Brazilian telecommunications operator Embratel tapped VMware for its VeloCloud-based NSX SD-WAN services. The operator, which is under the umbrella of South American telco provider Claro S.A., provides voice and data communications services, fiber optic services, and fixed network services across Brazil.

Embratel will leverage VMware’s NSX SD-WAN to provide uniform connections to its cloud-delivered services. The SD-WAN supports network activities such as delivering elastic transport, boosting performance for cloud applications, and integration with advanced cloud services.

Embratel currently offers MPLS services to its customers. By integrating the NSX SD-WAN capabilities into its portfolio, Embratel will give its enterprise customers more options and flexibility in deploying a network infrastructure.

A number of SD-WAN providers are partnering with carriers and service providers on some level as it enables them to sell their SD-WAN platforms to a larger market. Juniper Networks recently said that its broader strategy is to target more service providers as customers. Part of its reasoning is that these providers have large enterprise customers, but it also does not want to compete against those service providers on SD-WAN.

VMware has NSX SD-WAN partnerships with around 60 service providers worldwide. Service providers "are playing a key role helping enterprises rearchitect the WAN for the future," said Sasha Emmerling, the senior director of marketing of VeloCloud at VMware. These partnerships have been "an integral part of the go-to-market strategy" for both VeloCloud and now VMware, she said. VMware acquired VeloCloud late last year.

Emmerling explained that as applications drive new enterprise growth models, service providers are facing higher customer expectations, margin erosion, increased competition, and lack of service differentiation. Partnerships with SD-WAN providers solve some of these challenges, opening up new market opportunities for service providers, helping to drive down costs, and providing agile networking and cloud services, she said.

Under these partnership agreements, service providers either take the NSX SD-WAN-based services and build it into their networks to deliver the services, or resell the SD-WAN services hosted by VMware.