11550 search results for Open RAN

Network slicing is one of the essential elements of the full vision of 5G as an agile network which can be tuned to any user’s requirements in a dynamic fashion. Without slicing, it will be hard for 5G to meet the needs of many of the industries which hope to use it as part of their digital transformations. The demanding, and very diverse, connectivity requirements of sectors such as public safety, manufacturing, logistics or smart cities cannot be met optimally on a general purpose network, but the individual private network model, while important for some scenarios – especially in-building or localized build-outs – is hard to scale, and hard for MNOs to align with their core profit models. Slicing, then,…

Among the many dilemmas facing operators as they move towards the new software-based 5G architectures is one of timing. They can deploy relatively mature virtualized cores right now, if they rely on virtual machines and the NFV (network functions virtualization) platform that has been the bedrock of telcos’ cloud migrations so far. But this approach is increasingly seen as a compromise – far more complex, heavy and cumbersome than the emerging cloud-native platforms. These rely on lighter containers and agile orchestration frameworks, which can configure, reconfigure, assemble and reassemble microservices on the fly, and in limitless combinations, to meet a particular user requirement. However, if an operator is in a hurry, cloud-native platforms remain immature and there are question marks…

Some large operators are starting to set out clear roadmaps to a cloud-native, container-based architecture for their 5G core, though the cloud-native RAN is some way behind, possibly by several years in terms of large-scale, macro network deployments. Vendors like Nokia are offering cloud-native vRAN systems, and also supporting open interfaces such as O-RAN, but most operators indicate they will initially trial such technology in greenfield, secondary or localized networks, rather than risk any performance trade-offs in the main network at this early stage. It is different for fully greenfield MNOs, of course. Rakuten Mobile, Dish Network and others have the luxury of not having legacy physical networks to integrate, sunset or depreciate. But even for these new players, the…

For a long time, the virtualized RAN (vRAN) has been something more of dream than substance. It has been discussed ever since China Mobile’s seminal white paper, a decade ago, launched the concept of a RAN whose digital functions were run as software in the cloud. But commercially, it has remained the preserve of a few very expensive, hand-crafted deployments, mainly in South Korea, Japan and China; and some roll-outs of small cell or secondary networks, where it has often proved less risky and disruptive to test the new technology without touching the primary macro network. Now, several factors are conspiring to turn on the accelerator. The start of the gradual shift to full 5G, with a 5G sliceable core;…

Dish Network has announced two further suppliers for its forthcoming 5G network in the USA, Altiostar and Fujitsu. The satellite TV provider has pledged to emulate Rakuten Mobile’s cloud-native, multivendor network based on open interfaces, and indeed, it is clearly adopting a similar approach. It will deploy a disaggregated network supporting open specs such as O-RAN, and with different suppliers for hardware and software (and potentially multiple virtual network function suppliers per domain). However, despite the architectural similarities, it is not selecting all the same vendors. Altiostar is Rakuten’s 4G and 5G RAN VNF provider, but in Dish’s case, it will share the RAN software glory with Mavenir, already selected in April for its open RAN software. And Fujitsu will…

Some operators will make a success of a consumer-centric 5G model, by reducing costs dramatically or focusing on emerging economies. Those strategies will certainly be adopted even by operators with an ambitious cloud-based multi-enterprise vision, since the latter will take some years to come to full fruition. So Orange’s expansion into more African markets, or AT&T’s program to slash operating costs, are not at odds with those telcos’ roadmaps to support the 5G core, network slicing and advanced enterprise and industrial applications. Vodafone is another operator which will adopt different business growth strategies, and different pace of chance, for different markets. It also has some growth potential in emerging economies, particularly southern and eastern Africa. Its troubled Indian subsidiary, Vodafone…

Last week saw the finalization of 3GPP’s next wave of 5G standards, Release 16. Despite a delay of a few months because of the pandemic crisis, the specifications have now been frozen after a series of online meetings of the 3GPP groups. The standards body also said that the Release 16 ASN.1 and OpenAPI specifications, which usually come later than the core specs, had been frozen on schedule, and at the same time as the main standards. (The 3GPP defines ASN.1 as covering protocols between the network and the user equipment, or between network nodes, while everything else is considered a ‘functional requirement’.) Key elements of Rel16 include many focused on the industrial and IoT applications that are often associated…

The 5G core will be essential to an effective 5G business model that serves multiple enterprise sectors, rather than being constrained by the MNOs’ more usual consumer-centric approach. Only with 5G NR Standalone, and the full cloud-native, sliceable core, will operators be able to exploit the full potential of their new platforms and address high value, high growth segments in a profitable way, rather than being confined to low margin consumer markets or just one or two chosen verticals. This means that deployment of 5G Standalone (SA) – which has a full 5G core rather than relying on an enhanced LTE core like 5G NSA – is being accelerated, by many MNOs, rather than delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. A…