Communication network as a NAAS cloud service

The infocommunications industry is on the verge of revolutionary changes caused by the widespread use of virtualization technologies, which are the basis for building mobile and fixed communication networks of the next generations 5G/6G and F5G/NETWORK 2030, respectively. Network virtualization is largely a product of the concept of cloud computing, which in practice is implemented through various cloud services XaaS (X as a Service). For their implementation, in addition to computing resources and data storage resources, appropriate telecommunication resources are also required, because the customer always receives cloud services through communication networks. However, the telecommunications resources themselves can be implemented as a cloud service NaaS - network as a service - in which the customer is provided with a transport connection and related network capabilities with required QoS. In other words, NaaS is the service model, where the network infrastructure of the NaaS service customer is located into the cloud, which should be open or hybrid. The article introduces the basic principles of the NaaS cloud service, provides the analysis of the cloud capabilities of the service as applications, platforms and connectivity, general and functional requirements for NaaS services defined in the ITU-T Y.3500. Typical scenarios for the practical use of the NaaS service are given, examples of real experience of the use of the service by foreign and domestic telecom operators are provided.