Showcase is key step to enabling enhanced mobile
broadband, self-driving cars and massive IoT
Barcelona, Spain. February
20, 2018. ADVA today announced that it will host a joint
demo with BT at Mobile World Congress (MWC) that will showcase
end-to-end, multi-layer transport network slicing and assurance.
The demo will illustrate how edge computing and network slicing
techniques can enable emerging 5G applications. These include use
cases that require ultra-reliable low-latency communications
(uRLLC), such as autonomous vehicle control. With 5G connectivity
expected to launch in 2019, there is now an urgent need to develop
new transport networking technology that can meet the cost,
efficiency and flexibility requirements. The showcase marks the
first step in a long-term research collaboration between ADVA and
BT focused on network slicing implementations. Technology partners
involved in the MWC demo include 6WIND, Accelleran, Athonet, Lumina
Networks, Mavenir and Spirent.
"5G is set to enable use cases that go way beyond
mobile broadband. What we're demonstrating here is a network
architecture optimized for a new generation of applications. By
showcasing transport network slicing within an SDN-controlled
infrastructure, we're paving the way for 5G to support different
use cases on a common infrastructure that could enable anything
from self-driving cars to the massive machine-type communication
(mMTC) needed for billions of IoT devices," said Anthony Magee,
director, business development, ADVA. "Our demo shows that true
end-to-end network slicing is ready for deployment. That means
multiple network allocations using the same physical infrastructure
can be delivered in parallel, not only in the radio access network
(RAN) and mobile core network but also across transport and
infrastructure resources. This technology will be vital for
generating the flexibility and agility needed to bring incredible
5G applications to life."
As well as transport network slicing controlled by
SDN, another key feature of the joint demo is the solution's edge
compute capabilities. Built on ADVA's Ensemble Connector and
members of its FSP 150 family, the showcase reveals how virtual
network functions (VNFs), such as evolved packet core components
and virtual RANs, can be hosted at the network edge. Removing
baseband units from cell sites and hosting them on virtual machines
running in the cloud dramatically reduces latencies, complexities
and time to market, and empowers operators to roll out higher
density networks.
The demo also highlights how network slices can
span across multiple operators' domains. This enables third-party
transport network providers to offer fronthaul, backhaul and core
connectivity services as well as edge compute capabilities
supporting the same slicing techniques as the overall transport
architecture. To achieve this, the demo underscores how
orchestration technologies are required to compose end-to-end
slices.
ADVA's G.metro also plays a key role in the
showcase. This innovative new technology directly distributes DWDM
wavelengths to remote radio heads for significantly improved
economic efficiencies in optical access networks. What's more, the
demonstration features assurance and monitoring of individual
network slices, guaranteeing the performance of every virtual
network.
Maria Cuevas, head, mobile core network research,
BT, said, "By showcasing an architecture for wholesale services
that can be efficiently reconfigured across all network layers
through SDN control, we're taking a big step forward. But this
demonstration is really just the start of an intense period of
research into network slicing. Our close collaboration with ADVA
and other partners in this space will help us optimize our network
for 5G and harness the technology's potential to shape the
future."
About ADVA Optical
Networking
ADVA Optical Networking is a company founded on innovation and
driven to help our customers succeed. For over two decades, our
technology has empowered networks across the globe. We're
continually developing breakthrough hardware and software that
leads the networking industry and creates new business
opportunities. It's these open connectivity solutions that enable
our customers to deliver the cloud and mobile services that are
vital to today's society and for imagining new tomorrows. Together,
we're building a truly connected and sustainable future. For more
information on how we can help you, please visit us at:
www.advaoptical.com.
Published by:
ADVA Optical Networking SE, Munich, Germany
www.advaoptical.com
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