5G Demand Is Here: Is Your 5G Network Ready?

With the growing demand for technologies to improve our lives in ways, both large (telemedicine and self-driving tractors, for example) and small (smart thermostats, smooth streaming of entertainment experiences, etc.), communication service providers (CSP) they need to deliver fast, seamless service to their networks.

According to a recent report Using the study on the potential of 5G usersThe global 5G market could cost $ 31 trillion by 2030, and service providers could earn a total of $ 131 billion in direct revenue from 5G digital services, with nearly 40 percent of that revenue coming from enhanced video and immersion. media. Obviously, the CSPs want to maximize those projected new revenue opportunities based on 5G.

The effective return on investment for 5G applications and networks requires CSPs to offer ultra-reliable low-latency (URLLC) communications and support for enhanced mobile broadband, mission-critical communications and the huge number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices used while waiting. their exponential. The industry forecasts predict 3 billion 5G subscriptions until 2025

Currently, most 5G networks use a non-architecture that connects the LTE core to new radios that support 5G bands, allowing CSPs to leverage existing investments in 3G and 4G, gradually deploying wider 5G capabilities. However, many operators are also deploying stand-alone 5G networks based on a new 5G cloud core, allowing them to extend virtualized technologies to radio access network (RAN) and distribute cloud services to the edge. “Stand-alone 5G represents a paradigm shift as it is effectively designed to build a cloud-ready network, including a new set of features that are desegregated and adapted to a flexible, service-based architecture. said Paolo Trevisan, NETSCOUT’s Associate Vice President of Product Management, at the company’s annual conference.

Like LightReading“Karen Brown wrote 5G signals new challenges with network monitoring and performance: “In fact, providing network monitoring and control is becoming increasingly critical as the industry moves from the original non-standard 5G framework, which relied on a 4G network core, to a fully 5G stand-alone scheme. The non-standard scheme helped speed up 5G adoption, but Upgrading provides real payouts to operators, offering ultimate computing and cloud capabilities, laying the groundwork for consumer applications such as artificial reality / low latency virtual reality (AR / VR) video and cloud games, and supporting new and potentially lucrative enterprise applications with more fast response time thanks to the finite elements of a stand-alone 5G network The ability of 5G to mix a wider range of wireless spectrum, including cellular, unlicensed and licensed midrange and millimeter wave frequencies (mm Wave) also gives operators new opportunities to deliver more flexible hybrid fixed and mobile services with extended range and data speed. ”

Management of 5G open architectures

The complexity of 5G networks poses significant governance challenges for CSPs looking for the most efficient and cost-effective way forward. In the past, RANs were built with all components coming from a single network equipment provider. This approach has proven to be too expensive and does not lend itself easily to the innovations needed for 5G. Instead, the industry is pushing for and accepting what will eventually be needed for 5G to reach its full potential. Standalone 5G continues to open up the network, using virtual network architectures such as a software-defined network (SDN), Network Functional Virtualization (NFV), containerization, and 5G network sharing, allowing CSPs to meet the specific requirements of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) for connectivity, speed, and capacity. And 5G is fast. How fast? From 10 times to the projected 100 times faster than 4G.

The best way to guarantee service and The security in such architectures is to use packet data for real-time visibility in all layers of the network – from physical to virtual, to cloud services and automation. This includes all dependencies in an open architecture, with an end-to-end view of all components in both physical and virtual networks of several generations.

Using a software-based approach to gaining visibility in the CSP network environment and performing real-time analysis of packet data based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to generate smart data at the point of collection is the key to monitoring health and safety between all components. And the injection of routine machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) investigations into these smart data elevates the possible analysis from such IP traffic data to effective intelligence for routing network operations, engineering and marketing solutions, and providing fuel for the orchestration layer to achieve automation.

Due to the dynamic nature of the development of 5G and the complexity of these networks, it makes sense for CSPs to look for the only source of truth to create the overall visibility needed for 5G security and service delivery. And instead of relying on internal efforts, CSPs will be well served by choosing an independent vendor that offers an affordable software approach to end-to-end visibility.

Read the book “5G ready now! The fourth industrial revolution – 5G / IoT”