calif. and ACTON, Mass., June 9, 2020 – SS8 Networks, a leader in Lawful Intercept and Monitoring Center platforms, today announced its interoperability with the latest Affirmed Networks virtual Evolved Packet Core (vEPC).

SS8’s goal is to provide communication service providers (CSPs) with the lowest barrier of entry to the next generation of lawful intelligence. SS8’s integration with Affirmed Networks’ market-leading vEPC solution offers CSPs a secure and encrypted Lawful Interception platform that meets a variety of global requirements. It also provides the optimized agility, scalability, and flexibility associated with Affirmed’s vEPC architecture and solution.

SS8 expects to see significant increases in the number of CSPs that choose to deploy government-mandated lawful interception platforms in virtualized and cloud environments. Today’s announcement ensures that’s CSPs will be able to keep up with the traffic demand and scale for their networks.

“At SS8, we provide cost-effective, scalable, and compliant lawful Intelligence solutions. The interoperability with Affirmed’s vEPC has enabled us to expand our offerings and better meet the needs of our customers,” said Dr. Keith Bhatia, SS8 CEO. “Affirmed has been a true strategic partner, supporting our vision to make the world a safer place by providing the best lawful intercept platform possible.”

“Affirmed’s ability to rapidly and cost-effectively deploy its vEPC solution to meet the needs of tier one operators globally is well recognized. By partnering with SS8, together we can radically reduce the time it takes to deploy and test a lawful interception solution,” said Anand Krishnamurthy, CEO of Affirmed Networks. “Implementing this platform with our vEPC will allow SS8 to help their customers deploy quickly, seamlessly, and more reliably.”

About Affirmed Networks, Inc.

Affirmed Networks was founded to transform the future of the mobile industry. Our vEPC and cloud-based solutions are enabling communication service providers (CSPs) to change the economics of deploying and scaling networks. CSPs have deployed Affirmed’s NFV solutions to deliver differentiated 5G services, including mobile broadband, IoT, carrier-grade Wi-Fi roaming, connected cars, and more. Proven in more than 100+ networks and over 80 countries, our NFV solutions are deployed in the world’s largest networks. For more information, please visit www.affirmednetworks.com.

About SS8 Networks

SS8, a network intelligence company, provides solutions to help customers quickly identify, track, and investigate devices and subjects of interest. SS8 is trusted by six of the largest intelligence agencies, eight of the fourteen largest communications providers, and five of the largest systems integrators. For more information, visit www.SS8.com or follow us on Twitter @SS8 or LinkedIn.

Affirmed’s End-to-End NFVi Orchestration Platform will Enable Turkcell to Drive Automation and Create New Network Slices Quickly While Significantly Lowering OpEx Costs
Leveraging Affirmed’s virtualized Wi-Fi gateway, Turkcell will be able to expand network coverage and improve overall consumer experience

ACTON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA, April 14, 2020 – Affirmed Networks, the leader in virtualized, cloud-native 5G networks, today announced that Turkcell has selected Affirmed’s Service Orchestration and Automation platform and its virtualized Wi-Fi gateway to profitably introduce new revenue-generating services faster and deliver seamless connectivity to its customers. As Turkey’s leading mobile network operator, Turkcell currently serves more than 48 million subscribers globally.

Turkcell and Affirmed began their strategic partnership three years ago, deploying a single, unified NFVi (Network Function Virtualization infrastructure) architecture that would enable Turkcell to eliminate capital-intensive legacy networks and significantly reduce the cost of infrastructure. This initiative has created one of the most extensive, commercial, virtualized mobile networks in the EMEA region. Turkcell has now virtualized 60% of its mobile core services on its telco cloud, which features 20 unique virtualized network functions (VNFs), and is on target to meet its 75% goal by the end of 2020.

With such extensive virtualization, and in order to get ready for upcoming containerization for 5G, Turkcell is currently focused on driving a high degree of intelligence and automation in creating, deploying and managing new offerings. It has selected Affirmed Networks’ NFV orchestration capabilities including Generic VNF Manager for onboarding, instantiating and scaling network services based on ETSI standards in order to manage different virtual infrastructure managers (VIMs) with all VNF Lifecycle Management (LCM) capabilities. Affirmed’s advanced Domain and Service Orchestration solution will manage the complete lifecycle of VNFs running on different VIM Layers together with physical network functions (PNFs) including Day 0/1 configurations.

The selection of Affirmed’s Enterprise and Mobile Wi-Fi solution will provide Turkcell with new opportunities to monetize its flexible and dynamic virtual infrastructure, while connecting its 4G/LTE network to trusted Wi-Fi networks, enabling seamless network connectivity and a better customer experience.

“At Turkcell, we provide resilient and reliable connectivity to our customers, backed by our state-of-the-art infrastructure. The combination of virtualization, automation, and new revenue-generating services has enabled Turkcell to become a market leader and meet the needs of our customers most effectively. Affirmed has been a true strategic partner and the key enabler in us undertaking this unique network transformation,” said Gediz Sezgin, Turkcell CTO.

“Affirmed’s Service Orchestration and Automation platform radically simplifies service creation and service provisioning while dramatically reducing time to create, deploy, test, modify and launch new services,” said Ron Parker, CTO from Affirmed Networks. “Implementing this platform, combined with our Wi-Fi solution, will allow Turkcell to create new network slices, help their enterprise customers to on-board and provision new customer premise equipment and enable new subscriber services to be deployed quickly, seamlessly and more reliably.”

Affirmed’s Domain and Service Orchestration and Wi-Fi solutions, join an illustrious list of Affirmed solutions currently deployed in leading communications service providers around the world.

About Affirmed Networks, Inc.

Affirmed Networks was founded to transform the future of the mobile industry. Our vEPC and cloud-based solutions are enabling Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to change the economics of deploying and scaling networks. CSPs have deployed Affirmed’s NFV solutions to deliver differentiated 5G services, including mobile broadband, IoT, carrier-grade Wi-Fi roaming, connected cars, and more. Proven in more than 100+ networks and over 80 countries, our NFV solutions are deployed in the world’s largest networks. For more information, please visit www.affirmednetworks.com .