Apple may not have invented the smartphone - but it did invent the smartphone app ecosystem, where developers are free to build applications that enhance productivity. It’s a model that was copied by other smartphone platforms, with some seeking to go even beyond apps to a total product ecosystem. There’s no question that it was the freedom to build, collaborate, and exploit IoS tools that Apple granted to developers that was responsible for the explosion of creativity that has been the prime factor in making smartphones indispensable.
And that same process is starting today in the world of telecom. New systems - many associated with the advancement of 5G networks - are emerging to provide much more flexibility for developers, enabling them to utilize tools that will allow organizations to build applications and services to power the digital revolution, helping save time and make money. It’s the leading edge of a programmability revolution that will change the world of business as surely as the smartphone app revolution changed daily life.
The programmability that new systems offer developers will allow for full realization of the capabilities of 5G - whether it is the near-zero latency that will allow for the implementation of automated, intelligent private networks, the full hardware and flexibility available with Open Radio Access Networks(O-RAN), or cloud deployments. Here are some of the benefits that this revolution will provide:
New 5G Use Cases: RAN Intelligent Controllers (RIC) will enable companies to develop the connectivity they need to drive their digital transformation. With full programmability capabilities, companies will be able to provide solutions that will be part of wider Industry 4.0 advancements, including smart warehouses, digital health, and other transformative revolutions.
Customization: With the power to develop and deploy their own applications at will, companies will be able to customize their deployments as needed, utilizing the full power of advanced hardware and networks. With that power in the hands of users - instead of dependency on the roadmaps of network vendors - companies will be able to accelerate their digital evolution and continuously transform their operations on the fly.
Avoid Vendor Lock-In: With the ability to deploy their applications on a wide variety of fully programmable hardware, companies will be able to take full advantage of the systems that work best for them - instead of having to fit their needs into the strictures of the hardware provided by specific infrastructure firms.
But even though many of the components of this ecosystem are still under development, aspects of it are available right now. Programmability that taps into advances that have already been deployed have enabled the development of advanced systems for enterprise customers. And as the ecosystem grows - as new tools and advanced infrastructure becomes more highly available - more developers will trade ideas, code, routines, and information on forums dedicated to advanced programing, resulting in an explosion of creativity that will see the top minds in tech creating new applications that will help solve problems in medicine, education, business, production, and many more areas.
That, of course, lies in the promise for a future when 5G and true open RAN platforms are available to all enterprise customers. For now, organizations that want to take advantage of advanced programmability need to work within the limitations that we currently face, such as the need to ensure integration of legacy networks, existing procedures and programs, and those imposed by legacy hardware.
In addition, developers building applications need to take into account the diverse “flavors” of RAN from network infrastructure firms - and the current incomplete status of O-RAN standards. Until then, most of that innovative programming will need to be designed to run over a Network Abstraction technology, or be built specifically for the hardware provided by big infrastructure companies.
Management and programming systems that take these factors into account can help organizations get their advanced application development off the ground. And although implementation of these systems requires extra effort from organizations, the expenditures in time and money are well worth the benefits. These advanced management and programming systems can provide organizations with the means to utilize existing resources in order to achieve the kind of benefits others will have to wait to attain.
Applications developed by companies today are based on resources and technology they have available right now - within the current confines of the hardware and software limitations, including integration of legacy systems in production, shipping, and sales. Despite those limitations, the companies that adopt pre-standard programmability over a Network Abstraction technology will unleash an ocean of opportunities to save money, increase agility and flexibility, build better products, and even create jobs.
All this is just the tip of the advanced programmability iceberg. As more tools and infrastructure become available, more developers will be able to build applications, procedures, and processes for businesses of all kinds. With the right tools at their disposal, developers will be able to build applications designed specifically for a variety of business use cases - ensuring that they are able to provide maximum benefit for their enterprises.
But organizations don’t have to wait for widespread implementation of fast 5G networks and truly open RAN. Management and development systems currently in use can enable developers to take advantage of the advanced programmability tools right now. The more developers that embrace these tools now, the faster the programmability revolution will arrive - benefiting everyone.
