Huawei 2012 Annual Report Download - page 38

Market Trends35
To support evolution from a “hard” pipe to a
“soft” pipe, we should develop programmable,
scalable, application-agile, automatic, and open
intelligent networks. Software-defined
networking (SDN) will lead to the development
of next-gen network architectures.
Technologies are enablers of network development.
In the past two decades, driven by advancements
of technologies from time-division multiplexing
(TDM) towards all-IP, networks have undergone
three different revolutions: analog to digital, fixed
to mobile, and narrowband to broadband. At
present, All-IP networks are undeniably the mainstay
for telco and enterprise networks. However, as
networks grow, with information flowing in and
out in uncertain directions and technologies being
upgraded rapidly, it is important that networks
be flexible, intelligent, scalable, and automated.
Equally important is a change in how we think
about network architectural design. The core
concepts for cloud computing development, such as
virtualization, software decoupling from hardware,
centralized resource pool scheduling, automatic
deployment, high scalability, and on-demand service
provisioning, provide valuable references for network
development. Introduction of these concepts into
the design of network architectures and products
can form the concepts of SDN, including forwarding
and control element separation (FORces) to centralize
network control and resource scheduling, software
decoupling from hardware to virtualize network
functions, network function development of cloud-
based architecture to realize automatic deployment
and high scalability, and application-aware network
development to improve network capabilities,
among others. By adopting these concepts, we can
lead the developments of next-generation product
architectures and network architectures, establish
an intelligent application-aware network that can
intelligently schedule traffic, improve user experience
and network utilization, support traffic-based
operations, and generate new revenue streams.
Intelligent terminals will not just be tools for
communications; they will become extensions
of our own senses. Terminals of the future will
be context-aware and have intelligent sensory
capabilities.
What makes a terminal intelligent is far more than
just its CPUs and operating system – It also relates
to its sensory capabilities. By using various sensors
(compasses, accelerators, gyroscopes, barometers,
global positioning systems, light sensors,
microphones, cameras, touch screens, temperature
sensors, and infrared instruments), we can extend
the human sensory and nervous systems in the
form of intelligent terminals, bringing us one-
step away from true brain-machine interaction.
These intelligent terminals will be context-aware,
and able to both sense and predict behavior
through features such as auto-completion.
By combining cloud-based big data analysis
capabilities with context-aware terminals, we can
provide personalized and intelligent services that
realize true human-machine interaction, enabling
a dramatic improvement in the user experience.
To respond to the ICT transformation being driven
by the integration of the physical world and digital
worlds, Huawei has developed a pipe strategy
that covers cloud-based data center infrastructure
(used for information storage and processing),
infrastructure networks (used for information
transmission and delivery), and intelligent terminals
(used for information creation and consumption).
Huawei has also set up its 2012 Laboratories,
dedicated to researching next-generation
technologies, while developing a SoftCOM
(Software Defined Network + teleCOM) network
architecture development strategy. Huawei will
openly partner with industry peers to raise our
information society to a new level.