China Telecom’s Beijing subsidiary, together with Huawei, has deployed software-defined networking (SDN) technology in its internet data center (IDC) networks.

Beijing Telecom has launched a range of IDC services based on the Huawei-developed SDN solution. 

These services are part of China Telecom’s response to the pressure for operators to shift from sales of bandwidth to offering a DCaaS (Data-Center as-a-Service), according to the company.

They include DC-One for virtual resource services, DC-Care for assurance services, DC-Keeper for other services, such as detailed traffic reporting and DC-Private for customized services.

China Telecom and Huawei, which have a long history of collaboration, claim this is the first commercial deployment of a carrier grade SDN.

“We hope these new services can create more value for our customers," Xu Hong, VGM of Beijing Telecom, said.

Beijing Telecom is the main data hub for north China and the SDN implementation is aimed at enabling it to deliver “a service-centric IDC network and new business model focusing on bandwidth resources and value-added services”, according to the company.

Informa Telecoms & Media's, principal analyst, Camille Mendler, said the initiative was important, but that the full potential of SDN technology has yet to be seen.

“Vendors tout the ability of SDN technology to cut costs, manage resources on the fly and deliver custom services. All this is true, but the real benefits will only come once SDN technology is deployed across networks as well as within the data center," Mendler said.

"What’s missing is end-to-end orchestration of all ICT resources. Ultimately, SDN should lead to better quality and accountability from service providers, particularly in delivering enterprise-class cloud services.”