Description
Management and Orchestration (MANO) is a critical architectural framework defined by 3GPP and ETSI NFV for automating the end-to-end lifecycle of network services composed of Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) and Physical Network Functions (PNFs). It is the brain behind Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), enabling operators to deploy and manage software-based network services with agility and efficiency. The MANO framework consists of three primary functional blocks: the NFV Orchestrator (NFVO), the VNF Manager (VNFM), and the Virtualized Infrastructure Manager (VIM). These components work in concert to translate high-level service requests into actionable commands across compute, storage, and network resources.
The NFV Orchestrator (NFVO) is responsible for the lifecycle management of network services (NS). It receives service deployment requests, often described in a topology and orchestration specification template (like TOSCA), and coordinates the instantiation, scaling, updating, and termination of the constituent VNFs. The NFVO manages the service catalog, validates resource availability, and handles cross-VNF dependencies. The VNF Manager (VNFM) oversees the lifecycle of individual VNF instances, such as software installation, configuration, scaling, and healing. Each VNF may have a dedicated VNFM, or a generic VNFM can manage multiple VNFs. The Virtualized Infrastructure Manager (VIM) controls the NFV Infrastructure (NFVI), which includes hypervisors, containers, physical servers, and networks. Popular VIMs include OpenStack and Kubernetes. The VIM allocates and monitors virtual resources (vCPU, vRAM, vStorage) as instructed by the NFVO/VNFM.
MANO operates through a series of reference points (interfaces) such as Os-Ma-nfvo (between OSS/BSS and NFVO), Or-Vnfm (between NFVO and VNFM), and Vi-Vnfm (between VNFM and VIM). The process begins when an operator or customer requests a new network service via an Operations Support System (OSS). The NFVO validates the request, checks resource availability via the VIM, and then instructs the VNFM to instantiate the required VNFs. The VNFM, in turn, works with the VIM to provision virtual machines or containers, load the VNF software images, and configure networking. Throughout the service lifetime, MANO monitors performance and faults, triggering auto-scaling or healing actions as defined in policies. This automation is fundamental for supporting dynamic services like network slicing, where isolated logical networks must be created and modified on-demand for different tenants or use cases.
Purpose & Motivation
MANO was created to solve the operational complexities introduced by network virtualization. Traditional telecom networks relied on proprietary, hardware-based appliances that were manually provisioned and managed, leading to long deployment cycles (months) and high capital and operational expenditures. The shift to software-based VNFs running on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware promised agility and cost savings but required a new management paradigm. Without automation, managing hundreds of virtual instances would be impossible at scale. MANO provides the necessary orchestration layer to realize the full benefits of NFV.
The framework addresses key challenges such as service agility, resource optimization, and multi-vendor interoperability. It enables operators to rapidly launch new services, scale resources elastically based on demand, and reduce manual errors through automation. Historically, each network function had its own element management system (EMS), creating silos. MANO introduces a standardized, unified approach to manage the entire service chain. Its development was motivated by the need to support emerging technologies like 5G, which require network slicing, edge computing, and ultra-low latency services that demand dynamic, programmable infrastructure. MANO is thus a cornerstone for transforming telecom networks into flexible, cloud-native platforms.
Classification
Release Timeline
Detected Changes Across Releases
from 3GPP Change RequestsSpecific changes extracted from the „Change history“ tables of 3GPP specifications (3 CRs across 2 releases). Complements the general historical overview above with the evidence-based evolution of this function.
In Release 15, the MANO function was enhanced to introduce support for network slice management interactions, specifically for handling network service priority. This involved defining new capabilities and procedures for the coordination between the network slice management function and the NFV MANO, as detailed in the updated architecture framework.
- Add network slice management interactions with NFV MANO for network service priority TS 28.531CR0010
In Release 18, the MANO function was enhanced to integrate more deeply with core network lifecycle procedures. Specifically, explicit interactions with NFV-MANO were formally added to the Network Function instance creation and deletion procedures. This provides a standardized mechanism for coordinating resource orchestration during these key lifecycle events.
Explore further
Broader topics and technologies where MANO plays a role.
Defining Specifications
3GPP specifications that define or reference MANO, with the latest known release. Sourced from the 3GPP document catalog — see methodology.
| Specification | Title | Release |
|---|---|---|
| TS 23.700 vk00 | XR Services Application Enablement Layer | Rel-20 |
| TS 26.804 vj10 | 5G Media Streaming Extensions Study | Rel-19 |
| TS 28.531 vk00 | Management and Orchestration | Rel-20 |
| TS 28.801 vf10 | Management and Orchestration of Network Slicing | Rel-15 |
| TR 32.972 vj00 | Energy Efficiency Study for 5G Networks | Rel-19 |
| TS 33.127 vj50 | Lawful Interception Architecture and Functions | Rel-19 |
| TS 33.794 vj10 | Study on Zero Trust Security Enablers for 5G | Rel-19 |
| TR 33.848 vi00 | Technical Report on Virtualisation Security | Rel-18 |
