From RAN to core, 5G SON will automate cross-domain personalized networks for vertical applications
The majority of current SON solutions focus on the radio access network, but with 5G the RAN will fundamentally change to encompass an array of access technologies. In addition to that complication, the sheer volume of data and breadth of services will require automation to extend from the RAN to the core to the edge and beyond.
In addition to the complex ecosystem of service providers, vendors and technology outfits that comprise the telecom ecosystem, telecommunications touches virtually all other industries; and that relationship will only continue to flourish as the IoT, both consumer and industrial, continues to grow.
To bring this variety of industrial applications to life—we’re talking about everything from manufacturing automation on a factory floor to fleets of drones working in tandem, and all in one network—things have to change. Network functions virtualization and software-defined networking techniques need to advance, essentially creating on-demand network slices tailored, in real-time, to the performance requirements of any use case.
A network slice will be a customizable, software-defined pipe that seamlessly integrates virtual networks. For instance, a consumer smartphone will exist in one slice, connected to the radio and cloud edge, then to the transport and aggregation network, onto the cloud-based core. In another slice, mission critical services requiring ultra low latency and high capacity and reliability will be supported. Yet another slice will be dedicated to massive IoT applications, and so on.
“It’s not just about the RAN anymore,” Sameh Yamany, CTO of Viavi Solutions said. “5G will bring about a lot of complex slices that simply cannot be manually managed. Viavi is going to evolve our SON capabilities today to embrace the requirements for 5G network slicing. Viavi is part of the auto-pilot. We close the loop by actuating changes in the network in real time.”
As 5G continues to take shape, Viavi is supporting more and more complicated and advanced service delivery with NFV assurance agents to orchestrate throughout a virtual network with a model that supports physical-virtual hybrid deployments; CP/UP troubleshooting; and content and app aware analytics that provide QoE and QoS in a network slicing architecture.
To create the dynamic intelligence and self-learning needed for these future networks to essentially run on auto-pilot, SON needs to evolve from the RAN to the entire network.
Every aspect of the network will need to be visible to every other network element,Yamany said. “Active and passive sensors will serve as a set of modular, logical functions which can be dynamically orchestrated and deployed flexibly to provide E2E visibility—assuring, enabling and securing autonomous 5G network operations.”
To learn more about how Viavi is lighting the path to 5G, click here.
