Nokia Siemens Networks Rings Up Carrier-Grade Linux Initiatives

Nokia Siemens Networks will work with the Linux Foundation specifically on Linux-based technologies for use in user plane and control plane network elements, as well as embedded applications. This is expected to lead to further integration of mobile and carrier grade Linux specification with the Linux Standard Base (LSB) to deliver a standard that works for these expanding Linux markets, the Linux Foundation announced.

"Nokia Siemens is an enormous player in the telecommunications market, and we are thrilled to have them," Dan Kohn, chief operating officer at the Linux Foundation, told LinuxInsider.

Nokia Siemens Networks will play an active role by contributing both financial and technical resources to the Linux ecosystem to help it remain state of the art, said Stephan Scholz, chief technology officer of Nokia Siemens Networks.

"In Linux, the most important things for us are certified carrier grade interfaces as well as the interoperability between various Linux distributions," Scholz said. "We look forward to working with the Linux Foundation and continue to use Linux in our commercially available products."

Heightened Awareness

The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, formed in February as a merger of The Free Standards Group (FSG) and Open Source Development Labs (OSDL).

A major concern of the OSDL prior to the merger was the growth of Linux in telecommunications.

"Linux has become a very natural fit for telecom network and device manufacturers who are looking for an operating system from which they can easily and cost-effectively build differentiated services and value," said Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation. "There is no question that the massive success of Linux in telecom is key in today's new stage of Linux growth."

Nokia Siemens Networks will add another level of expertise as the Linux foundation transitions into this stage of increasing open development, Zemlin said.

CGL Revisited

The Carrier Grade Linux is being rechartered, according to Kohn. The original work started in 2001 as part of OSDL. CGL 4.0 was very successful but has now run its course, he explained.

"Now we want to focus on CGL 5.0 to be more responsive with the kernel community and the enterprise distros," Kohn said. "Linux now is almost the default OS [for telecommunications]."

The new goal for the Linux Foundation is to bring together the multiple different communities with the system vendors, carriers and key Linux developers to communication more clearly with their issues, explained Kohn.

"We are hoping for much more bi-directional communication between vendors and the kernel developers," he said.