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NGMN Alliance Publishes Second 5G White Paper

Frankfurt, Germany – The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance published its second 5G White Paper and has launched further projects based on its conclusions.

After the highly recognised NGMN 5G White Paper published in 2015, the NGMN Alliance followed up with another leading message to the mobile industry demonstrating how NGMN continues to drive the ecosystem forward.

Whilst initial 5G services have been launched, there is much more underway to realise the full potential of 5G. The NGMN White Paper lays out how 5G is expected to increasingly enable new business models and many new use cases, and gives its recommendation on how to realise the full benefits of virtualisation, cloud, edge computing and more.

One of the obvious conclusions is, that the industry must avoid fragmentation by adopting global standards with open, interoperable interfaces and application programming interfaces, thereby delivering the promise of agility and scalability.

Some of the key elements the 5G White Paper 2 highlights are:

  • A common Operator platform architecture is desired in order to allow edge computing to be used on a global scale.
  • Mobile Network Operators are uniquely placed to provide a fully integrated solution for Verticals that encompasses networks, clouds and platforms, with dynamic customisation, partnerships, end-to-end management, carrier-grade security and efficient spectrum use. Mobile Network Operators and Verticals should increase their engagement to develop meaningful, mutually-beneficial partnerships and business models in order to fully deliver the 5G potential.
  • Increased focus needs to be given to further improving energy efficiency, sustainability, social wellbeing, trust, and to digital inclusion.

Drawing on some of the challenges and actions identified in the White Paper, the NGMN Alliance recently launched two projects: Future Networks Cloud Native Platform, to create a holistic view on how network cloudification should be exploited, and Future Green Networks, to drive energy efficiency and carbon footprint reduction.

Nick Sampson, Director, Wireless Access and Core Network Standardisation, Orange, and co-editor of the White Paper, mentions: “Building on NGMN’s first 5G White Paper, this document emphasises key actions to support the continuing delivery of the 5G promise, in terms of enabling new business models and opportunities, and achieving the required agility to meet a myriad of requirements from existing and new users.”

Javan Erfanian, Distinguished Member of Technical Staff, Bell Canada, and co-editor of this White Paper indicates: “Following our 5G launch, we are pleased to continue working with the global industry and the entire ecosystem to drive and realise the full 5G vision for the benefit of all our customers. The NGMN White Paper 2 targets the next phase in this journey both to outline key requirements and success factors, including the new and extended value created and delivered by the mobile network operators working together with a broad partner ecosystem.”

“The 5G White Paper 2 provides a guideline for the 5G evolution with new visions, new use cases and new challenges. Engagement with Verticals is identified and highlighted to fully realise the NGMN’s 5G vision. This document further describes the unique and expanded role of the mobile network operator as a network and services provider. It is worthy of being the reference for producing 5G specifications and promoting the 5G ecosystem,” says Nan Hu, Lead Researcher and Manager of 5G Standardisation, China Mobile Research Institute, China Mobile, and third co-editor of the White Paper.

Anita Döhler, CEO, NGMN, points out: “The NGMN White Paper 2 describes the 5G objective of enabling and contributing to prosperity and productivity with significant energy and resource efficiency, sustainability, social wellbeing, trust and inclusion and promotes the engagement with the wider ecosystem to fully address the 5G outreach.  I would like to thank everyone who worked on this position paper, which is a very valuable asset for the overall industry. As stated above, our White Paper kicked off several new activities already. This is an exciting time to be joining the NGMN Alliance and I look forward to continuing on the journey to 5G success and beyond.”

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NGMN Alliance Announces: Ms. Anita Döhler as New CEO

The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance announces Ms. Anita Döhler as new CEO and Board Director. She will take over her new role from Dr. Peter Meissner, who will retire from this position on June 30, 2020.
Since its incorporation in 2006, Dr. Peter Meissner acted as founding director and CEO of the NGMN Alliance. Under his leadership, NGMN grew from a handful of operators to a group that consists of 100 operators, vendors and research institutions – plus over 20 cooperation partner organisations – and has successfully guided and shaped the evolution of 4G and 5G. Peter Meissner will remain active as Senior Advisor to the NGMN Board.
Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon, Group CTO of Orange and Chairman of the Board of NGMN said: “Peter has been at the helm of NGMN as CEO for nearly 14 years. He led NGMN through the development of the 4G White Paper, the subsequent LTE-based Work Programme, the 5G White Paper and the following 5G Work Programme and, recently, the initiation of “Beyond 5G”. These activities have substantially impacted the developments in standardisation and the industry to meet the ambitious requirements of the global telecommunication community. Peter drove the growth of NGMN to an active and impactful organisation with a strong global presence. We thank Peter for his leadership and relentless drive for the success of NGMN and the partnership and wish him all the best for his well-deserved retirement.
At the same time, we welcome Ms. Anita Döhler as our new CEO and Board Director. She is a long-term telecoms industry executive, with hands-on operator and vendor experience. Her qualifications are outstanding, and we are looking forward to working with Anita to drive the next step of the evolution of telecommunications technology in a dynamically growing ecosystem and with new requirements, that are not only technically driven, but have become an integral part of the ecological and societal challenges of the future.”
“I am proud to be leading NGMN as one of the major driving forces of the telecommunications industry,” said Anita Döhler. “This industry has become a solid backbone of the day to day life of global society, which was proven during the recent COVID-19 crisis. I am looking forward to contributing to the future of communication together with the leading operators, vendors and research institutions of the world, as well as new players from other industries that are joining the telecommunication ecosystem. With 5G on a quite successful growth trajectory, NGMN is now going to accelerate the full 5G realisation in our Work Programme. You can expect to hear more from us soon.”
Anita Döhler will take over from Dr. Peter Meissner on July 1st, 2020, joining the NGMN office team in Frankfurt.

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6G. Why?

As 6G research is ramping up around the World, we operators need to think about the benefits we want 2030s networks to provide to the society. We also need to think how to involve our consumers and business customers in this effort, in order to deliver technology that is fully relevant to their needs. NGMN will leverage its solid worldwide operators organization and the return of experience from delivering the basis for 5G vision, requirements and technologies, in order to contribute in shaping future networks for the benefits of the society..
Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon, Chairman of the Board, NGMN Alliance

 

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More Information

Nicolas Demassieux, head of Orange Research, at the upcoming virtual EuCNC conference (https://www.eucnc.eu/) June 16-17 2020

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NGMN Green Telco Activities

In its conference call on 22nd April 2020 the NGMN Board of Directors unanimously decided to engage on activities towards carbon neutrality.

A new team will be established shortly to analyze and determine 5G energy consumption, renewable energy sources, and other related topics.

In a first step all operator partners are invited to discuss and outline the objectives of the initiative, while in step two also all industry partners and researchers will join and complement.

All NGMN partners will work together to introduce aligned green demands to the ecosystem.

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Autonomic Framework for 5G and Beyond

Sebastian Thalanany
by Sebastian Thalanany
U. S. Cellular

Context and Challenge

Virtualization, combined with a decoupling of the control plane and the user plane, together with a plurality of access networks, and disaggregated radio networks with assorted capacities and coverage footprints, provides unprecedented levels of customization and flexibility for the Network Service Provider, for the deployment of a 5G and future systems. These directions in turn demand correspondingly higher levels of distributed computing, storage, and networking capabilities to augment the service experience and quality for a human or a machine interface.

Beyond this ever increasing demand for enhancing the computing, storage, and networking capabilities of next generation wireless access systems, while satisfying the constraints of smaller, faster, and cheaper, there is a critical system-wide requirement that must be met for satisfying a rich and diverse service paradigm. This critical system-wide requirement is the management of complexity, across interconnected and interdependent constituents of a system operating within a given environmental context of humans and machines. While decentralization and distribution, together with appropriate levels of localized computing, storage, and networking resources, provide enhancements in terms of system and service related KPIs and the quality of service experience, the pivotal challenge is to effectively and efficiently manage complexity associated with increasing levels of system-wide interdependence and interconnectedness involving humans and machines.

The management of exponentially increasing levels of system-wide interdependence and interconnectedness, in terms of configuration, administration, operation, fault isolation, security, privacy, performance, optimization, availability, reliability and service experience, demands a dynamic, rapid, adaptive, and agile system-wide decision-making scheme. Such a scheme exceeds the human response limits, and piecewise automation strategies, associated with traditional system management.

Inspiration

With these unprecedented emerging challenges, a scheme for the management of system-wide complexity is inspired by the human autonomic nervous system, which maintains a dynamic system-wide awareness and regulation, by embedding self-managing entities distributed throughout the physiological and psychological system. As one example, among a myriad of complex scenarios, the autonomic nervous system balances the heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure for sustaining life. In another example, the complex feedback loops, between the brain as a controller and its widespread interconnections with self-managing entities (e.g. organs, glands, muscles etc.), maintain system-wide harmony automatically, without any conscious intervention.

Relevance and Applicability

The self-governance principles embodied in the autonomic nervous system reveal essential characteristics realized in terms of an end-to-end autonomic framework for 5G and future systems. The autonomic principles of self-management and governance are particularly relevant for managing the growing complexity associated with high-levels of distribution and decentralization in terms of computing, storage, and networking resources. Virtualization enables these resources to be arranged in flexible deployment specific modalities, consisting of a core network, assorted radio access networks, and spectrum, together with human and machine type interfaces (e.g. handhelds, actuators, sensors, wearables, customer premise equipment etc.). At the same time, the computing, storage and networking resources are likely to owned and operated by a federation of distributed entities that are enabled to cooperate and collaborate for rendering a customizable service paradigm.

An end-to-end autonomic framework consists of embedded self-managing capabilities, distributed across the entire 5G and beyond infrastructure. This capability provides a dynamic system-wide awareness and self-governance, which obviates the need for human intervention from an operational perspective. The autonomic framework realizes this significant benefit by dynamically and adaptively adjusting to system-wide environment changes (e.g. traffic patterns, capacity, coverage, software, new service integration, fault prediction, fault mitigation, fault isolation, security threats, privacy safeguards, energy conservation etc.), while optimizing system-wide behavior, performance, and service experience. The embedded self-managing characteristics of an end-to-end autonomic framework are delineated in terms of self-Configuration, self-Healing, self-Optimizing, and self-Protection attributes[1]. These cognitive attributes embedded within cooperating entities, pave an evolutionary path to a zero-touch (no human intervention) automation of operations on a system-wide basis, well-beyond the limits of automation afforded by just a collection of self-managed entities.

Reference

  1. ETSI, “Autonomic network engineering for the self-managing Future Internet (AFI); Generic Autonomic Network Architecture”, GS AFI 002 V1.1.1, April 2013
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NGMN Alliance Launches Initiative to Advance Cloud, Automation & Edge Computing

Frankfurt, Germany – The Board of the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance launches new key activities to support the adoption of a cloud native infrastructure for telecommunication service providers. The initiative will address hybrid cloud architecture (e.g. edge computing) challenges and will lead to a paradigm change in the network vision of the industry.

The project has been highlighted as a crucial development area to further optimise and guide the telecoms industry towards the successful deployment of 5G beyond 2020.

TIM senior manager, project sponsor and member of the NGMN Alliance Board Andrea Calvi said: “We’re delighted to be leading the way with 5G projects that will address and define the high level target architecture for telco networks based on cloud native infrastructure, open interfaces and open source adoption. This will open vendor ecosystems, reduce TCO and gain flexibility.”

“NGMN is proud to be leading the efforts to address and define the target architecture for the most relevant use cases for E2E automation and orchestration, made possible by this initiative.” said Dr. Peter Meissner, CEO of the NGMN Alliance. “The qualitative effects of cloud native will support telco service providers with value creation and sustainability.”
The work will address requirements from operators who are keen to deliver efficient, high-quality and reliable 5G networks to the market. Activities include cloud native infrastructure, hardware dis-aggregation, open interfaces, open platforms, edge computing, and automation.

NGMN recognises that a number of industry organisations are currently working on different aspects of the topics described above. This NGMN initiative aims to facilitate a close alignment leading to the integration of results to form a common architectural view.

Devices

5G Devices Categorization

The purpose of this document is to provide a use-case based categorization of 5G Devices implementing 3GPP Rel-15 relevant Technical Specifications.

In particular, 5G Devices coming to market between 2H 2019 and 1H 2020 are addressed.

For each 5G Devices category (among eMBB, Fixed Wireless Access and Industrial), a set of mandatory and recommended features is defined.

 

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NGMN Alliance and ESOA Members Collaborate to Extend Rural Connectivity with Non-Terrestrial Networks

Frankfurt, Germany – The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance in collaboration with members of the EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) have progressed the development of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) as 3GPP enhances 5G to support non-terrestrial access in their Release 17 work programme.

Providing a convincing case for the implementation of NTN technology, the NGMN Alliance worked with key ESOA members to successfully demonstrate to 3GPP that space-based networks provide an effective alternative for network connection beyond traditional deployment methods, especially in rural areas. “It was a great achievement to make an impact on 3GPP’s decision to include NTN in the Release 17 work programme through the NGMN Alliance NTN positon paper, which demonstrates technological integration between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks to significantly progress the extension of network coverage” said Sebastien Jeux (Orange), lead of NGMN project “Extreme Long Range Communication for Deep Rural Coverage”.

The paper highlights the requirement for mobile network operators (MNOs) to integrate space-based systems into their networks.

“We are proud to demonstrate the potential of the integration of terrestrial and NTNs to provide internet and mobile broadband services to users in harder to reach areas such as coastlines, forests, deserts and mountains.“ said Dr. Peter Meissner, CEO of the NGMN Alliance. “By 2025, we envision the full deployment of NTNs to meet the challenges of mobile network operators and vertical industries in terms of reachability, availability and resilience which will make a significant difference to the extension of 5G connectivity.” 

Integrating space-based systems with existing terrestrial networks enables mobile network operators to overcome the challenge of signal quality and roaming capabilities in underserved areas.

In the 5G world, terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks will further complement each other including utilizing integrated 5G direct satellite access to conventional smartphones in order to deliver superior coverage to users.

Several use cases were also identified for new satellite-based services in the absence of conventional cellular coverage. These go beyond rural broadband and vehicular connectivity to include geostationary orbit satellite (GEO) fixed Internet of Things (IoT) direct connectivity, which will aid farming, sensing, asset tracking and oil and gas vertical markets. Ultimately, the development will facilitate the movement towards advanced public safety and smart cities.

The paper further assesses reliability and efficiency with regards to the feasibility of service transmission between user equipment (Class 3 UE, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) UE and IoT devices) and NTN platforms such as satellites – both GEO and non-geostationary (NGSO) – and high-altitude platforms (HAPs), concluding that NTNs can provide direct mobile broadband access.

NGMN will continue deeper NTN analysis based on the requirements of mobile network operators expressed in this White Paper, jointly with all industry stakeholders.

To read the full findings of the NTN Position paper, please click here.

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TIM’s 5G overcame the 2 Gbps speed, a new European record achieved on the mmWave live network

TIM confirms its leadership in 5G innovation and in the development of next-generation networks and services by successfully completing the first connection in Europe able to permanently overcome the 2 Gbps speed on a 5G live commercial network with 26 Gigahertz (GHz) millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies acquired through MiSE’s 5G bid.

TIM has achieved this key record together with Ericsson and Qualcomm, two NGMN partners, and this represents an additional milestone regarding millimeter-wave to those already achieved in Turin in 2017 through the first 5G connection in Italy and in Rome in 2018, with the first 5G videocall in Europe.

This result marks a significant milestone toward 5G evolution, kicking-off the use of 200 MegaHertz (MHz), acquired through MiSE’s bid on 26 GHz spectrum, in addition to further 200 MHz available thanks to the bid’s Club Use[1], for a total amount of 400 MHz. The performances achieved will improve significantly during 2020, as the network will be able to use up to 800 MHz and afterwards up to 1.000 MHz.

Being able to achieve Gbps speeds and provide with high network capacity thanks to the wide bandwidth available, 26 GHz mmWave frequencies fit the further development of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services both in the areas not yet covered by fixed ultrabroadband and the creation of “dedicated” 5G indoor coverage. Furthermore these features enable new Industry 4.0 scenarios based on services with exceptional high speed, extremely low latency and the highest security and reliability levels.

TIM achieved the significant milestone grounded on a standard 3GPP Non-Stand Alone (NSA) solution able to let devices and network components from different providers interacting and to aggregate TIM’s 4G and 5G network, already implemented in 3.7 GHz spectrum.

Michele Gamberini, TIM’s Chief Technology and Information Officer commented: “TIM has been pioneer in the millimeter-wave spectrum innovation and with this new European 5G record the company confirms its technological leadership, thanks to its strive toward innovation and a cutting-edge network infrastructure, able to enable the entire country’s digital transformation. This milestone paves the way to the development of new 5G solutions to grant fixed ultrabroadband to families, companies and public authorities not yet covered. This also includes coverage dedicated to the development of robotics and automation digital services in the smart manufacturing area. All of our customers will therefore be able to take advantage of a wide range of integrated solutions that will allow them to fully enter the Digital Society.

Emanuele Iannetti, Country Manager at Ericsson Italy, says “5G will be the main innovation platform of the next decade and it will allow Italy to be increasingly competitive and attractive in the global scenario. We are extremely pleased that TIM has chosen Ericsson’s 5G technology to achieve this important milestone, placing our country at the forefront of the commercial implementation of the fifth generation of mobile networks. Ericsson thus confirms its technological leadership and its readiness to anticipate any market demands.

“Qualcomm Technologies congratulates TIM on this significant milestone which again demonstrates the potential of 5G mmWave technology and shows how operators are able to use a wide range of spectrum bands to deploy 5G. 2020 will see a significant expansion in 5G coverage and the use of mmWave bands will play a clear role in the build-out”, said Enrico Salvatori, president, Qualcomm EMEA.

[1] 26GHz Club Use means the possibility – exclusive for 5G millimetre-wave spectrum assignees – to use the full 1 GHz band if not used by other assignees