When it comes to the Open Networking Foundation’s Central Office Re-Architected as a Data Center (CORD) project, Radisys wears a couple of hats. On one hand, the company is an active contributor to the project by offering parts of its virtual RAN (vRAN) and evolved packet core (EPC) technologies to open source. And on the other hand, it is a systems integrator, working with other CORD contributors to integrate different components to make them deployable for operators.

Adnan Saleem, Radisys’ CTO of software and cloud services, said that this dual role means the company has to work with a lot of different vendors so it can find the best fit for its service provider customers.

The company recently bundled Mavenir System’s virtual EPC (vEPC) into its M-CORD distribution, which means that customers can deploy Mavenir’s vEPC with Radisys' cloud RAN product to create virtual baseband units.

Saleem said it’s important to have several EPC options because it isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of product. “The features and functions vary depending on the end use case,” he said. “An IoT use case versus a mobile broadband use case requires different capabilities.”

And even though Radisys offers its own vEPC product, that doesn’t mean it always picks its own gear when it’s operating as an integrator. Instead, it tries to match the right vEPC with operator’s criteria. “It really depends upon the operator and their requirements for the implementation,” Saleem said.

Interestingly, Mavenir’s vEPC comes from Brocade. In July, Mavenir purchased Brocade’s vEPC product line and IP portfolio, including the company’s research and development facility in Mumbai, India. At the time, Mavenir said it planned to use the vEPC as part of its multi-access edge computing (MEC) and Internet of Things (IoT) strategy.

Saleem said that Radisys is currently working with operators on lab trials and some friendly field trials. He expects that as further integration occurs there will be bigger deployments, but those will happen in phases. “There is going to be a gradual evolution,” he said.