Network function virtualization (NFV) hardware trust in data communication systems

A Network Function Virtualization (NFV) Management and Orchestration (MANO) data communication system to drive an NFV Infrastructure (NFVI) to support a Network Service (NS), the NFV MANO data communication system comprising:

• NFV MANO computer circuitry configured to exchange hardware trust data with a hardware-trusted subsystem in the NFVI to maintain hardware trust with the hardware-trusted subsystem in the NFVI;
• NFV NS computer circuitry configured to exchange NS operation data with a network operations system over an Os-Nfvo link;
• the NFV MANO computer circuitry configured to responsively exchange first network data over a first Nf-Vi link to drive the NFVI to execute a Virtual Network Function (VNF) externally to the hardware-trusted subsystem to support the NS;
• and
• the NFV NS computer circuitry configured to exchange trust operation data for the NS with the network operations system over the Os-Nfvo link and responsively exchange second network data with the hardware-trusted subsystem in the NFVI over a second Nf-Vi link to drive the hardware-trusted subsystem to execute the VNF to support the NS.