Linux Foundation Connectivity Grows Portfolio with ISP Toolbox and Magma Projects

• The LF Connectivity project umbrella, which addresses connectivity challenges for enhanced and emerging access technologies expands with 2 new projects 

• Meta contributes ISP Toolbox to LFC, a set of business, network and marketing tools to empower ISP deployments

• LFC now is home of Magma Project, enabling synergies across packet core and connectivity solutions

SAN FRANCISCO—DECEMBER 19, 2023 – LF Connectivity (LFC), a Linux Foundation open source project focused on advancing technologies to accelerate emerging network and connectivity applications, today announced Magma and ISP Toolbox have become LFC sub-projects. 

Magma is an open-source software platform that gives network operators an open, flexible and extendable mobile core network solution and current Linux Foundation project. ISP Toolbox helps to empower ISP operators with products, tools, and resources to better run their business and connect more people to faster Internet.

“With 5G becoming more pervasive and NextG on the horizon, bandwidth and latency requirements will be higher than ever, with more applications leveraging augmented reality and immersive experiences that need to traverse networks,” said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, Networking, Edge, IoT, the Linux Foundation. “We are pleased to  welcome the addition of Magma and ISP Toolbox to the LF Connectivity portfolio, bringing even more new open source tools to more organizations across the globe.”

Formed in collaboration with Meta in Spring 2023, LF Connectivity’s vision is to create a robust and sustainable open ecosystem that will enable a wide range of communication service providers to leverage open source tools and technologies to help with the end-to-end performance and quality of experience (QoE) requirements of emerging applications.

MAGMA 

Previously open sourced by Meta in 2019, Magma moved to the Linux Foundation in early 2021. Magma enables operators to build and augment modern and efficient mobile networks at scale. Magma features an access-agnostic mobile packet core, advanced network automation and management tools, and the ability to integrate with existing LTE networks with use cases across both virtual and container Network Functions (xNFs) including fixed wireless access, carrier Wi-Fi, private LTE and 5G, network expansion, and mobile broadband. 

“In the last year, our project has successfully shifted to a fully community-driven model, marking a significant milestone,”  said Jordan Vrtanoski, Chief Architect of Connect 5G and the Chair of Magma TSC. “Notably, we witnessed another important milestone, the inaugural large-scale commercial deployment of Magma in the United States, effectively delivering high-speed internet to underserved rural communities. The prospect of joining LF Connectivity is met with enthusiasm from the community as it presents a significant milestone in the project evolution and an opportunity to expand our ecosystem and explore diverse use cases in end-to-end solutions for alternative access technologies.”

Since joining the Linux Foundation,  Magma has successfully transitioned into a community-driven open source project with multiple open source releases and an evolving roadmap delivered.  

ISP Tool box 

Internet Service Providers (ISP) play a critical role in closing the connectivity gap. ISP Toolbox helps to empower ISP operators with products, tools, and resources to better run their business and connect more people to faster Internet. Collaborating with network operators, equipment manufacturers, software developers, and other partners, ISP Toolbox introduces new initiatives and technologies that close the connectivity gap via free tools and resources to help ISPs grow their businesses and to help improve connectivity. Specific tools provided include Business Network and Marketing Tools to empower ISP operators.

“Meta is pleased to contribute its ISP Toolbox to the Linux Foundation's open-source Connectivity project, which completes the portfolio alongside Terragraph, Open M-Plane, and Maveric technologies,” said Shah Rahman, Engineering Director at Meta responsible for supporting open-source Connectivity projects. “By sharing these technologies with the community, we hope to further improve global connectivity by enabling other companies and other institutions to participate and contribute to those projects.”

ISP Toolbox and Magma join LFC’s three initial sub-projects, initially contributed by Meta and developed in collaboration with industry partners:

• Terragraph is a wireless technology solution that helps internet service providers deliver gigabit speed last-mile access to subscriber homes, enterprises, and multi-dwelling buildings easily and cost-effectively.
• Open M-Plane is a software component of Meta's Evenstar hardware design for the configuration and management of the RAN. It is interoperable, hardware-independent, and aligned with O-RAN specifications to help enable mobile wireless connectivity by providing flexibility to operators looking to source hardware from different vendors as they deploy their own RAN solutions.
• Maveric enables the development and evaluation of cellular network optimization algorithms before their deployment on the network. It is a developer platform that leverages AI/ML approaches to provide realistic cellular network representations and examples that demonstrate its use.
  
  

Project governance and infrastructure are in the works, but please visit www.lfconnectivity.org for more information or view the kick-off webinar recording, “Introducing LF Connectivity.”

To participate in LFC, please visit the website and fill in the form at the bottom of the homepage: https://lfconnectivity.dev/. 

Resources

• Video (Terragraph): Why We Build: Connectivity in New York City
• Video (Terragraph): Why we Build: Meta Connectivity in Alaska

Website: www.lfconnectivity.org