We recently deployed our Ensemble suite of network functions virtualization (NFV) software in an exciting MEF 3.0 proof of concept (PoC). The demo was a key step towards offering personalized, live video content delivered over optimized network slices. It showed how fans were able to customize how they watch a baseball game. They could select viewing preferences that drove live camera angles and unique replays.

The MEF 3.0 PoC, “Revolutionizing the Live Event Experience,” illustrated new opportunities for service providers to meet the growing expectations of sports and entertainment viewers. The PoC was driven by compute-based artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and combining it with MEF’s emerging working draft 84 on network slicing and lightweight universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) running software-defined WAN (SD-WAN). The PoC showed how video content can be autonomously captured, produced and delivered for an immersive fan experience.

Conducted by Spectrum Enterprise, the PoC could redefine how spectators of events like sports and music concerts experience live events by providing differentiated viewing both inside and outside the venue. It harnessed a combination of existing and emerging MEF standards. It also used the latest in video technology with an AI director utilizing deep learning at the network edge to track and analyze the raw game footage. Fans were able to customize content based on their personal preferences and location. They could watch the game from a different angle in the stadium to track a favorite player, and they could enjoy a range of replay options.

The multi-company team developed the demo by integrating software, networks, platforms, and technology from Equinix and Paragon Active Assurance by Juniper Networks. It also utilized our Ensemble range of NFV solutions to create an entirely new use case for uCPE, showing how much this multi-purpose edge cloud platform could achieve and highlighting its value as a foundry for innovation.

Ensemble Connector is ADVA’s NFV software platform and network operating system. We used it to enable multiple virtual network functions to run on a single uCPE installation. With its openness, zero-touch provisioning and management capabilities, Ensemble Connector creates a highly versatile and scalable uCPE solution.

The system we showcased here could transform the experience of viewers. But what’s great about this demo is how much it highlights the versatility of the uCPE model. This technology
could empower businesses to take advantage of the network edge as a space for unprecedented service creation. 

uCPE has been making waves as an innovative way to deliver managed SD-WAN and firewall services to end users using simple and secure zero-touch provisioning. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. As an open platform for innovation, the number of possible use cases is enormous. This PoC shows that the uCPE approach is about to unleash a huge array of new applications and business models.

Find out more from Charter Communication’s report on the demo.

Or watch the PoC on demand here.