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Network as a Service (NaaS), Defined: What It Includes and How It Works

Network as a Service is a flexible way to consume connectivity and related network capabilities, but the features, equipment, operations, and billing included vary by provider.
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Network as a Service (NaaS) is a way for an organization to consume network connectivity and related capabilities as a service rather than assembling and operating every component itself. Depending on the offer, a provider may supply connectivity, virtual network functions, hardware, software, management, security, or lifecycle support through a subscription or flexible-usage model. NaaS is a service model, not one standardized product, so the label alone does not tell you what is included.

What Network as a Service means

The standards-based core of NaaS is transport connectivity plus related network capabilities. ITU-T Recommendation X.1604 places NaaS among cloud-service categories and describes capabilities delivered to a customer through network services. In practice, vendors may use the term for a broader package that includes infrastructure, software, operations, and ongoing support.

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That breadth is why NaaS does not simply mean “renting bandwidth.” The service might provide connectivity, a programmable environment for network functions, or virtual network applications. ITU-T X.1604 groups these capabilities into three categories:

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  • NaaS connectivity service: Provisioning that uses network connectivity resources, such as an extended or flexible VPN or bandwidth on demand.
  • NaaS platform service: A programmable environment for network functionality.
  • NaaS application service: A network application supplied to the customer, such as a virtual router, virtual CDN, virtualized evolved packet core, or virtual firewall.

These categories come from the ITU-T standard; they do not mean every commercial NaaS offering includes all three. See ITU-T Recommendation X.1604 (2020).

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What a NaaS offering can include

Commercial packages vary. Depending on the provider and service boundary, NaaS may include some combination of:

  • Connectivity between sites, users, cloud environments, or other network endpoints.
  • Functions such as SD-WAN, wireless access, VPNs, load balancing, or virtual network appliances.
  • Security features, which may include firewall or access capabilities.
  • Hardware, software, licenses, and management tools.
  • Provisioning, deployment, monitoring, maintenance, and other lifecycle work.

These are possible components, not a standard bundle. Cisco and HPE describe NaaS packages that can combine technology with management and lifecycle services, while Cloudflare’s explainer presents the term in a vendor context. Confirm the exact included capabilities in the service description and contract: Cisco’s NaaS explainer, HPE’s NaaS glossary, and Cloudflare’s NaaS overview.

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How delivery and payment can work

A NaaS provider may offer a subscription or flexible-consumption arrangement. The customer can receive network capabilities as an ongoing service, with charges tied to a subscription or usage model; the precise billing basis is provider-specific. A package may also place deployment, monitoring, management, licensing, or maintenance with the provider, or allow the customer and provider to share those tasks.

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NaaS does not necessarily eliminate equipment at the customer’s sites. Delivery can involve cloud-hosted services, virtualized customer-premises equipment, or subscribed hardware. Cisco describes these as possible parts of NaaS delivery, and HPE’s description also includes hardware among potential service components. The practical question is who supplies, owns, operates, and maintains each part—not whether equipment exists at all.

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For an overview of the operational model, see Cisco’s description of ordering, deployment, co-management, monitoring, usage tracking, and billing and HPE’s explanation of provisioning and lifecycle services. These are vendor descriptions of common packaging, not requirements that every NaaS service must meet.

How NaaS differs from SASE, SDN, NFV, and SaaS

NaaS and SASE

NaaS and secure access service edge (SASE) describe different things. Cisco characterizes SASE as an architecture and NaaS as a service package for operating networking. A NaaS offer may incorporate SASE-style security or access functions, but the terms are not interchangeable. Cisco’s distinction is a vendor explanation, not the ITU-T definition; see Cisco’s network services explainer.

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NaaS and SDN or NFV

Software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) are technologies and architectural approaches that can support programmable or virtualized network capabilities. They are not alternative names for the service model. ITU-T Recommendation Y.3515 addresses how SDN and NFV relate to the functional architecture of NaaS; see the ITU-T Y.3515 recommendation summary.

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NaaS and SaaS or IaaS

NaaS is focused on networking capabilities and their delivery as a service. SaaS and IaaS refer to other kinds of cloud services, but the boundary depends on the specific product: a cloud service may expose network functions as part of a wider platform. Rather than relying on a label, check which network capabilities the customer receives and who operates them.

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What to check before choosing a NaaS service

Because “NaaS” does not specify a uniform package, evaluate the service boundary and operating responsibilities directly. Ask the provider to document:

  • Capabilities: Which connectivity, network functions, and security features are included, and which cost extra?
  • Equipment: Who owns or subscribes to hardware, and where does virtualized or provider-hosted infrastructure run?
  • Operations: Who provisions, monitors, manages, updates, troubleshoots, and supports the service?
  • Coverage: Which of your sites, clouds, and users can be served, and what geographic limits apply?
  • Consumption and billing: What is measured, how does usage affect charges, and how can capacity be scaled?
  • Service commitments: What service-level objectives or agreements, reporting, and remedies are contractually defined?
  • Security responsibilities: Which controls are provided by the service, which remain yours, and how does the offer fit your existing network architecture?

These are practical evaluation questions, not a checklist imposed by the standards. Cisco specifically discusses tracking service levels, usage, and billing as part of operating a NaaS arrangement; the applicable terms and commitments must be verified with each provider.

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