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Olivier Ferveur: The Buzz Over 5G Shows That New Fiber Networks Also Need a Global Standard

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The author of this Expert Opinion is Dr. Olivier Ferveur, senior network architect at Post Luxembourg

LUXEMBOURG, EUROPEAN UNION – On October 16, Post Luxembourg launched its commercial 5G wireless network, when the first cell sites were activated in the city of Luxembourg and other pilot zones using the 700 MegaHertz and 3.6 GigaHertz spectrum auctioned by city-state earlier this year.

As a senior architect of network access at Post Luxembourg, a state-backed telecommunications company in this small and rich country in the heart of the European Union, I’m pleased to offer my vision of the role that fiber technologies play on their own, and also in advancing 5G mobile development.

Post Luxembourg’s lunch event has been considered as major news item by the local media. For the first time in this post-COVID world, a subject besides the pandemic has in Luxembourg created discussion, enthusiasm, and perhaps a little bit of fear.

Post Luxembourg’s 5G coverage will be steadily extended during 2021 before the footprint is gradually expanded to cover the whole country, providing a “network of the future” that includes advanced applications like cloud gaming.

In fact, for the first time my grandmother asked me questions about my job in the field of broadband. But what and why is all of this happening?

Why is there so much dynamism surrounding 5G wireless technology? Indeed, the technology I am in charge of, XGS-PON, does not appear much in the media but only in a  few specialist press articles. (The term “XGS-PON” refers to 10 Gigabit per second (Gbps) symmetrical fiber using passive optical networks.)

Is this a sign of the end of the fixed broadband network that some people might begin to imagine? Not at all, in my opinion.

5G is not really a technology, but a global concept

To understand this difference in status we must identify that 5G is not really a technology. It is a global concept using multiple technologies that offers many uses for consumers and for enterprises. So what does this mean for fixed networks?

This way of presenting the bundle of technology and use cases is very powerful: It identifies the trends for the public, brings politics inside the discussion and gives broadband operators a perspectives of technology evolution. And for providers of equipment and solutions, this framework leads to research and development that both identifies future problems and gives a global new perspective to all industries.

Yet over the past decade, the so-called fixed network has been increasing bandwidth everywhere. This came through installing fiber technology or by improving existing technology like Vplus, a form of VDSL (which stands for “very high speed Digital Subscriber Line) or G.fast, another DSL technology with performance technology between 100 Megabit per second and 1 Gbps. All these technologies have bringing fiber closer to the consumers in common.

In parallel, network technologies that facilitate installation and maintenance have emerged. These include network function virtualization and software defined networks. But there has been no flashy and global “standard” like 5G that seems relevant and understandable for the public and for business enterprises. Why this difference between the fixed and mobile worlds?

The convention view about geography-specific fixed fiber networks

In fact, the fixed environment has a major difference with the mobile world: Fixed networks have a heavy dependency with massive investment in infrastructure.

Every fiber, copper or coaxial cable which is put in the ground is expected to last at least for 20 years. Because of this long-term investment, each country has a different status and doesn’t necessarily follow the same trend.

In Europe, for example, France has more deeply invested in fiber networks has Germany. Why? It’s because Germany has in the past installed lots of coax cables inside cities. Therefore, fiber investment has not been seen as relevant and necessary there.

In addition, the topographies and the population repartition highly impact the choice of one technology from another.

In fact, we now need a global standard for fiber network deployment

This means that, according to the conventional view, taking a global perspective is nearly impossible in the arena of fixed, fiber-based deployment.

But here’s where I disagree. On the contrary, I believe it is possible to have a global view in favor of fixed, fiber networks. It starts by recognizing how mandatory internet use has become. In one year, the internet use has changed as never in the past, and largely because of the pandemic.

We can speak about the number of devices inside houses, the increase of bandwidth for applications like the increase of 4k or 8k for videos. But in reality, the revolution is not yet here at this point. The true revolution comes for the high interactivity request from consumers.

Today, games, video conference services, enterprise VPN and other applications require a high availability, a disponibility of bandwidth every time, and good latency also. And these are just the requirements from actual and existing applications!

The development of new applications are basically blocked by the limitations in network capability. We need to unlock the network to offer more services.

After 30 years of the creation of the internet, this network is still a “best efforts” network. In other words, we are not able to manage complex apps with high requirements yet.

If we want to technically solve this issue, we need more interactions between open systems interconnections layers and that it is only possible with an overview of all fiber-based systems.

The creation of the F5G standard for fixed or fiber 5G

These observations are some of the reasons that my company, along with other actors inside the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, are participating in the creation of the F5G group, for “fixed” 5G.

This group has the ambition to explore new technologies. F5G want to define use cases based on one principle: Fiber everywhere and in everything. The group not only focuses on residential markets, but also looks at enterprises and vertical industries.

After a definition of the relevant use cases, the F5G group wants to highlight relevant technologies and analyze the gap between them. Collaboration between all standards organizations will become a key point to create a dynamic and reliable environment for the sector and the public.

This initiative has just begin. The whitepaper is already accessible. Additional definitions will come in the current months. Don’t be shy, but join us. This initiative will be successful if a large panel of actors participate to the basement of the next generation of fixed network.

Dr. Olivier Ferveur is senior network architect in the network transport department at Post Luxembourg. He joined the company in 2009 and helped develop the core IP/MPLS network. In 2014, he led the transformation of the core network to the next generation technology, including selection, design and deployment. He also represents Post Luxembourg inside ETSI’s F5G working group. This piece is exclusive to Broadband Breakfast.

Broadband Breakfast accepts commentary from informed observers of the broadband scene. Please send pieces to commentary@breakfast.media. The views expressed in Expert Opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of Broadband Breakfast and Breakfast Media LLC.

Broadband Breakfast is a decade-old news organization based in Washington that is building a community of interest around broadband policy and internet technology, with a particular focus on better broadband infrastructure, the politics of privacy and the regulation of social media. Learn more about Broadband Breakfast.

5G

Innovation Fund’s Global Approach May Improve O-RAN Deployment: Commenters

The $1.5 billion Innovation Fund should be used to promote global adoption, say commenters.

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Illustration about intelligent edge computing from Deloitte Insights

WASHINGTON, February 2, 2023 – A global approach to funding open radio access networks will improve its success in the United States, say commenters to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

The NTIA is seeking comment on how to implement the $1.5 billion appropriated to the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund as directed by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The grant program is primarily responsible for supporting the promotion and deployment of open, interoperable, and standards-based radio access networks. 

Radio access networks provide critical technology to connect users to the mobile network over radio waves. O-RAN would create a more open ecosystem of network equipment that would otherwise be reliant on proprietary technology from a handful of companies.  

Global RAN

Commenters to the NTIA argue that in order for O-RAN to be successful, it must be global. The Administration must take a “global approach” when funding projects by awarding money to those companies that are non-U.S.-based, said mobile provider Verizon in its comments.  

To date, new entrants into the RAN market have been the center for O-RAN development, claimed wireless service provider, US Cellular. The company encouraged the NTIA to “invest in proven RAN vendors from allied nations, rather than focusing its efforts on new entrants and smaller players that lack operational expertise and experience.” 

Korean-based Samsung Electrontics added that by allowing trusted entities with a significant U.S. presence to compete for project funding and partner on those projects, the NTIA will support standardizing interoperability “evolution by advancing a diverse global market of trusted suppliers in the U.S.” 

O-RAN must be globally standardized and globally interoperable, Verizon said. Funding from the Public Wireless Innovation Fund will help the RAN ecosystem mature as it desperately needs, it added.  

Research and development

O-RAN continues to lack the maturity that is needed for commercial deployment, agreed US Cellular in its comments. The company indicated that the complexity and costliness of system integration results from there being multiple vendors that would need to integrate but are not ready for full integration. 

Additionally, interoperability with existing RAN infrastructure requires bi-lateral agreements, customized integration, and significant testing prior to deployment, the comment read. The complicated process would result in O-RAN increasing the cost of vendor and infrastructure deployment, claimed US Cellular, directly contrary to the goals of O-RAN. 

Several commenters urged the NTIA to focus funding projects on research and development rather than subsidizing commercial deployments.  

The NTIA is already fully engaged in broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas through its Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, said Verizon. The Innovation Fund will better advance its goals by funding projects that accelerate the solving of remaining O-RAN technical challenges that continue to delay its deployment, it continued. 

US Cellular argued that the NTIA should “spur deployment of additional independent testing and certification lab facilities… where an independent third party can perform end to end testing, conformance, and certification.” 

The Innovation Fund should be used to focus on technology development and solving practical challenges, added wireless trade association, CTIA. Research can focus on interoperability, promotion of equipment that meets O-RAN specifications, and projects that support hardware design and energy efficiency, it said. 

Furthermore, CTIA recommended that the Administration avoid interfering in how providers design their networks to encourage providers to adopt O-RAN in an appropriate manner for their company. Allowing a flexible, risk-based approach to O-RAN deployments will “help ensure network security and stability,” it wrote. 

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CES 2023: Commissioner Starks Highlights Environmental Benefits of 5G Connectivity

Starks also said federal housing support should be linked to the Affordable Connectivity Program.

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Photo of FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks (left) and CTA’s J. David Grossman

LAS VEGAS, January 7, 2023 – Commissioner Geoffrey Starks of the Federal Communications Commission spoke at the Consumer Electronics Show Saturday, touting connectivity assistance for individuals who benefit from housing assistance as well as the potential environmental benefits of 5G.

The FCC-administered Affordable Connectivity Program subsidizes monthly internet bills and one-time devices purchases for low-income Americans. Although many groups are eligible – e.g., Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollees – Starks said his attention is primarily on those who rely on housing support.

“If you are having trouble putting food on your table, you should not have to worry about connectivity as well,” Starks said. “If we are helping you to get housed, we should be able to connect that house,” he added.

Environmental benefits of 5G

In addition to economic benefits, 5G-enabled technologies will offer many environmental benefits, Starks argued. He said the FCC should consider how to “ensure folks do more while using less,” particularly in the spheres of spectral and energy efficiency.

“This is going to take a whole-of-nation (approach),” Starks said. “When you talk to your local folks – mayors – state and other federal partners, making sure that they know smart cities (and) smart grid technology…making sure that we’re all unified on thinking about this is exactly where we need to go to in order to drive down the carbon emissions.”

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CES 2023: 5G Will Drive Safer Transportation

More comprehensive data-sharing is made possible by the reduced latency of 5G, CES hears.

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Photo of Aruna Anand, Durga Malladi, and Derek Peterson (left to right)

LAS VEGAS, January 5, 2023 – Panelists at the Consumer Electronics Show 2023 on Thursday touted the potential for 5G to make transportation safer by enabling information sharing between vehicles and with infrastructure.

5G is expected to expand connectivity by attaching small cell connectivity equipment on various city infrastructure, including traffic lights and bus shelters. 

More comprehensive data-sharing is made possible by the reduced latency of 5G, said Aruna Anand, president and CEO of Continental Automotive Systems Inc., referring to connectivity communications times. Anand argued that making relevant information available to multiple vehicles is key to improving safety.

“We give more information about the surroundings of the vehicle to the car to enable [it] to make better decisions,” Anand said.

Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager for cellular modems and infrastructure at chip maker Qualcomm, described a 5G-enabled “true ubiquitous data space solution” in which vehicles and smart infrastructure – e.g., traffic lights and stop signs – communicate with one another.

Asked for predictions, Malladi forecasted an increased “blend” of communications and artificial intelligence technologies. Anand said 6G is expected to emerge by 2028 and make its way to vehicle technology by 2031.

Both realized and predicted innovations in 5G-enabled technologies have driven calls for expanded spectrum access, from private and public sectors alike. The Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the respective overseers of non-federally and federally-used spectrum, in August agreed to an updated memorandum of understanding on spectrum management

Although relatively new, this agreement has already been touted by officials.

The FCC, whose spectrum auction authority Congress extended in December, made several moves last year to expand spectrum access.

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