A trade body counting Orange and Telefónica as members has joined the Linux Foundation’s Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) project to use open source approaches in virtualisation.

Deutsche Telekom has partnered with Facebook in the Telecoms Infrastructure Project to bring technology out of the Stone Age, its VP for Aggregation, Transport, IP has claimed.

Automation has taken centre stage again at SDN NFV World Congress, with executives from Orange and Vodafone claiming it will be a vital part of successful virtualisation transformation.

The "brutal" automation required to enable "bloody difficult" virtualisation and the ongoing challenge of getting the right skills in place were among the debates during the first day of SDN NFV World Congress.

ETSI is aiming to solve NFV integration problems with a flurry of new specifications devised by telcos.

TM Forum has created a set of guidelines to help service providers jointly manage virtualised and traditional networks.

Ericsson is seeking to dramatically speed up the availability of new software on network nodes from months to days with the launch of a new solution.

BT has launched a new SD-WAN offering for large enterprises based on technology from Nokia’s Nuage Networks business.

Huawei has launched a new testing solution for operators interested in software defined networking and network functions virtualisation.

Vodafone has partnered with IBM to help enterprises shift their processes from premises equipment to the cloud.

Vodafone Group has become the latest operator to join the Open Network Automation Platform (ONAP) project, which aims to build a neutral automation platform for networks, infrastructure and services.

Liberty Global has deployed Juniper’s virtual route reflector across its network in a bid to cut costs and increase scalability.

Telefónica Deutschland is boosting its processing capabilities with a data centre solution from BT as it prepares to roll out 5G and IoT-ready services.

BT and Dell EMC are trialling new ways of managing network traffic using SDN and NFV.

Virtualisation is seen by some as a truly transformative means for operators to best prepare for the future, but a new report has laid out how even the industry’s most enthusiastic proponents are facing difficulties.

Vodafone is working with Lime Microsystems to develop new software-defined cellular radio platforms.

TIM has launched a project aiming to transform its optical packet metro network in Italy, which it said is the next step of its three year network improvement plans.

Bouygues Telecom is turning to virtualisation as it looks to improve its backhaul and aggregation infrastructure.

Demand for SD-WAN is booming across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, a new report from IDC has claimed, predicting the technology will become one of the "key building blocks" in network infrastructure.

Operator Orange is not known for being averse to risks, with its glitzy annual Hello technology show more like something Google or Facebook would hold, but on virtualisation it has continued to take a cautious approach compared to the more ambitious and bullish projects of Vodafone and AT&T.