Juniper Networks Founder Urges Network Revamp, Caution on Regulation
Service providers need to simplify, automate and secure their networks as rising capital spending and operating cost have become a major issue, Pradeep Sindhu, Juniper Networks’ co-founder and chief technology officer, said in an interview. In light of the flurry of legislative activities on cybersecurity and broadband, he warned of unintended consequences of any government mandates.
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As service providers step up capital spending on network upgrades due to higher bandwidth demand, many faces costs exceeding revenue, Sindhu said. Additionally, as revenue from voice declined, revenue from other segments hasn’t picked up as much, he said. Network design adds to the problem: Today’s networks handle very particular applications, destroying the ability to decrease costs and making network operation complicated, Sindhu said. 2G and 3G networks were designed with protocols and architecture that aren’t friendly to high speed, he said. Additionally, the networking industry hasn’t done enough innovation, said the technology chief of the provider of high-performance Internet protocol network solutions. The company held the No. 2 market share position in worldwide carrier infrastructure market in Q1, after Cisco, according to Synergy Research Group.
Sindhu proposed a universal infrastructure. “We need to build infrastructure that’s independent of application or user type, amortizing the cost across the largest number of users.” Companies also need to “automate everything that can be automated in the operation of the network,” he said. For most carriers, operating expenditures are about three times larger than capital expenditures, he said. The only way the industry can decrease opex is through automation, he said, but for that “you have to simplify and centralize things.” A network architecture that makes it easier to apply automation that comes from software is critical, he said. Having open software platforms allows innovation because open interfaces in operating systems allow third parties and customers to write software on top, he said.
Commenting on multiple cybersecurity legislative efforts, Sindhu said, “Legislation alone can’t solve cybersecurity issues.” Legislation needs to be backed by sound technologies, he said. When it comes to cybersecurity, there are no silver bullets, he said. No one policy or architecture is practical for securing all data, he said, urging having international standards supported by all governments. These standards should also be enforced by all governments equally, he said. It’s a challenge to identify the source and nature of attacks, he said. Regarding the FCC’s proposal to regulate broadband, he said the commission needs “to proceed with caution.” Regulators should make it easier for operators to build infrastructure, he said. The goal is to enable high-speed universal broadband, the lifeline of the economy, he said.
Juniper is working with carriers on solutions for both LTE and WiMAX, though more efforts have been on the LTE side, Sindhu said. But protocols for LTE and WiMAX are the same, he said, so convergence could be quite easy.