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15 November, 2018
The rapid explosion of over-the-top (OTT) services has forever changed the business model of mobile operators globally, writes John English, the director of marketing for service provider solutions at NETSCOUT.
25 May, 2018
In April, UK regulator Ofcom announced that the auction of frequencies for 5G mobile networks had raised £1.36bn – even though 5G isn’t expected to launch until 2020. However, several US telecom operators are planning to launch their 5G services by the end of the year, writes Michal Medrala, the head of OSS Project Management at Comarch.
It’s no surprise that operators are keen to get the technology up and running – ABI Research predicts that mobile broadband operators will see 5G revenues of US$247bn by 2025. The move to 5G will not be a smooth process. Yes, 5G is within reach, but there are significant preparations to make, and challenges to overcome, before we see 5G in the UK.
What is the point of 5G?
As Deloitte argues, 5G is a “critical enabler to new technology adoption”. As our world becomes more connected, and we come to depend on connected devices in our everyday lives, we need wireless technology that can increase the speed of communication. We also need systems that can handle the demand without causing a significant drain on resources.
One of the goals of 5G is to reduce how much power network devices consume. This will be achieved by virtualising network resources, and by implementing intelligent network management systems that are constantly monitoring the use of resources. When resource utilisation is low, the software can optimise the network by moving services from several resources to a single one, powering off anything that isn’t being used.
Ofcom also predicts that 5G will enable greater innovation. As it said in its recent report Enabling 5G in the UK: “The greater versatility and capability of 5G means that it will likely be used for a much wider range of purposes than mobile broadband for businesses and consumers, and by a diverse set of providers beyond the mobile network operators.”
5G is an essential step towards managing an increasingly connected world.
The challenges of 5G roll-out
While we may be technologically capable of delivering 5G, there are some challenges the industry must overcome before it’s ready to implement the technology.
Regulations must be changed
Governments around the world are reviewing their existing telecom regulations to benefit 5G and optimise the process of site provisioning.
Current regulations are strict and will cause problems getting some of these new services to market. Commissioning a new site usually takes months. Unless these regulations are changed, it will be a real challenge to ensure adequate provision for 5G – and we need to put thousands of small or micro-sites in big cities).
The UK government has created the National 5G Innovation Network and is working with regulators to smooth the way for a successful launch of the service.
Operators need to increase investment in infrastructure
Network operators are preparing themselves too. There are massive investments all over the world in optical fibre networks which are required for ultra-high capacity 5G services.
Of course, operators monetise this network by delivering fixed services, but those same networks will be used soon as mobile network backhaul, and so they will monetise them again. Mobile broadband services will provide the same quality of service as fixed services, but with higher flexibility and customer experience.
Hardware and software vendors are investing heavily in new solutions and conducting their first field tests. They are investing in design and production of smart antennas supporting beam forming techniques; wireless fibres which allow high capacity communication in hard-to-access areas; low-energy wireless modules; high efficiency micro solar cells for powering IoT devices; and many more.
Networks must be optimised to work with 5G
Industries are developing technology built to run on 5G. This means one thing: networks must be optimised, and quickly, as the explosion of IoT has already started.
Investments are huge in software, too. One of the biggest and never-ending challenges for network operators is the high operational costs. They’re looking to reduce these by optimising resources utilisation; and automating network management processes.
Every resource in the network – whether that’s a connection or equipment device – should be used. Resources which are up and running but are not used to deliver services are nothing but a waste of money.
Do OTTs have the advantage?
Over-the-top providers (OTTs) were in a winning position because they could deliver services to end customers without the need to have their own infrastructure. This allowed them to introduce service changes smoothly and with low risk.
It’s more difficult for mobile and fixed service providers. Rolling out services to new locations requires construction, the manual installation of equipment and a lot of field tests. Of course, owning infrastructure requires significant investment in managing it, and squeezing every last drop of revenue from it.
Operators are looking to new ways of monetisation, such as using network virtualisation, and infrastructure can now be shared dynamically, automatically optimising all parts of the infrastructure and keeping costs low. This automation may level the playing field.
Now, the infrastructure can be owned by one company while another provides the customer service. The same infrastructure can easily be used by anyone, whether they’re a mobile network operator, an internet company such as an OTT or video service provider, or a driverless car company.
The rollout of 5G is essential to support the connected world we now live in. For operators, the focus has shifted to the most effective way to provide services that customer’s want, irrespective of who owns the infrastructure. There are still goals to meet before 5G can be successfully deployed, but operators and governments are working together to meet them.
15 December, 2017
With more than one-third of IT Professionals citing ‘moving faster’ as their top goal for 2018, and an overwhelming 99% of IT and business decision makers noticing an increasing pace of change in today’s connected world, it’s clear that speed has become intrinsically linked to business success, writes Michael Segal, the AVP of strategy at NETSCOUT. For companies looking to compete in the digital economy, this pace of transformation is being driven by their customers and requires speedy software releases, agility through cloud services, and automation.
14 November, 2017
Autonomous cars, 4K video, connecting the unconnected, augmented, mixed or virtual reality, tactile internet, industry 4.0 … the list of services and experiences that 5G could enable grows every day, writes Patrick Lopez, the vice president of Networks Innovation at Telefónica.
23 October, 2017
The digital business transformation being experienced by operators and their enterprise customers also provides fertile ground for new services from smart communications service providers (CSPs). But first, explains Dima Alkin, TEOCO’s vice president of Service Assurance Solutions, CSPs need to get more specific about their enterprise support services.
23 June, 2017
Recently I was on a train from Frankfurt to Nuremburg in Germany attempting in vain to get some work done, writes Robin Kent, the director of European operations at Adax. The issue I had is that, as there was no Wi-Fi available on-board, I was having to rely on the mobile phone network to remain connected. My frustration grew as my phone constantly flitted between 4G, 3G and 2G, causing emails not to sync correctly and an increasing amount of important messages becoming stuck in my outbox, as well as troubles with web browsing. (more…)
10 October, 2016
SysMech’s Operational Intelligence Software has been implemented at Telefónica UK. The nationwide implementation is able to correlate data feeds from all elements of the network, giving Telefónica a complete overview of the performance of its 2G, 3G and 4G networks. (more…)
26 August, 2016
Agama Technologies, a specialist in video service quality and customer experience, will be launching the new version, 5.1, of its video service assurance solution at this year’s IBC show in September. (more…)
11 July, 2016
Netscout has announced two new products in its nGenius Packet Flow Switch (PFS) family, designed for critical network security visibility applications. The nGenius PFS 2200 series and nGenius PFS 4200 series, provide 10G and 40G platforms for delivering packet data to network security systems, launching advanced security-optimised capabilities in its product line. (more…)
08 July, 2016
Netscout has announced its Enterprise Business Assurance (EBA) system which consists of extended service assurance and new security capabilities, the company’s patented Adaptive Service Intelligence (ASI) technology and integral IP intelligence and analytics technologies from the acquisition of Danaher’s Communications business last year.
(more…)
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