HP and Nokia Networks (the part of the Finnish company which wasn’t sold to Microsoft last year) have extended their partnership in order to boost the adoption of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) among telecommunications providers.

In the middle of 2015, HP will begin offering pre-configured, carrier-grade cloud packages based on its Helion OpenStack distribution, featuring NFV tools from Nokia.

The offering is compliant with the NFV principles, as outlined by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

Virtualize more
NFV for telecoms works the same way Software Defined Networking (SDN) does for IT: it attempts to replace expensive, proprietary equipment with commodity servers that deliver the same functions through software.

NFV infrastructure should be cheaper and easier to configure. It could increase speed-to-market for new services and enable operators to locate their network infrastructure at the data center of their choice. But despite the apparent benefits, this approach is yet to find mainstream adoption.

HP hopes to move things along by offering an open source-based cloud package fully integrated with its server hardware, VMware ESX and KVM hypervisors and the Helion OpenStackvirtual infrastructure manager. Meanwhile the virtualized network function management will be provided by Nokia’s Cloud Application Manager.

The partners say their products will enable operators to deploy industry-specific clouds quickly and with minimal effort.

The deal fits into Nokia’s strategy of letting customers pick the cloud technology that best fits their business and technology needs. It will also extend into “technical, services and commercial” aspects of the cloud, although just what that means remains to be seen.

“Services are fundamental to enable the transformation that the cloud promises to operators for telco and IT applications. Working together, Nokia Networks and HP can deliver the expertise and technological leadership that mobile operators need to gain the full benefits of a complete telco and IT cloud solution – and all under one contract for simplicity,” said Igor Leprince, executive vice president of Global Services at Nokia Networks.

In October, HP announced it is going to split into two companies. Meg Whitman will lead the newly established ‘Hewlett-Packard Enterprise’ while remaining the chairwoman of the PC and printer business. Dion Weisler, the executive vice president of HP's Printing and Personal Systems, will be appointed as the CEO of HP Inc. to handle more consumer-oriented technology.