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Orange claims Europe’s first 5G SA end-to-end experimental cloud network

Annie Turner
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Orange claims Europe’s first 5G SA end-to-end experimental cloud network

The experimental network will launch in Lannion, Brittany, in July and will act as a blue-print for future network development.

As Orange progresses towards a zero-touch network, it says its imminent 5G Standalone (SA) experimental cloud net is a key step in realising its vision of the future infrastructure.

Orange’s experimental network will be a 100% software-enabled network, driven by data and AI, fully automated and cloud-native. Crucially, it will also encompass Open RAN technology, underlining Orange’s commitment to the cause.

Orange says that by implementing and operating this network it will better understand how these technologies co-exist and their impact on the network lifecycle.

It will also enable Orange to better understand customer experience benefits of a fully cloudified network as well as the full potential of AI and data.

In addition, it will enable Orange to determine the future skills needed, which is a pillar of its Engage2025 strategy to ‘co-create a future-facing’ company, as well as the environmental benefits – another strategic pillar.

The project will run over a two-year period and ramp up to encompass several hundred users.

Multi-party collaboration

Orange is working with partners able to cover all aspects of the network from the devices to the core.

For the first stage of the project, the partners include Mavenir for cloud 5G Open RAN, Casa Systems for cloud 5G SA core network, Hewlett Packard Enterprise for Cloud 5G SA subscriber data management, Dell Technologies for infrastructure and servers supporting RAN centralised unit (CU), distributed unit (DU) and Core. and Xiaomi for devices.

Orange also uses a continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) approach as well as orchestration of open source solutions, including GitLab and ONAP, to automate networks and service management.

A focused deployment

The new network sees the setting up of Open RAN and core function on a single Kubernetes-based infrastructure fully managed by Orange and deploying a fully automated core.

From July, the network will start using and testing O-RAN radio equipment, Containerized Network Functions (CNFs) on a cloud infrastructure, network data collection and AI automation.

The experimental network will also host Information System OSS (for example, network inventory management and network operations), BSS (CRM and billing) as well as using AI to secure and optimise the network and predict its behaviour.

In 2022, the network will expand to more locations to increase the number of users and to test vertical use-cases leveraging dynamic network slicing.

Michaël Trabbia, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Orange, commented: “Our ambition is to prepare Orange for the operator of the future by building more resilient and auto-adaptive networks that offer best in class quality of service in each situation.

“This experimental network represents an important milestone on our way to implement and deploy Open RAN and AI technologies to prepare on-demand connectivity and zero touch operator capabilities.”

Orange and Nokia deploy ‘first’ Industry 4.0 4G/5G private network with network slicing

Annie Turner
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Orange and Nokia deploy ‘first’ Industry 4.0 4G/5G private network with network slicing

The deployment is at the Schneider Electric plant at Le Vaudreuil, France.

It seems a long time and different age since Orange outlined its Industry-first 5G strategy in April 2019, with Schneider Electric as one of its industrial partners, although clearly much activity has been going on behind the scenes. LACROIX is another of those industrial partners that shared the stage back then.

Now Orange Business Services is announcing that with Nokia it has deployed a private 4G/5G private network with network slicing at Schneider Electric French site.

Nokia’s slicing solution supports LTE, 5G Standalone (5G SA) and 5G Non Standalone (5G NSA) devices and includes domain-controller software in RAN, core and transport layers for “full slice connectivity”.

Industrial setting

The slice continuity between LTE and 5G New Radio i(NR) allows Orange and Schneider Electric to operate an indoor network in an industrial setting.

With this solution, Orange and Nokia are continuing to implement and test the management of the different priorities, performance, and security capabilities adapted to their innovative use cases, while optimising network resources.

Orange Business Services describes itself as a global network-native digital services company with the expertise of an operator and end-to-end integrator, that offers industrial customers a complete portfolio: mobile private networks (MPN) built on private infrastructures, virtual private mobile networks built on the public network and hybrid mobile networks with elements of public and private infrastructure.

The choice of architecture is made to best meet the security, performance and resiliency requirements of the business customers’ use cases both on and off the industrial campuses, as well as to optimise costs, according to the operator division.

Power to scale

Arnaud Vamparys, Senior Vice President Radio Networks at Orange Innovation and 5G Champion, said: “Thanks to Nokia’s advanced slicing technology, Orange is able to further explore with Schneider Electric the power of scalable private 4G/5G connectivity applied to industrial uses.”

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “With Nokia’s network slicing solution, Communication Service Providers and Enterprises can enjoy first to market advantage through the early launch of new slicing services, for all end-users equipped with 4G or 5G devices. As a long time innovation partner, Nokia is delighted to achieve this first with Orange in an industrial manufacturing environment.”

Telefónica launches tech solutions to help SMEs digitalise

Annie Turner
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Telefónica launches tech solutions to help SMEs digitalise

Separately, Telefónica Tech has teamed up with IBM to offer AI- and blockchain-driven solutions to public and private enterprises.

The pandemic highlighted what has long been known – SMEs are the powerhouse of European economies yet are underserved by telcos. In many countries they represent 99% of the “business fabric” and generate 70% of employment,

Previous attempts to address the sector have struggled to scale because the market is fragemented. Their crucial role in economic recovery and their need to transform digitally became clear during lockdowns.

To this end, Telefónica offers solutions adapted to SMEs, regarding price, features, implementation and installation times, the operator claims.

Alexis Hostos, Head of New Segments & Markets, Cybersecurity & Cloud, explains: “It is proven that SMEs that go digital produce more, have more revenue, are more profitable, and expand into new markets much faster. This transformation is not an option, the gap between digitised and non-digitised SMEs continues to grow”.

Tailored solutions

The intention is that they can benefit from the same technology that large companies have, also bringing them the most disruptive technologies, such as Big Data, IoT, blockchain or cloud, at affordable cost, and in a scalable way.

The customised solutions for SMEs include workstation management to resolve queries and breakdowns 365 days a year. Another is Security Operations Centre for SMEs, made up of cybersecurity experts to help SMEs protect their businesses from the most complex digital attacks, including a dedicated support centre exclusively for SMEs.

It will also offer Online Presence solutions to improve the customer experience SMEs provide and open new markets.

With Big Data and IoT, Telefónica is to provide what it calls its most advanced services with the latest technology for SMEs to exploit their data and improve decision-making, as well as automating their processes to make the most of their resources and meet the demands of their customers and audiences.

Blockchain and AI for larger organisations

Separately, Telefónica Tech and IBM are launching new hybrid cloud products that will use blockchain and AI technology to help enterprises’ digital transformation.

The two have been working on blockchain solutions since November 2018.

Among these products is an offer leverages the IBM Blockchain Platform so that firms can monitor their assets across the supply chain. “The solution provides end-to-end supply chain visibility and securely enables traceability of any type of material with an open standard,” the press statement said.

They have also launched an AI-based virtual assistant based on IBM Watson Assistant, implemented on Telefónica Tech’s Cloud Garden, a hybrid cloud platform that operates on Red Hat OpenShift. The idea is to help governmental departments and corporations provide easier to engage with customers and offer simpler customer service.

“These agreements reinforce our strategy of being the best partners for companies to face digital transformation with guarantees, complementing solutions based on our own technology with the best services from our partners,” said Gonzalo Martín-Villa, CEO of IoT & Big Data at Telefonica Tech.

“In the same way that we electrified factories and machines in the past century, we will use hybrid cloud to infuse AI into software and systems in the 21st century. And one thing is certain: This is a future that must be built on a foundation of deep industry collaboration,” IBM Chair and CEO Arvind Krishna said in the announcement.

Orange, Sierra Wireless, LACROIX, and STMicroelectronics launch IoT Continuum

Annie Turner
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Orange, Sierra Wireless, LACROIX, and STMicroelectronics launch IoT Continuum

Their aim is to speed the digital transformation of industry by bringing IoT specialists together under one umbrella.

Orange, Sierra Wireless, LACROIX, and STMicroelectronics have created the IoT Continuum – a partnership that aims to simplify and accelerate the mass deployment of IoT in Europe and beyond.

By bringing together expertise across the entire IoT ecosystem (connectivity, hardware, software, design and manufacturing respectively) under one roof, partners of the IoT Continuum will support international businesses to accelerate the deployment and industrialization of Massive IoT over LTE (including Cat M and Cat 1) and 5G.

Three-step process

A three-step process (start, prove, deploy and scale) has been put in place by the partners to support businesses’ IoT projects on cellular networks, from ideation to industrialization, without having to liaise with multiple players on the market. IoT Continuum offers a combination of leading industry players who will improve project risk management for businesses. Customers will be able to join the process at any stage, according to their needs.

As part of these processes, the partners promise to:

• Provide any business and a vertical of choice with a set of components and solutions validated on the Orange network, and the industrial tools to deploy wide-scale IoT services on cellular networks.
• Reduce the complexity, development time and cost for businesses to realise IoT use cases by providing pre-integrated building blocks including hardware and software (STMicroelectronics, Sierra Wireless), connectivity and IoT Services (Orange), design and manufacturing (LACROIX)
• Provide guidance and expertise to ease the overall process and help customers maximise their benefits to scale IoT deployments economically.

eSIM, 5G, Massive IoT

The partners will also promote eSIM and 5G technologies to drive Massive IoT and are committed to helping customers develop a digitalised approach on IoT Continuum in areas such as smart buildings, automotive, health, smart cities and smart industries.

For more information on the project, visit iotjourney.orange.com/en/iotcontinuum.

NEC, Mavenir collaborate with DT for live 5G Open RAN mMIMO deployment

Annie Turner
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NEC, Mavenir collaborate with DT for live 5G Open RAN mMIMO deployment

The operator is experimenting with partners in the O-RAN Town of Neubrandenburg (pictured) ahead of mass Open RAN roll out.

Deutsche Telekom is an advocate of Open RAN, a founding member of the O-RAN Alliance and a signatory of the Open RAN MoU along with Orange, Telefonica, TIM and Vodafone.

The O-RAN Town project is the initial deployment of disaggregated RAN to serve about 65,000 residents in Neubrandenburg, a town north of Berlin, in preparation for the operator’s future mass deployment.

Massive MIMO

In this project, NEC will provide the 5G massive MIMO (mMIMO) radio units (RU) conforming to O-RAN Alliance fronthaul specifications, with beamforming technologies. The implementation of this mMIMO RU will help increase and dynamically optimise the operator’s capacity depending on traffic volume.
 
Mavenir will provide the container-based centralized unit (CU) and distributed units (DU) of the disaggregated RAN as a software. Working together with NEC, Mavenir is expanding its leadership to Open RAN mMIMO solutions.
 
After the first step of integrating NEC mMIMO antenna into DT’s live network, NEC’s and Mavenir’s Open RAN experts will jointly work to validate and optimise 5G Open RAN’s interoperability, as well as end-to-end functional and operational performance in the lab and field, ensuring full commercial readiness for deployments in Europe.

Flexibility and choice

“Open RAN is about increasing flexibility, choice and innovation to ensure a more customer-centric network of the future,” said Abdurazak Mudesir, Senior Vice President, Service & Platform Telekom Germany and Head of Open RAN
 at Deutsche Telekom Group.

“We are happy to partner with Mavenir and NEC for the European first live implementation of massive MIMO at O-RAN Town, where our key priority is to drive the development of high performance multi-vendor open RAN to be a competitive solution for macro deployment at scale.”
 
Pardeep Kohli, President and CEO, Mavenir said, “With our partners, we are excited to showcase how open interfaces and cloud-native technologies accelerate innovation in RAN infrastructure areas such as mMIMO.”
 
Nozomu Watanabe, Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation, added, “Capitalizing on our experiences gained from contributing to the world’s first commercial launch of Open RAN in Japan, we are thrilled to extend our capabilities to accelerate best-in-class, carrier-grade Open RAN deployment across the globe.”
 

Swisscom selects AWS as public cloud provider for its enterprise IT

Annie Turner
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Swisscom selects AWS as public cloud provider for its enterprise IT

AWS chosen for its “proven and broad infrastructure and cloud capabilities to power its 5G network, increase operational efficiency, and fuel innovation”.

The operator is pursuing a cloud-first strategy and will use AWS to increase IT agility, drive operational efficiencies, and accelerate time to market for new ICT features and services.

As part of its overall digital transformation, Swisscom will migrate to AWS a wide range of core applications that power its enterprise resource planning, OSS, BSS, analytics, contact centre and communications provisioning workloads.

Swisscom will also leverage AWS’ infrastructure and services to explore how it can build a reliable, scalable, secure, and cost-effective 5G Core in the cloud that would enable rapid development and deployment of new 5G services for its customers.

Moving internal IT

By transforming parts of its internal IT on AWS, Swisscom aims to reduce complexity, gain greater efficiency, and scale on demand to deliver new innovations for its customers.

It will use AWS analytics, machine learning, containers, database, and storage services to modernise its applications. In addition, Swisscom engineers and developers will be able to automate hardware provisioning, database setup, patching, and backups, as well as deploy new applications in minutes.

Swisscom will evolve its current data pipeline into a cloud-based Data Mesh, making use of AWS  analytics offerings, such as Amazon Kinesis for scalable and durable real-time data streaming.

The company will also leverage AWS Glue for a serverless data integration service that makes it easier to discover, prepare, and combine data for analytics, machine learning, and application development, as well as Amazon Redshift for data warehousing.

By moving to an AWS-powered Data Mesh, Swisscom engineers can use the tools and interface that best suit each project, negate the cost and overhead of legacy solutions, and accelerate the time to market for new digital products, such as TV and online services that leverage AWS machine learning to deliver greater personalisation.

Unlocking new growth

“AWS contributes to the technological foundation and agility we need to unlock new growth potential by transforming our IT services and delivering robust 5G communications that meet the needs of our enterprise and consumer customers,” said Christoph Aeschlimann, CTIO of Swisscom (pictured).

“We expect 5G to open the door for a host of specialised services. Having AWS by our side, with their proven infrastructure and unparalleled suite of cloud technologies, will help us innovate and grow at a rapid pace. Leveraging AWS, we are able to quickly build and run the applications that underpin our organisation with low latency, reliability, and scalability, while meeting security and compliance requirements.”

“The telecoms industry is turning to AWS to build more flexible, agile, and cost-effective networks in the cloud, capable of delivering reliable services at any scale while continuously improving the customer experience,” said Adolfo Hernandez, Vice President of Telco Sales, Amazon Web Services, Inc. 

“We are thrilled to support Swisscom, Switzerland’s leading communications provider, with our proven infrastructure and industry-leading services to accelerate their digital transformation. Our collaboration with Swisscom represents our long-term commitment to Switzerland, and we look forward to driving broad industry transformations for more European customers when we open our new region next year.”

Álvarez-Pallete at MWC: “We must take digitization to the next level with AI”

Annie Turner
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Álvarez-Pallete at MWC: “We must take digitization to the next level with AI”

Telefónica’s Chair calls for government backing to attract funding for “smart digital infrastructure”.

Telefónica’s Chair, José María Álvarez-Pallete, used his speech today at the opening of a session of MWC on the theme of Our Connected World, to highlight the potential and the opportunity of digital transformation and call for government support to avoid Europe being left behind.

He said the last year “has been like travelling in a time machine five years ahead in terms of adoption of technology”, and underlined the new world that is opening up for networks.
 
He said they “are no longer just carrying data but enabling the world of the artificial intelligence. As much as a 40% of Internet traffic is non-human, generated by machines that are talking to each other” and that AI is going to transform that world.

Key ingredients

Álvarez-Pallete has placed cutting-edge connectivity as “the first ingredient” of the new smart digitization, followed by “technologies like edge computing, cloud, cybersecurity, IoT and big data”.
 
He said the final enabling ingredient is AI, and that, “Governments need to attract investment in the smart digital infrastructure that will make all that possible” and they need to do it now.
 
“We need to react to keep up with the opportunity. To grab it, Europe needs a sustainable telco sector, otherwise we will lag further behind in the global race for digital leadership,” he added.
 
“We reclaim a new regulatory framework and competition rules to build a strong digital Europe”, he demanded. This call proposes a necessary change to take full advantage of digitization as a transformative lever that can generating growth, quality jobs, sustainability and inclusion.

He concluded, “We need a new Digital Deal to manage the digital transition with values and people at the core”.

 

Nokia, Vodafone Turkey trial first intercontinental Terabit IP link

Annie Turner
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Nokia, Vodafone Turkey trial first intercontinental Terabit IP link

Symbolically, the test linked Asia and Europe (picture shows bridge across the Bosphorus) and is part of Vodafone Turkey’s network modernisation drive.

Vodafone Turkey and Nokia  announced a successful trial of “the first intercontinental 1Terabit, clear-channel IP interface. It used Nokia’s 7950 XRS routers with terabit interfaces based on Nokia’s FP4 chipset.

It was to demonstrate that the two companies could scale up the capacity of Vodafone Turkey’s IP network in support of next generation applications and access technologies.

Two ports

Nokia’s FP4 terabit linecard has two 1T ports and demonstrated its readiness for deployment by carrying test traffic on Vodafone Turkey’s network, the press statement said.

It also stated that besides a ten-fold boost in capacity, terabit IP links simplify operational complexity and cost overhead as there is no need to distribute terabit flows on high capacity routes over multiple lower rate interfaces in link aggregation groups.

Nokia’s 7250 IXR interconnect router and FP4-based 7750 Service Router portfolios have already been deployed for the delivery of high capacity, low latency 5G services to Vodafone Turkey’s customers.

Nokia’s platforms support software-defined network (SDN) control automation and optimisation of applications and use cases.

The need for speed

Thibaud Rerolle, CTO, at Vodafone Turkey, said, “As we ramp up our delivery of new services, we are committed to providing the best possible quality of experience to our customers. We continue to rely on Nokia to evolve our IP network with industry-leading router innovation and technology to address our needs today and for next generation services.”
 
Vach Kompella, Head of IP Networks Division, Nokia, said, “The 1T trial builds upon Nokia’s advanced routing technology and platforms to future-proof Vodafone Turkey’s IP network, which serves one of the world’s largest intercontinental markets.

“Together we have successfully validated Nokia’s FP4 based 1T clear channel interface across Asia and Europe.”
 

ONF announces cloud-native, software-defined core project for 5G

Annie Turner
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ONF announces cloud-native, software-defined core project for 5G

The software-defined (SD) Core supports Connectivity-as-a-Service, optimised for private 5G nets and Industry 4.0.

The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) is to launch the SD-Core project with the aim of building an open source 5G/4G disaggregated mobile core.

ONF claims hybrid deployments mixing public and edge clouds is fast emerging as the dominant model for building hyperscaler, telco and enterprise networks.

Network owners and application developers want to place applications where they are best suited: in the public cloud for scale and efficiency or at the edge for performance and sovereignty.

Multi-cloud options

With this in mind, SD-Core supports a cloud-native solution optimised for multi-cloud, supporting the widest range of edge cloud use cases, and designed to be delivered as-a-service.

Dual-Mode Control Plane
SD-Core is designed for the latest 5G capabilities as well as 4G to 5G migration, starting with a pre-integrated dual-mode control plane that supports 5G Standalone and Non-standalone, plus 4G/LTE.

The control plane leverages components of the free5GC and ONF’s Open Mobile Evolved Core (OMEC) projects, and builds on this with refactoring to add cloud native capabilities for scale-out, resiliency, multi-cloud agility and SaaS deployment APIs.

SD-Core is structured to allow a single control plane to work with many user plane instances to optimise edge cloud deployments and deliver enterprise private 5G from a common core running in the public cloud.

Northbound APIs

SD-Core is instrumented with northbound APIs to support as-a-service deployment models and end-to-end control of slicing and application/service optimisation.

The APIs allow for private enterprise isolation, providing a multi-tenant mobile core solution for delivering private enterprise 5G as-a-service.

Multiple distributed user planes
SD-Core also includes disaggregated user plane components for a diverse set of deployment scenarios.

The user plane function (UPF) is the mobile core subsystem that handles application traffic loads, and so must be placed in the proximity of edge applications to meet the demanding performance requirements of emerging use cases like augmented reality and synchronized industrial robotics.

SD-Core takes the new approach of introducing specialised UPFs, each optimised for specific classes of application and each taking advantage of various hardware acceleration options.

Deployments can mix UPF variants, deploying each where it is best suited to optimise overall solutions to meet the complete range of edge application demands.

More information here.

New SD-Fabric Project

Separately, ONF announced a new SD-Fabric Project, an open source, full stack programmable network fabric to support hybrid cloud, edge cloud, 5G and Industrial IoT.

ONF says SD-Fabric is a full stack implementation designed to run a thin layer of software on white box switches, executing localized control at the edge cloud, with multiple edges controlled from the public cloud.

The entire stack from the switch all the way through to the public cloud is deployed and managed in a cloud-native fashion, running on Kubernetes, with a complete CI/CI pipeline, and fully integrated logging, monitoring, alarming, etc.

Vodafone launches commercial 5G Standalone pilot in UK

Annie Turner
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Vodafone launches commercial 5G Standalone pilot in UK

The test will take place in London, Manchester and Cardiff, building on a trial with Coventry University. 

Vodafone was the first network in the UK to trial 5G Standalone, and this is the UK’s first live 5G Standalone test at scale. The commercial pilot will test new capabilities integral to 5G Standalone technologies, such as network slicing.

It will also enable partners to test Standalone-enabled devices on the live network. A dedicated slice has already been configured for Coventry University to provide low-latency services in support of virtual reality distance learning.

Partnership with Ericsson

The commercial pilot is based on a cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core in partnership with Ericsson. As part of the deal, Ericsson will support Vodafone’s cloud-native 5G Core Standalone for packet core applications.

Vodafone says the combination of the commercial trials with its investment in Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) and IoT, it can work with business customers and developers to create new services for  use cases such as smart cities, Industry 4.0, and connected healthcare.

It also stated that the lessons learned from these early deployments of 5G Standalone will inform Vodafone’s strategy. The commercial pilot is also a chance for partners to test new and existing devices, components and services on the live network. 

Gamechanger ambitions

Andrea Donà, Vodafone’s Chief Network Officer in the UK, said, “The new features this delivers, such as new levels of reliability, latency and flexibility, are a gamechanger for customers and developers looking to create new applications.”

Vodafone Spain has deployed its own 5G Standalone core pre-commercial network, provided by Ericsson and accessible via smartphones manufactured by Samsung.

Through this initiative, Vodafone Spain will rely on both partners to continue with the development of 5G use cases that improve multiple sectors of economic activity.

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