Author: Alan Weissberger
VSG LEADERBOARD : AT&T #1 in Fiber Lit Buildings- Year end 2020
Vertical Systems Group’s 2020 U.S. Fiber Lit Buildings LEADERBOARD results are as follows (in rank order by number of on-net fiber lit buildings): AT&T, Verizon, Spectrum Enterprise, Lumen, Comcast, Cox, Crown Castle Fiber, Atlantic Broadband, Frontier, Zayo and Altice USA. These eleven retail and wholesale fiber providers qualify for this benchmark with 15,000 or more on-net U.S. fiber lit commercial buildings as of year-end 2020.
Additionally, fourteen companies qualify for the 2020 Challenge Tier as follows (in alphabetical order): Cincinnati Bell, Cleareon, Cogent, Consolidated Communications, Conterra, DQE Communications, Everstream, FirstLight, IFN, Logix Fiber Networks, Segra, Unite Private Networks, Uniti Fiber and Windstream. These fiber providers each qualify for the 2020 Challenge Tier with between 2,000 and 14,999 U.S. fiber lit commercial buildings.
“The base of fiber lit buildings in the U.S. expanded in 2020, although the pace of new installations was hampered by the pandemic. Challenges for fiber providers ranged from impeded installations due to commercial building closures and business shutdowns to supply chain disruptions,” said Rosemary Cochran, principal of Vertical Systems Group. “As the economy rebounds in 2021, fiber providers have opportunities to monetize the millions of small and medium U.S. commercial buildings without fiber, as well as larger multi-tenant buildings with only a single fiber provider. However it remains uncertain how changes in U.S. regulatory policies and federal funding could alter fiber investments and deployment plans in the next several years.”
2020 Fiber Provider Research Highlights:
- AT&T retains the top rank on the U.S. Fiber Lit Buildings LEADERBOARD for the fifth consecutive year.
- The threshold for a rank position on the 2020 Fiber LEADERBOARD is 15,000 fiber lit buildings, up from 10,000 buildings previously.
- Atlantic Broadband advanced to eighth position on the LEADERBOARD, up from eleventh in the previous year.
- Windstream and Consolidated Communications move into the Challenge Tier from the LEADERBOARD.
- Vertical Systems Group’s 2020 U.S. fiber research analysis for five building sizes shows that fiber availability varies significantly based on number of employees. The Fiber 20+ segment, which covers four building sizes with twenty or more employees, has a 69.2% fiber lit availability rate. This compares to 14.1% availability for the Fiber <20 segment, which covers buildings with fewer than twenty employees.
Market Players include all other fiber providers with fewer than 2,000 U.S. commercial fiber lit buildings. The 2020 Market Players tier includes more than two hundred metro, regional and other fiber providers, including the following companies (in alphabetical order): ACD.net, Armstrong Business Solutions, C Spire, Centracom, CTS Telecom, Douglas Fast Net, EnTouch Business, ExteNet Systems, Fatbeam, FiberLight, Fusion Connect, Google Fiber, GTT, Hunter Communications, LS Networks, Mediacom Business, MetroNet Business, Midco Business, Pilot Fiber, PS Lightwave, Shentel Business, Silver Star Telecom, Sonic Business, Syringa, TDS Telecom, TPX Communications, U.S. Signal, Veracity, Wave Broadband, WOW!Business, Ziply Fiber and others.
For this analysis, a fiber lit building is defined as a commercial site or data center that has on-net optical fiber connectivity to a network provider’s infrastructure, plus active service termination equipment onsite. Excluded from this analysis are standalone cell towers, small cells not located in fiber lit buildings, near net buildings, buildings classified as coiled at curb or coiled in building, HFC-connected buildings, carrier central offices, residential buildings, and private or dark fiber installations.
Cuba-Google agreement to speed up Internet access on the island
Google and ETECSA signed a memorandum of understanding to begin the negotiation of a so-called “peering agreement” that would create a cost-free and direct connection between their two networks. That would enable faster access to content hosted on the Google’s servers, which are not located on the island. Internet in Cuba has been notoriously sluggish and unreliable. In a country where information is tightly controlled, it remains to be seen how much Google’d information would be available in Cuba. That’s if and when a fast connection can be made between Cuba’s ETECSA controlled Internet and Google’s servers.
The agreement creates a joint working group of engineers to figure out how to implement this peering arrangement, likely via an undersea cable. What’s needed first is the creation of a physical connection between Cuba’s network and a Google “point of presence,” the closest ones being in South Florida, Mexico and Colombia. Cuba currently has a single fiber-optic connection running under the Caribbean to Venezuela that has been unable to provide the island with sufficient capacity to support its relatively small but growing group of internet users, for reasons never disclosed by either country’s Communist government. Neither Cuban or Google officials provided any estimated timeframe for the island’s connection to a new undersea fiber-optic cable. That step could take years given the slow pace of Cuba’s bureaucracy and the obstacles thrown up by the U.S. trade embargo on the island.
“The implementation of this internet traffic exchange service is part of the strategy of ETECSA for the development and computerization of the country,” Google and ETECSA said in a joint news release, read out at a news conference in Havana.
“We are excited to have reached this memorandum for the benefit of internet users here in Cuba,” Brett Perlmutter, the head of Google Cuba, said before signing the deal.
References:
https://www.businessinsider.com/google-partners-etecsa-cuba-2019-3
https://phys.org/news/2019-03-cuba-google-island.html
FCC’s auction of 24 GHz spectrum attracts >$1.5B in bids after 26 rounds; IMT 2020 frequencies?
Bids in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) 24 GHz millimeter-wave spectrum auction 102 have passed $1.5 billion after 26 rounds. The figure is more than double the the $704 million collected during the recent sale of 28 GHz spectrum.
Bidding has been from AT&T, T-Mobile US, Verizon and Sprint (bidding as ATI Sub LLC); U.S. Cellular; Dish Network, bidding as Crestone Wireless; Starry Spectrum Holdings and Windstream Communications (which recently filed for bankruptcy protection in the wake of a court case). There are a total of 38 qualified bidders.
Auction 102 is the FCC’s second auction of Upper Microwave Flexible Use Service (UMFUS) licenses (see below for information on auction 1010). Auction 102 offers 2,909 licenses in the 24 GHz band. The lower segment of the 24 GHz band (24.25–24.45 GHz) will be licensed as two 100-megahertz blocks, and the upper segment (24.75–25.25 GHz) will be licensed as five 100-megahertz blocks. Those frequencies are being considered for the IMT 2020 5G radio aspects standard and will be determined at the ITU-R WRC-19 meeting this fall (details in Editor’s Note below).
Three rounds of bidding are being held each day at this point in the auction. The clock auction format begins with a “clock phase” (the current auction phase) which lets participants bid on generic blocks in each Partial Economic Area in successive bidding rounds, followed by an “assignment phase” that allows the winners of the generic blocks to bid for frequency-specific license assignments. The clock phase continues, with prices automatically increasing each round, until bidders’ demand for licenses at a certain price matches the supply — and at that point, the bidders who have indicated they are willing to pay the final clock price for a license will be considered winners and the assignment phase can begin.
The most hotly contested licenses are those covering New York City and Los Angeles, California. New York City metropolitan licenses are dominating the bidding: four bids for NYC licenses in the upper portion of the band are currently above $30 million. One of those is at $41.1 million, the largest bid of the auction thus far. The most expensive bid for a Los Angeles license, also in the upper portion of the band, is up to $31.6 million, with other bids on LA licenses as high as $28.7 million and $26.1 million.
Much of the auction process is secretive—there are anti-collusion rules and bidders can’t talk to one another, for example. The FCC isn’t releasing the names of the winners of the 28-GHz or 24-GHz auctions until both have been concluded.
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The FCC is making a total of 1.55 gigahertz of spectrum available through auctions 101 (which concluded in late January after raising $702 million) and 102. The agency plans to hold three more mmWave auctions during 2019, covering spectrum at 37 GHz, 39 GHz and 47 GHz. Although the FCC has usually makes winning bidders public shortly after the close of an auction, the winning bidders from Auction 101 will not be publicly named until after the close of Auction 102.
References:
https://auctiondata.fcc.gov/public/projects/auction102
https://www.rcrwireless.com/20190325/policy/24-ghz-auction-hits-1-4-billion
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Update on FCC Auction 103:
Analysis and results of FCC Auction 103 for 5G mmWave Spectrum
ITU-T SG13 Non Radio Hot Topics and Recommendations related to IMT 2020/5G
IMT 2020 Related Hot Topics for ITU-T SG13:
DISCLAIMER: A few of the referenced hyperlinks point to documents that can only be opened by users with an ITU TIES account. However, most of the hyperlinks point to public documents which can be downloaded free of charge.
SOURCE: ITU-T SG13 4-14 March 2019 meeting in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe with UPDATES from later 2019 SG13 meetings.
1. Intelligence for network automation, augmentation and amplification
- Identify the standardization needs for intelligence in 5G systems and the telecommunications sector.
- Automatic detection and resolution of anomalies and other incidents of inefficiency, as well as predictive maintenance will reduce the operational expenditure of network operators and service providers
- Address the architecture, interfaces, functional entities, service scenarios and protocols required for intelligence retrieval and actuation, and the performance bench marking and certification of AI techniques
Related Work items:
–>PLEASE SEE 20 AUG 2019 UPDATE BELOW |
2. Realizing 5G/ IMT-2020 vision
- Unified access-independent network management
- Standardization roadmap on IMT-2020
- ICN (Information Centric Networks) with scalability, mobility and security
- Open-source software and standards for 5G
- Software-based networking functions to optimize a per-session based performance
- Emerging fronthaul and midhaul technologies to support the 5G deployment
- Large-bandwidth backhaul and fronthaul solutions
- Concrete strategies for the migration from 4G to 5G systems.
- End-to-end network orchestration, control and management
- Service-based network architecture
- Open service management APIs for the Internet of Things
- Electromagnetic field (EMF) studies around 5G beam-forming capabilities
- Interoperability of services supporting public safety.
Related Work items:
- Y.NGNe-O-arch: Functional architecture of orchestration in NGNe
- Y.IMT2020-qos-fa: QoS functional architecture for IMT-2020 networks
- Y.IMT2020-qos-req: QoS functional requirements for IMT-2020 networks
- Y.qos-ml-arch: Architecture of machine learning based QoS assurance for IMT-2020 networks
- Y.IMT2020.qos-mon: IMT-2020 network QoS monitoring architectural framework
- Y.IMT2020-CEF: Network capability exposure function in IMT-2020 networks
- Y.3MO: Requirements and Architectural Framework of Multi-layer, Multi-Domain, Multi-Technology Orchestration
- Y.IMT2020-ADPP: Advanced Data Plane Programmability for IMT-2020 (renamed- see below)
- Y.NetSoft-SSSDN: High level architectural model of network slice support for IMT-2020 – Part: SDN (renamed- see below)
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IMT 2020 non radio recommendations developed by ITU-T SG13:
- Y.3112: Framework for the support of network slicing in the IMT-2020 network (Revised)
- Draft Recommendation ITU-T Y.IMT2020-NSAA-reqts: “Requirements for network slicing with AI-assisted analysis in IMT-2020 networks”
- Draft Recommendation ITU-T Y.IMT2020-CEF: “Network capability exposure function in the IMT-2020 networks”
- Draft Recommendation ITU-T Y.qos-ec-vr-req: ” QoS requirements and architecture for virtual reality delivery using edge computing in IMT-2020″
- Draft Recommendation ITU-T Y.3072 (formerly Y.ICN-ReqN): “Requirements and Capabilities of Name Mapping and Resolution for Information Centric Networking in IMT-2020”
- Draft Recommendation ITU-T Y.3151 (formerly Y.NetSoft-SSSDN): “High level architectural model of network slice support for IMT-2020 – part: SDN”
- Draft Recommendation ITU-T Y.3152(formerly Y.IMT2020-ADPP): “Advanced Data Plane Programmability for IMT-2020”
- Draft Recommendation ITU-T Y.3172 (formerly Y.IMT2020-ML-Arch): “Architectural framework for machine learning in future networks including IMT-2020
- Draft Recommendation ITU-T Y.3106 (formerly Y.IMT2020-qos-req): “QoS functional requirements for the IMT-2020 network”
Editor’s Note:
A summary of SG13 work program provides the timing of each work item, e.g. handbook, technical reports, supplements and recommendation.
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ITU-T SG13/WP1 work related to IMT-2020:
| Question | (Co-) Rapporteur
(Associate Rapporteur) |
Title |
| Q6/13 | Taesang CHOI (Korea) | Quality of service (QoS) aspects including IMT-2020 networks |
| Guosheng ZHU (China) | ||
| Q20/13 | Nam Seok KO (Korea) | IMT-2020: Network requirements and functional architecture |
| Marco CARUGI (Huawei, China) | ||
| Q21/13 | Kazunori TANIKAWA (Japan)
Yushuang HU (China) |
Network softwarization including software-defined networking, network slicing and orchestration |
| Sangwoo KANG (Korea) | ||
| Q22/13 | Jiguang CAO (China)
Ved P. KAFLE (Japan) |
Upcoming network technologies for IMT-2020 and Future Networks |
| Q23/13 | Jeong Yun KIM (Korea)
Nauxiang Shi (China) |
Fixed-Mobile Convergence including IMT-2020 |
Question 21 of ITU-T SG13 is studying network softwarization including: network slicing, SDN, and orchestration which are highly expected to contribute to IMT-2020. Question 21/SG13 met from 4 to 14 March 2019 at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe under the chairmanship of co-Rapporteur Ms.Yushuang Hu (China Mobile, China) and Mr. Kazunori TANIKAWA (NEC, Japan). On March 14, 2019, ITU-T SG13 consented to two new Recommendations:
- ITU-T Y.IMT2020-ML-Arch “Architectural framework for machine learning in future networks including IMT-2020” (Ref. SG13-TD355/WP1)
- ITU-T Y.3115 (formerly Y.NetSoft-SSSDN). It describes SDN control interfaces for network slicing, which especially focuses on the control of front haul networks such as PON.
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20 August 2019 Update: New ITU standard has established a basis for the cost-effective integration of Machine Learning into 5G and future networks.
The standard – ITU Y.3172 – describes an architectural framework for networks to accommodate current as well as future use cases of Machine Learning. “Machine Learning will change the way we operate and optimize networks,” said Slawomir Stanczak, Chairman of the ITU-T Focus Group on ‘Machine Learning for Future Networks including 5G’. ITU Y.3172 is under the responsibility of the Focus Group’s parent group, ITU-T Study Group 13 (Future networks and cloud).
“Every company in the networking business is investigating the introduction of Machine Learning, with a view to optimizing network operations, increasing energy efficiency and curtailing the costs of operating a network. This ITU Y.3172 architectural framework provides a common point of reference to improve industry’s orientation when it comes to the introduction of Machine Learning into mobile networks.”
Machine Learning holds great promise to enhance network management and orchestration. Drawing insight from network-generated data, Machine Learning can yield predictions to support the optimization of network operations and maintenance. This optimization is becoming increasingly challenging, and increasingly important, as networks gain in complexity to support the coexistence of a diverse range of information and communication technology (ICT) services.
Network operators aim to fuel Machine Learning models with data correlated from multiple technologies and levels of the network. They are calling for deployment mechanisms able to ‘future-proof’ their investments in Machine Learning. And they are in need of interfaces to transfer data and trained Machine Learning models across Machine Learning functionalities at multiple levels of the network.
The ITU Y.3172 architectural framework is designed to meet these requirements. The standard includes a unique focus on the future.
“ITU Y.3172 provides for the declarative specification of Machine Learning applications, making it the first mechanism to meet industry’s need for a standard method of including future use cases,” says Vishnu Ram, the lead editor of the standard.
“This is the first time that a Study Group has approved a Focus Group deliverable as an ITU standard before the conclusion of the Focus Group’s lifetime,” says Leo Lehmann, Chairman of ITU-T Study Group 13. This represents an important achievement in ITU’s work to expedite the transition from exploratory studies to the agreement of new ITU standards.
ITU-T Focus Groups are open to all interested parties. These groups accelerate ITU studies in fields of growing strategic relevance to ITU membership, delivering base documents to inform related standardization work in membership-driven ITU-T Study Groups.
“I would like to commend the many experts participating in both the Focus Group and ITU-T Study Group 13,” says Lehmann. “This early approval required a considerable amount of planning and extremely close collaboration, which could only have been achieved with dual participation and common interest.”
The standard offers a common vocabulary and nomenclature for Machine Learning functionalities and their relationships with ICT networks, providing for ‘Machine Learning Overlays’ to underlying technology-specific networks such as 5G networks. It describes a ‘loosely coupled’ integration of Machine Learning and 5G functionalities, minimizing their interdependencies to account for their parallel evolution.
The components of the architectural framework include ‘Machine Learning Pipelines’ – sets of logical nodes combined to form a Machine Learning application – as well as a ‘Machine Learning Function Orchestrator’ to manage and orchestrate the nodes of these pipelines.
‘Machine Learning Sandboxes’ are another key component of the framework, offering isolated environments hosting separate Machine learning pipelines to train, test and evaluate Machine Learning applications before deploying them in a live network.
“This combination of an architectural framework for Machine Learning and this declarative language to specify new use cases will give network operators complete power over the extension of Machine Learning to new use cases, the deployment and management of Machine Learning in the network, and the correlation of data from sources at multiple levels of the network,” says Ram.
The ITU Y.3172 architectural framework is the first of a nascent series of ITU standards addressing Machine Learning’s contribution to networking.
“A range of ITU standards under development will complement and complete the architectural framework described by ITU Y.3172,” says Ram. “Collectively these standards will provide a full toolkit to build Machine Learning into our networks.”
Two draft ITU standards will propose mechanisms for data handling and specify the design of the ‘Machine Learning Function Orchestrator.’ “If data is the blood flowing through the heart that is Machine Learning, this function orchestrator can be considered the brain,” Ram added.
Another ITU standard will support the assessment of intelligence levels across different parts of the network.
“Different parts of the network will be supplied by different vendors,” says Ram. “We are developing a standard way for different parties to look the intelligence level of the network, helping operators to evaluate vendors and regulatory authorities to evaluate the network.”
The series of ITU standards will be completed by a standard supporting the interoperability of Machine Learning marketplaces, marketplaces hosting repositories of Machine Learning models.
“The standard would assist potential adopters both in selecting a Machine Learning model capable of addressing their specific needs and in integrating the model into the network,” says Ram.
NOTE: To join the group’s mailing list, request access to documents and sign-up to a working group on the homepage of the ITU Focus Group on Machine Learning for Future Networks including 5G.
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December 2019 update:
Y.3106 Quality of service functional requirements for the IMT-2020 network standard was posted on December 2019 at the ITU website and is available for free download here.
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Status and timing of SG13 work: https://www.itu.int/itu-t/workprog/wp_search.aspx?sg=13
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Related: The following ITU-T Technical Report was developed by ITU-T SG15:
Technical Report (GSTR-TN5G) on “Transport network support of IMT-2020/5G”
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Previous Techblog post on this topic:
New ITU-T Standards for IMT 2020 (5G) + 3GPP Core Network Systems Architecture
Forward Reference (April 2020 IEEE Techblog post):
New ITU-T SG13 Recommendations related to IMT 2020 and Quantum Key Distribution
AT&T tests 5G and network edge computing with Microsoft Azure; Partners with Vodafone Business for IoT
AT&T announced at MWC 2019 that it is working with Microsoft on a proof of concept to integrate network edge compute (NEC) capabilities with its 5G network and Microsoft Azure cloud services. The solution would be important for the industries and Internet of Things (IoT) use cases of retail, healthcare, public safety, entertainment, and manufacturing, AT&T said, as it would provide businesses with lower latency, access to high compute power, and network routing without needing on-premises hardware.
“We’re testing our ability to substantially reduce latency and improve user experience by deploying advanced cloud services in specific geographic locations closer to business sites. A fully-scaled deployment will give businesses access to compute power, lower latency and optimized network routing without the need for dedicated on-premises hardware.” These advantages will be important for the low-latency cloud and IoT solutions used by retail, healthcare, public safety, manufacturing and entertainment.
Last month, AT&T* announced its approach to 5G for businesses, laying out three key pillars: mobile, fixed and edge computing.
“Our collaboration will pave the way to enable Microsoft Azure cloud services to connect to more customers and devices across the US through AT&T’s nationwide wireless network,” Microsoft corporate VP of Azure Networking Yousef Khalidi said. “Our two companies are working together to achieve the low-latency connectivity needed for the explosion of devices and immense amount of data being created by computing at the edge,” he added.
AT&T is using drones to test the network edge compute capabilities with Azure, working with Israel-based startup Vorpal in its foundry in Plano, Texas. Vorpal’s VigilAir product detects and geo-locates drones in real-time, which could be used by law enforcement agencies and airports.
“By running their VigilAir application using Azure cloud services delivered through the Plano AT&T test environment, and connecting their drone-tracking sensors using AT&T LTE and 5G networks, Vorpal could achieve the low latency and compute scalability required,” the carrier said.
AT&T expects to share more details about NEC services with Microsoft Azure later this year. NEC is part of AT&T’s broader edge compute strategy that also includes AT&T Multi-Access Edge Compute (MEC).
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Earlier at MWC 2019, AT&T announced it’s working with Vodafone Business on IoT applications for the automotive space, including safety, security, and entertainment.
“This alliance with Vodafone Business is a natural extension of our existing relationship,” said Chris Penrose, President, Internet of Things Solutions, AT&T. “We each have rich experience in connected vehicle technology. By working together, we can innovate faster and help our global customers bring connectivity, entertainment and telematics to more vehicles across our respective footprints.”
“Our work with AT&T will benefit automotive manufacturers and their customers around the world as we simplify processes and provide a consistent experience to accelerate IoT adoption in this fast-moving market,” said Stefano Gastaut, IoT Director, Vodafone Business. “As technology complexity increases, this is the right time to make technology adoption easier for the automotive industry to help them achieve their business outcomes. This is the goal of this alliance.”
The two companies said they would develop connected car solutions across 5G and autonomous vehicle technology; vehicle-to-everything (V2X) capabilities; in-vehicle entertainment; connected car applications and services; global service quality models; and the intersection of connected cars and smart cities.
The companies will prioritize projects to enhance safety, security and entertainment capabilities. Key areas of focus will be:
- 5G and autonomous vehicle technology
- V2X capabilities (vehicle-to-everything)
- In-vehicle entertainment
- Connected car applications and services
- Global service quality models
- Connected car/ smart cities intersection
AT&T and Vodafone Business each provide connected car services and products for the automotive, fleet and insurance industries. They integrate electronic and telematics systems into complex vehicles, both at the point of manufacture and beyond. Together, the companies bring more than 50 years of experience in the automotive industry. And they collectively work with nearly 50 global automotive brands and connect more than 43 million cars and trucks on the road today.
References:
https://about.att.com/story/2019/att_nec.html
https://www.zdnet.com/article/mwc-2019-at-t-tests-5g-and-edge-computing-with-microsoft-azure/
MWC 2019: Korean companies set to present new world of 5G connectivity & smart phones
Wireless network providers/ telcos, telecom equipment, industrial giants, and smart device companies have arrived in Barcelona, Spain for the Mobile World Congress (MWC) that kicks off on Feb. 25th. Under the theme of “Intelligent Connectivity,” the four-day event features companies demonstrating how new technologies will change everyday lives.
There has been so much hype surrounding 5G in the past few years, it’s deafening. Yet the world still needs to wait for full-fledged 5G standards and associated services. Hopefully, this year’s MWC will paint a clearer picture about a world powered by 5G networks.
“I have never seen tech companies at MWC rallying behind a single banner. And that is 5G,” said a senior official from a South Korean telecom giant, who visited the MWC venue in Fira Barcelona before the event officially kicked off.
Some mobile device manufacturers, such LG Electronics and Huawei, unveiled their first 5G-based smartphones on Feb. 24, a day before the official launch of the MWC. Samsung’s Galaxy S10 5G will be demonstrated to the public after its debut in San Francisco on Feb. 20. South Korean telecom giants (like SK Telecom, Korea Telecom, and LG U+ –formerly LG Telecom) will also unveil platforms that capitalize on the hyper-speed, low-latency network. These are expected to include futuristic hotel services, smart factories and unmanned blimps.
Leading telecom companies at MWC include Verizon, AT&T and NTT Docomo, along with IT giants like Microsoft, Google Cloud, Amazon Web Service, Huawei, Xiaomi, Nokia, Ericsson, Renovo, Intel and Qualcomm.
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Approximately 222 South Korean firms have come for the event, with combined investments of 100 billion won ($89 million) and some 3,000 officials. They will join some 2,500 companies from around the world in presenting technologies that span eight areas: connectivity, artificial intelligence, industry 4.0, immersive content, destructive innovation, digital wellness, digital trust and the future.
LG Electronics’ first 5G-powered smartphone, the V50 ThinQ (pre-standard) 5G, will be on display at MWC. The company joins Samsung in having a (pre-standard) 5G-capable smartphones in the market. Samsung will live broadcast the MWC 2019 Barcelona’s official media channel using its prototype 5G network on big screens throughout the Fira Gran Via venue and about 280 hotels in Barcelona, as well as stream the event live globally.
China’s Huawei, the world’s second-largest smart phone maker after Samsung, is expected to unveil its 5G foldable smartphone, the Mate X, during a press conference at the MWC.
During the MWC sessions, SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus said they would demonstrate how the 5G network can transform business and leisure when the first 5G-based smartphones hit the market this March.
KT will demonstrate the extent to which seamless communication is possible regardless of distance. Using its remotely controlled blip, called 5G Skyship, the company showed images sent in real time to Barcelona all the way from South Korea’s southern port city of Busan. As the 5G Skyship’s high-definition camera is capable of delivering flawless images sent from halfway around the world, the company said the technology could be used in search-and-rescue missions in the event of natural disasters and other emergencies.
KT said Sunday it will be remotely controlling its KT 5G Skyship airship drone in the skies above Haeundae in Busan, South Korea from the location of the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, through a (pre-standard) 5G network.
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“Signals capable of controlling the blip’s camera are sent from Busan to Barcelona through international circuit lines. … Visitors can control the blip’s movement whatever they see fit and enjoy the night scenery of Busan from Barcelona,” said KT officials.
KT is joining the GSMA Innovation City exhibition alongside leading brands such as Google and Huawei to present its connected devices, immersive content and services under the theme “5G becomes reality.”
The company will exhibit Skyship, a 5G-enabled real-time airborne platform for disaster management, and provide a hands-on experience for remote autonomous driving and inspection of a 5G factory zone. It will also present 5G-connected robots, AR glasses, remote support solutions for enterprises, a VR baseball park, a 360-degree video zone and a robot hotel.
KT Chairman Hwang Chang-gyu plans to deliver his third MWC keynote speech to unveil his 5G vision, following similar addresses in 2015 and 2017. Hwang plans to visit the exhibition halls of Samsung Electronics, Ericsson and Nokia to explore business opportunities with the major wireless equipment manufacturers.
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Meanwhile, KT’s biggest rival, SK Telecom, plans to show how 5G can greatly improve productivity in factories and offices by using AI, robots, connected devices and security solutions. It unveiled the 5G Hyper Space platform that could blur the line between the virtual and real world by allowing users to toggle back and forth between the two.
“Having copied the images of hotels and offices in the real world, those wearing the VR machine can hardly feel the difference in the virtual world,” said an official from SK Telecom. “In accordance with the commercial rollout of 5G, we will expand the service.”
According to SK Telecom, users can visit a restaurant and see a hotel room “virtually” via virtual reality goggles before making reservations. Reservations made in the virtual world would also be effective in the real world.
“Commercialization of 5G is speeding up technology integration, highlighting the importance of cooperation at the global level,” SK Telecom said. “As only a few companies have shown 5G solutions for the commercial market, we expect global telecom and ICT companies to show interest in partnerships with SK Telecom.”
The two Korean telcos will also show a system for “smart factories” connected by a 5G network. By processing enormous volumes of data at hyper speed, the system can reduce the amount of defected products and the risk of safety accidents, they said.
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Korea’s third-biggest mobile carrier, LG Uplus, will push for strategic partnerships with global telecom firms, handset makers and media companies during this year’s MWC. It revealed a service that allows consumers to enjoy sports events and music performances with advanced quality. The company said the hyper-speed network allows users to watch footage with minimum latency.
The #3 South Korean mobile carrier will present remote-controlled robots, smart drones, smart CCTV and a block chain payment service for businesses. Visitors can, moreover, enjoy baseball, golf and K-pop, as well as AR, VR and hologram content based on 5G. CEO Ha Hyun-hoi plans to meet with senior officials of major mobile operators, including Verizon, T-Mobile and Vodafone, to discuss 5G strategy and fresh business opportunities, LG Uplus said.
“LG Uplus’ 5G technologies and services will illustrate how the advanced cellular technology can change everyday lives in a better way,” the company said in a release. LG Uplus, which provides Netflix videos on its set-top boxes, expressed a hope to form partnerships with major media players to provide AR, VR, AI and Internet of Things services in connection with 5G.
LG Uplus is teaming up with LG Electronics Inc. to unveil the latter’s first 5G smartphone, V50 ThinQ, on the eve of MWC.
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Among the MWC conference sessions we’re interested in are:
Unlocking the benefits of 5G for the Enterprise Market
What’s Keeping Operator CTOs up at Night?
5G Summit 2019 — Embracing 5G Era (ZTE)
Huawei Product & Solution Launch: 5G is On
The Internet of the Skies – Connecting Drones
China Unicom MEC Edge-Cloud Commercial Acceleration Plan
Aligning 5G Technology and Policy
Cloud without Limits (VMware)
Smart Buildings & 5G: The Use Case
First 5G tele-mentored Live Surgery!
5G Cities: Connecting People, Here, There and Everywhere
IoT Debate: LPWA Let’s get to ready to RUMBLE
References:
http://www.theinvestor.co.kr/view.php?ud=20190224000155
http://koreabizwire.com/s-korean-tech-telecom-firms-to-present-5g-future-at-mwc/133090
https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/conference-programmes/agenda/#day=7808
AT&T to shut down 3G network in 2022; Verizon at end of 2019
AT&T will shut down its 3G network in early 2022 as the company shifts its focus to 5G implementation (?) and compatible 4G LTE networks. Research firm Ovum estimates that the number of devices using 3G exceeds 85 million, while AT&T reports that 3G was still the choice for 11% of the company’s postpaid users last year.
AT&T’s decision to shutter 3G, disclosed in a Wednesday regulatory filing, follows rival Verizon Communications’s warning that it will disconnect 3G cellphones at the end of this year. Verizon said in a recent filing it is “aggressively refarming 3G bands” for 4G but still needs more spectrum to keep up with its users’ demands. Verizon executive Ronan Dunne told investors at a Thursday meeting that its 5G service will reach 30 cities this year. AT&T’s 5G service touched parts of 12 cities at the end of 2018, with nationwide service expected in 2020.
The demise of 3G in the U.S. has been all but certain after cellphone carriers spent billions of dollars over the past decade to blanket the country with 4G service. That standard, also known as long-term evolution, or LTE, allows users to download data 10 times as fast as its predecessor and has paved the way for many smartphone apps that require ample mobile bandwidth.
Winding down obsolete versions is a habit for telecom companies. In the 1990s they pushed analog cellphone users to the first digital standards, and later persuaded 2G users to upgrade to one of several wireless technologies with the 3G label.
The companies are driven by necessity. Cellphone users with unlimited data plans stream more video on the go, testing the limits of what service providers can handle. Getting customers off 3G allows carriers to free up wireless frequencies for 4G signals over broader swaths of the radio spectrum.
Early 3G phones kicked off the smartphone era by giving customers a reason to use their devices for more than just talking and texting. Apple Inc.’s cellphone sales took off after it launched the iPhone 3G.
AT&T said 11% of its postpaid customers were using 3G service at the end of 2018. More than 85 million devices use 3G, according to research firm Ovum. They include smartphones, tablets and devices like vehicle-location trackers. The coming changes could also affect users of prepaid cellphone brands like TracFone that use other companies’ networks.
Telecom executives are already shifting their attention to the latest group of engineering standards known as 5G, which are expected to make video streaming and downloads even quicker. The specifications also support many more connections at once, allowing carriers to go after more types of gadgets.
The end of 4G LTE service, if it comes, is years away. ITU-R [1] and ITU-T haven’t finished writing 5G standards, and telecom companies say it will take years to make 5G commonplace. Companies are less motivated to kill 4G service because it can work in tandem with 5G, unlike previous generations that forced carriers to devote a band of wireless spectrum to one technology.
Note 1. An AT&T representative chairs ITU-R WP 5D which is responsible for the IMT 2020 (official 5G) standard. Another AT&T rep chairs the WP 5D SWG on Radio Aspects within the Technology WG. Hence, AT&T has tremendous influence and impact on IMT 2020 yet it’s marketing communications department falsely claims the company has deployed “standards based” mobile 5G.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-t-gives-3g-service-three-years-to-live-11550765221
Have a 3G phone? Here’s why it’s time to start thinking about upgrading
China Mobile & Huawei deploy indoor 5G at Shanghai rail station
Guests at the launch event included: Zhang Jianming, Vice Chairman of Shanghai’s Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology; Wang Guannan, Deputy Division Chief of the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission; Bai Zhengguo, Station Master of the Shanghai Railway Station; Li Xuecheng, Deputy General Manager of China Mobile Shanghai; Peter Zhou, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Huawei’s Wireless Solution; Zang Binyu, Dean of the School of Software at Shanghai Jiao Tong University; and Xiao Yuhuo, General Manager of China Mobile Tietong Shanghai.
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“Hongqiao Railway Station is leading the 5G commercial deployment in Shanghai,” said Zhang Jianming, Vice Chairman of Shanghai’s Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology. “The 5G digital indoor system will deliver a new travel experience. Passengers will feel they are getting more out of their journey. The railway station will show how 5G applications can improve the user experience and offer real benefits to the public. It will help speed up digital transformation for all sectors across the digital economy.”
“Shanghai is committed to building a Dual-Gigaband City. We are now planning field tests and pre-commercial trials of the technology. Ultimately, we will deploy 5G base stations across the whole city, and lead 5G commercial use in China,” he said.
“With Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Huawei, we have set up platforms to bring together the industry, academia, and research institutes. Through more investment in new infrastructure including AI, industrial Internet, and IoT, we will revitalize this city and build a hi-tech, intelligent Shanghai.”
As 5G industrialization accelerates, Huawei is working with partners in many industries to develop the indoor 5G industry, and enable smart buildings, remote healthcare, and smart railways. The whole world is becoming more intelligent.
Within the 5G world, the functions of mobile Internet, big data, cloud computing, and smart devices are constantly integrating and transforming. 5G is more than a next-generation technology. It is key infrastructure for the future digital world. Just as 2G transformed voice services and 4G transformed mobile Internet, 5G is the engine that will transform the world.
This vision of the future led Huawei to invest consistently in 5G R&D from 2009 onwards, paving the way for its leadership of the industry today. Huawei’s technological leadership has made it the technology supplier of choice for more and more customers. As of mid-January 2019, Huawei has signed 30 5G contracts and has shipped more than 25,000 5G base stations. Huawei possesses 2,570 patents on 5G.
VSG’s U.S. Carrier Ethernet LEADERBOARD: CenturyLink #1, AT&T #2; U.S. CE port base grew >12%
Vertical Systems Group (VSG) announced that six companies achieved a position on its 2018 U.S. Carrier Ethernet (CE) LEADERBOARD (in rank order based on year-end 2018 retail port share): CenturyLink, AT&T, Verizon, Spectrum Enterprise, Comcast and Windstream. CenturyLink powered its way to the top spot in the year-end 2017 leaderboard after its acquisition of Level 3 Communications. AT&T led the U.S. Carrier Ethernet ranking from 2005-2016. Cox dropped out of the leaderboard and into VSG’s challenge tier on slower-than-market port growth.
To qualify for a rank on this 2018 LEADERBOARD, network providers must have 4% or more of the U.S. Ethernet services market. Shares are measured based on the number of billable retail customer ports in service as tracked by Vertical Systems Group.
“Despite its relative maturity, the Ethernet market continues to expand at a healthy pace. U.S. port installations grew more than twelve percent in 2018, in line with our forecasts,” said Rick Malone, principal of Vertical Systems Group. “However, revenue growth is not keeping pace with port growth due to falling prices and changing service mixes. One notable catalyst is the deployment of SD-WAN, which is resulting in customers shifting from switched Ethernet services to dedicated Internet access.”
Highlights of Vertical’s year-end 2018 U.S. Ethernet market share analysis:
- U.S. retail Ethernet customer installations grew to more than 1.1 million ports, up 12 percent from year-end 2017.
- Six Ethernet providers qualify for the 2018 LEADERBOARD, as compared to seven in 2017 and nine in 2016.
- Cox dropped out of the LEADERBOARD and into the Challenge Tier on slower than market port growth.
- Four Incumbent Carriers (CenturyLink, AT&T, Verizon, Windstream) and two Cable MSOs (Spectrum Enterprise, Comcast) are represented on the latest LEADERBOARD.
- The two Cable MSOs (Spectrum Enterprise and Comcast) had the highest port growth in the second half of 2018.
- Ethernet pricing declined in 2018 across all port speeds for the six service types tracked by Vertical (i.e., EPL, EVPL, DIA, Access to VPN, Switched Metro and VPLS).
- Each of the 2018 U.S. LEADERBOARD companies has received MEF CE 2.0 certification.
In addition to the LEADERBOARD providers, all other companies selling Ethernet services in the U.S. are segmented into two tiers as measured by port share.
The Challenge Tier includes providers with between 1% and 4% share of the U.S. retail Ethernet market. For year-end 2018, the following seven companies attained a position in the Challenge Tier (in alphabetical order): Altice USA, Cogent, Cox, Frontier, GTT, Sprint and Zayo.
The Market Player tier includes all providers with port share below 1%. Companies in the Market Player tier include the following providers (in alphabetical order): Alaska Communications, American Telesis, Atlantic Broadband, BT Global Services, Cincinnati Bell, Consolidated Communications, Crown Castle Fiber, DQE Communications, Expedient, FiberLight, FirstLight, Fusion, Global Cloud Xchange, Great Plains Communications, Logix Fiber Networks, LS Networks, Masergy, Midco, NTT America, Orange Business, RCN Business, Segra, Tata, TDS Telecom, Telstra, TPx, Unite Private Networks, US Signal, WOW!Business and other companies selling retail Ethernet services in the U.S. market.
Detailed Ethernet share results that power the Year-End 2018 Carrier Ethernet LEADERBOARD are available now exclusively through Vertical Systems Group’s ENS Research Program subscribers of @Ethernet. Contact us for subscription information and pricing.
Here’s VSG Mid year 2018 Global Carrier Ethernet LEADERBOARD:
AT&T’s 5G Use Cases at NGNM Conference on Licensing Practices in 5G Industry Segments
Dawn Of The 5G World – AT&T Perspective
by Michael Robinson Director, Business Development AT&T Intellectual Property
Current “5G” Deployment:
• Live in 12 Cities: Atlanta, Charlotte & Raleigh, NC, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, FL, Louisville, KY, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio & Waco, TX
• Millimeter wave spectrum
2019-2020 “5G” Deployment:
• Live in 9+ additional cities: Austin TX, Las Vegas, Nashville, New York City, Orlando, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, CA, (millimeter wave spectrum)
• Nationwide coverage available early 2020 (sub 6Ghz spectrum)
5G Use Cases:
1. Healthcare
• Provide more effective healthcare and improve revenue realization for providers
• Minimize need for annual exams or office visits
• Wearables/Home Sensors provide near constant monitoring
• Alert healthcare providers of potential ailments or abnormalities
• Preventative Care: wearables will calculate daily recommendations, provide prompting based on medical records, real-time vitals, projected needs
• Hospital of the Future: collaboration with Rush University Medical Center and the Rush System for Health
2. Retail
• Enable in-store 3D printers to create custom products
• AR/VR to try on clothing
• Home improvement stores use VR to create personalized demo of remodeling options
3. Finance
• Create highly customized financial/insurance experiences
• High resolution video enables customer interaction with in-person or AI representatives
• Security – AI cyber immune system to send threat intelligent defender cells from one edge of the network to the other
• Insurance companies
• Dispatch drones for claim investigations
• Holographic teleportation for adjusters – tour damaged property to provide benefits more rapidly
4. Manufacturing
• IoT neural network enables a ‘brain’ to react, calibrate and optimize end-to-end manufacturing process
• Robots mimicking human capabilities to carry out high-risk, dangerous tasks
• Network reliability and low latency enables manufacturing equipment to communicate wirelessly with back-end systems for time critical operations
• Samsung Austin Semiconductor “Innovation Zone”
• Test bed for the Smart Factory
• Location services to improve safety
• Industrial IoT sensors – environmental & equipment conditions
AT&T Foundry (Plano, TX) – Use Case Development:
• Plano Foundry prototypes innovative solutions for AT&T customers in manufacturing, retail, finance, public sector
• 5G functionality (2019) to co-create 5G solutions:
• Using 5G-enabled network slicing in a manufacturing shop floor to create a separate network for operational equipment efficiency,
• Transform the retail buying experience for consumers through innovative solutions like digital signage, IoT-enabled smart shelving and auto-inventory tracking,
• Enabling life-changing healthcare technologies, like Aira, that use our IoT connectivity to bridge the physical gap between caregiver and patient,
• Deploying drones to rethink the damage assessment process for insurance companies, and ………………
• Applying AI or machine learning techniques to enhance situational awareness for first responders
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/Workshops-and-Seminars/itu-ngmn/Documents/2018/Michael_Robinson_Presentation.pdf
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NGMN Alliance Backgrouner: by Peter Meissner, CEO NGMN
The NGMN Alliance was founded by leading international mobile network operators in 2006 with the “Objective to ensure that functionality and performance of next generation mobile network infrastructure, service platforms and devices will meet the requirements of operators and, ultimately, will satisfy end user demand and expectations.”
§ NGMN actively drives global alignment and convergence of technology standards and industry initiatives with the objective to avoid fragmentation and to guarantee industry scale.
§ A global presence has been established that comprises a leadership network of about 90 Partners: Operators, Vendors, Software Companies and Universities. These Partners are contributing to and delivering the results of the Work Programme with a focus on 5G. Several Cooperation Partners support the NGMN Alliance by two-way liaison statements.
§ The 5G Eco-System is different! New use cases beyond mobile broadband like massive IoT as well as highly demanding requirements from Vertical Industries on low latency, ultra-high reliability and security are causing substantial network transformation. Service Based Architecture, Network Slicing as well as Network Function Virtualisation are the solutions with major impact on network architecture and operations.
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