BROWSING: Opinion

“A private 5G backbone with BLE breakouts” – the Vodafone view on hybrid IoT

Note, this article is taken from a new Enterprise IoT Insights editorial report on the combination of low-power short- and long-range communications technologies in hybrid IoT systems. Go here for the full report, which is free to download. A webinar on the same subject, with panellists...

Digital readiness through orchestrating customer orders end to end, come rain or shine! (Reader Forum)

The recent health crisis has highlighted why it is important for communications service providers (CSPs) to be “digital first” in terms of how they operate. However, like the Warren Buffet expression of only when the tide goes out do we find out who has...

Open RAN 101–Role of RAN Intelligent Controller: Why, what, when, how? (Reader Forum)

History In 2G and 3G, the mobile architectures had controllers that were responsible for RAN orchestration and management. With 4G, overall network architecture became flatter and the expectation was that, to enable optimal subscriber experience, base stations would use the X2 interface to communicate with...

How automation can make a network appear open, even when it’s not

According to Cellwize, 5G networks should be born automated Cellwize, a network automation and orchestration company, worked with Verizon to develop Chime, an AI-powered RAN automation platform that provides an open, centralized layer that enables an orchestrated ecosystem of automation, allowing MNOs to manage and...

Mobile operators move rapidly toward 5G deployments (Reader Forum)

The first phase of 5G build-out is now well underway in major markets around the world. Increasingly, the big mobile service providers and some new entrants, as well, are in the midst of their first 5G deployments or will begin them this year. Mobile...

5G will stand alone as a necessity for our future (Reader Forum)

  The majority of 5G networks that are available today are non-standalone (NSA), which means they leverage existing 4G infrastructure. This is partly why they are often framed in the media as a luxury rather than a necessity. These networks produce faster speeds and lower...

Who disaggregated my RAN? Part 9: Slice and serve–network slicing in action (Reader Forum)

In my last blog, we briefly touched upon the advanced use cases that are possible in 5G. One such use case is Network Slicing. 5G cellular services should broadly support use cases including enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) and Massive Internet...

Unlocking the benefits of the industrial internet of things (Reader Forum)

The industrial internet-of-things (IIoT) is here to stay. Many heavy industry companies in fields such as engineering, mining, oil and gas, and manufacturing are accelerating their adoption of digital transformation journeys due to recent global events. The barriers to adopting IIoT technology has also...

Open RAN 101–Integration and beyond: Why, what, when, how? (Reader Forum)

History Software has been “eating the world” for a while now: from consumer, then enterprise and now the telecom value chains. Open RAN is a great example of how software is “eating” telco. What we have learned from the data center approach is that after...

Three technology trends enabling new CSP offerings (Reader Forum)

5G Cloud Native Technology opens the door to a number of innovative and disruptive service offerings and operating models which create expanded business opportunities for Communication Service Providers (CSPs).   CSPs are exploring how to differentiate themselves in 5G while effectively monetizing new offerings for their...

Up and out: The dynamics of scale in core networks (Reader Forum)

Between the global shift to remote workforces and the requirements for 100 percent uptime for healthcare and emergency services, the COVID-19 pandemic is putting unprecedent strain on our networks. While no one could have possibly predicted this pandemic or its impact on every facet...

Who disaggregated my RAN? Part 8: Orchestrating the Open RAN symphony (Reader Forum)

We left off in our series having looked at the virtualized and cloud-based open RAN. Now we move on to consider the orchestration part, deploying and managing these cloud-based implementations.   Orchestration, or service management and orchestration (SMO), has been used in the enterprise world for...

Top robocall and robotext coronavirus scams (Reader Forum)

As if the health risks of COVID-19 weren’t enough, robocall scammers are seizing on the chaos and confusion to fleece Americans out of their personal information and money. Nearly 5,000 coronavirus-related scams have been reported to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network through...

5 areas to consider when going digital post-COVID-19 (Reader Forum)

What does the term digital mean to you? Before COVID-19, the term digital felt merely aspirational when it came to business transformation. But then everything changed. There will be no going back to the world we had known before, and now a move to digital...

5G and edge cloud are driving the need for programmable network fabric (Reader Forum)

The digital era of 5G and the cloud is triggering a new cycle of network investment to address emerging opportunities such as the digital enterprise, Industry 4.0 and smart cities. There is a big opportunity for private 5G services for enterprises — especially those...

Open RAN 101–A timeline of Open RAN journey in the industry: Why, what, when, how? (Reader Forum)

History Some estimates put the telecom industry, especially the RAN segment, between seven and ten years behind a normal innovation curve due to the lack of competition in the market. This is a similar situation to the state of the data center industry in the...

5G ‘use places’ may prove more valuable than use cases, says Ericsson

According to Ericsson's Head of 5G Marketing, there are five characteristics of 5G 'use places' Ericsson’s Head of 5G Marketing Peter Linder authored a blog on the company’s website posing the concept that with all talk around 5G use cases, it’s important to also consider...

Is 5G network slicing the missing link for widespread adoption of AR? (Reader Forum)

5G hype bounds with the number of networks being deployed and the network operators vying for customer eyes. While consumer growth is important, the network can provide more benefits than high-speed mobile broadband. One of the key use cases that operators and business users...

Who disaggregated my RAN? Part 7: Virtualized RAN: Closer than you think

In previous blogs in this “Who Disaggregated My RAN? series, we have looked at the benefits of a disaggregated Open RAN, including the growth of an ecosystem to support the deployment of an Open RAN. We have also looked at how these disaggregated solutions...

How to create a scalable IoT application using Apache Kafka (Reader Forum)

Paul Brebner is Technology Evangelist at Instaclustr. He solves 'realistic problems' and builds applications using Apache Cassandra, Spark, Zeppelin, and Kafka. Paul has worked at UNSW, several tech start-ups, CSIRO, UCL (UK), & NICTA. IoT applications work a heck of a lot better the easier...

Open RAN 101–RU, DU, CU: Why, what, how, when? (Reader Forum)

History Functional splits are nothing new. They were initially outlined in 3GPP Release 14 and defined in 3GPP release 15 and where new terminology, interfaces and functional modules were introduced. But why is this RU, DU, CU functional split concept becoming so fundamental in Open...

Who disaggregated my RAN? Part 6: Open RAN: Achieving on-par field performance (Reader Forum)

In this series focused on the benefits of a disaggregated Open RAN, we have had a chance to see how an open RAN has helped expand the ecosystem and led operators to consider new vendor solutions that meet their needs. Standards have emerged which...

Protecting against cybergeddon (Reader Forum)

Counterfeit chips, including gray market and rogue chips, have created an ongoing, multi-front battle for the semiconductor market to the tune of $75 billion annually, according to ResearchAndMarkets.com. The threat is more significant and broader than the chip maker’s bottom line. Counterfeit chips have...

Open RAN 101–Open RAN: Why, what, how, when? (Reader Forum)

History The entire telecom industry is going through a dramatic change that can be only compared to the change that data centers went through in the 2000s, all driven by Moore’s Law. This is driving the need to move from costly, proprietary RAN solutions to...