Author: Alan Weissberger
IDTechEx: 45 Million of 5G Small Cells to be Installed by 2031; Small Cell Forum 2021 Market Forecast
IDTechEx has recently released “5G Small Cells 2021-2031: Technologies, Markets, Forecast,” a market research and business intelligence report exploring the key technical and industry factors that are shaping the fast-growing small cell market. The report forecasts that the overall number of 5G small cells will reach 45 million by 2031.
One of the challenges of mmWave (24–48 GHz) based 5G is signal attenuation (Another is the requirement for line of sight communications). That results in the signal propagation distance being much shorter compared to use of other frequencies in cellular networks such as 3G and 4G. Small cells are proposed to address this big challenge.
Deploying many small cells will also improve aggregate 5G bandwidth in dense urban area through frequency re-use. Creating an ultra-dense cellular network by deploying more small cells plays a key role in 5G as it allows it to complement the macro cell network and therefore boosts data capacity.
Small cells can be categorized into three types: femtocells, picocells, and microcells, depending on their output power. Because of their smaller size compared to macro base stations, the material choices and the overall technology trend will be different from their macro infrastructure counterparts.
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As of mid-2021, the majority of the 5G commercial rollouts are still focused on enhanced mobile broadband. 5G network operators have mostly installed 5G macro base stations to provide networks with high capacity for consumers using mobile devices. However, the new use cases such as industrial IoT 4.0, cellular vehicle to everything (C-V2X), new entertainment experiences, and smart cities, are where the real innovations are occurring and the huge market potential lies. 5G small cells will play an essential role in supporting those industries to become fully digitalized and the potential realized.
IDTechEx’s analysis considers how the following variables evolve during the forecast period: the development and adoption rate of sub-6 GHz and mmWave in the world’s five regions, the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) for broadband and critical applications, 5G rollout potentials for enterprises, urban, and rural & remote purposes, and the utilization rate of different types of small cells for each scenario.
- 5G small cells vendor landscape analysis
- Supply chain and technology analysis on Radiofrequency (RF) components such as power amplifier and filters for 5G small cells
- Choices of semiconductors for 5G small cells
- Antenna-integrated package (AiP) solutions
- EMI shielding
- Thermal management for 5G small cells
The report offers insights into the global 5G small cells market for:
- Companies that supply materials and components for 5G small cells
- Companies that develop 5G small cells
- Companies that invest in the 5G infrastructures
- Companies that plan to step into 5G small cell business
- Companies that develop digital solutions for industries
For more information on this report, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/5GSmallCells, or for the full portfolio of 5G research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/5G.
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Separately, the Small Cell Forum’s market forecast is claimed to be the industry’s most comprehensive analysis of small cell deployments globally from now until 2026. The most important input to the forecast is a survey of the deployers of small cells, including 84 MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) and 33 other service providers such as private network operators and neutral hosts.
Key findings from the 2021 report include:
- There is a rising number of industrial applications that require full 5G capabilities such as high availability, and these will accelerate adoption of 5G small cells, with a CAGR of 77% in 2019-2026.
- Access to a wider variety of spectrum, with more flexible licensing, will be the most important enabler of enterprise small cell roll-out in the early 2020s. Deployments in shared spectrum will overtake those in licensed bands in 2025.
- As small cells need to address increasingly diverse requirements from different industries and use cases, flexible, cloud-based architectures will become essential. Two-thirds of deployers expect to adopt small cell vRAN by 2025.
- One driver of vRAN expansion will be open small cell architectures. These will account for 77% of new deployments in 2026. There will be strong support for SCF’s Split 6 in the enterprise and industrial environments, where it will adopted by 58% of deployers by 2024.
- The trend for rising diversity of small cell deployers and business models will intensify as enterprise demand grows, and by 2026, over three-quarters of enterprise small cells will be deployed and operated by private network operators or neutral hosts.
References:
Lightpath to deploy 800Gb/sec links using Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme technology
Fiber-optic network services provider Lightpath has rolled out 800-Gbps capabilities via implementation of Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 Extreme technology. The company also will deploy Ciena’s Waveserver Ai platform, which will pair with a flexible-grid optical transport network based on Ciena’s 6500 RLS platforms.
The Lightpath Network consists of over 18,000 route miles of fiber providing connectivity to over 12,000 service locations. Lightpath provides a variety of connectivity and business services to customers in the metro New York area, including financial services firms (e.g. “Lightpath intros 100-Gbps optical transport service” and “Lightpath raises New York metro fiber-optic network footprint”). Using Ciena’s coherent optical solution, Lightpath’s network becomes more adaptive, allowing it to respond quickly to ever-changing bandwidth demands while maximizing operational efficiencies, providing customers with more reliable, high-speed services.
The enhanced optical transport technology will increase fiber network flexibility and efficiency as well as support Physical Layer encryption for data security. Cable MSO Altice USA owns a controlling interest in the company (see “Altice USA to sell almost 50% of Lightpath fiber enterprise business to Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners”).
“In order for our customers to execute on their own digital innovations, we need to provide them with fast and reliable connectivity. With Ciena’s solutions, our customers in the New York and Boston metro areas will now experience next-level digital services with high bandwidth and minimal latency,” commented Phil Olivero, CTO at Lightpath.
“As users consume more digital content, it is crucial for service providers to ensure their network can adapt to these surging and often unpredictable demands. With Ciena’s technology, Lightpath is adding scalability to meet bandwidth demands and also gaining real-time visibility into the performance of its network,” added Kevin Sheehan, CTO, Americas, for Ciena.
WaveLogic 5 Extreme is now available in three different product implementations to meet network architecture preferences: 6500 Packet-Optical Platform, Waveserver 5 compact interconnect platform, and the WaveLogic 5 Extreme 800G transceiver module
The WaveLogic 5 Extreme chip is 12mm x 16mm CMOS device. Here are some of its remarkable features:
- It is the industry’s first commercial 7nm CMOS device for optical networks.
- Based on 7nm FinFET technology, it includes 3km of wiring and contains 800 Trillion operations per second, which is about as much horsepower as 400,000 laptops!
- Some of the capabilities that are packed into the ASIC include nonlinear probabilistic constellation shaping, throughput-optimized forward error correction, frequency division multiplexing, and encryption.
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About Ciena
Ciena is a networking systems, services and software company. We provide solutions that help our customers create the Adaptive Network™ n response to the constantly changing demands of their end-users. By delivering best-in-class networking technology through high-touch consultative relationships, we build the world’s most agile networks with automation, openness and scale. For updates on Ciena, follow us on Twitter @Ciena, LinkedIn, the Ciena Insights blog, or visit www.ciena.com.
About Lightpath
Lightpath is revolutionizing how customers connect to their digital destinations by combining our next-generation network with our next-generation customer service. Lightpath’s advanced fiber-optic network offers a comprehensive portfolio of custom-engineered connectivity solutions with unparalleled performance, reliability, and security. Our consultative customer service means we work with you to design, deliver, and support the solution for your unique needs, faster and more easily than ever before. For over 30 years, thousands of enterprises, governments, and educators have trusted Lightpath to power their organization’s innovation. Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS) owns a 50.01% controlling interest in Lightpath and Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners (MSIP) owns 49.99% of the Company.
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References:
SDx Central: 5G Disappoints at MWC 2021
The world’s first mobile 5G networks were deployed two years ago and everyone in the industry is still searching, waiting for 5G to deliver on its promise. Stéphane Téral, chief analyst at LightCounting, said during a panel discussion at MWC Barcelona 2021:
Most of the 141 live 5G networks at the end of April 2021 were operating in 5g non-standalone (NSA) mode. “Don’t believe it means no strings attached. Actually it’s the contrary, those networks are 4G on steroids. They are anchored into LTE Advanced,” he said.
“We only have eight standalone (SA) networks in the world,” Téral added. “Those eight 5G networks are working purely with a 5G core, not attached anymore to a 4G core, so this is the 5G which we have to shoot for.”
Criticism of the current status of 5G hit another level when he and a group of analysts were pressed to explain why GSMA held multiple sessions on 6G during last week’s event. “We’re talking about 6G because we’re going to call 6G all the stuff we overpromised with 5G that we can deliver,” Téral said.
Peter Jarich, head of GSMA Intelligence, noted that marketing, international competitive interests, and the general buzzworthy-ness of 6G are all at play. Improvements in radio access network (RAN) energy efficiency, sustainability, security, and the use of new spectrum require long-term planning, he added.
“We need to start now to make sure that we can iron those things out so we don’t end up with Chinese 6G, and American 6G, and European 6G,” Jarich said. “We need to start early because as much as everyone is talking about this will be a 2030 phenomenon, that’s not true. We know there was 5G before 2020.”
Roland Montagne, principal analyst at IDATE DigiWorld, said it’s too early to discuss 6G in detail because 5G remains largely unfulfilled. 5G rollouts, spectrum auctions, and 3GPP standardization efforts are all delayed in the wake of the global pandemic, he said.
While almost every layer of 5G needs further development, many potential leaps in wireless technology remain unaddressed and are unlikely to impact 5G at scale, Téral explained.
5G Very Unimpressive So Far
“We need to deliver and remember 3G under delivered, 4G over delivered; 5G very unimpressed so far. Let’s not forget that 5G is the first G that we cannot identify with a new waveform. We’re still in the OFDM (orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing) domain,” he said, pinning the blame for that on geopolitics.
Massive multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) and polar codes are “the only new things we have in 5G,” he said. New waveforms “would have been fantastic candidates to actually really boost spectral efficiencies and cut the latency to one millisecond. So we still have a long way to go.”
Meanwhile, 5G network operators remain on the hunt for new revenue streams from 5G and haven’t yet cracked the code, the analysts noted.
5G Enterprise Opportunity Remains Unfulfilled
“We all know that one of the hopes for 5G was that it would help the telco industry move into the enterprise more,” Jarich said, adding that 83% of operator CEOs surveyed by GSMA Intelligence said they expected enterprises to be the revenue upside from 5G.
Camille Mendler, chief analyst at Omdia, said the network operator business model has changed from connectivity to a quality of experience and digital enablement for businesses. “In point of fact, I think that service providers have a lot of work to do,” she said. “Even when talking about a small enterprise or a very large enterprise, these are sophisticated digital buyers and telcos have needed to improve their engagement.”
The COVID-19 crisis “has actually made them think more concretely about investments that they need to make to deliver digital experiences from prospecting to buying to managing services, and there’s still frankly a lot of work to be done,” Mendler added.
Mobile edge computing remains a critical part of mobile network operator’s enterprise strategy, but there’s scant agreement about what the edge is, where it resides, and why enterprises need it.
‘Edge Is Everything and Anything to Everyone’
“Edge is everything and anything to everyone, so everyone has an edge story. It’s everywhere from in the public cloud, to in the device, to in the enterprise where it kind of just looks like a server. Depending on who you are, you can kind of call it everything,” Jarich said.
Téral, underlining his point about other unused technologies that could boost spectral efficiency and lower latencies, said “everybody’s talking about the edge, but no one has a clear definition about edge so that’s pretty shaky. That’s a problem.”
Enterprises want access to mobile edge computing insofar as the requirements they’re seeking in network performance and latency, Mendler explained. “They know what they want in terms of performance. They want five milliseconds, they want less. We need to adjust to a world of near-zero latency and that’s what’s going to drive value, and the dollars are there,” she said.
“There’s a lot of opportunity in enterprise, but I think many people misunderstand where the opportunity is. We’re not going to recoup investments on 5G if we’re thinking just about ports, or we’re just thinking about airlines, or we’re just thinking about transportation,” Mendler continued. “99% of the world’s businesses are small businesses, and until we solve the equation of how to sell 5G services to those small businesses, I think we need to be concerned about return on investment, profits, and growth.”
Security Challenges Threaten Enterprise Push
Operators have also thus far failed to address enterprise security requirements, threatening the scope of the 5G opportunity, she explained. Security was a rare topic of discussion throughout the event.
“If service providers want to do more for enterprises, they need to reduce risk, and one way to reduce risk is to provide a single view of the truth. And the reality is, amongst enterprises that buy multiple services from telcos, eight out of 10 do not have a single view of the truth,” Mendler said. “I know this sounds like a dumb issue, but it’s critical for security and risk management. If you’re running from one portal to another portal to manage different telco services, and telcos are trying to sell more digital services to enterprises, you’re complicating and adding more risk. So that is a piece of housekeeping that must be addressed right now.”
Mendler also highlighted yet another 5G promise that has to ripen. Looking ahead to GSMA’s next annual bash that kicks off Feb. 28, 2022 in Barcelona, Mendler said she wants to see real examples of network slicing: slices of a 5G network that an operator is selling to an enterprise.
https://www.sdxcentral.com/articles/news/analysts-knock-5g-effect-at-mwc-barcelona/2021/07/
Vodafone and Mavenir create indoor OpenRAN solution for business customers
Vodafone and Mavenir have developed small cell OpenRAN technology for indoor network coverage. The solution is designed for businesses with medium to large office spaces and uses OpenRAN to support interoperability and (supposedly) to prevent vendor lock-in. The new indoor OpenRAN solution provides 4G LTE coverage “initially.”
The design of the indoor small cell solution is based on the OpenRAN philosophy of interoperability (yet to be proven). In this case, the software will be provided by Mavenir (Open vRAN), while Sercomm will provide the radio hardware. The design and flexibility of the small cell solution means it will be interoperable with other OpenRAN compliant vendors.
A powerful, indoor small cell solution can offer several advantages to business customers, according to Vodafone. The simple plug and play installation means coverage can be instantly deployed, enabling seamless connectivity for every device in the office. The interoperability (???) of the OpenRAN ecosystem paves the way for long-term flexibility to work with a wider array of vendors for elements such as radio units, baseband hardware, and gateways.
Editor’s Note: OpenRAN deployments have yet to demonstrate neutral vendor interoperability, technological advantages over purpose built network equipment, and/or cost reductions (OPEX and/or CAPEX). Light Reading has said OpenRAN substitutes one form of vendor lock-in for another (partnerships amongst OpenRAN vendors).
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Andrea Dona, Chief Network Officer at Vodafone UK, said:
“So far, OpenRAN deployment has focused on outdoor connectivity, but there is significant potential for this technology in the office environment.
A simple plug-and-play product, which includes all the attractive benefits of the OpenRAN philosophy, is one that can build on our strength of providing indoor coverage through both our macro network and our bespoke solutions.”
The convenience offered by plug-and-play enables the small cell equipment to be placed virtually anywhere to ensure coverage across the entire office.
Mavenir’s Open vRAN software is being used for the solution while Sercomm is providing the radio hardware.
Virtyt Koshi, SVP at Mavenir EMEA, commented:
“Mavenir is delighted to partner with Vodafone in Open RAN and to work in the UK on their radio network transformation initiative, proving the extreme flexibility of Open vRAN.
We are particularly proud in working in the field within the Vodafone commercial network and in the Newbury Open RAN Test and Verification lab, supporting the Vodafone effort to boost the ecosystem.”
The development of an indoor small cell solution is the next stage of a long-standing relationship between Vodafone and Mavenir. In August 2020, Vodafone deployed the first OpenRAN site to carry live traffic in the UK. The sites, including the Royal Welsh Showground in Powys, feature Mavenir software and Sunwave radio units. Vodafone and Mavenir will continue this partnership to deploy more OpenRAN sites in the future.
References:
Vodafone creating indoor OpenRAN solution for business customers
GAO: U.S. Broadband Benchmark Speeds Too Slow; FCC Should Analyze Small Business Speed Needs
In a report released Thursday, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that the FCC’s benchmark for minimum broadband internet speeds (set six years ago at “always on” access of 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream) is no longer fast enough. That’s especially the case for small business owners. After conducting a study on the matter, the GAO recommends the FCC analyze small business speed requirements at this time and reconsider its current definition.
“FCC officials said they are not aware of any small business requirements that have been taken into consideration in determining the minimum speed benchmark,” the GAO says. “Analyzing small business speed requirements could help inform FCC’s determination of the benchmark speed for broadband.”
The figure below illustrates the various kinds of business broadband use and the associated relative speed requirements.
Illustrative Examples of Different Kinds of U.S. Business Broadband Use:
Sources vary in terms of the specific speeds they recommend for small businesses. For example, in 2017, BroadbandUSA—a National Telecommunications and Information Administration program—published a fact sheet stating that small businesses need a minimum of 50 Mbps speeds in order to conduct tasks such as managing inventory, operating point-of-sale terminals, and coordinating shipping. A 2019 USDA report on rural broadband and agriculture stated that, as technology advances and volumes of data needed to manage agriculture production grow, speeds in excess of 25/3 Mbps with more equal download and upload speeds will likely be necessary.
Reports from small businesses show that many want a download speed of at least 100 Mbps to run their operations more effectively. According to the FCC’s data, about 67 percent of rural Americans have access to 100 Mbps down/10 Mbps up speeds, compared to about 83 percent with access to the agency’s current minimum benchmark.
To fulfill a statutory requirement to determine annually whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed on a reasonable and timely basis to all Americans, FCC sets a minimum broadband speed benchmark.
In its 2021 Broadband Deployment Report, FCC stated that the current benchmark, last set in 2015, continues to meet that requirement. However, FCC officials said they are not aware of any small business requirements that have been taken into consideration in determining the minimum speed benchmark. Analyzing small business speed requirements could help inform FCC’s determination of the benchmark speed for broadband.
Recommendations:
GAO is making one recommendation to FCC to solicit stakeholder input and analyze small business broadband speed needs and incorporate the results of this analysis into the benchmark for broadband. FCC agreed with this recommendation.
References:
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-494
https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-494-highlights.pdf
https://gizmodo.com/the-fccs-definition-of-broadband-internet-is-too-slow-1847257425
IoT Disappoints: Security, Connectivity and Device Onboarding Cited as Top Challenges
After over a decade of hype, the Internet of Things (IoT) is failing to live up to expectations in the UK and in the US, according to a new report by IoT connectivity provider Eseye.
77% of companies who implemented at least one Internet of Things (IoT) project in the past 12 months said their project was at best only somewhat successful, according to a new survey commissioned. The survey was carried out among 500 IoT decision makers in the US and the UK by research firm Opinion Matters in April.
The Study was undertaken by independent research organisation, Opinion Matters, among 500 UK and USA-based senior decision makers and implementers of IoT strategy within five vertical markets. It explores the current state of IoT adoption; the challenges, opportunities and untapped potential of IoT; the impact of COVID-19 and how this has accelerated adoption; and the criticality of intelligent connectivity to fuel future growth.
Key IoT adoption findings:
- 86% of respondents said IoT is a priority for their business.
- 49% of respondents are planning further projects in the next two to three years.
- 89% are planning budget increases for IoT initiatives, with just under half (44%) planning to boost spending by between 51 and 100%.
- 98% said that COVID-19 has impacted their IoT plans; for 27% it has accelerated development of their IoT initiative and 31% said they had increased investment plans.
- However, 77% of respondents said that their IoT project was at best only somewhat successful in meeting expectations and realizing benefits.
- Security, connectivity and device onboarding were cited as top challenges; 39% said security was their biggest hurdle, while for 35% device onboarding, testing and certification, and cellular connectivity across multiple countries and regions had proved difficult.
- Cellular IoT deployments have still not reached anywhere near critical mass, most survey respondents (88%) had deployed fewer than 10,000 devices.
IoT at a tipping point
The Study found the larger the project, the faster the acceleration as organizations embrace IoT. The more devices respondents have in the field, the more they are planning to deploy in the coming twelve months. This indicates a tipping point in IoT projects in terms of scale. However, of 500 respondents only 10% had deployed between 10,001 devices and 100,000 in the field and only 2% had deployed more than 100,000 devices.
Disrupting markets and business models
IoT projects are undertaken by innovative organisations to disrupt traditional business models and deliver tangible business benefits. When asked about the benefits their IoT initiative has or is predicted to deliver 35% of respondents said it enabled the business to enter new markets, 34% said it increased profit, and 32% of respondents said their initiative was aimed at delivering new lines of business.
Nick Earle, CEO, Eseye comments: “Is IoT finally coming of age? There have been a number of false starts with predictions a decade ago that were clearly overstated. Fast forward to 2021 and COVID-19 has accelerated IoT trends that were already underway as large enterprises move from experimenting to understanding how to deploy IoT; our research certainly found that the larger the project, the faster the acceleration as organisations embrace IoT.
“However, adoption is not without its challenges. We know security and connectivity have been an issue and uncertainty about both initial and lifetime device connectivity is a huge concern for businesses rolling out large-scale IoT projects. To this point, 39% of survey respondents said security was the biggest hurdle they had to overcome and over one third (35%) cited cellular connectivity as a main challenge. This validates Eseye’s device design services and connectivity strategy, and recently-announced partnerships with leading complementary technology vendors such as Armis.”
Technology drivers
Cloud and remote access were cited as the top technology drivers which, given the events of the past year, is not surprising, as many businesses look to accelerate their digital transformation plans with IoT initiatives. Interestingly, 42% stated Intelligent Edge as a top technology driver both now and in the future and 41% said LPWAN technologies which points to the shift in IoT processing moving increasingly to the edge. Not surprisingly to this author, 5G was rated fourth, with 38%.
Connectivity more of an issue in UK than USA
UK respondents indicated that their biggest challenge was cellular connectivity, with 41% stating this versus 29% in the USA. Device deployment and rollout was also more of an issue for UK respondents (36%) versus 28% in the USA. This is likely because UK respondents have more multi-region deployments than the USA, where projects tend to be national and focused on the domestic market.
Earle continues: “Organizations are clearly determined to overcome the challenges they’ve identified, with 89% planning to increase budget and more than eight out of ten stating that IoT is a priority for the business. At the start of 2021, we predicted that information mined from user interactions with ‘things’ rather than digital services would create a huge wealth of rich data, bigger and more detailed than online data ever was. This will enable new business models, the creation of new products and services and new levels of understanding, which has the potential to further disrupt models and markets in ways that we can’t even imagine today. It is an exciting market with the potential to create new revenue, new opportunities and real business value.”
Eseye’s State of IoT Adoption Report offers detailed analysis of the IoT challenges and trends affecting businesses both in the UK and USA, and examines the variation between vertical markets including: Smart Vending; Supply Chain and Logistics; EV Charging and Smart Grid; Manufacturing; and Healthcare and Medical Devices. It contains recommendations for actions and strategies that organisations should prioritise to improve business outcomes and the value derived from such initiatives.
89% of respondents said they plan to increase their IoT budget over the next two years, with most predicting growth of between 26% and 100% in that time. The EV charging and smart grid sector leads the way, with as many as 99% saying they will increase spending and 60% predicting a hike of more than 50%. In the manufacturing space, 93% expect budgets to increase.
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References:
GSMA Calls for 2 GHz of Mid-Band Spectrum to meet ITU-R speed requirements (explained)
The mobile industry will need an average of 2 GHz of mid-band spectrum this decade to meet the ITU data speed requirements (ITU-R recommendation not stated, but this author believes it to be M.2410 (11/2017)) [1.]. Achieving this will also minimize environmental impact and lower consumer costs of 5G, according to a global study of 36 cities published by the GSMA but carried out by Coleago Consulting.
The “Vision 2030 Insights for Mid-band Spectrum Needs” study suggests that policymakers should license spectrum to mobile operators in harmonized bands, such as 3.5 GHz, 4.8 GHz and, 6 GHz to meet the ITU’s requirements by 2030. Without the additional spectrum, it will be impossible to realise the full potential of 5G in some cases. In others, the number of antennas and base stations needed will lead to higher carbon emissions and consumer prices. The additional spectrum will lower the carbon footprint of networks by two-to-three times while enhancing the sustainable development of mobile connectivity, according to the study.
This spectrum will also make 5G more affordable. Total costs would be three- to five-times higher over a decade in cities where a deficit of 800-1000 MHz would increase the number of base stations needed and increase deployment costs in each city by $782 million to $5.8 billion.
The actual amount of mid-band spectrum required varies significantly by city, mid-band being roughly 1500 MHz-6 GHz. Population density, spread of base stations, availability of small cells and WiFi offload, and 5G activity levels, amongst other things, will have an impact on how much spectrum any given city needs.
Hong Kong tops the list of 36 cities studied by Coleago Consulting with an upper estimate of 3.7 GHz of mid-band spectrum required, while Tehran ranks at the bottom with a requirement of up to 1.2 GHz. As such, the amount of additional spectrum each city needs is also variable. However, the important message is that all cities need more spectrum than they are set to have, and the additional amount required is “far greater” than that currently planned for release, the GSMA said.
“Without the additional spectrum, it will be impossible to realize the full potential of 5G in some cases. In others, the number of antennas and base stations needed will lead to higher carbon emissions and consumer prices,” GSMA warned.
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Note 1. ITU-R M.2410 data rate requirements for IMT 2020 (11/2017):
Peak data rate: is the maximum achievable data rate under ideal conditions (in bit/s), which is the received data bits assuming error-free conditions assignable to a single mobile station, when all assignable radio resources for the corresponding link direction are utilized (i.e. excluding radio resources that are used for physical layer synchronization, reference signals or pilots, guard bands and guard times). This requirement is defined for the purpose of evaluation in the eMBB usage scenario. The minimum requirements for peak data rate are:
– Downlink peak data rate is 20 Gbit/s.
– Uplink peak data rate is 10 Gbit/s
Peak spectral efficiency: is the maximum data rate under ideal conditions normalized by channel bandwidth (in bit/s/Hz), where the maximum data rate is the received data bits assuming error-free conditions assignable to a single mobile station, when all assignable radio resources for the corresponding link direction are utilized (i.e. excluding radio resources that are used for physical layer synchronization, reference signals or pilots, guard bands and guard times).
This requirement is defined for the purpose of evaluation in the eMBB usage scenario. The minimum requirements for peak spectral efficiencies are:
– Downlink peak spectral efficiency is 30 bit/s/Hz.
– Uplink peak spectral efficiency is 15 bit/s/Hz.
User experienced data rate: is the 5% point of the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the user throughput. User throughput (during active time) is defined as the number of correctly received bits, i.e. the number of bits contained in the service data units (SDUs) delivered to Layer 3, over a certain period of time. This requirement is defined for the purpose of evaluation in the related eMBB test environment. The target values for the user experienced data rate in the Dense Urban – eMBB test environment:
– Downlink user experienced data rate is 100 Mbit/s.
– Uplink user experienced data rate is 50 Mbit/s.
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Mid-band spectrum availability also will enhance Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). The study shows that with the additional 2 GHz, five-times more households will be covered with each base station, allowing affordable high-speed internet to reach beyond the fiber footprint at a fraction of the cost.
The World Radiocommunication Conference in 2023 is a crucial opportunity to align global policies for mid-band solutions for mobile. This spectrum will ensure mobile operators can deliver the ITU targets of 100 Mbps download speeds and 50 Mbps upload speeds to meet future needs of consumers and businesses.
Therefore, the GSMA asks that regulators:
- Plan to make an average of 2 GHz of mid-band spectrum available in the 2025-2030 time frame to guarantee the IMT-2020 requirements for 5G;
- Carefully consider 5G spectrum demands when 5G usage increases and advanced use cases will carry additional needs;
- Base spectrum decisions on real-world factors including, population density and extent of fibre rollout; and
- Support harmonized mid-band 5G spectrum (e.g., within the 3.5 GHz, 4.8 GHz and 6 GHz ranges) and facilitate technology upgrades in existing bands.
“Coordinated regional decisions will lead to a WRC which enables the future of 5G and supports wider broadband take-up by increasing capacity and reducing costs,” the GSMA said.
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References:
https://www.gsma.com/spectrum/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/5G-Mid-Band-Spectrum-Needs-Vision-2030.pdf
https://telecoms.com/510489/lack-of-mid-band-spectrum-could-cost-operators-billions-of-dollars-gsma/
Lumen and Microsoft Azure in mutually beneficial partnership
Lumen Technologies, formerly CenturyLink, has identified Microsoft Azure as its preferred public cloud service provider for enterprise customers’ workloads, and will incorporate additional enterprise application capabilities from Azure to Lumen’s wireline telco platform. Microsoft has in turn named Lumen a preferred partner that will support Azure globally via Lumen’s networking, infrastructure and managed services.
Mutual customers will benefit from being able to run their Microsoft-based solutions closer to where digital interactions are occurring using the global Edge Computing services of Lumen, creating one of the fastest, most secure platforms for applications and data.
“Working with Microsoft, Lumen will offer businesses and developers capabilities at the edge that are unique in the industry,” said Shaun Andrews, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Lumen. “By deeply integrating more of our platform services with Microsoft Azure, we can help businesses quickly utilize their data for the insights they want and need, with the ability to support unique and customized use cases. We’re excited about the innovations and amazing new digital experiences we can enable for our mutual customers by extending Azure to the edge of our global network.”
Lumen will collaborate with Microsoft on several future go-to-market efforts to support mutual customers worldwide, using the resources of the Lumen Edge Experience Center, including:
- A certified Azure deployment which will be able to run in Lumen Edge Computing nodes worldwide, unlocking more low latency and high bandwidth use cases for customers of Azure service platform.
- Communication sector solutions based around Private 5G networks that would leverage the cloud-native software capabilities of Microsoft and the Lumen fiber network and Edge Computing capabilities. These solutions would allow customers to optimize their wireless networks and push workloads even closer to digital interactions.
- Enterprise sector managed solutions for a wide range of Microsoft software and cloud services to help optimize performance of business workloads and support a customer’s entire workforce, wherever they may reside.
“By making Microsoft Azure technology available on the Lumen platform we are giving enterprises access to an environment where they can get the low-latency performance they need for critical applications, with the familiarity of Microsoft services and tools,” said Yousef Khalidi, corporate vice president, Azure for Operators at Microsoft. “With this collaboration we are expanding the ways in which businesses can connect Azure to their enterprise networks and are excited about having Lumen as a collaboration partner to expand the number of use cases we can achieve at the edge of the network.”
Further solidifying their alliance, Lumen has selected Azure as the preferred public cloud venue for workloads that serve its enterprise customers, helping to improve customer experience for the Lumen platform and transforming the ways in which new service features get added to the platform. Enterprise customers will benefit from having consistent access management experiences across all Lumen digital services. Lumen will also leverage Azure, Microsoft Power Apps and Microsoft 365 E5 Security & Compliance for its internal digital transformation.
Additionally, Microsoft has named Lumen as one of its preferred partners supporting Azure globally with Lumen networking, infrastructure, and managed services. Enterprise customers will benefit from having even more high-performing network connectivity to all their Azure services from the Lumen platform.
Lumen’s network includes nearly 450,000 global route miles of fiber and over 180,000 on-net buildings connected to global edge nodes. In addition, Lumen says it has 350 data centers globally, and 2,200 third-party data centers in North America, Europe & Middle East, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
Key Facts:
- Lumen is a certified Microsoft Managed Services Partner for a wide range of Microsoft software and cloud services and Microsoft Gold Partner.
- Lumen edge nodes are designed to meet 95% of U.S. enterprise demand within 5 milliseconds of latency.
- For a current list of live and planned edge locations, visit: https://www.lumen.com/en-us/solutions/edge-computing.html#edge-computing-map
- The Lumen network is comprised of approximately 450,000 global route miles of fiber and more than 180,000 on-net buildings, seamlessly connected to global edge nodes, 350 Lumen data centers globally, and 2,200 third-party data centers in North America, Europe & Middle East, Latin America, and Asia Pacific.
Additional Resources:
For more information on Lumen Edge computing solutions visit: www.lumen.com/edge\
For more information on Azure Stack visit: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/azure-stack/
Learn more about Lumen Solutions for Microsoft Teams here: https://www.lumen.com/en-us/communications/ucc.html
About Lumen Technologies:
Lumen is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 450,000 route fiber miles and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences. Learn more about the Lumen network, edge cloud, security, communication and collaboration solutions and our purpose to further human progress through technology at news.lumen.com/home
LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies.
Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks in the United States.
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References:
https://www.lumen.com/en-us/about/4th-industrial-revolution.html
India approves backhaul satellite connectivity via VSAT for telecom services; BharatNet tender coming soon
India’s Digital Communications Commission (DCC), formerly the Telecom Commission, has authorized use of satellite connectivity in telecom networks to provide services in remote areas where it is difficult to lay fiber optic cable. As a result, VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminals) operators will now be able to provide satellite-based cellular backhaul connectivity to telcos in India. That enables Indian wireless telecom communications service providers, like Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, to use satellite capacity from VSAT license holders, such as Hughes, Nelco and BSNL, to connect their cell sites.
“With a view of ease of doing business, the DCC has approved provision of cellular backhaul connectivity via satellite through VSAT for telecom services as per Trai recommendation,” said India’s Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash.
VSAT backhaul can also help Indian telcos cost-effectively extend coverage in rural and remote areas that are yet to be connected with fiber. Around 50% of India’s population is not yet connected to the Internet.
Several global LEO satellite providers, including Elon Musk’s Starlink, Bharti backed OneWeb and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, have recently started exploring the Indian market. OneWeb specifically will offer satellite capacity for cellular backhaul, but will need a VSAT permit to provide satellite-based backhaul services to the telcos.
Starlink and Project Kuiper have different business models, focusing on providing satellite-based broadband Internet directly to end users.
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Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash also said that the DCC has also cleared the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the rollout of BharatNet project for broadband services in villages in 16 Indian states in public private partnership mode with viability gap funding of Rs 19,041 crore (or US$ 2,544,834.60). “DoT (Department of Telecom) will come out with the tender for the PPP mode rollout of BharatNet in 16 states in seven days,” Prakash said.
India Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
BharatNet project objectives are to:
- To carry on the business of establishment, management and operation of National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) which has been envisaged by the Government of India to provide high speed broadband connectivity to all gram panchayats.
- To provide access to bandwidth in a non discriminatory manner to all eligible service providers to enable them to provide services in rural areas.
Comment and Analysis:
Just as India’s 5G spectrum auction has been the victim of one delay after another, so has the BharatNet project. The timeline for 2nd phase of the BharatNet project, earlier slated to be completed by August 2021, was extended with no definitive completion date.
“The BharatNet phase-II project was envisaged to be completed by August 2021. However, this time will now be extended as the pace of completion is affected by lockdown and restrictions on movement imposed by the various Governments due to COVID-19,” said India Minister of State for Communications Sanjay Dhotre.
“The delay in the implementation by the states is also adversely affecting the completion of the project. For other states, not being implemented under state-led model, the implementation strategy is under the process of review,” he added.
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References:
AT&T and Google Cloud Expand 5G and Edge Collaboration
Just one week after outsourcing their 5G SA/Core network software and IP to Microsoft (Azure public cloud), AT&T and Google Cloud announced new initiatives across AT&T’s 5G and Google Cloud’s edge computing portfolio, including AT&T’s on-premises Multi-access Edge Compute (MEC) solution, as well as AT&T Network Edge capabilities through LTE, 5G, and wireline.
For over a year, AT&T and Google Cloud have been developing edge solutions for the enterprise. Now, the two companies are taking the next step to deliver transformative capabilities that help businesses drive real value and build industry-changing experiences in retail, healthcare, manufacturing, entertainment and more — with the ability to use Google Maps, Android, Pixel, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), and other solutions across Google for more immersive customer experiences. For example:
- Enabling video analytics services to help businesses across industries with theft prevention, crowd control, and queue prediction and management.
- In retail: Streamlining and automating inventory management, connecting brick-and-mortar, and ecommerce and backend systems for near real-time visibility into operations.
- In healthcare: Scaling access to services like telehealth-based therapy, using AR and VR for remote care either from patients’ homes or at an onsite facility.
- In manufacturing: Accelerating operations with remote support and quality control checks at plant locations, and optimizing bandwidth usage by streaming video on the edge rather than on-device.
- In entertainment: Enhancing in-venue experiences for concerts and sporting events, with solutions ranging from immersive AR and VR experiences, smart parking and ticketless entry, to contactless food and souvenir payment.
The companies are also working together to evaluate how network APIs could optimize applications, using near real-time network information at the Google Cloud edge. If successful, this would allow them to optimize the user experience at the edge and drive meaningful outcomes for businesses.
AT&T Multi-access Edge Compute (MEC) with Google Cloud combines AT&T’s existing 5G and fully managed MEC offering with core Google Cloud capabilities, including Kubernetes, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), data analytics, and a robust edge ISV ecosystem. With the solution, enterprises can build and run modern applications close to their end users, with the flexibility to manage data on-prem, in a customer’s data center, or in any cloud. All this can help customers to increase control over data, improve security, lower latency and provide higher bandwidth.
AT&T Network Edge (ANE) with Google Cloud will enable enterprises to deploy applications at Google edge points of presence (POPs), which will be connected to AT&T’s 5G and fiber networks. In this low-latency compute and storage environment, businesses can deliver faster, more seamless enterprise and customer experiences. AT&T and Google Cloud are focusing on a multi-year strategy to bring the solution to 15+ zones across major cities, starting with Chicago this year. We expect to roll out the solution next in Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, and San Francisco.
“By combining the power of AT&T 5G and Google Cloud technologies, we are helping enterprises create new customer experiences and business services that were previously impossible,” said George Nazi, Vice President, Global Telecom, Media and Entertainment Solutions, Google Cloud. “Together with AT&T, we are committed to enabling our customers to build and deliver next-generation applications, whether on-premise or on AT&T’s leading mobile network.”
“With premises-based 5G and network edge computing, we give our customers even greater control of where their data goes and how they use it – at higher speeds and with lower latency. These capabilities allow businesses to deliver unique experiences to their customers, today and into the future,” said Rasesh Patel, Chief Product and Platform Officer, AT&T Business. “We’re bringing forth a new era where the latest technological advancements, including 5G and edge computing, make it possible to transform, innovate and prepare for whatever the future holds.”
“5G, cloud services and edge compute each have a tremendous amount of promise as standalone technologies,” says Jason Leigh, research manager for 5G and Mobile Services Research at IDC. “But coupling these three as complimentary, enabling technologies both accelerates and extends the promise of digital transformation in many more business settings.”
You can learn more about AT&T’s work in on-premises edge computing here, and network-based edge computing here. To learn more about Google Cloud’s work driving transformation and 5G adoption, visit here.
AT&Ts collaboration with Google extends beyond business and reaches the hands of the consumer. Together, the two companies are combining the power of AT&Ts 5G and fiber networks with Google cloud gaming platform.
Comment: It’s quite interesting that AT&T has outsourced its 5G SA core network to Microsoft Azure, but is using Google Cloud for edge computing for its 5G and fiber optics networks. AT&T claims a cohesive cloud strategy, but the network operator’s various alliances with cloud providers are confusing, according to Kathryn Weldon, research director at GlobalData. AT&T previously announced 5G edge partnerships with IBM, Microsoft, Accenture, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Deloitte.
The different goals AT&T hopes to achieve with each cloud or edge vendor and how they will jointly provide specific aspects of edge computing for each remains unclear, Weldon said.
“There have been so many announcements regarding operators’ relationships with hyper-scalers for 5G edge that it would be helpful to get really specific about use cases. The immersive experience examples are a bit generic. It’s time for actual customer use cases to be cited, even if they are only in trial,” she wrote in a report. Google Cloud and AT&T said joint customers will gain near real-time access to features packed into Google’s cloud and some of its most popular services.
“While the new initiatives leverage more Google capabilities, the announcement begs the question as to what things the partners have been working on for the last year. It isn’t clear why the listed Google elements could not have been brought in before,” Weldon added.
References:
AT&T 5G SA Core Network to run on Microsoft Azure cloud platform