AT&T and Colt Announce First Successful Software-Defined Networking Interoperability Trial

DALLAS and LONDON, Nov. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* and Colt Technology Services are accelerating the adoption of software-defined networking (SDN) through the creation, testing and successful trial of a standard application programming interface (API) infrastructure. It lets SDN architectures from different network service providers interoperate with each other.

During the trial between the two networks in the U.S. and Europe, AT&T successfully provisioned network services between the east coast of the U.S. and various locations in Europe. This allowed SDN-to-SDN control using a programmatic API-to-API interface between the separate SDN architectures, proving that SDN-managed services can be set up and run across multiple networks in just minutes. They can also be managed and flexed in near-real time. This creates a template for providers to deploy new services in a matter of minutes over each other's networks.

Business customers will benefit from on-demand, flexible, scalable network services as they can take advantage of new technologies through more open, standardized and software-centric networking services.

The proof of concept reveals that users could reserve ports, order a point-to-point Ethernet service, flex the bandwidth up and down and turn down the service in near-real time.

The API trial integrates AT&T's and Colt's on-demand network capabilities. The companies expect that these capabilities will drive further industry collaboration and standardization. They also plan to share the network-to-network interface and open API code with standards bodies and industry forums.

"Our work at AT&T Labs and AT&T Foundry, and our collaboration with Colt will help enable customers to have more cost-efficient, flexible and adaptable networks," said Roman Pacewicz, senior vice president, Offer Management and Service Integration, AT&T Business Solutions. "Businesses looking to provide a seamless connected environment for their customers can benefit greatly from a unified industry ecosystem that's focused on interoperability."

"This proof of concept is a key building block giving enterprises the power to provision scalable, flexible network services on-demand. The API in our trial makes managing integrated SDNs accessible, agile, flexible, and easy to adopt," said Rajiv Datta, chief technology officer, Colt. "As use cases and APIs continue to evolve, we'll be able to add attributes, services and enhancements that will drive further innovation. This will be critical as SDN becomes increasingl­­­y important in our business climate."

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, mobile, high speed internet and voice services. We're the world's largest provider of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. We offer the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider.* And we help businesses worldwide serve their customers better with our mobility and highly secure cloud solutions.

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© 2016 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

*Global coverage claim based on offering discounted voice and data roaming; LTE roaming; voice roaming; and world-capable smartphone and tablets in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier. International service required. Coverage not available in all areas. Coverage may vary per country and be limited/restricted in some countries.

About Colt
Colt Technology Services provides on-demand network and communications services to information– intensive businesses across Europe, Asia and North America. Founded in 1992, there are over 5000 Colt people in local offices across 28 countries. Customers include 18 of the top 25 bank and diversified financial groups and 19 out of the top 25 companies in both global media and telecoms industries (Forbes 2000 list, 2014). In addition, Colt works with over 50 exchange venues and 13 European central banks. Colt provides businesses with reliable business grade services backed by the right choice of technology, service and commercials. When it matters, customers choose Colt.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update or revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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