MEF today named eight service providers that already have or plan to deploy MEF 3.0 lifecycle services orchestration (LSO) APIs for carrier Ethernet service orchestration before the end of this month.

The association, which aims to define standards for network virtualization, LSO, SD-WAN, optical transport, IP, and security services, released a software development kit (SDK) for inter-provider serviceability on MEF 3.0 LSO Sonata APIs in November 2019.

Early adopting service providers include AT&T, Bestel, Bloomberg, Colt Technology Services, HGC Communications, Infonas, PCCW Global, and Sparkle. Five of the companies have already implemented LSO Sonata APIs in production environments, according to MEF, but it declined to call those companies out individually.

MEF describes LSO Sonata APIs as an effort to standardize multiple sets of service automation protocols across network providers and the technologies used in those networks. The APIs gaining traction now zero in on the interface reference points in LSO architecture that support B2B interactions between service providers.

As MEF expands its focus on enabling service providers to blend overlay and underlay network services to deepen integrations between the edge and cloud, it’s also crafting commerce-centric standards for serviceability, product inventory, trouble tickets, billing, and contracts.

“Automating inter-provider services with MEF 3.0 LSO Sonata APIs enables providers to rapidly deliver high-performance/on-demand data services that are available beyond the network footprint of any individual operator,” Pascal Menezes, CTO at MEF, said in a statement. 

A global federation of standardized services allows operators to move beyond “commoditized, low-margin fixed-bandwidth services,” he added. The service provider deployments underway focus on the automated ordering of MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet Access E-Line services, as established by MEF’s members. 

“More than 50 global and regional service providers are at various stages of evaluation, demonstration, production readiness, and implementation of LSO Sonata APIs,” said Nan Chen, president at MEF.

Mirko Voltolini, head of network on demand at Colt, which worked with AT&T on its deployment, said the MEF LSO Sonata standard allows customers to “take full control of their network by managing service quoting, activation, and assurance all via an online portal or via APIs.” It also allows Colt to extend its service beyond its traditional network boundaries, he added in a statement.

AT&T and Colt also last year implemented the MEF 3.0 LSO Sonata APIs to automate network ordering, claiming to be the first in the telecom industry to do so. MEF said it expects more services to implement the standard before the end of the year.