HPE Aruba – IEEE ComSoc Technology Blog

HPE Aruba Launches “Cloud Native” Private 5G Network with 4G/5G Small Cell Radios

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Alan Weissberger

HPE Aruba has launched an end-to-end private 5G network platform which is designed to help customers accelerate and simplify the deployment and management of private 5G networks, provide high levels of reliable wireless coverage across large campus and industrial environments, and open new, untapped use cases for private cellular. This integration follows HPE’s 2023 acquisition of private cellular technology provider Athonet.

Highlights:

HPE Aruba Networking provides a comprehensive solution that removes the complexity of managing, deploying and purchasing enterprise private cellular networks.
With this expansion of its secure edge-to-cloud portfolio, HPE Aruba Networking becomes the only global enterprise infrastructure vendor to provide comprehensive Wi-Fi and private 5G solutions.
HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G provides high levels of reliable wireless coverage across large campus and industrial environments, opening up new, untapped use cases for private cellular.

“Enterprise and industrial customers are increasingly seeking to deliver wireless coverage in demanding environments, including large outdoor areas, serving fast-moving clients, and providing deterministic access in dedicated spectrum,” said Stuart Strickland, wireless chief technology officer, HPE Aruba Networking.

“The complexity of conventional approaches to private cellular networks has held them back. Building on HPE Aruba’s networking history of wireless innovation and leadership, we have uniquely positioned ourselves to enable new applications for private cellular by integrating Athonet core cellular solutions with our traditional strengths in enterprise networking.”

With the debut of HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G, enterprises can increase reliable, secure, high-performance connectivity with a fully integrated private 5G network that features:

An end-to-end offering that includes a 4G/5G core, HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers, SIM/eSIM cards, 4G/5G small cells, and dashboard.
New 4G/5G small cell radios from HPE that provide indoor/outdoor coverage, eliminating the need to integrate and use a separate management tool from a 3^rd party vendor.
Simplified cloud-native management and automation for subscriber management, deployment management, core monitoring and radio monitoring, with future plans for integration with HPE Aruba Networking Central.
Expanded AI data capture and delivery for building AI data lakes and activating inference solutions.
Interoperability with shared spectrum for private enterprise use: Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum in the US, and globally, where regulatory frameworks allow, beginning in 2025.
Simplified configuration with pre-integrated, tested solution including everything needed to deploy an enterprise private 4G/5G network.
Ability to deploy solutions in under 30 minutes with zero touch provisioning and configuration wizards that mask the 3GPP cellular complexity.

This integration follows the 2023 acquisition of private cellular technology provider Athonet, which brings 15 years of leadership in private cellular networks, completing 500 enterprise deployments of private cellular solutions. Athonet is an award-winning technology pioneer with successful customer deployments in various industries, including leading mobile operators, hospitals, airports, transportation ports, utilities, government and public safety organizations.

“HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G is a significant step forward to solve for the complexity, cost, control, and management challenges associated with many private network deployments today,” said Patrick Filkins, Senior Research Manager, IoT and Telecommunications, IDC. “HPE Aruba Networking takes a grounded approach focusing on how to most efficiently integrate a private cellular network within an enterprise’s existing IT framework, streamlining network and device management through the use of familiar tools, as well as dynamically assigning and preserving device policy across 4G/5G, Wi-Fi, and wired LAN networks.”

“‘Many private network solutions are too complex, even for large enterprises with internal network expertise,” said Tom Rebbeck, Partner, Analysys Mason. “We expect customers to embrace solutions that can make private networks easier to deploy and manage.”

“For IronYun’s Vaidio Platform to be able to provide AI inferencing at the edge and drive accurate AI video search results, we needed an infrastructure that provided fast, available and reliable bandwidth without any complexity,” said Paul Sun, IronYun CEO. “We found it with HPE Aruba Networking, which provides us with all the components needed to deliver an end-to-end private 5G network for AI. HPE Aruba Networking’s private 5G network is the technical foundation for all Vaidio functions for real-time video analysis and AI inferencing that deliver AI insights to help improve security outcomes.”

“Private cellular, with its wide area, deterministic coverage, is the ideal fit for Disc Golf Network’s global live competition coverage of the Disc Golf Pro Tour,” said Baker Helton, DGPT Vice President of Business Administration. “The new HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G offering will make it that much easier for companies to do what we’ve done and meet their requirements for pervasive coverage with an integrated offering using CBRS.”

References:

https://www.hpe.com/us/en/newsroom/press-release/2024/06/hpe-simplifies-deployment-of-private-cellular-networks-with-launch-of-hpe-aruba-networking-enterprise-private-5g.html

5 Reasons to adopt HPE Aruba Networking Enterprise Private 5G

Hewlett Packard Enterprise doubles down on private 5G, extends leadership in wireless connectivity with acquisition of Athonet

HPE completes acquisition of private 5G leader Athonet

HPE acquires private cellular network provider Athonet (Italy) to strengthen HPE Aruba’s networking portfolio

SNS Telecom & IT: Private 5G Network market annual spending will be $3.5 Billion by 2027

BT to offer HPE Aruba managed wireless LAN service

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Alan Weissberger

UK network operator BT announced a partnership with HPE’s Aruba division [1.] to offer customers a new managed wireless LAN service powered by HPE Aruba Networking delivering improved performance, flexibility and control of local area networks (LANs). It combines BT’s global reach and extensive experience in the design, deployment and management of in-building wired and wireless connectivity with the latest HPE Aruba Networking LAN solutions.

Note 1. On March 2, 2015, Hewlett-Packard announced it would acquire Aruba Networks for approximately $3 billion. It’s interesting that enterprise LANs are now moving from Ethernet to WiFi where Aruba has been a leader (see IDC chart below).

Many legacy LANs struggle to support hybrid workers’ expectations when accessing apps in offices, branches, warehouses, factories or campuses. This is exacerbated by increasing use of bandwidth-hungry video collaboration tools. Colleagues also expect consistent and reliable Wi-Fi connectivity around the building. The increasing number of connected devices, including internet of things (IoT), adds further complexity and cyber security risks.

BT’s new HPE Aruba Networking Managed LAN service will allow customers to securely modernise connectivity to support changing workstyles and keep apace of IoT demands.

As a first step, BT audits the LAN to identify what is already in place and what could be re-used and anything that should be replaced. HPE Aruba Networking provides interoperable technology that can avoid the need to replace the entire network. BT will work collaboratively with the customer to manage costs by providing a staged approach to modernisation with benefits realised at each stage.

BT then evaluates how to secure and protect connected devices. It simplifies visibility by giving customers a single dashboard hosted in the cloud. This centralises reporting, analytics, security, scalability and resilience in one platform to help customers deliver a consistent end-user experience. It can also identify redundant devices using unnecessary power and automate network and energy optimisation.

Andrew Small, director of voice and digital work, Business, BT Group, said: “It’s clear that legacy in-building networks can’t handle modern hybrid working and IoT devices, never mind what comes next. That’s why we’re expanding customer choice of managed LAN solutions by partnering with HPE Aruba Networking. This will offer the visibility, flexibility and security customers need to deliver productive, trusted wired and wireless connectivity.”

“Global customers that are building their connectivity strategies are focusing on modern enterprise networks that are secure, agile, responsive to business needs and simple to operate, while being powerful drivers of transformation,” said Phil Mottram, executive vice president and general manager, HPE Aruba Networking. “HPE Aruba Networking is at the forefront of reinventing how customers and partners can consume or deliver business-outcome focused networking, and by integrating our AI, security, automation, and Network as a Service capabilities, our global managed LAN service with BT is an example of how the network is helping customers achieve their business objectives.

Benefits from Aruba LAN managed by BT:

Visibility across your network: Through cloud-native management console and single operating system that simplifies visibility and improves performance.
Optimized existing assets: A solution that integrates and optimizes existing LAN infrastructure, so you are future-ready.
Supported by BT’s experience in managing and transforming multi-vendor solutions to a more simplified and efficient network.
Remove the skills gaps: With a trusted partnership that has the combined breadth and depth of our expertise to deliver standalone LAN, campus-wide LAN, and wider transformation solutions.
Secure and automate: End-to-end managed service and deployment. Scale up or down as needed. Implement additional services, such as advanced security to gain greater insight into your network and apps.
Innovate and grow: Through centralised reporting, analytics, security, scalability, and resilience all in one platform that helps you deliver a consistent end-user experience and build a robust and innovative LAN.
Sustainable solution: BT’s Aruba LAN can identify redundant devices using unnecessary power. In addition, it uses automation to optimise network management and energy efficiency.

Market Assessment:

According to Dell’Oro group, enterprise WLAN revenues surged 48% year-on-year in the first quarter of the year, reaching $2.7 billion. Dell’Oro’s Wireless LAN research director Siân Morgan noted that the market hasn’t seen such consistent y-o-y revenue growth for 10 years. Dell’Oro expects revenues to reach $10 billion this year. Dell’Oro said the growth in Q1 appears to have been driven by backlogged orders being filled, and that this is actually masking a decline in new orders.

IDC published its own figures this month that put global enterprise Wireless LAN (WLAN) revenue at $2.8 billion in the first quarter, up 43.3 percent on last year. Similarly to Dell’Oro, IDC said growth was driven by the easing of component shortages and supply constraints, allowing suppliers to catch up with back orders.

In terms of vendors, IDC ranks HPE Aruba second by Q1 market share at 16 percent, noting that its revenue grew 39.5%. Cisco is still the clear leader, with a market share of 47.1% and impressive enterprise WLAN revenue growth of 62.7% (see chart).