Japanese company Fujitsu is taking part in this 5G initiative
A consortium of Japanese organizations has developed open source software for private 5G networks, claiming to domestically produce a low-cost 5G core (5GC) network which brings down the cost of private infrastructure.
The organizations taking part in this initiative include Fujitsu, the University of Tokyo, Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ) and Apresia.
The partners noted that 5GC software plays a central role in controlling cell phone networks, but the need for domestic production and cost reduction represents ongoing challenges to making related technologies, like private 5G, a reality.
“With the development of this new technology, IIJ, Apresia, and Fujitsu developed a practical version of 5GC based on Open Source Software with commercial-level functionality, performance, and stability based on Open Source Software. The University of Tokyo contributed a user plane function (UPF) that handles more advanced data transfer and route selection by combining 5GC with previously known properties and have applied for a new patent,” Fujitsu said in a release.
The partners noted that the eventual deployment of this technology will allow users to introduce private 5G systems at lower cost for use in practical settings, leading to the wider adoption of private 5G in various industries.
“Although the technology that makes up mobile networks is based on a common global standard, most of the communications equipment used in actual mobile networks is manufactured by vendors outside of Japan, which also hold many of the patents for intellectual property for related technologies,” Fujitsu said. “This represents a possible risk to market competition and economic security, making it an important priority for Japanese companies and researchers to proactively develop products and technologies in anticipation of post-5G and next-generation communication standards that are expected to emerge after 2025.”
The project developed a compact 5G core designed for small-scale networks, keeping costs down by running on cloud-based, commercial off-the-self equipment, Fujitsu added.
Apresia and Fujitsu will continuously release solutions for private 5G networks that combine the 5GC technology developed through this project and 5G base stations and terminal equipment manufactured by each company. IIJ will also promote the development of communication services that can use multiple private 5G networks using 5GC developed through this project and public 5G networks provided by IIJ as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) through roaming. Furthermore, the University of Tokyo plans to supply the results of this development to an integrated private 5G system of a university-launched venture company.
Going forward, the University of Tokyo will work together with companies to further promote industry-academic collaborations around the research of solutions and services that utilize the 5GC technology developed in this project, as well as conduct R&D on open base station equipment that operates on the public cloud to accelerate efforts to further advance cloud-native 5G cell phone network technologies.
