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Google announces private network solutions on its Distributed Cloud Edge

Annie Turner
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Google announces private network solutions on its Distributed Cloud Edge

It claims the solutions address the performance, service-level, and economic needs of key industry verticals – in direct competition with Ericsson, Nokia, AWS and others

Google has announced a new private networking portfolio which is intended to accelerate adoption of private cellular networks. It says existing solutions like WiFi aren’t up to the job of supporting industry-specific workloads, IoT and other connected devices. This is due to its inability to deliver connectivity, control and scalability, plus WiFi’s tendency to be noisy and inconsistent both in terms of latency and bandwidth.

Obviously, Google’s view is that private networks can fix all these issues and complement WiFi, while improving security, lowering costs and reducing energy consumption.

The trouble is that so far, while many enterprises have been experimenting with private networks operating and scaling them remains challenging, but the new portfolio, built upon Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) Edge and “new key partnerships” means “customers can…adopt turnkey, private network solutions with the flexibility to deploy management, control, and user plane functions both in the cloud and at the edge”.

Launch partners include:

  • Betacom will deploy its managed private wireless service, 5G as a Service (5GaaS), on GDC Edge, giving enterprises access to 5G networks designed, deployed and managed to support new intelligent manufacturing applications. 
  • Boingo Wireless will deploy its managed, end-to-end private cellular networks for enterprise customers using GDC Edge at airports, stadia, hospitals, manufacturing facilities, and US military bases. 
  • Celona’s 5G LAN solution automates roll-out of private cellular networks that are tightly integrated with existing security and app QoS policies. Celona’s 5G LAN network operating system can also be deployed as a resource within GDC Edge, with the aim of speeding adoption of private networks. 
  • Crown Castle owns and operates communications infrastructure, including wireless infrastructure and fibre networks, that serves network operators, enterprises, and the public sector. It seeks to enable the next wave of deployments with partners leveraging GDC Edge for private network deployments. 
  • Kajeet will deploy its 5G solution on GDC Edge to connect students and communities with safe, simple, and secure high-speed wireless internet to address the digital divide.

Several countries including the ncluding the US, UK, Germany, Japan, and South Korea allocate spectrum for private networking, and CSPs have spectrum that can be extended for private use as well.  

Let net neutrality fire creativity Europeans told

Nick Booth
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Let net neutrality fire creativity Europeans told

Stop siding with Big Tech says expert on Berec

The latest net neutrality guidelines from apex regulator Berec could force broadband providers to get more creative, according to a top Net Neutrality expert. After yesterday’s ruling by the EC regulator, dominant players in the publishing market are no longer exempt from rules over data caps. This prevents quasi-cartels from trampling over the European mobile industry’s delicate supply chain ecosystem, according to competition champion Barbara van Schewick, a professor at Stanford Law School and director of its Center for Internet and Society. As a specialist on net neutrality Professor van Schewick heralded the new net neutrality guidelines as ‘a great win for Europeans’.

No data cap

As a result of Berec’s ruling European subscribers will get more data to use as they choose. For the European mobile supply chain, it’s even better news as the legislation gives a big, much-needed boost to online competition, according to van Schewick. Despite intense lobbying from big carriers and giant platforms, Berec voted to clearly ban zero-rating offers that benefit select apps or categories of apps by exempting them from people’s monthly data caps. The new ban applies whether the app pays to be included or not, closing a loophole in the draft guidelines.

No limit to creativity

“This is good news for Internet users,” said van Schewick, “when harmful zero-rating plans are banned, users get much more data for the same price. Carriers are no longer able to limit how people can use their data or push them to use apps from the dominant platforms.” Some say Zero-Rating is just a practice where a carrier does not count some online activity against a customer’s monthly data cap. Others sese it as collusion against the smaller players and nobbling competition. For example, many European carriers offer plans that don’t count the data used on Facebook or WhatsApp against a subscriber’s data cap.

Loophole

Berec’s previous net neutrality guidelines did not categorically ban selective zero-rating programs or category-based ones that, for example, offer to zero-rate all music or video apps. This was a loophole carriers across the EU exploited and they collectively launched hundreds of zero-rating programmes. These often exempted the carriers’ own services and disproportionately benefited big platforms like Apple, Google and Facebook, while small companies and European start-ups were left out. Berec has now closed those escape clauses. Van Schewick argued that there is historical proof that zero-rating is suffocating.

Room for invention

“After the German regulator banned Deutsche Telekom’s and Vodafone’s discriminatory zero-rating plans, Vodafone gave affected customers up to 25 per cent more data for the same price,” said van Schewick. Earlier this month, Deutsche Telekom boosted some affected customers’ monthly data volume from 24GB to 40GB for the same price. Additionally, smaller apps and websites no longer have to fight to be included in these kinds of zero-rating plans and can compete with the giant platforms on an equal footing.

Data diversity

The guidelines allow carriers to offer non-discriminatory zero-rating programmes that treat all data the same. A mobile operator can still count data usage against a subscriber’s cap at certain times of day or as a promotion. The big difference is that they can no longer force subscribers to use that data on a specific site. Van Schewick urged European mobile operators to show a bit more initiative. “Carriers in other countries that have banned discriminatory zero-rating have innovated with offers such as unmetered data from midnight to 6 am or letting users choose hours per month where their data usage is uncounted,” said van Schewick, “I expect that carriers across the EU will soon end their discriminatory zero-rating plans and offer customers of those plans significantly more data for the same price.”

Telecom Egypt and Aqua Comms link four continents with EMIC-1 subsea cable

Nick Booth
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Telecom Egypt and Aqua Comms link four continents with EMIC-1 subsea cable

Agreement for landing and crossing by EMIC-1 subsea cable

Telecom Egypt and subsea connection specialist Aqua Comms have signed a crossing and landing agreement for the Europe Middle-East India Connect 1 (EMIC-1) subsea cable in Egypt. “This new system will connect the key hubs in Europe of Genoa, Marseille and Barcelona with both Salalah, Oman and Mumbai, India serving these high-growth markets with best-in-class connectivity services,” said Nigel Bayliff, CEO of Aqua Comms.

From Red to Med

Under the agreement, Telecom Egypt will provide EMIC-1, a new intercontinental subsea cable and terrestrial fibre system, a seamless optical path between East Africa, Asia and Europe. This is the first modern cable to run this route, connecting three billion people to the internet and meeting the data demands of the world’s fastest growing economies. EMIC-1 will land in Ras Ghareb on the Red Sea coast and Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea side. The two landing stations are connected by the latest fibre optics over two diverse terrestrial routes. The new routes are adjacent to the Suez Canal, between Suez and Port Said.

Across Egypt

Additionally, this crossing will also include a third new marine path, the Red Sea Festoon, that will link the Ras Ghareb and Suez landing stations with an option of the Suez Canal Route, known locally as the Al Morshedeen route. This links Port Said and Suez on the bank of the Suez Canal, offering a new level of resilience and diversity to the crossing solution. “We are pleased to offer Aqua Comms a seamless trans-Egypt crossing for their new cable.,” said Telecom Egypt CEO Adel Hamed, “for years, we strived to revamp our international infrastructure and increase our assets’ geodiversity to keep pace with the rising global demand for large bandwidth and global reach. We believe that EMIC-1 will be a valuable addition to the subsea cables landing in Egypt.”

Zain conducting trials of 4G/5G based on Open RAN

Nick Booth
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Zain conducting trials of 4G/5G based on Open RAN

Open interfaces and software defined spaces work in Kuwait

Mobile operator group Zain, which operates in seven Middle Eastern and African markets, has completed the first live trial of Open and Virtual Radio Access Network (Open RAN) technology in Kuwait. It was implemented in collaboration with cloud software specialist Mavenir and Masiya, a top system integrator in the Middle East and Zain partner of 21 years. The live trial in Kuwait follows Zain Group’s contribution to the Open RAN support memorandum of understanding in 2021.

Contained OPEX

Digital cloud-based solutions with open interfaces bring an opportunity for a more efficient and faster deployment, new consumer and enterprise offerings, while minimising capital investment and operational costs in radio networks in future, according to Dr Virtyt Koshi, Mavenir’s general manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Mavenir, Masiya, Intel and Dell used Mavenir Radios Units, containerised distributed units and central unit software on Mavenir’s Webscale Platform acting as a container/platform service layer running on commodity hardware from Intel and Dell.

Kuwait first

“Zain is consistently seeking technologies that contribute to building a strong sustainable future for Kuwait and the markets we proudly serve,” said Nawaf Al Gharabally, Zain Group Chief Technology Officer, “This Open RAN trial empowers Zain with better understanding and practice experience on new technical trends for further development. That will enable us to continue offering distinct mobile services to our valued customers.” Zain promised the cloud offerings will brings Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the forefront of its application roll out.

A1 Austria serves network slices

Nick Booth
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A1 Austria serves network slices

Trial shows 5G Standalone can multi-task with Amdocs

The A1 Telekom Austria Group has completed an end-to-end 5G network slicing proof of concept (PoC) exercise in which portions of the network were given to everything from drones to phones to corporate clones in the Metaverse.

5G is best served instant

A 5G Standalone (SA) network was put on an Amdocs platform, opened up and a series of multiple high capacity, low-latency dedicated and shared services were laid on it. These demanding digital divas could include everything from remote surgery, precision tools used in manufacturing, cloud gaming and platoons of automated lorries, which need sub-millisecond response times. The PoC exercise was successful, according to Amdocs, whose software was used to provide end-to-end service and network orchestration.

Amdocs presented the case

During the trial, Amdocs’ system was also used to demonstrate the end-to-end lifecycle management of 5G network slices and virtualised applications over public/private cloud and the edge. Amdocs created some new commercial models that are aligned with 3GPP standards, in order to demonstrate the commercial viability of 5G service. The conclusion of the trial was that the telco can lay on 5G and apportion the resources much quicker than it used to. With a few more drills it can only get faster, according to Juergen Wolf-Hofer, Head of Network Evolution at A1 Telekom Austria Group.

Judge ruled in favour of more

“We are delighted with the results of this project, which underlines the exciting possibilities of 5G and Amdocs’ vital role in enabling the deployment and monetisation of 5G network slices,” said Wolf-Hofer, “the Amdocs use cases are deliverable and very exciting.” The head of evolution promised to take the learnings from the project and apply them. “5G network slicing creates a whole new world of programmable network use cases [that are] unlocking new revenue streams for telcos,” said Anthony Goonetilleke, Group President of Technology and Head of Strategy at Amdocs. 

Intel and EXFO to nit-pick cloud faults

Nick Booth
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Intel and EXFO to nit-pick cloud faults

EXFO-Intel hybrid can see fault from the chip to the cloud

Network scrutiniser EXFO has blended its powers of analysis with Intel’s to extend its scrutiny of networks into the cloud.  It aims to use this power to instantly audit 5G network operators by identifying and correlating service degradation issues. Their offering helps to automate ‘cloud specific assurance’ regardless of whether faults stem from the network, the service layers or the cloud-native network infrastructure. This has been difficult to pin down so far, leading to finger pointing by engineers.

MNOs bleeds

This advance in auditing is desperately needed by mobile network operators because 81% of operators expect 5G networks will be more difficult to troubleshoot than 4G networks, according to joint research from Heavy Reading and EXFO. Worse still fault detection and correlation are more difficult in cloud-native networks, say 69% of operators. The lack of decent cloud-specific assurance tools forces 74% of them to rely on manual processes. EXFO’s ‘full-stack assurance’ uses Intel’s powerful perception to give managers omnipotent vision across the entire span of operator networks. Operators can assess the operational state from the chip to the cloud, allowing faults to be isolated or correlated across all network domains. Together, the EXFO and Intel technology expedites the resolution and obviates domain-specific fault denial, they claim. 

5G ‘experiences’

Intel’s Xeon Scalable Processors, with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) and network function virtualisation (NFV) accelerators, provide the foundation for creating the fabled 5G experiences. Meanwhile Intel’s Platform Telemetry Insights provide a detailed view into the cloud-native infrastructure operations. Operators can see right into the foundations of the infrastructure and assess operational metrics, including health, utilisation, congestion, power consumption and configuration checks, claimed Intel’s release.

Service assurance

By adopting CNCF’s OpenTelemetry project, Intel provides a standard implementation for the industry to benefit from infrastructure observability, according to Alex Quach, General Manager of Intel’s Wireline & Core Network Division. “Service assurance in mobile networks is relatively well understood,” said Quach, “but the new challenge for most operators was getting sight of the cloud-native infrastructure.” This added a new dimension but not any more. “Operators can detect, correlate and resolve faults wherever they originate, significantly reducing time to resolution,” said Philippe Morin, EXFO’s CEO.

BT lands 5G private network contract with Port of Tyne

Annie Turner
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BT lands 5G private network contract with Port of Tyne

The operator installed a private 5G network at the Port of Belfast in 2020

The Port of Tyne in north-east England harbours ambitions to become a smart port and has contracted BT to install a private 5G network and other surveillance and smart technology.

This means Port and its customers will be able to use tech including robotics and autonomous vehicles, AI and IoT.

As technology partner, BT will use Ericsson equipment build on the Port of Tyne’s 2050 Maritime Innovation Hub and digital transformation plan, deploying a hybrid network of fibre, 4G and 5G. At an unspecified time later this year, the infrastructure will provide fast and low latency connectivity across the port’s entire estate.

BT and Ericsson recently announced a partnership announced to provide commercial private 5G networks in the UK market.

The Port of Tyne’s technology and innovation team has demonstrated a series of initial and potential use cases. Two are recommended for immediate use – quayside operational optimisation programme and container tracking using optical carrier recognition or OCR – with scope to expand 5G coverage in future.  

These are the eight key benefits the two expect to bring to the Port of Tyne:

• A connectivity platform on which other technology can be built for better managing remote operations and reducing fossil fuel consumption;

• Low latency network to support faster data processing and responsiveness for autonomous or remote working;

• Greater load capacity with the potential to connect thousands of devices simultaneously in a small area, for example, using smart meters and IoT sensors to monitor conditions  and identify inefficient processes;

• Potential to offer new services and business use cases to attract customers wanting to use edge technology solutions, including AI applications and autonomous vehicles;

• A 5G-enabled, 200-acre clean energy testbed to help technology developers bring new products to market;

• Wireless connectivity across the estate means less expensive ground works and ducting will be required;

• Lower emissions and energy consumption as 5G processes more data bits per kilowatt of energy than older wireless tech; and

• Making better business decisions by extracting more data in real time from plant and machinery to identify efficiency savings, for example, by reducing idling time and unnecessary mileage.

Ashish Gupta, MD for Corporate and Public Sector at BT,said, “The secure network we have installed with Ericsson, along with our fixed fibre infrastructure, will provide the foundation to revolutionise many operations across the site – including automating processes and creating efficiencies.

By leveraging the high bandwidth, low latency networks we can use surveillance cameras, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to check for damage to containers for example. We can also use IoT sensors to deliver benefits in the use of heavy plant and machinery.”

AST SpaceMobile to link satellite direct to subscribers

Nick Booth
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AST SpaceMobile to link satellite direct to subscribers

BlueWalker closes gap between haves and have nots

AST SpaceMobile, a pioneer of connecting satellite broadband to standard mobile phones, is to launch its BlueWalker 3 test satellite on August 15 in Florida’s Cape Canaveral space complex. its CEO Abel Avellan has spoken of the satellite company’s mission to close the class gap between the haves and have nots in the hierarchical that’s been society created by Big Tech.

Cuts out the muddle man

BlueWalker 3 has a 693-square-foot phased array designed to test cellular broadband communications directly with standard mobile phones, from space. The ability to set up a direct conversation between satellites and subscribers is being attempted for the first time in history and could have wider ramifications for telcos. AST SpaceMobile has spent $85 million on the satellite’s development and the company’s engineers have successfully conducted more than 800 ground tests with BlueWalker 3. To date, the company has over 2,300 patent and patent-pending claims in support of its technology. The BlueWalker 3 mission is expected to complete the company’s initial research and development program and facilitate integration testing with mobile network operators around the world.

Class divide

“BlueWalker 3 is the culmination of years of effort to connect the phone in your pocket directly with one of our satellites without modifications,” said Abel Avellan, Chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile. “Our mission is to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by more than 5 billion mobile subscribers today moving in and out of coverage,and bring cellular broadband to approximately half of the world’s population who remain unconnected. We want to close the gap between the digital haves and the have nots.” 

FCC license

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted AST SpaceMobile an experimental license that allows the company to test BlueWalker 3 satellite-to-phone connectivity in the United States at sites in Texas and Hawaii. Once BlueWalker 3 is operational, the company plans to conduct testing on 5 different continents, in coordination with leading mobile network operators like Vodafone, Rakuten Mobile and Orange. AST SpaceMobile’s investors and strategic partners in support of the company and its mission are leaders in cellular technology and infrastructure, digital services and the internet, including Vodafone, Rakuten Mobile and American Tower. 

Conditions apply

The launch date is subject to change and contingent on multiple factors such as final testing, final integration, ground transport, timely readiness of the launch vehicle and other unknowns. Weather conditions and technical problems are just two of the other variables of concern. 

How 5G can impact healthcare

Paul J Kostek, IEEE Senior Member
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How 5G can impact healthcare

5G connectivity brings latency low enough to provide real-time information that will advance telemedicine and revolutionise future healthcare delivery.

An example of this could be seen at the beginning of 2020, whereby healthcare providers rapidly adopted telehealth solutions to maintain social distancing measures and limit the spread of the virus. In addition to this, smartphones and improved cameras in laptops have enabled remote sessions or general practice (GP) appointment, which significantly streamline the process of healthcare professionals catching up with their patients.

The development of wearables

Initially, wearable devices were primarily targeted at consumers wanting to monitor and track their personal exercise and health data. But this is no longer the case, as health professionals reap the sophisticated benefits wearables offer. This is mainly due to the expansion of capabilities and addition of abilities the devices have, which can monitor other body functions, as seen with recent electrocardiograms (ECGs). Professionals can now utilise wearables to access a patient’s data in extreme detail, which can then be used for analysis and live monitoring.

5G will enable emergency medical technician (EMTs) to share data more easily than ever before, and allow surgical specialists to deliver remote surgery at even greater distances, regardless of the time zone. Remote surgery can limit the need for patients to travel and for patients sick/injured in remote locations in need of immediate surgery. Although patient monitoring is significantly enhanced, health-related visits are reduced, the vast adoption of smart devices and increased connectivity will mean a colossal amount of healthcare data is available. It is widely known that many wearable devices enable real-time data sharing and diagnostics, so it will be essential that data is secured and managed going forward. Without this patient trust, and uses of the devices, will decline and the advantages of 5G lost.

The impact of smart devices and ‘big data’

5G enhances the ability to collect and share larger volumes of data in an instant. This improves care by picking up medical events that may have been missed during a regular exam. Wearables allow a patient to share data on their condition with their doctor, which improves response times, and enables doctors to suggest whether a hospital or clinic visit is actually needed. Within hospital environments, IoT devices allow patients to be monitored far more regularly, which eases nurses’ workloads. This is important for obvious reasons, such as allowing them to identify and focus on the patients most in need of care. 

To put it into perspective, a nurse could manage an integrated hospital monitoring system, similar to how an Air Traffic Management system is used. By using this system, the nurse can keep track of patients’ conditions and identify any false alarms. In fact, false alarms are a common issue for hospital healthcare workers, and these are typically caused by equipment issues including lose leads or failed sensors.

It is inevitable that the extended connections of individuals, as well as the interconnection of devices in hospitals, will result in cyber security risks. This means it will be absolutely essential for operations to be as secure and safe as possible. One way to approach this is with encrypting patient data and controlling access, but this will require the development of security as part of system design. Security should not be viewed as an ‘add on’ to a design and privacy requirements need to be addressed from the on-set. With this, it is expected that more patients will become savvier towards how their data is managed and want greater control over who or what has it. Therefore, systems will need to support these operations. 

Challenges to overcome

Although 5G has provided opportunities within the healthcare sector, bandwidth remains an issue, particularly in less-connected, rural areas. Because of this, it is very likely that expanding 5G coverage to developing areas will be a top priority. We’ll see an increased use in satellite constellations to deliver 5G.  Not only will this improve the overall delivery of services, but it will also mean doctors can treat more patients at any given time, removing the need for individuals to travel to hospitals and clinics for treatments or consultations.

Going forward, 5G will expand the reach of medical services and provide patients with greater options for treatment methods. In turn, healthcare providers will see their reach expand and the need for more technology in their practices. However, this means hospitals will need to continue integrating functions and adopt more innovative devices, as they look to continue improving treatment and make staff members jobs more efficient.  

Medical device manufacturers and service providers have a tough job ahead of them and will need to meet rising expectations, especially as they look to provide reliable access and ensure privacy protection, which will be essential in the coming years.

Telcos a PingPull away from Chinese RAT attack – Palo Alto

Nick Booth
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Telcos a PingPull away from Chinese RAT attack – Palo Alto

Security don’t spot the assimilated foreign agents

A Chinese hacking group known for targeting mobile operators in Europe, the Middle East and Africa has developed a new, ‘difficult-to-detect’ remote access trojan (RAT). Now it’s using its expertise in protocol observation and assimilation for espionage activities, Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 said in research published this week.

Telcos beware

The researchers spotted the malware as they monitor the hacking group Gallium, a Chinese state-sponsored group of Cyber cynics that has been sinister since 2012 according to Mitre, a non-profit research organisation funded by private grants and the US government. Gallium has now extended its targeting beyond telecoms into financial institutions and government entities, the researchers said. So mobile network operators need to be aware they are the gateway to a massive state-sponsored hack attack, according to the researchers.

PingPull

The remote access trojan (RAT), dubbed “PingPull” by the researchers, disguises its command and control communications with the ICMP protocol, which is typically used by devices on a network to diagnose communication issues and send error reports. This is not a novel technique, but PingPull makes detection harder as few telcos inspect the ICMP traffic on their networks, the researchers say. Security experts observed the group hitting targets in Afghanistan, Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Malaysia, Mozambique, the Philippines, Russia and Vietnam.

Blending in

There are also PingPull variants that rely on different protocols for command and control operations, including HTTP(S), which relates to the ways data travels between a web browser and a website, and the Transmission Control Protocol or TCP, the protocol by which programmes and devices exchange messages over a network. Regardless of the variant, the malware mimics legitimate computer operations to try and blend into normal activity. The malware can perform a variety of activities once inside a system, such as reading, writing and deleting files and copying and moving files. “Gallium remains an active threat to telecommunications, finance and government organizations across Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa,” the researchers said.

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