License Management R16.5.1 (IG1143)

Virtualization of network functions will not only change the way networks are managed today but will also change the way network functions are purchased and managed along with its licenses. Going forward enterprises will use VNFs sourced from multiple vendors or even through marketplaces. Further to this, the open source communities may play an important role in the development of VNFs which will result in adoption of Open source VNF files or customization of open sources VNF for a specific use.

The network function market will move from boxed solution (PNF) with huge functional capabilities to strict on demand or need based sourcing from one or more places. While in the current sourcing process, it may happen that some extra features could be embedded along with required ones which complicate the interoperability and incur extra integration cost. In the future, the Service Provider virtualized network will be composed of millions of running VNFs instances sourced from multiple locations. Onboarding, Procurement and use processes of VNFs must be highly automated to support agile business becoming a competitive advantage.

Through use cases this document highlights the importance of VNF Licenses and the functional capabilities required to manage the licenses for uninterrupted functioning of network and services. The use cases also highlight the changing business paradigm PAYG (Pay as you go) model of VNFs licenses for enterprise customers which will play a major role in cost savings.