Sophia Antipolis, France, 8 January 2026
Microwave (MW) and millimetre wave (mmW) technologies are essential for future telecom networks, enabling 5G access and backhaul connectivity and forming a critical foundation for emerging 6G transport architectures. These networks require far greater performance and flexibility, which SDN and NFV deliver through intelligence and programmability. SDN also uses real-time data for dynamic, efficient services and ensures seamless integration across equipment, network segments, and vendors.
Building on previous ETSI Plugtests™, this edition validated and further matured NETCONF/YANG-based Southbound Interface (SBI) implementations across microwave and millimetre wave equipment under realistic deployment scenarios.
Automation Use Cases Tested
- Network and Service Auto-discovery for automatic identification of network elements.
- Service Provisioning for faster, error-free setup of transport services.
- Performance Analysis and Prediction for insights to optimise capacity and quality.
- Smart Alarm Analysis and Fault Prediction for earlier detection and quicker resolution to minimise downtime.
Key Outcomes for the Industry
- High interoperability confidence: a 91 % success rate across nearly 200 tests shows consistent behaviour in multi‑vendor environments.
- Operational gains: validated automated workflows for provisioning, monitoring, and fault handling, hence supporting OPEX reduction and improved reliability.
- Standards progress: feedback from testing helps refine IETF/IEEE YANG models and contributes to ETSI’s ongoing millimetre wave transmission (mWT) profile work which defines standardised SDN southbound interface (SBI) profiles for wireless transport systems.
- Test Library: a reusable software repository containing the test scripts and test plan, allows to extend the test environment with new use cases and hardware profiles, supporting future Plugtests™ and follow-up activities.
- Future‑ready foundations: strengthens the path to AI‑assisted operations and real‑time orchestration in next‑generation transport networks.
ETSI Plugtests offer a neutral, collaborative environment where companies can verify implementations, accelerate innovation, and ensure that future networks are open, interoperable, and ready for advanced 5G deployments and the evolution toward 6G.
The event was co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
Read the full report: 5th mWT SDN Plugtests for Wireless Transport — Report v1.0 (PDF)
RECOGNITION & THANKS
