Our journey on "how we are modernising our network"#

Richard Vander Reyden - Optus

• Why: A large telco's target-state architecture is a useful directional signal for where SP fabrics are heading — SRv6, IGP consolidation, core separation — even if the specifics don't transfer.
• What: A history (Bay Networks → Cisco 7200/7500/GSR → Juniper M320/MX960/PTX; VPLS → Seamless MPLS) and a pointed critique of the current state: internet traffic (~90% of volume) sharing a complex telco core (OSPF + LDP + iBGP/eBGP-LU) with in-band management. The target state: internet core separated from telco core, IS-IS + SRv6 end to end (already IS-IS + SR-MPLS in access), dual-vendor dual-plane core, defined interconnects, VxLAN in access, built for 400/800G colored optics, and a dedicated OOB management network (star topology, dual SYD/MEL hubs, carrier-diverse paths). On operations: from manual CLI (typo-outages, no rollback, knowledge silos) to CI/CD with atomic commits and automatic rollback, Git + NetBox + NSO as single source of truth, one YAML intent layer across Cisco/Juniper, continuous drift detection, AI anomaly detection with humans deciding.
• How: Architecture-program level description; the deck contains little implementation detail.
• Where applicable: Optus-specific scale and topology — a direction signal, not a copyable design. Pair with the Aussie Broadband IGP talk for the IS-IS/SR trend.