Why did operator NFV adoption lag so much?

NFV adoption was hampered by high costs and deployment issues, according to one industry insider. Also, learn about the latest on network security and industry hype. Network functions virtualization, or NFV, was supposed to be the next big thing in networking technology. But, seven years after its introduction, NFV adoption among network operators hasn't met expectations. Tom Nolle, an industry analyst and founder of CIMI Corp., dissected some of the reasons why network operators have shied away from fully embracing NFV. One main reason is the sometimes stiff licensing fees that virtual network functions (VNF) developers have attached to their offerings.