Scaling up Cost-effectively

While the buzz around 5G sounds too good to be true, preparation, groundwork, and getting networks ready the new standard hold the key to its successful roll out. Here is why CUPS will play a key role in the upgrading the network

As the years roll by, there will come a time when the future generation will discover how videos sometimes used to pause and buffer while streaming. When they realize that, the reactions would be puzzled looks as though saying: what was that buffering thing all about? 5G is just around the corner and by the time posterity arrives, 5G would have made significant inroads and digital life in the super-fast lane would be business as usual.

Ask anyone about their first impressions on 5G and they’ll say bufferless streaming and fast downloading of

content on smart devices. But there’s more to it. By Q2 of 2020 the strides that 5G will make will only get swifter; 5G will impact massive IoT projects, critical communications and enhanced mobile broadband. Apart from unlimited mobile internet experiences, 5G’s ultra-low latency is transforming autonomous vehicles, smart logistics, VR and AR, remote surgeries and the like.

Densely populated cities, financial and commercial centers are where 5G’s presence will be felt the most in 2020 initially. That’s because it’s the Centralized Business Districts (CBD) that will offer the millimeterwave (mmWave) aspect of 5G. Unlike Wi-Fi that uses 2.4- or 5.8 gigahertz band, 5G mmWave ranges from 24 GHz to a lightning 100 GHz. This will be supplemented by the 6 GHz ranges as well. To experience such radical speeds, telecom carriers have to upgrade their existing network elements with the new mmWave technology. On the contrary, 5G speeds will be on the lower end of scale (low-band) or mid-band of the scale in rural areas, to use frequency ranges from 600MHz to 2.5GHz.

So, how can the telcos overcome the complexities posed by low-band’s limited range? The answer lies in a combination of low-band, mmWave and non-standalone deployments of LTE and 5G together.

Low-Band Vs mmWave

The big question that is often asked is which of the two options is better? With low-band, operators can deploy 5G at larger footprint, an optimal and cost-effective alternative for greenfield network deployments. In contrast, mmWave technology helps operators offer focused coverage and meet the high-data demands of CBD. The other option is a non-standalone deployment, i.e., 5G + 4G, which facilitates optimal coverage without compromising the essential data demands.

While the buzz around the technology sounds too good to be true, preparation, groundwork, and getting networks ready for 5G hold the key to successful implementation. Let’s talk about the finer aspects of the technology: CUPS, network slicing and network virtualization.

It is pertinent to note that virtualization plays a key role in enterprise 5G strategy. Tremendous agility, scalability and comprehensive virtualization of service delivery platforms are possible through NFV, which taps into cloud computing. Various telcos are at different phases on the network transformation path toward a 100% virtualized and automated infrastructure. A good example is the Japanese mobile network operator, Rakuten that has created a completely virtualized network, which can currently support 4G and is 5G ready. The only area that is not virtualized is the radios that are installed on the towers.

While, SDN is smart network architecture that helps minimize the hardware limitations, NFV is a maturing technology that decouples software from hardware and deploys various functions on virtual machines. It virtualizes multiple appliances on the network. SDN and NFV surmount the architectural challenges facing 5G networks; they lend the digital transformation to network infrastructure when it comes to 5G adoption.

“While SDN is smart network architecture that helps minimize the hardware limitations, NFV is a maturing technology that decouples software from hardware and deploys various functions on virtual machines.”

The Role of CUPS

Control and User Plane Separation or CUPS is an important part of 5G architecture, a good stepping stone that brings down the network latency. In upgrading toward 5G, CUPS is integral; it offers multiple deployment options that provide greater flexibility to providers by deploying user-plan functions that meet the bandwidth and latency requirements. Hence, enterprises can scale up cost-effectively and be 5G ready through CUPS.

The backhaul network connects the radio network (RAN) and the core network. 5G requires this network for meeting the high data speed and low latency requirements. Pulling the fiber to ever cell site is not feasible; hence, a portfolio combining backhauling technologies and fiber will support the performance of 5G.

Next, network slicing, plays a crucial role in deploying 5G. Network slicing is the key to the networks of tomorrow. It allows the development of multiple network architectures on top of a shared physical architecture. Network slices offer the ability to create custom-built networks for every situation thereby saving costs. Network Slicing will enable large enterprises to have their own private networks built on top of existing infrastructure set up by the service provider.

According to telecom experts, 20% of the global population will be covered by 5G and 20 billion IoT devices will be connected. In addition, mobile data traffic will see a leap by eight times in the next four years. As of 2019, we’re in the early phases of 5G, and cellular upgrades will take time but adoption is on the rise. Peeking into the future, 5G is akin to a train on the move. There’s nothing stopping it in 2020.

Finally, training the workforce to support NFV implementations across domains is a must for a successful 5G adoption and implementation. Enterprise leaders have their work cut out to meet the challenges and demands of the new technology. If our 5G-empowered posterity would ever retrospect and contrast 5G’s humble beginnings to its advancements, they would quip: the goal then was speed, and now we’re enjoying it.

“Network slicing is the key to the future as it allows development of multiple network architectures on top of a shared physical architecture. It also offers the ability to create custom-built networks, and private networks for enterprises.”