NTT DOCOMO announced that it has completed proof-of-concept (PoC) trials verifying the feasibility of network functions virtualization (NFV) while working separately with Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco and NEC. The company has been collaborating with the three vendors on this feasibility verification since November 2013.

Using the virtualized Evolved Packet Core (EPC), the core network of LTE systems, DOCOMO and each of the three vendors verified cutting-edge network control mechanisms, such as scalable user-data processing capability that can handle concentrated user traffic efficiently and improve service delivery stability by means of fast, automatic network-recovery techniques in the event of hardware failure.

Following the successful PoC trials, DOCOMO now aims to commercially deploy services utilizing a virtualized mobile network by the fiscal year ending in March 2016. 

NFV is expected to offer key advantages, such as improved connectivity for dense data traffic, operational sustainability when network equipment fails, promptness of new service delivery and high cost effectiveness. Going forward, DOCOMO plans to continue to collaborate with these and other vendors to facilitate the accelerated realization of advanced mobile networks through network virtualization.