Nokia is working with Intel to make its hardware available for the Open Platform Network Functions Virtualization (OPNFV) Lab. The lab will serve as a testbed for network functions virtualization (NFV) developers and make it easier to introduce open source products.

The OPNFV Lab will include Nokia’s AirFrame Data Center combined with Intel’s Xeon processors and solid state drives. Both companies said this combination will allow service providers to test OPNFV projects using the latest server and storage technology. It will also cater to operators’ preferences for non-proprietary, interoperable NFV platforms.

Nokia says its AirFrame Data Center has a flexible cloud architecture that meets the data processing requirements for 5G networks and also delivers the necessary low latency.

OPNVF was formed in September 2014 by the Linux Foundation. The goal of the open source group is to create a carrier-grade, integrated platform that can introduce new products and services to the industry more quickly. OPNFV works closely with the ETSI or ETSI NFV and others to press for consistent implementation of open standards.

In March, OPNFV announced its second code release, dubbed Brahmaputra (after a river with headwaters in China). Brahmaputra’s 165 developers pulled the latest code from upstream communities, including OpenContrail, ONOS, and ETSI.

And last December, OPNFV decided to broaden into areas including management and orchestration (MANO), setting up the open source project to design a full reference implementation for NFV.

Nokia announced the OPNFV Lab at the OPNFV Summit in Berlin this week. The conference features speakers from HPE, Ericsson, Intel, Huawei and more.