RAN slicing technology is the cornerstone of any end-to-end network slicing initiative, as radio resources are ultimately the building blocks that will be shared (or divided) among users. Netsia and Telefónica have collaborated to integrate Netsia's platform at Telefónica's laboratories, replicating a private LTE network capable of being subdivided into multiple segments that, at the RAN level, can offer different performance levels, latencies, and radio resources to different customer groups. The integration demonstrates that SDN/NFV techniques can be successfully applied to the RAN, thus completing the final piece of the puzzle toward effective end-to-end network slicing.
Netsia, a technology startup based in Sunnyvale, California, is actively working on software-defined programmable RAN virtualization for 5G and has developed ProgRAN, a Radio Access Network framework based on software-programmable networks (SDN). ProgRAN virtualizes wireless channel resources, as well as radio resource management modules, at base stations, allowing a remote controller to subdivide the network into multiple virtual subnets. The LTE virtual private platform replicates a hospital scenario where wireless resources are shared among doctors, patients, visitors, objects, and other users, with resource allocation programmably implemented to effectively perform network slicing at the radio resource level. Integration was achieved using a virtual LTE core located at Telefónica Global Network Labs in Madrid.
Juan Carlos García, Telefónica's Global Director of Technology and Architecture, says: "The integration of Netsia's Virtual LTE RAN platform into a commercial LTE core in our labs is an important step forward in demonstrating that end-to-end Network Slicing for 5G networks is possible, from the network core to the RAN, and how this new concept can be applied to specific service environments, such as that of an LTE virtual private network.".
Oguz Oktay, Vice President of Wireless Solutions at Netsia, says: “The dynamic capabilities of ProgRAN’s RAN Slicing technology have the potential to link network services to new business opportunities for operators.” Oktay adds: “ProgRAN allows the RAN to adapt programmatically to different service requirements and customer experience needs. This means that an operator will be able to offer network functions to many different industries, such as IoT, healthcare, or automotive, using a RAN-as-a-Service business model. Netsia’s LTE virtual private platform integrated into Telefónica Global Network Labs using a commercial LTE core successfully demonstrates an example of how RAN slicing can be leveraged for new, revenue-generating service opportunities.”.
Equinix selects Infinera Cloud Xpress for data center interconnection in Hong Kong
Infinera announces that Equinix has selected Infinera Cloud Xpress to interconnect its data centers in Hong Kong. Infinera Cloud Xpress offers Equinix a platform with hyperscale density, operational simplicity, and low power consumption.
