Telecom operators are currently faced with a double requirement. On the one hand, the explosion of digital uses is exponentially increasing the volume of mobile data to be processed. On the other hand, the operators, who have taken on heavy debt to build the new 5G and fiber optic networks, must reduce their costs.
The solution seems to go through a “cloudification” of their infrastructures. By virtualizing their core network, operators have everything to gain. They reduce both their operating costs and their carbon footprint by gaining in energy sobriety.
The cloudification of the network architecture also accelerates the “time to market” by authorizing deployments of networks on the fly and on a large scale. A key element to meet the challenges of augmented reality and the Internet of Things (IoT) while respecting high quality of service requirements. Incidentally, an operator decreases its dependence on equipment manufacturers by eliminating its network’s adherence to their proprietary technologies.
A hybrid approach at first
This underlying trend has a name: Cloud RAN. Also called C-RAN (Cloud-RAN) or Centralized-RAN, this centralized cloud-based architecture supports the various wireless communication standards, from 2G to 5G.
Simply put, a traditional radio access network (RAN) consists of two basic elements: a distributed unit (DU) and a centralized unit (CU). With the Cloud RAN, these basic functions are virtualized and run in the form of containers on a software layer.
This software approach allows operators to gain performance. As research firm Counterpoint notes, the vast majority of distributed units deployed today run on x86 processors. With Cloud RAN, it is possible to use the latest hardware acceleration technologies.
If RAN networks are therefore expected to gradually rise in the cloud, most operators will adopt, according to Nokia, a hybrid approach, cohabiting traditional networks and Cloud RAN “for many years”.
Huawei, pioneer as always
In the meantime, equipment manufacturers are multiplying announcements. The same Nokia has just successfully tested its Cloud RAN solution on the commercial 5G network of the Austrian operator A1 Group. The trial, which took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, enabled companies to successfully perform end-to-end 5G communication over a distance of more than 15 km.
For this experiment, Nokia used its own AirFrame edge computing servers. Its competitor Ericsson, concluded an agreement at the end of April with the American founder AMD for the delivery of processors for its Open RAN and Cloud RAN solutions. Last December, the Swedish equipment carried out a successful test of a 5G data call with the Australian incumbent operator Telstra.
In this field like others, Huawei is a pioneer. As early as 2016, the Chinese equipment manufacturer was experimenting with this approach. At the time, the Cloud RAN had to make it possible to mix different sources of connectivity (5G and Wi-Fi for example) to improve throughput. It was also about processing IoT data on conventional networks