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Scaling Up 5G With Cloud Native Networks, OpenRAN and First Standalone Applications

Scaling Up 5G With Cloud Native Networks, OpenRAN and First Standalone Applications Image Credit: Natali_Mis/Bigstockphoto.com

Throughout 2019, operators and vendors from across the globe were competing to introduce the first 5G technology. In 2020, these companies will be looking at new technologies that can enable them to cost effectively scale 5G technology and integrate it alongside legacy infrastructure. From cloud-native networks, to OpenRAN and the first standalone applications, Steve Papa, CEO at Parallel Wireless offers his predictions of how the telecoms industry will change in 2020 and beyond.

#1: Consumers get their first 5G taste in Tokyo

While 5G has dominated the telecoms industry news pages for quite some time, the newest generation of mobile connectivity has yet to penetrate the consumer consciousness in quite the same way. Adoption of 5G handsets has been slow to date as consumers don’t see enough of a clear advancement from their existing 4G handsets to justify what are relatively expensive new models. Those that have stumped up for 5G handsets have been left disappointed by the lack of a ‘true’ 5G experience, with the network only covering one or two blocks at a time and devices often defaulting back to 4G connectivity.

A number of initial 5G deployments were focussed on specific and densely populated geographical areas in major cities, or on business use cases. For example, AT&T only launched its low-band consumer network in December 2019, having primarily focussed on private/business 5G network rollout beforehand.

This will change in 2020 once consumers get their first real taste of what 5G networks can offer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Summer Games will see demonstrations of new and exciting consumer services like AR and VR, which will enhance the sporting spectacle for the thousands of tourists heading to Japan. This will encourage a greater adoption of 5G handsets and increased understanding of the capabilities of next-gen networks.

#2: Operators become Open to new 5G network models

Steve Papa,
CEO, Parallel
Wireless

Operators in developed markets in Asia are now in a race to deliver 5G connectivity to their customers. South Korea, for example, already has four million 5G subscribers and the country is adopting the new connectivity standard at a rapid rate. However, in order for operators to continue investing in 5G, they need to introduce efficiencies into how they build these new networks and manage their existing legacy infrastructure.

Operators in APAC will be watching operators in EMEA, where there has been a significant move towards OpenRAN, driven by Vodafone in Europe and MTN in Africa. This new approach puts software at the heart of the network. OpenRAN technology can unify all generations of network technology - from 2G to 5G - under the same software umbrella. This can make them easier and more cost-effective to manage and upgrade. This model also allows interoperability between different vendor technology, driving more competition into the operators’ supply chain.

If operators in countries such as Korea and Japan introduce OpenRAN, they will continue to lead the roll-out and adoption of 5G throughout 2020.

#3: 5G Standalone networks drive new services in the enterprise

Much of the early 5G deployments have been focussed on 5G non-standalone (NSA), which sees 5G radios integrated into the existing LTE core network. 5G standalone (SA) will see new 5G radios complemented by a new, next-generation core network. The full specifications for 5G SA will be available in 3GPP Release-16, which is expected to be finalized mid-2020.

5G SA isn’t yet appropriate for consumer mobile services because they will still rely on fall-back to 4G in areas where there isn’t full 5G coverage, for a number of years. However, in 2020, we can expect to see some of the first 5G SA networks powering new applications in the enterprise. 5G business services are being developed specifically to utilize the ultra-reliable, low-latency communications, promised by 5G SA. Business use cases, such as those developed for large machine-to-machine and industrial-IoT communications, don’t require fallback to 4G and are therefore primed as a testbed for ‘true 5G connectivity’.

#4: The introduction of true, cloud-native networks

Over the past 5 years, operators have been exploring the power of network functions virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN). NFV enables networks features to be virtualized and delivered from the cloud. These technologies bring more control, higher levels of innovation and cost saving to operators. SDN replaces proprietary hardware with open, programmable infrastructure.

In 2020, operators will be looking at how they can shift towards fully cloud-native networks. This will mean that all network features will be designed to utilize software and cloud-based technology. This will enable networks to become automated and more easily leverage the benefits of network intelligence and analytics. This new model will be key to the success of 5G, particularly as new 5G core functions are introduced. We can expect a number of operators to announce their intentions to become truly cloud-native as they look to improve efficiency, innovation and reduce costs.

Author

Steve leads the senior management team at Parallel Wireless in setting the company’s strategic direction and is guiding the company’s evolution from its successful first customer deployment into broad commercialization and growth. Steve has been part of reimagining the technology landscape for over 20 years. 

As founder and CEO of Endeca, he reimagined the database to support faceted information ultimately leading to Oracle acquiring the company as its 6th largest acquisition ever when announced (reported at $1.1 billion). He was part of the team creating Akamai that reimagined global Internet content distribution - now carrying peaks of 15 terabits/s of web traffic on any given day - and led the team at Inktomi that reimagined the network cache to create carrier class caching. Earlier he worked with AT&T Teradata where enterprise computing was reimagined with the first use of Intel processors for enterprise servers.

He has a BS from Princeton University and MBA from Harvard Business School.

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