Huawei to build Public Cloud Data Centers using OCP Open Rack and its own IT Equipment; Google Cloud and OCP?
Huawei:
On March 14th at the OCP 2019 Summit in San Jose, CA, Huawei Technologies (the world’s number one telecom/network equipment supplier) announced plans to adopt OCP Open Rack in its new public cloud data centers worldwide. The move is designed to enhance the environmental sustainability of Huawei’s new public cloud data centers by using less energy for servers, while driving operational efficiency by reducing the time it takes to install and maintain racks of IT equipment. In addition to Huawei’s adoption of Open Rack in its cloud data centers, the company is also expanding its work with the OCP Community to extend the design of the standard and further improve time-to-market, and high serviceability and reduce TCO. In an answer to this author’s question, Jinshui Liu CTO, IT Hardware Domain said the company would make its own OCP compliant compute servers and storage equipment (in addition to network switches) that would be used in its public cloud data centers. All that IT equipment will ALSO sold to its customers building cloud resident data centers.
The Open Rack initiative introduced by the Open Compute Project (OCP) in 2013, seeks to redefine the data center rack and is one of the most promising developments in the scale computing environment. It is the first rack standard that is designed for data centers, integrating the rack into the data center infrastructure. Open Rack integrating the rack into the data center infrastructure as part of the Open Compute Project’s “grid to gates” philosophy, a holistic design process that considers the interdependence of everything from the power grid to the gates in the chips on each motherboard.
“Huawei’s engineering and business leaders recognized the efficiency and flexibility that Open Rack offers, and the support that is available from a global supplier base. Providing cloud services to a global customer base creates certain challenges. The flexibility of the Open Rack specification and the ability to adapt for liquid cooling allows Huawei to service new geographies. Huawei’s decision to choose Open Rack is a great endorsement!” stated Bill Carter, Chief Technology Officer for the Open Compute Project Foundation.
OCP specified Open Rack v2:
Last year Huawei became an OCP Platinum Member. This year, Huawei continues investment in and commitment to OCP and the open source community. Huawei’s active involvement within the OCP Community includes on-going participation and contributions for various OCP projects such as Rack and Power, System Management and Server projects with underlying contributions to the upcoming specs for OCP accelerator Module, Advanced Cooling Solutions and OpenRMC.
“Huawei’s strategic investment and commitment to OCP is a win-win,” said Mr. Kenneth Zhang, General Manager of FusionServer, Huawei Intelligent Computing Business Department. “Combining Huawei’s extensive experience in Telco and Cloud deployments together with the knowledge of the vast OCP community will help Huawei to provide cutting edge, flexible and open solutions to its global customers. In turn, Huawei can leverage its market leadership and global data center infrastructure to help introduce OCP to new geographies and new market segments worldwide.”
During a keynote address at OCP Global Summit, Huawei shared more information about its Open Rack adoption plans as well as overall OCP strategy. Huawei also showcased some of the building blocks of these solutions in its booth, including OCP-based compute module, Huawei Kunpeng 920 ARM CPU, Huawei Ascend 310 AI processor and other Huawei intelligent Compute products.
Huawei’s Booth at OCP 2019 Summit
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In summary, Huawei has developed an optimized rack scale design that will become the foundation of its cloud and IT infrastructure roll out. This extends the company’s product portfolio from telecom/networking to cloud computing and storage as well as an ODM for compute and storage equipment. Hence, Huawei will now compete with Microsoft Azure as well as China CSPs Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent in using OCP compliant IT equipment in their cloud resident data centers,. Unlike the other aforementioned OCP Platinum members, Huawei will design and build its own IT equipment (the other CSPs buy OCP equipment from ODMs).
There are now 124 OCP certified products available with over 60 more in the pipeline. Most of the OCP ODMs are in Taiwan.
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Google:
While Google has been an OCP Platinum member since 2015, they maintained a very low profile at this year’s OCP Summit, so it’s not clear how much OCP compliant equipment they use in Google Cloud or in any of their cloud resident data centers. Google did present 2 tech sessions at the conference:
“Google’s 48V Rack Adaptation and Onboard Power Technology Update” at the OCP 2019 Summit early Friday morning March 15th. Google said that significant progress has been made in three specific applications:
1. Multi-phase 48V-to-12V voltage regulators adopting the latest hybrid switched-capacitor-buck topologies for traditional 12V workloads such as PCIEs and OTS servers;
2. Very high efficiency high density fixed ratio bus converters for 2-stage 48V-to-PoL power conversions;
3. High frequency high density voltage regulators for extremely power hungry AI accelerators.
Google and ONF provided an update on Stratum — a next generation, thin switch OS that provides silicon and hardware independence, which was first introduced at the 2018 OCP Summit. Stratum was said to enable the next generation of SDN. It adds new SDN-ready interfaces from the P4 and OpenConfig communities to ONL (Open Network Linux) that enable programmable switching chips (ASICs, FPGAs, etc.) and traditional switching ASICs alike. The talk described how the open source community has generalized Google’s seed OVP contribution for additional whitebox targets, and demonstrate Stratum on a fabric of OCP devices controlled by an open source control plane.
I believe Google is still designing all their own IT hardware (compute servers, storage equipment, switch/routers, Data Center Interconnect gear other than the PHY layer transponders). They announced design of many AI processor chips that presumably go into their IT equipment which they use internally but don’t sell to anyone else (just like Amazon AWS).
Google Cloud Next 2019 conference will be April 9-11, 2019 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.
References:
https://www.huawei.com/en/press-events/news/2019/3/huawei-ocp-open-rack-public-cloud-datacenters
Verizon and AT&T want to virtualize the 5G Network Core and use Mobile Edge Computing
Verizon:
As we reported earlier this week, Verizon announced the first deployment of it’s mobile 5G network with Chicago and Minneapolis going live on April 11. The nation’s largest mobile network operator says the service will be available in “select areas” in those markets, and it plans to bring an additional 30 markets online later this year.
Verizon engineers have been preparing for 5G by migrating network core and edge processing functions from the physical world to the virtual world for about three years now, said Adam Koeppe, SVP of network planning at Verizon. “Today, in the (proprietary) 5G network that we’ve already launched in our four 5G Home markets (FWA), those software functions that are used for the core of the 5G network are 100 percent virtual. Unlike LTE where you had to start physical and move to virtual, they’re native 5G network functions, those all start as virtual,” said Koeppe.
Similar to other carriers’ 5G roadmaps, Verizon’s initial pre-standard 5G deployments are based on 3GPP Release 15 NR NSA (non-standalone) architecture. It’s using parts of the 4G network core (EPC) and signaling with a 5G radio access network for the data plane. “All those functions in that path for 5G are virtual regardless of whether they’re 4G core that you’re using to support 5G or native to 5G functions,” Koeppe said.
“We’re trying to get the processing capabilities required on a network session as close to the consumer as possible, and the reason for that is one of the promises and realities of 5G is that you have the ability to have much lower network latency,” he said. Multi-access edge compute equipment (MEC) and network slicing are key components of that effort. “You have to make fundamental architectural changes to how your core works if you want to provide very low-latency services.”
Verizon currently manages different network use cases manually, by identifying the class of service for each device running on its wireless network. Network slicing and virtualization would change that significantly, and software plays a critical role, Koeppe said. “All the network functions that are providing that service need to be virtualized, because I can’t autonomously spin up physical capacity. That has to be done by a person. But if it’s virtual capacity I can spin that up from a machine through orchestration and machine learning.”
When you have 15 to 20 different use cases, “you have a very sophisticated network that is all virtualized and all programmable. Some of that you physically just can’t do with LTE today. Much of those 5G use cases will rely on that type of programmability of your network and you can’t do that without having a virtualized network function,” Koeppe added.
Verizon wants to put the capabilities of its 5G network and the MEC network into the hands of innovators who can drive use cases beyond what’s possible with 4G today, according to Koeppe. “These are radically different network capabilities, a lot goes in to ensuring that the hardware and the software works well together. And that’s the phase we’re in right now with our deployment.”
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ITU-T Standards status of network softwarization:
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 met during the SG13 meeting, 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 has 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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AT&T:
AT&T is on a similar path with virtualized network functions and MEF. According to Light Reading, AT&T has virtualized 65% of its core network during the past five years, and is on track to meet its goal of virtualizing 75% of its network functions by the end of 2020.
“We see the cloud fragmenting again and certain workloads being pushed out to the edge — at customer [premises] and in the network — with more heavy-duty storage, and the back end being in the centralized cloud,” Roman Pacewicz, AT&T Business’s chief product officer, told Light Reading during an interview conducted at MWC 2019 in Barcelona.
“Nowhere is [virtualization] more important than in our rollout of 5G,” Pacewicz says. “If we didn’t have a network edge cloud environment that takes the mobile core out to the edge of the network, those deployments would be complicated and longer. The whole strategy of virtualization and cloudification of the network (see IEEE Techblog posts on ITU-T SG13 recommendations related to IMT 2020) becomes more important in upgrading the infrastructure to 5G, because everything is virtualized and software-enabled.”
A new generation of services enabled by 5G will require low latency, and therefore require compute and storage resources close to the edge of the network, Pacewicz says. That’s where MEC comes in to play a huge role in 5G (as well as real time critical IoT applications). We previously reported that AT&T has a joint project with Microsoft to deliver Microsoft Azure cloud services from the AT&T network edge. The goal is reduced latency and increased network resiliency. For applications such as AI, mixed reality and augmented reality, latency needs to be no greater than 20 milliseconds and that requires data to be processed closer to the edge of the network and closer to the end user, Pacewicz says.
A retailer with 8,000–10,000 stores can’t have dedicated compute at every site, but needs low latency to create new types of experience and networks need 2 millisecond latency for safe interactions between robots and human beings, Pacewicz claims.
–>Of course latency includes the mobile access network, mobile packet core, and edge network. We are a very long way from achieving 20 milliseconds one way latency let alone round trip!
AT&T is teaming with Israeli startup Vorpa on projects to monitor the location of drones around sensitive locations such as aircraft and airports, alert authorities if they’re flying in restricted areas, and identify the location of a drone’s controller. Those types of applications require low latency enabled by mobile edge computing, Pacewicz says. He concluded the Light Reading interview by highlighting SD-WAN is a key part of making the network more intelligent and flexible to accommodate 5G applications by optimizing traffic routing, particularly as edge devices don’t just consume data, but also generate lots of data.
–>While the SD-WAN market is growing, there are no standard definitions, interfaces or any specs for UNI or NNI interoperability.
AT&T’s CFO John Stephens said that several trends are conspiring to potentially lower AT&T’s CAPEX. He cited the company’s move to network functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN), which are technologies intended to replacing expensive, proprietary vendor hardware/equipment with less expensive, software-powered equivalents that run on commodity compute servers, white boxes and bare metal switches. Stephens said that more than half of AT&T’s network functions have been virtualized, and that the company remains on track to reach its goal of virtualizing fully 75% of its network functions by 2020. “All of this leads to an efficiency opportunity on a going forward basis,” he said.
References:
https://www.lightreading.com/cloud/atandts-pacewicz-we-see-the-cloud-fragmenting-again/d/d-id/750150
ITU-T SG13 Non Radio Hot Topics and Recommendations related to IMT 2020/5G
GSMA to ITU-D: Addressing Barriers to Mobile Network Coverage in the Developing World
by Ms. Lauren Dawes, GSMA-UK [email protected]
Abstract:
- While mobile broadband (3G or 4G) coverage in the developed world is ubiquitous, 800 million people are still not covered by mobile broadband networks. In rural areas the cost of building and operating mobile infrastructure can be twice as expensive compared to urban areas, with revenues up to 10 times smaller.
- In addition, 3.2 billion people live in areas covered by mobile broadband networks but are not using mobile internet services. A large scale consumer survey conducted by the GSMA revealed that affordability was the greatest barrier to using mobile internet services.
- Both the private sector and public sector have important roles to play in improving the business case for mobile network coverage expansion.
- By providing precise and granular data on mobile coverage, GSMA Mobile Coverage Maps can help operators determine the costs of providing mobile broadband services in uncovered areas and support the development of mobile networks.
- For example, GSMA Coverage maps can help mobile operators assess the relevance of infrastructure sharing deals. Indeed, infrastructure sharing can help to lower the risk and costs of investments in network expansion. Regulators should seize this opportunity and ensure all forms of voluntary infrastructure sharing between operators are permitted.
- GSMA Coverage Maps can also help other stakeholders – including governments, NGOs, and private companies that rely on mobile connectivity – to strategically target their activity, by helping them identify the locations with existing coverage.
- In this context, policy-makers are encouraged to adopt policies that will support mobile operators’ efforts to provide affordable mobile internet services. This includes:
- Removing sector specific taxes which have an impact on the price of mobile devices and the costs of providing mobile internet services;
- Adopting pro-investment supply side policies in areas such as spectrum policy and planning;
- Providing open and non-discriminatory access to state-owned public infrastructures.
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Discussion:
Mobile is now the most common – and often the only way – that many people around the world access the internet, with 3.6 billion now subscribing to mobile internet services. However, while mobile broadband (3G or 4G) coverage in the developed world is ubiquitous, 800 million people are still not covered by mobile broadband networks. In rural areas the cost of building and operating mobile infrastructure can be twice as expensive compared to urban areas, with revenues up to 10 times smaller. As a result, mobile operators who expand their networks to rural areas often find that they lose money or take a long time to produce a return on investment. While seeking to grow their coverage (and hence their subscriber base) they can struggle to identify locations that could be economically viable.
In addition, 3.2 billion people live in areas covered by mobile broadband networks but are not using mobile internet services – thus indicating that whilst coverage is a necessary criteria, it alone cannot address the problem of digital inclusion. A large scale consumer survey conducted by the GSMA[1] revealed that affordability was the greatest barrier to using mobile internet services, for people who were aware of mobile internet. In almost all the sample countries, the greatest barriers to mobile internet use are access to, and the cost of, internet-enabled handsets and data. These barriers are clearly interlinked, representing the importance of the overall cost of mobile internet access. The analysis also indicates that, although cost is an important consideration for both women and men in many of the surveyed countries, this barrier disproportionately affects women. For example, in Dominican Republic, 53% of female mobile users who do not use mobile internet, but are aware of it, cited handset cost as a key barrier to mobile internet use compared to 37% of men. In a similar sample in Kenya, 43% of women and 31% of men stated that not having access to an internet-enabled mobile phone was a major barrier to using mobile internet.
Both the private sector and public sector have important roles to play in improving the business case for mobile network coverage expansion.
Precise and granular data is key to help mobile operators, governments and others to determine the costs of providing mobile broadband services in uncovered areas and support the development of sustainable networks. In this context, the GSMA developed Mobile Coverage Maps[2]: a tool to help operators and others estimate the precise location and size of uncovered populations. These maps will allow users to:
- Gain an accurate and complete picture of the mobile coverage in a given country by each generation of mobile technology (2G, 3G and 4G)
- Estimate the population living in uncovered or underserved settlements with a very high level of granularity (e.g. small cities, villages or farms)
- Search for uncovered settlements based on population size.
GSMA Mobile Coverage Maps are therefore a key tool to help operators improve the efficiency of their investments. For example, GSMA Coverage maps can help mobile operators assess the need for infrastructure sharing deals. Indeed, infrastructure sharing can help to lower the risk and costs of investments in network expansion. Regulators should seize this opportunity and ensure all forms of voluntary infrastructure sharing between operators are permitted. This is especially the case since the costs savings of such commercial arrangements can be significant, reducing capital investment and on-going operating costs by between 50% and 80% -depending on market structure and the sharing model – which can be reinvested in network expansion[3]. This helps to close the ‘coverage gap’ and encourage operators to venture into rural areas they might otherwise have not wanted or could not afford to go to.
GSMA Mobile Coverage Maps can also help other stakeholders – including governments, NGOs, and private companies that rely on mobile connectivity – to strategically target their activity, by helping them identify the locations with existing coverage.
In this context, it is critical for policy makers to adopt economic policies that will support mobile operators’ efforts to provide affordable services.
- Mobile is the main gateway to the internet for consumers in many parts of the world today, particularly in developing countries. Despite this, governments in many of these countries are increasingly imposing – in addition to general taxes – sector-specific taxes on consumers of mobile services and devices and on mobile operators. This poses a significant risk to the growth of the services among citizens, limiting the widely acknowledged social and economic benefits associated with mobile technology. This latest report from GSMA Intelligence https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/research/?file=8f36cd1c58c0d619d9f165261a57f4a9&download examines mobile sector taxation over time and its impact on affordability and connectivity. The report highlights the taxes applied to mobile services and how certain taxes can raise the affordability barrier and reduce the ability of citizens to take part in digital society. It also explores the impact of uncertain tax regimes on operators’ ability to continue investing in new networks. The report shows how sector-specific taxes can create inefficiency, inequity and complexity, and hinder achievement of the UN Broadband Commission’s target for affordable broadband for all by 2025.
- Effective pro-investment supply side policies should also be adopted in areas such as spectrum policy and planning to encourage long term investment in the sector and result in more affordable mobile internet services being made available to all.
- Providing open and non-discriminatory access to state-owned public infrastructures such as public buildings, roads, railways and utility service ducts can also significantly reduce the costs of network roll-out and can be key to providing the site access and necessary backhaul capacity so critical to operator investments.
[1] The analysis is based on findings from quantitative face-to-face surveys with women and men in 23 low- and middle-income countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Source: Gender Gap Report 2018. GSMA (2019). Available here: https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/GSMA_The_Mobile_Gender_Gap_Report_2018_32pp_WEBv7.pdf
[2] GSMA Mobile Coverage Maps use data collected directly from mobile operators and overlay it with the High Resolution Settlement Layer, a dataset developed by Facebook Connectivity Lab and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University. This data estimates human population distribution at a hyperlocal level, based on census data and high-resolution satellite imagery. We have further enriched this data by adding socioeconomic indicators and key buildings such as schools, hospitals, and medical centres. The Mobile Coverage Maps are accessible here: www.mobilecoveragemaps.com
[3] Unlocking rural coverage: Enablers for commercially sustainable mobile network expansion. GSMA (2016). Available here: https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Unlocking-Rural-Coverage-enablers-for-commercially-sustainable-mobile-network-expansion_English.pdf
Verizon Announces Mobile 5G for April 11, 2019 in Chicago and Minneapolis
Verizon plans to deploy its mobile 5G “ultra wideband” network in Chicago and Minneapolis on April 11th, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. Verizon CTO Kyle Malady said that the company is only starting in Chicago and Minneapolis, with only parts of the cities getting 5G coverage initially. The #1 US carrier plans to have more than 30 U.S. markets running 5G connections by the end of the year.
Preorders for the Verizon-exclusive 5G Moto mod – the first 5G-upgradeable smartphone – begin March 14, with a $50 special offer
Verizon’s 5G service plan comes with unlimited data, available for just $10 a month (with the first three months free) with any Verizon unlimited plan, including Verizon Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited or Above Unlimited plans
Customers that order a 5G Moto mod on March 14 get a FREE Moto z3 when they activate a new line of service on a Verizon device payment plan5G Ultra Wideband technology uses new radio technology and new device hardware to deliver advanced capabilities to consumers and businesses.When customers move outside Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband coverage area, the 5G moto mod automatically and seamlessly hands off the signal to Verizon’s 4G LTE network, the nation’s best and most reliable 4G LTE network.Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband service will continue to improve as Verizon expands capabilities and coverage areas.Editor’s Note: Moto phones are made by Mototola Mobility which is owned by Lenovo“Continuing our track record of 5G ‘firsts,’ we are thrilled to bring the first 5G-upgradeable smartphone exclusively to Verizon customers,” said Verizon’s chief technology officer, Kyle Malady.
“Not all 5G networks are the same. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network is built by the company with the nation’s best and most reliable 4G LTE network. It will change the way we live, work, learn and play, starting in Chicago and Minneapolis and rapidly expanding to more than 30 U.S. markets this year.”“At Motorola we proudly deliver innovations, like the 5G Moto mod and Moto z3, that change how people connect with each other and use technology in daily life,” said Rudi Kalil, vice president and general manager, North America at Motorola.
“We’re very excited that the transformative 5G Moto mod developed at our HQ in Chicago will soon be used by our own community, in addition to Minneapolis, to bring our bright 5G future to life.”Verizon said that its 5G offering will come with unlimited data that will cost $10 a month with any Verizon unlimited plan. That’s on top of what unlimited customers are paying already. The first three months of Verizon’s 5G unlimited data will be free to customers. Verizon also announced that it will be exclusively offering the 5G Moto Mod for pre-order starting on Mar. 14. The Moto Mod is an add-on for the Moto Z3 smartphone that effectively turns it into a 5G phone. Verizon said that the Moto Z3 and Moto Mod combination will turn it into the world’s first 5G phone.
Dan Hays, an adviser at PricewaterhouseCoopers’ consulting firm, said $10 a month is right in line with what its research shows customers are willing to pay for premium wireless connections. Hays said he believes most people aren’t willing to change the device they’re currently using to another brand or model just because it has 5G.Comment: Just like all the other fake mobile 5G offerings, Verizon’s Ultra Wideband uses 3GPP NR NSA which means it relies on LTE signaling/control plane as well as LTE’s Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Further, there isn’t a phone available yet to US customers that can operate independently on any of the announced pre-IMT 2020 standard 5G networks. In February 2019, Samsung announced its first ever 5G smartphone – the Galaxy S10 5G. The device will be available to Verizon customers during the second quarter of this year. It will be available from other wireless carriers later this summer. While Samsung S10 5G and other pre-standard 5G phones use 3GPP Rel 15 NR for the data plane, they all use LTE signalling for the control plane.
References:
https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-5g-mobility-service-and-motorola-5g-smartphone-are-here
https://www.verizonwireless.com/5g/
https://www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-issues-built-5g-challenge
http://fortune.com/2019/02/21/verizon-5g-mobile-wireless-30-cities/
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
SD-WAN revenue hits $359 million in Q4 2018; Data Center Networking Highlights
By Josh Bancroft, senior analyst, DC and enterprise SDN, Networked Services, IHS Markit.
Highlights
Software-defined networking (SD-WAN) software revenue, including appliance and control and management software, rose 26 percent quarter over quarter to reach $359 million in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2018. VMware led SD-WAN market revenue share with 20 percent, followed by Cisco at 14 percent and Aryaka at 12 percent, according to the “Data Center Network Equipment Market Tracker” from IHS Markit.
Editor’s Notes:
- VMware and Cisco acquired SD-WAN start-ups Velocloud and Viptela, respectively in 2018 which enabled them to lead this market.
- There are many types of SD-WANs, none of which are based on standards. Here’s an article describing the different SD-WAN “flavors”
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In the fourth quarter, vendors began to reap the rewards of partnering with multiple managed-service providers, systems integrators and telcos. Revenue deal sizes have been rising, and the number of enterprise sites deploying SD-WAN continues to grow.
For the foreseeable future, both direct and channel sales will continue to drive SD-WAN market growth. In the IHS Markit “Edge Connectivity Strategies North American Enterprise” survey in February 2019, respondents showed a clear bias for consuming SD-WAN with self-managed on-site hardware and software, or as a standalone managed service bundled with connectivity. However, by 2019 they expect to shift to managed services bundled with other network functions virtualization (NFV) services and connectivity.
“Telcos want to utilize the high speeds and network-slicing capability of 5G, along with the application-traffic steering capability of SD-WAN, to support the industrial internet of things and other new edge applications,” said Josh Bancroft, senior research analyst at IHS Markit. “The telcos view SD-WAN as a key way to ensure various traffic types are automatically steered to the appropriate links. It can also guarantee IoT traffic is prioritized over 5G, and other applications are automatically routed over broadband.”
“If they haven’t done so already, SD-WAN vendors should consider adding IoT-specific features to their offering, such as application identification, prioritization and protocol translation functionality on SD-WAN appliances,” Bancroft said.
Following are some additional data center network market highlights:
- Application delivery controller revenue declined 4 percent quarter over quarter and 7 percent year over year in Q4 2018, reaching $438 million.
- Virtual ADC appliances comprised 35 percent of ADC revenue in Q4 2018.
- F5 revenue declined by 8 percent, quarter over quarter, in Q4 2018, but the company still garnered 47 percent of ADC market share. Citrix followed F5 with 27 percent, and A10 came in third with 8 percent.
Data Center Network Equipment Market Tracker
With forecasts through 2023, this IHS Markit report provides quarterly worldwide and regional market size, vendor market share, analysis and trends for data center Ethernet switches by category and market, application delivery controllers by category, and software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) appliances and control and management software. Vendors tracked include A10, ALE, Arista, Array Networks, Aryaka, Barracuda, Cisco, Citrix, CloudGenix, CradlePoint, Cato, Dell, F5, FatPipe, Fortinet, HPE, Huawei, Hughes, InfoVista, Juniper, KEMP, Nokia (Nuage), Radware, Riverbed, Silver Peak, Talari, TELoIP, VMware, Versa, ZTE and others.
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Dell’Oro: #1 Huawei increased market share at the expense of Ericsson, Nokia and ZTE; Mobile CAPEX flat; 5G Market Forecasts
Top Telecom Equipment Vendors:
According to a new Dell’Oro Group report, the top seven telecom equipment makers as of 3Q 2018 are: Huawei, Nokia, Ericsson, Cisco, ZTE, Ciena, and Samsung. Huawei has captured a 29 percent share of the global telecom equipment market, increasing its market share by 8 percentage points since 2013. Huawei’s revenue share improved by two percentage points of market share annually in each of the past five years. That’s despite huge challenges in the U.S., UK, Australia and some European telecom markets due to security and backdoor issues.
During the same time period, Ericsson’s and Nokia’s market share declined about one percentage point annually on average until 2018 when both vendor held their market share flat. ZTE’s share, which had typically been at 10 percent, dropped two percentage points in 2018 due to the U.S. ban that caused the company to shut down portions of its business during the second quarter.
Additional key takeaways from the reporting period include:
- Following three years of decline, the overall telecom equipment market grew 1 percent year-over-year in 2018. The positive turn in the year was due to higher demand for Broadband Access, Optical Transport, Microwave, and Mobile RAN. The remaining equipment—Carrier IP Telephony, Wireless Packet Core, SP Router and Carrier Ethernet Switch—declined in the year. The two largest equipment markets in the year were Mobile RAN and Optical Transport.
- The worldwide Mobile RAN market surprised on the upside and performed better than expected in 2018. In addition to the strong focus on LTE and LTE-Advanced, the shift toward 5G NR (3GPP Release 15 New Radio – Non Stand Alone) continued to accelerate throughout the year.
- The worldwide Optical Transport market continued to expand for a fourth consecutive year driven by strong sales of DWDM equipment in China and to large Internet content providers for data center interconnect (DCI).
According to TelecomLead.com estimates, Huawei generated revenue of around $38 billion from carrier business, $10 billion from enterprises and $52 billion from phones and other devices — in 2018.
- Huawei said in December 2018 that it expects total revenue to increase 21 percent to $109 billion in 2018.
- Nokia Networks business revenue was 20.121 billion euro (–2 percent) or $22.82 billion last year.
- Ericsson’s revenue was SEK 210.8 billion (+3 percent) or $22.58 billion in 2018.
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Mobile Operator CAPEX:
The latest GSMA report indicates that mobile operator CAPEX reached $161 billion in 2018 and is forecast to be $161 in 2019 and $160 billion in 2020. 5G related CAPEX will grow to $123 billion in 52 markets in 2020 from $81 billion in 19 markets in 2019 and $41 billion in two markets in 2018.
Mobile operators will invest around $480 billion worldwide between 2018 and 2020 in mobile CAPEX. Their investment focus will be 3G, 4G, 5G roll outs; and network optimization; capabilities beyond core telco.
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5G Market:
5G is on track to account for 15 per cent of global mobile connections by 2025, as the number of 5G network launches and compatible devices ramps up this year, according to a new GSMA report. The 2019 global edition of the GSMA’s flagship Mobile Economy report series reveals that a further 16 major markets worldwide will switch on commercial 5G networks this year, following on from the first 5G launches in South Korea and the US in 2018. It is calculated that mobile operators worldwide are currently investing around $160 billion per year (CAPEX) on expanding and upgrading their networks, despite regulatory and competitive pressures.
“The arrival of 5G forms a major part of the world’s move towards an era of Intelligent Connectivity, which alongside developments in the Internet of Things, big data and artificial intelligence, is poised to be a key driver of economic growth over the coming years,” said Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA. “While 5G will transform businesses and provide an array of exciting new services, mobile technology is also helping to close the connectivity gap. We will connect more than a billion new people to the mobile internet over the next few years, spurring adoption of mobile-based tools and solutions in areas such as agriculture, education and healthcare, which will improve livelihoods of people around the world.”
The new GSMA report reveals that:
- The number of 5G connections will reach 1.4 billion by 2025 – 15 per cent of the global total. By this point, 5G is forecast to account for around 30 per cent of connections in markets such as China and Europe, and around half of the total in the US;
- 4G will continue to see strong growth over this period, accounting for almost 60 per cent of global connections by 2025 – up from 43 per cent last year;
- The number of global IoT connections will triple to 25 billion by 2025, while global IoT revenue will quadruple to $1.1 trillion;
- One billion new unique mobile subscribers2 have been added in the four years since 2013, bringing the total to 5.1 billion by the end of 2018, representing about two thirds of the global population;
- More than 700 million new subscribers are forecast to be added over the next seven years, about a quarter of these coming from India alone;
- An additional 1.4 billion people will start using the mobile internet over the next seven years, bringing the total number of mobile internet subscribers globally to 5 billion by 2025 (more than 60 per cent of the population).
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According to Telecomlead.com, Huawei has signed 30 plus 5G commercial contracts. Huawei has delivered over 40,000 5G base stations for commercial use. Huawei has 50 plus 5G engagements with customers. Nokia has 20 plus 5G contracts, and almost 100 5G engagements with customers. Samsung shipped 36,000 5G base stations – mainly to operators in the US and Korea — in 2018.
According to Dave Bolen of Dell’Oro Group, Cisco, Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, and ZTE are the top-five wireless/ mobile packet core infrastructure vendors. At MWC 2019 in Barcelona, each put on a spectacular show with massive stands demonstrating its end-to-end technology prowess empowering 5G use cases, all enabled with their respective cloud-native cores. Their stands were packed with customers and potential customers leading to thousands of meetings. Each vendor had its share of press releases with 5G deals around the globe that are too numerous to name here. Links to the happenings at MWC19 from each of the top-five vendors may be found at Cisco, Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, and ZTE.
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References:
http://www.delloro.com/delloro-group/telecom-equipment-market-2018
http://www.delloro.com/dave-bolan/5g-mwc19-barcelona-observations-its-all-about-the-core
https://www.gsma.com/r/mobileeconomy/
https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/research/?file=5a33fb6782bc75def8b6dc66af5da976&download
IDC Directions 2019: Autonomous Infrastructure and the Evolution of the Self-Driving Network
Abstract (by Rohit Mehra, IDC Analyst):
Network transformation is well on its way with the evolution of SDN and SD-WAN, leading to flexible network architectures taking hold from the cloud to the enterprise edge, powered by intelligent automation. Increasing use of streaming analytics and pervasive visibility, enhanced by ML and AI, is creating a next-generation, agile network that self-remediates performance issues and proactively responds to security threats. The result will be greater operational efficiencies, improved user experience, and verified SLAs that ensure delivery of meaningful business outcomes. The network is a foundation layer for enabling secure, scalable and efficient use of Cloud, Edge and IoT Applications.
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Please see comments below this post for Alan’s thoughts on Rohit’s presentation at IDC Directions 2019.
Network Requirements Continue to Expand:
▪Fast and adaptive
▪ Capacity on-demand
▪ Edge-to-Cloud Latency
▪ Network-level security
▪ Analytics capable of yielding new insights and driving digital transformation (DX)
▪ Bridge cloud and telco domains
▪ Global reach
“Self-driving” Networks are now needed to be Automated, Orchestrated and Optimized Network System. Traditional networks break down as they scale (get larger) and increase workloads, making automation essential in future networks, e.g. 5G.
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Definitions:
Network automation is a methodology in which software automatically configures, provisions, manages and tests network devices. It is used by enterprises and service providers to improve efficiency and reduce human error and operating expenses. Network automation tools support functions ranging from basic network mapping and device discovery, to more complex workflows like network configuration management and the provisioning of virtual network resources. Network automation also plays a key role in software-defined networking, network virtualization and network orchestration, enabling automated provisioning of virtual network tenants and functions, such as virtual load balancing.
Digital Transformation (DX):
IDC defines DX as the continuous process by which enterprises adapt to or drive disruptive changes in their operations, customers, and markets. Today, many businesses are implementing DX without success, and some fail entirely. In part, this is due to pervasive technology shifts that are changing how organizations transact business, address customer expectations, operate and secure products and services, and compete in the marketplace.
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IDC maintains that virtualization has matured from simple partitioning and encapsulation to leveraging the mobility of virtual machines to improve management and operations of IT environments. Virtualization 2.0 includes a host of new use cases that range from high availability and disaster recovery to hosted clients and true utility computing. Note that this information was not discussed by Rohit, but rather assumed to be known by the session attendees.
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Emergence of AI-based Network Automation:
✓ Simpler declarative management, enhanced verification and closed-loop processes
✓Network will accurately apply/enforce intent
✓Respond in near real-time to application, network and security events
Limitations of Classical Network Monitoring:
- Lack of pervasive, end-to-end visibility across physical/virtual/cloud
- Minimal application context
- Limited, spotty Analytics
- Frequently complex/costly
- Ping/SNMP/S flow/Trace route
- Unable to capture real-time network events
The Case for Streaming Telemetry In Support for Visibility and Analytics (see Alan’s Comment in box below article):
Infrastructure at Scale Demands Streaming Network Telemetry! Hyperscalers have deployed streaming telemetry extensively because it can provide millions of updates per second: Time stamped at source (for real time and network forensics)
▪ Event-driven, subscription-based
▪ Vendor support for standards based streaming telemetry • e.g., Cisco, Arista, Juniper, Ciena, Nokia
Optimization of apps/user experience (48% 0f respondents), plus security (41%) are top priorities for AI-enabled network automation:
IDC asked: What do you see as the most important aspects of an AI-enabled Network Automation solution? (Pick 3). Here’s the ordered ranking:
- Optimize and enhance application availability/performance and user experience 48%
- Implement security policies, including visibility into encrypted traffic 41%
- Work across multiple networks (on-premises and cloud-based) 38%
- Reduce cost and complexity of network operations 36%
- Simplicity in network deployment, management and operations 36%
- Incorporate streaming telemetry data for real-time visibility and insights 36%
- Leverage existing network infrastructure and/or software defined networking (SDN) deployment 35%
- Anticipate network outages and plan for network changes 30%
Automation at the Network Edge:
▪ Network platforms can leverage aggregate data from 1000s of deployments
▪ Crowd-sourced data is then dynamically applied to similar environments (anonymized)
▪ Benefits include dynamic scaling and mitigation of performance and/or security issues as they arise
Carrier Networks: The Automation Imperative – complexity across carrier networks continues to grow
▪ Multiple-generations of technology
• Ethernet, MPLS, Broadband IP VPNs
• 3G, 4G, 5G cellular
▪ Physical / Virtual
• VMs and Container based VNFs
• Evolution of Telco Cloud
▪ Cloud Aspirations
▪ Monetization Roadmap
The 5G Promise Is Not Achievable Without Significantly Enhanced Automation
▪ Network Slicing is key to delivering on the 5G promise (yet there are no implementable standards for network slicing; they are all proprietary implementations)
▪ Predicated upon automated provisioning, service chaining of cloud-native network components
▪ Automated traffic optimization across fronthaul, mid-haul and back-haul key to efficiency and customer experience
Security Analytics:
▪Traffic Analytics and Behavior Modeling
▪AI-enabled Anomaly Identification
▪Automated, Policy-based Remedial Actions (e.g. Quarantine)
AI-enabled Capacity Planning and Optimization:
▪ AI-powered network automation platforms monitor and assist with network capacity requirements and dynamically optimize flows
▪ Cloud-enabled Day 1 network provisioning and management automation that meets IT and business needs
Automating Enterprise Network Operations:
▪ AI-powered network operations create self-healing networks
• System monitors operations
• Detects performance degradations
• Determines root cause
• Automatically remediates the problem before it impacts users
▪ AI-powered Helpdesk Automation
• User Interfaces leverage Natural Language Processing for queries, e.g. Q: Why is my Wi-Fi coverage weak on the fourth floor? A: Switch to the 2.5Ghz Band
▪ Automated QoS and App Performance Guarantees
• Operator specifies minimum quality of service levels, system automatically maintains those in real time
• Resources are spun up to ensure and maintain service levels
Self-Driving Networks Require Closed-Loop Visibility and Automation:
▪ Self-driving networks will rely on streaming telemetry and closed-loop automation to detect and proactively respond to traffic-management issues and security threats
▪ Feedback loop from AI/ML to policy/intent will provide the ability to Visualize, Correlate and Predict- key ingredients for automation
▪ Requires a robust eco-system of network, visibility/analytics and AI solutions, SI/SPs
Take a Pragmatic Approach to Network Automation:
❖ Pick the right network automation use case(s)
❖ Getting automation right is mission critical
❖ Ensuring Clean, Relevant and Secure Data will be foundational to building AI-enabled network automation
❖ Developing Skills for Network Automation will be key to success
❖ Vendors can do their part by making products simpler to consume, deploy, manage
Final Thoughts on Network Autonomy:
- Journey has begun: We are now at the cusp of major advances thanks to areas such AI, visibility and analytics, streaming telemetry, etc.2
- Broad Applicability: Autonomous Networks will extend from Cloud to the Enterprise/IoT Edge, and will also be foundational to 5G Rollouts
- Augment, not Replace IT: AI-enabled network automation augments human capabilities
- Be Judicious: Move forward judiciously, with caution, leveraging automation lessons from other IT domains
Rohit Mehra: [email protected] +1 (508) 935-4343
SK Telecom and IT&E to deploy “5G” FWA network in Guam and Saipan
South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom (SKT) is in discussions with Citadel Holdings (venture capital and private equity firm) and IT&E (Pacific Island telecom carrier) to deploy a 5G network in Guam and Saipan [Guam and Saipan – part of the Marianas are separate commonwealths of the U.S.] .
At a meeting held in IT&E’s headquarters located in Guam, SKT and IT&E said they would work together to commercialize the 5G network with a fixed wireless access (FWA) offering in Guam and Saipan in the second half of 2019. “With SK Telecom contributing its engineering expertise as a global leader in the roll out of 5G technology, IT&E’s 5G network will set the standard for communications in Guam and the Marianas for many years to come,” said Jose Ricardo “Ricky” Delgado, president and CEO of Citadel Holdings,
In September 2018, IT&E announced a strategic partnership with SK Telecom to draw from SK Telecom’s knowledge gained from 5G network deployments.
James Oehlerking, chief executive officer for IT&E, announced on Sept. 17, 2018, South Korean giant SK Telecom’s $33 million investments in IT&E on Guam and CNMI. (Photo: Haidee Eugenio/PDN)
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SKT said IT&E has secured 1150 MHz bandwidth in the 28-GHz frequency band for 5G communications and aims to become the first operator to launch commercial service in the region. SK Telecom and IT&E have decided to develop specific areas for cooperation including 5G. At present, they are primarily focusing on mobile edge computing (MEC). By rolling out 5G networks applied with MEC in main areas of Guam and Saipan, they can dramatically enhance customer experience and lay the groundwork for services that require ultra-high speed data processing.
The 5G FWA network will initially cover dense central areas of cities, local business customers, and areas that lacked fixed broadband infrastructure. This will be expanded gradually to wider areas. There was no mention of what technology would be used for this FWA, which is not a use case for the IMT 2020 5G standard being developed by ITU-R WP 5D.
According to SKT, the decision to deploy 5G FWA initially came as a result of an analysis of the region’s fixed broadband infrastructure, topographic features and the needs of residential and enterprise customers. FWA provides IT&E with a more cost-effective and efficient alternative to offer broadband services in areas with limited access to fixed broadband infrastructure. As part of the collaboration, SKT will help IT&E design a 5G network optimized for the local environment, support network deployment and perform field trials and network optimization.
SKT said it had discussed cooperation with IT&E in other areas, such as deploying SK Telecom’s security solutions to IT&E’s 5G network, and adopting mobile edge computing and quantum cryptography technologies which has been utilized in Deutsche Telekom’s trial network in July 2018, IT&E will be able to provide its subscribers with the safest (safer) 5G service.
Park Jung-ho, CEO and President, SK Telecom:
SK Telecom will work closely with IT&E to deploy safe and stable 5G network in Guam and Saipan. Going forward, SK Telecom will continue to cooperate with diverse players throughout the globe to accelerate 5G-powered innovations.
Jim Oehlerking, CEO of IT&E:
5G is transformational technology, and when supported by SK Telecom’s engineering team and our typhoon-proven network, our subscribers will enjoy a smooth transition to the next generation of mobile connectivity.
IHS Markit: Service Provider VoIP and IMS revenue fell 8% in 2018; More declines expected
By Diane Myers, senior research director, IHS Markit
Global service provider voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) product revenue fell to $4 billion in 2018, a year-over-year decline of 8 percent. Overall worldwide revenue is forecast to decline at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2 percent from 2018, falling to $3.6 billion in 2022. This decline is caused mainly by slowing voice over long-term evolution (VoLTE) network deployments and competitive factors leading to lower prices. Big sales volumes continue in India and China, but pricing in those two countries is lower, which is stunting growth.
Huawei was the leading vendor in 2018 with 27 percent share of global revenue. Huawei was followed by Nokia with 23 percent and Ericsson with 20 percent. ZTE and Ribbon Communications rounded out the top five. For the full year, Nokia and Metaswitch were two noteworthy vendors posting revenue growth.
Service provider VoIP and IMS Market Highlights
- North America was the only global region to post year-over-year growth in 2018, with VoLTE expansion and new rollouts, most notably by Sprint and Shaw. Sales in the region grew 7 percent in 2018, following a 7 percent decline in 2017.
- As of November 2018, 137 operators had launched commercial VoLTE services, with more coming every year, but launches have slowed. Europe Middle-East and Africa launched 80 services, followed by Asia-Pacific with 35, North America, with 15 and Caribbean and Latin America with 7.
Service Provider VoIP and IMS Equipment and Subscribers Market Tracker
Each quarter, the “Service Provider VoIP and IMS Equipment and Subscribers Market Tracker” from IHS Markit provides worldwide and regional vendor market share, market size, forecasts through 2023, analysis and trends for trunk media gateways, SBCs, media servers, softswitches, voice application servers, HSS, and CSCF.
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IMS Backgrounder:
IMS began as a 3GPP technology for 3G mobile networks, but has been adopted as a broader standard. It is in the development and early testing phase, and its impact remains to be seen. IMS builds on the SIP protocol.
IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is a generic architecture for offering multimedia and voice over IP services, defined by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). IMS is access independent as it supports multiple access types including GSM, WCDMA, CDMA2000, WLAN, Wireline broadband and other packet data applications. IMS will make Internet technologies, such as web browsing, e-mail, instant messaging and video conferencing available to everyone from any location. It is also intended to allow operators to introduce new services, such as web browsing, WAP and MMS, at the top level of their packet-switched networks.
IMS Release 7 is also the basis for the CableLabs PacketCable 2.0 standard which is currently under development. This is an architecture specific to service delivery over broadband cable networks which covers VoIP, cellular integration and enhanced telephony.
Some of the possible applications where IMS can be used are:
- Service Convergence (Caller-ID on TV, click to call from TV or web)
- Presence services
- Full Duplex Video Telephony
- Instant messaging
- Unified messaging
- Multimedia advertising
- Multiparty gaming
- Videostreaming
- Web/Audio/Video Conferencing
- Push-to services, such as push-to-talk, push-to-view, push-to-video