KDDI deploys disaggregated backbone routers in bid to cut network costs by 50%

Japanese carrier KDDI is formally rolling out a new type of backbone router across its home nation's network.

Instead of traditional chassis-based routers that are large proprietary boxes locked together, KDDI is rolling out distributed disaggregated backbone router (DDBR) technology, a series of smaller, off-the-shelf devices that work together as one logical router.

Deployed as part of core network capacity expansions, the carrier contends that its DDBR cluster can reduce network equipment deployment costs by approximately 50 percent while allowing for enhanced flexibility in vendor selection and network design.

Chassis-based vs cluster-based backbone architectures – KDDI Corp

The concept is open by design, owing to KDDI’s long-running open architectural approach, such as its open radio access network (RAN) efforts. The carrier contends that by going open with DDBR, it can add capacity gradually as traffic grows while avoiding lock-in with a single supplier. In addition, it makes use of the open source OpenConfig project to create vendor-neutral means to configure network devices, further ensuring the concept’s multivendor design.