EANTC Transport & Cloud Networks Interop Test 2026
The EANTC Transport & Cloud Networks Interop Test 2026 took place in Berlin from January 26 to February 6, 2026. The results were presented at the Upperside World Congress (formerly “MPLS World Congress”) in Paris from March 24 to 26.
EANTC proudly welcomed 12 leading industry vendors: Arista, Calnex Solutions, Ciena, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, HPE, Keysight, Microchip, Nokia, Raisecom, Ribbon, and ZTE that participated in comprehensive interoperability testing across key technical areas.
Test Report - Full Version
The scale and depth of this year’s testing reflect the industry’s strong commitment to interoperability and innovation. In total, 92 test cases were executed across six test areas. The setup integrated 133 devices covering 65 device types, generating an impressive 1,839 test results. This extensive validation effort ensures transparent, reproducible insights into real-world multi-vendor deployments.
Test Report - Short Version
This year’s test program introduced comprehensive Use Case Scenarios, providing end-to-end validation of converged networks that combine SR-MPLS/SRv6 interworking, precision timing, and automated EVPN service management across multiple technical domains.
Also covered key technology domains, including Segment Routing (SR-MPLS and SRv6) with advanced traffic steering capabilities and 5G transport optimization, EVPN services for enterprise connectivity and data center interconnect with advanced multi-homing and traffic engineering, and Orchestration and Automation scenarios enabling controller-based service provisioning and real-time network intelligence.
Additional focus areas included Time Synchronization for 5G networks with enhanced security mechanisms and optical transport integration, as well as Ethernet-based transport optimized for AI and HPC workloads.
Showcase at the Upperside World Congress in Paris
At this year’s Upperside World Congress in Paris, EANTC presented 12 live interoperability demonstrations from March 24 to 26, 2026, developed in collaboration with the 12 participating vendors, highlighting key advancements in networking technologies. Developed through extensive testing, these demos validated practical, real-world scenarios and reflected innovation across a diverse ecosystem.
Below you can find all demo videos and gain insights into the innovative solutions presented during the event.
Digital Twin - Network Validation in a Multi-Vendor Environment
In this demo, Arista, Cisco, HPE, Keysight, and ZTE demonstrate the results of the EANTC Transport & Cloud Networks Interop Test 2026, presented at the Upperside World Congress. The scenario highlights a digital twin approach in which a live network is replicated in real time to reflect its topology, configuration, and operational data, enabling accurate modeling across a multi-vendor environment.
The demo shows how operators can simulate planned changes, such as adding nodes and Layer 3 links directly in the digital twin, and evaluate their impact before deployment. Independent topology-discovery runs using different controllers produced consistent results, and the simulated changes closely matched the behavior observed after implementation in the physical network, demonstrating a reliable method for safer planning and validation.
The speakers in this demo include:
▪️Julia Palomino (Cisco)
▪️Malake Abidar (Keysight)
SRv6 L3VPN Active Active Multi-Homing - Achieving Lossless Failover in Multi-Vendor Deployments
In this demo, Cisco, Keysight, and Nokia demonstrate the results of the EANTC Transport & Cloud Networks Interop Test 2026, presented at the Upperside World Congress. The scenario addresses a key challenge in L3VPN multi-homing, where Layer 2 hashing on the CE can cause ARP and IPv6 Neighbor Discovery responses to be learned by only one service PE, leading to inconsistent forwarding behavior in an active-active environment. The demo showcases how EVPN-based ARP and ND synchronization using MAC/IP Advertisement routes ensures that both PEs maintain a consistent view of CE adjacencies. In the tested setup, a CE connected via a LAG to two PEs operating in all-active mode successfully maintained uninterrupted traffic flow. Even when one access link was disabled, traffic seamlessly switched to the redundant path without packet loss, validating reliable and resilient forwarding in multi-vendor SRv6 L3VPN deployments.
The speakers in this demo include:
▪️Deepak Balasubramanian (Cisco)
▪️Victor Alenin (Nokia)
EVPN Group Policy - Precise Segmentation and Traffic Control in VXLAN
In this demo, Cisco, Keysight, and Nokia demonstrate the results of the EANTC Transport & Cloud Networks Interop Test 2026, presented at the Upperside World Congress. The scenario focuses on EVPN Group Policy as a mechanism for enabling micro- and macro-segmentation within VXLAN fabrics by assigning Group Policy IDs to endpoints and controlling traffic flows based on defined policies.
The demo validates how group-based policies enforce selective communication between tenant systems across a multi-vendor environment. In the test setup, only specific bidirectional traffic flows were permitted between designated tenant pairs, while all other traffic was blocked. Measurement results confirmed that communication occurred exclusively between allowed endpoints, demonstrating precise policy enforcement and effective network segmentation.
The speakers in this demo include:
▪️Ambrish Singh (Cisco)
▪️Hamam Takkey (Nokia)
Hot-Staging Vendor Interviews
During the Hot-Staging in Berlin, EANTC conducted a series of interviews with participating vendors, capturing valuable insights into the technologies, use cases, and collaborations behind the demonstrations.
Below you can find all interview videos, offering a closer look at the perspectives and innovations shared by the vendors involved.
Arista Interview - Is EVPN Simplifying Multi-Vendor Networks or Adding New Complexity?
In this interview from the 𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗖 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 & 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, Arista shares its perspective on the evolution of EVPN across data center and wide area environments.
In the video, Arista (Alex Nichol) discusses:
- Where EVPN simplifies multi-vendor network design and operations
- The remaining challenges and hidden complexities, especially for advanced services and network operations
- What is still needed to achieve more seamless, scalable, and operationally efficient deployments
- Why collaboration in the EANTC interoperability initiative is key to validating real-world, multi-vendor solutions
These technologies were validated during the interoperability testing and demonstrated live in multi-vendor scenarios at the Upperside World Congress in Paris from March 24 to 26, 2026, where the EANTC Interop Test Report was also published and the results presented.
Cisco Interview - Are Autonomous Level 4 Networks Reachable in Multi-Vendor Environments?
In this interview from the 𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗖 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 & 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, Cisco shares its perspective on the maturity of automation and orchestration across multi-vendor Segment Routing and EVPN transport environments.
In the video, Cisco (Sujay Murthy) discusses:
▪️How ready today’s solutions are for multi-vendor end-to-end orchestration
▪️The realistic path toward achieving Autonomous Network Level 4 in complex transport networks
▪️ Why collaboration through the EANTC multi-vendor interoperability initiative is essential to validate these capabilities in real-world environments
These topics were demonstrated live in our multi-vendor showcases at the Upperside World Congress in Paris from March 24 to 26, 2026, where the EANTC Interop Test Report was published and its results presented alongside the live demonstrations.
Ericsson Interview - Can Segment Routing Deliver Resilient 5G Transport Services?
In this interview from the 𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗖 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 & 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, Ericsson shares its perspective on the growing maturity of Segment Routing and what it means for operators deploying advanced 5G transport services.
In the video, Ericsson (Mauro Mignone) discusses:
- How Segment Routing is enabling plug-and-play interoperability across multi-vendor networks
- What operators can expect when deploying differentiated and highly resilient services for 5G transport
- Why collaboration in the EANTC multi-vendor interoperability initiative is key to validating real-world deployments
These technologies were demonstrated live in our multi-vendor showcases at the Upperside World Congress in Paris from March 24 to 26, 2026, where the EANTC Interop Test Report was published and its results presented alongside the live demonstrations.
Keysight Interview - How Does SR-MPLS Actually Simplify Network Operations Today?
In this interview from the 𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗖 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 & 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, Keysight Technologies shares its perspective on the operational benefits of Segment Routing MPLS and why the technology continues to gain momentum across modern transport networks.
In the video, Keysight (Anirban Bhattacharya) discusses:
▪️How SR-MPLS simplifies network design and operations for operators
▪️ The practical advantages operators can realize today when deploying Segment Routing
▪️ Why participation in the EANTC multi-vendor interoperability initiative is key to validating solutions in realistic environments
These technologies were demonstrated live in our multi-vendor showcases at the Upperside World Congress in Paris from March 24 to 26, 2026, where the EANTC Interop Test Report was published and its results presented alongside the live demonstrations.
Raisecom Interview - Why is Segment Routing Adoption Still Slow?
In this interview from the 𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗖 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 & 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, Raisecom shares its perspective on the evolving adoption of Segment Routing and the value it brings beyond large-scale service provider networks.
In the video, Raisecom (Markus Pestinger) discusses:
▪️ The most important drivers for migrating from MPLS to Segment Routing
▪️How smaller operators, enterprises, and public sector networks can benefit from simplified operations and improved scalability
▪️Why participating in the EANTC multi-vendor interoperability initiative is key to validating real-world deployments and accelerating industry adoption
These technologies were demonstrated live in our multi-vendor showcases at the Upperside World Congress in Paris from March 24 to 26, 2026, where the EANTC Interop Test Report was published and its results presented alongside the live demonstrations.
Ribbon Interview - How Soon Can We Automate Multi-Vendor SR/EVPN?
In this interview from the 𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗖 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 & 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, Ribbon shares its perspective on the latest advances in automated network orchestration and the progress the industry is making toward fully automated operations in Segment Routing and EVPN environments.
In the video, Ribbon (Raunak Sachdeva) discusses:
- Key improvements in automated network orchestration this year
- How soon automated provisioning, fault management, and optimization can be achieved in multi-vendor SR / EVPN networks
- Why collaboration through the EANTC AG interoperability initiative is essential for accelerating innovation
These technologies were demonstrated live in our multi-vendor showcases at the Upperside World Congress in Paris from March 24 to 26, 2026, where the EANTC Interop Test Report was published and its results presented alongside the live demonstrations.
ZTE Interview - How Mature Is SRv6 Interoperability Today?
In this interview from the 𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗖 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 & 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, ZTE shares its perspective on the latest developments in SRv6, including the growing efficiency enabled by compressed SIDs.
In the video, ZTE (Jie Wu)discusses:
▪️ How the introduction of compressed SIDs improves the efficiency and scalability of SRv6
▪️ The current maturity of SRv6 interoperability across multi-vendor environments
▪️ The remaining interoperability topics being addressed in this year’s EANTC Interop testing
▪️Why participation in the EANTC interoperability initiative is valuable for validating technologies in realistic network scenarios
For EANTC, it is a privilege to continue our successful interop testing series with all participating vendors. The joint efforts align well with the industry’s fast pace on network support for application-specific AI and automated network solutions. In forthcoming events, we plan to expand on network automation, modeling, and end-to-end use case validation to meet industry demands for a scalable and interoperable use-case-ready core, aggregation, data center, and access network.