The two main bodies developing open source platforms for management and orchestration (MANO) tend to announce their rival specifications at the same time. Once again, ONAP (Open Network Automation Protocol), the AT&T-initiated, Linux Foundation-hosted group, unveiled its latest release within days of new technology from ETSI’s Open Source MANO (OSM) project. ONAP’s new release is called Casablanca and claims to make its software more modular, and easier to deploy for the efficient, flexible management of virtualized networks. For the first time, it will support physical network functions (PNFs) alongside their virtual equivalents (VNFs), a critical step forward for many telcos, which expect their physical and virtual worlds to coexist for many years. Casablanca’s 5G blueprint aims to extend zero-touch orchestration…