10 Ingredients for Realizing the 5G Promise
and 2022 Predictions with Jio
While narrowband and wideband IoT were introduced with 4G networks, their mass adoption will be possible only with disaggregated 5G networks.
5G adds huge capacities of connected sensors that can run into the millions. Sensor networks will be essential for industrial automation as well as a wide array of use cases in supply chain and logistics.
4. Network slicing and QoS – multi tenancy
Network slicing allows carriers to carve out logical resources from the network and dedicate them for business services.
Slicing is a key capability possible only in 5G networks. Industries can leverage this to ensure service awareness and differentiated QoS. Conversely, it is also possible for a network slice to be multi-tenant in nature.
The ability to provision slices, and to be able to “meter” them is a key capability for 5G SA networks and business support systems.
Network slicing allows new monetization models, such as “pay as you go” through subscription-based bundles.
5. Closed loop automation
While automation is not an alien concept for telecom, it is fast blending into the network with 5G.
With all 5G network functions being cloud native, there are new opportunities to automate the lifecycle of network elements.
On the radio front, with O-RAN taking its baby steps, there are fresh areas emerging in RAN automation. It is due to this reason, that real-time and near-real-time RIC (RAN Intelligence Controller) architectures are becoming popular.
On the core network front, 3GPP has done considerable work to enable automation through network functions such as the NWDAF (Network Data Analytics Function).
The long-pending dream of closed loop automation would become a reality with the amalgamation of these technology trends.
6. Edge computing – private and enterprise 5G
Multi-access edge computing (MEC) has been popular on the Internet for more than a decade, as the Internet architecture has always been distributed and hierarchical in nature.
Some key examples include DNS services and CDNs, which are distributed in nature and closer to the customers’ point of consumption. However, telecom networks were lagging in the adoption of edge computing. Initial adoption of MEC happened in the 4G era, but these were encumbered by legacy network designs.
Cloud-first 5G network functions help in simplifying the task of network automation in the data center cloud as well as on multiple edge clouds. This allows carriers to deploy smaller and highly disaggregated networks for private and enterprise use.
With private networks gaining interest, 5G has found new footholds in Industry 4.0 transformation as well as other areas of digitization, such as healthcare, retail, security, robotics and defense.
Many industry verticals are embracing automation for their long-term survival and profitability, and this is where private and enterprise 5G networks become relevant.
Whether it is automating a warehouse, or tracking in logistics, from richer retail buying experiences to immersive gaming and entertainment, 5G delivers lower latencies and high bandwidths at the “far edge” (factory floor and the enterprise premise).
7. Digital BSS – subscription billing
One of the key functionalities of cloud services is the ability to subscribe to them and bill them in the most seamless manner possible. Platform companies such as Google and Apple have perfected this art of recurring revenues. Carriers are now adopting subscription models in a more ubiquitous manner through digital BSS and marketplaces.
To monetize 5G use cases, frictionless onboarding and billing will be a necessity. Traditional channels of telco onboarding are cumbersome, and hence a cloud-native BSS is critical in conjunction with 5G.
