Broadband Forum, Cartesian to explore future networks

ITREALMS:

The Broadband Forum has collaborated with network and technology consulting firm Cartesian to develop a new ‘future of networks’ study – the results of which will be explored in an exclusive webinar slated for March 14, 2018, reports ITRealms.

The report, ITRealms gathered, dwelt on transformation in a virtualized world; reached a cross-section of decision-makers from telecoms vendors, system integrators and communication service providers.

ITRealms also reports that Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) have been identified as key tools for traditional operators as the explosion in customer demand for data continues to put pressure on network capacity.

The webinar, to be hosted by the duo of Robin Mersh, CEO of the Broadband Forum and Nikos Andrikogiannopoulos, Principal Analyst at Cartesian, will explore how virtualization can overcome these challenges, providing insight from more than 40 interviews and an online survey with more than 100 respondents.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Broadband Forum, NTT plan standardization of PON

ITREALMS:

The Broadband Forum has revealed its working on a landmark project with NTT to standardize the virtualization of operators’ Passive Optical Network (PON) to support the delivery of Time Critical Applications (TCAs), such as 5G fronthaul, reports ITRealms.

A passive optical network, ITRealms gathered is a system that brings optical fiber cabling and signals all or most of the way to the end user.

The project, which was initiated by Forum member NTT, one of the world’s largest service providers, looks to open up new business opportunities for operators and vendors by using network virtualization technologies such as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN) to cost-effectively upgrade their PON networks to enable the rapid introduction of new services. This includes the key issue of fronthaul for 5G services, adding to the Forum’s ongoing work on the convergence of fixed and mobile networks.

“As users’ usage changes, both in regard to the different services required and the amount of data coursing through fiber networks, operators need to update their PON networks, including by adding TCAs,” said Akihiro Otaka, Executive Manager at NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories. “This used to require the remake of PON equipment for each service, but should be done via a software upgrade in the near future to improve cost-effectiveness. With demand for this increasing, it is important we ensure there are standards in place to achieve a vendor-agnostic system and ensure mass deployment of this new system architecture, which is essential if we are to deliver agile and flexible next-generationbroadband networks for emerging services.” 

The project – PON Abstraction Interface for TCAs – looks at how SDN and NFV can be applied to Optical Line Terminals to disaggregate PON functions to functional modules with open interfaces. The first phase will define the disaggregation policy and functional requirements of interfaces to disaggregate PON functions which need time-critical processing, while the second phase will define the detailed specifications of the interfaces as Application Programming Interface (API) sets.

The project has already attracted a number of new members to the Forum, as the industry becomes more focused on how the fixed network can help deliver 5G.

“Delivering new services efficiently and cost-effectively is a priority for the whole industry and this project will play a key role in realizing this objective,” said Arief Mustain, Executive General Manager at Telkom Indonesia, one of the new members involved in the project. “This is particularly true as the industry moves towards 5G and standardization will play a big part in making this new mobile technology a success.”

The project was just part of the activity at the Broadband Forum’s quarterly meeting taking place this week in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“As we work to meet the demand for new services, faster connectivity and more bandwidth, our focus is shifting from the fixed network to a holistic broadband network,” said Robin Mersh, CEO of Broadband Forum. “We know fiber will play a huge role in the delivery of 5G and this project looks to define that role and make it possible for operators to offer fronthaul services, among others, via their PON networks. This makes the work important not just for the broadband industry but the telecoms market as a whole and it can only be achieved on a wide scale through collaboration and standardization.”

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Deutsche Telekom seeks true convergence @Broadband Forum

ITRealms:

The Deutsche Telekom has called on Broadband Forum members to midwife ‘true convergence’ of mobile and fixed networks to unlock full potential of Fifth Generation (5G), ITRealms reports.

The 5GExecutive Programme Manager, Deutsche Telecom, Antje Williams made this call at the Broadband forum which held, weekend, its quarterly meeting in Berlin, Germany, saying that more collaboration is required among standards’ bodies and open source communities in order to achieve this, stressing for true convergence between fixed and mobile networks so that a seamless experience could be delivered to consumers.

On the access-agnostic networks, Williams noted, are a vital component in realizing the full potential of 5G, and in order for this to happen, more collaboration is urgently needed between different standards bodies.

“When you look at the amount of challenges and traffic that has to be transported in the future, we will not manage that with just the mobile network,” said Williams, pointing out that nowadays, a much bigger portion of whatever is transported runs through fixed line networks and at Deutsche Telecom, they strongly believe the solution for the future has to be a combination of the two, or access-agnostic networks.

“This means that when using the networks, consumers shouldn’t see a difference between mobile access and Wi-Fi access. Today, standardization of the two networks is done separately and to become one network, we need more alignment,” she added.

Williams emphasized that from a consumer perspective one of the most important topics is convenience. Therefore, it is essential that 5G delivers to its full potential.

Williams who echoed the perspectives of the Broadband Forum’s special meeting on Broadband Network Evolution, which was held in Atlanta in May, called Forum members to action by them playing their parts beginning with engagement and work on this area, in order to realize the broadband networks of the future.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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