5G Public/Private Networks | 5G Magazine Nov 2022

In this edition of the 5G Magazine, we take a reality check focusing on the actual use cases and applications being deployed across industry verticals, the related ecosystem players, and what value 5G is adding to the corresponding use cases and applications.

Featured articles in this edition

UK 5G private networks have started to move from trials to commercial deployments.ย Yet still at a slow pace due to poor device availability working in the private spectrum and the lack of expertise to move from technical/product conversations to solutions – and with the right audience, such as Chief Financial Officers or Chief Commercial Officers, in order to drive tangible benefits and value beyond connectivity.

These awards recognize innovators in private network deployments across connected industries leveraging 5G, LTE, or CBRS. Showcase your achievements in select categories and be recognized by the industry. Explore the 25 award categories here.

Key Dates to Remember:

  • Entries Open:ย Submit Now!
  • Entries Close: October 30, 2024
  • Winners Announced: November 15, 2024
  • Private Network Magazine: November 30, 2024

Find more details and FAQsย on what’s required to submit your nomination, including submission guidelines, and judging criteria.

Enterprise Options for Private Networks

Traditional mobile operators are in an enviable position because they have years of experience running mobile networks, which is not the case for players such as system integrators, network equipment vendors, or hyperscalers.ย That being, competitive pressure has increased, and selling private networks isnโ€™t the same as shifting boxes.ย At BT, we embrace both a local and global route to market.

However, itโ€™s not as straightforward for our customers, who have the choice between systems integrators, software-defined solutions, a growing number of newcomers able to scale through collaboration with hyperscalers and obviously network equipment vendors, some with direct channels, which have delivered most deployments worldwide.ย And consolidation has accelerated too, indicating a clear focus on private network for the various players: think Ericsson with Cradlepoint or Cellnex with EDZCOM. And one shall expect further changes, especially in the form of consortia between hyperscalers, system integrators, and mobile operators.

As a result, it creates a complex buying landscape, that very much depends on technicality awareness, cost constraint, risk aversion, and ease of installation and commissioning.ย This drives different architectures requirements, from pre-integrated with minimum managed service to components-only solution, which requires customized offerings and different value propositions to address different sectors, use cases, and even associated buying personas within. One private network solution cannot cater for the full market.

This ebook provides essential insights and practical tools for navigating private networks, with technical details and case studies for telecom professionals and organizations seeking secure, tailored connectivity. Get Details.

eBook Authored by Mika Skarp, Dr. Jose Costa-Requena, and Bren Tully Walshย from Cumucore.ย 

Also, available on Amazon/Kindle and Google Books.

BT’s Engineering-Focused Approach

At BT, we have catered first for the engineering-focused demand due to the nascent nature of the market in the UK. This was the case with the world first 5G smart port in Belfast, where we delivered a private network in partnership with Ericsson to 1.75m people and 0.5m vehicles traversing the port each year, with a collaboration approach based on understanding Belfast Harbour’s digital transformation needs and operational efficiencies across transport, logistics, warehousingโ€ฆ

Different Private Network Models

We also looked at different models to serve customers, geared towards the outsourced operations of the network and those sourcing individual components, which is traditionally more difficult to penetrate by traditional mobile operators. This translated in designing to requirements (complex) with integrated, customized end-to-end solutions and in designing to scale (lower effort and cost).

Distinct Value Propositions

In addition, we also looked at distinct value propositions with different sales and operating model approaches, either with a consultative sales approach focused on business development and run based on professional service with the goal to achieve client-centricity and agility or with a product-based with product development and managed service at the centre of it and efficiency as the leading principle for organization.ย 

This led to a requirement for new architectures models. To support this, BT is looking at how to augment a network architecture to be able to deploy and run multiple of customer-owned networks in a local context.ย To face the trade-off of scalability vs. flexibility, mobile network operators shall look at different technology architectures.

Dedicated Private Networks

A fully dedicated private network architecture is meaningful when use case requirements are specific, and data security and local site resilience requirements are high. This architecture is not a high integration effort per se โ€“ itโ€™s just that there is no integration out of the box. Current standards, vendor implementations and public network architecture do not support roaming โ€“ they are two separate entities and roaming would be achieved by end-point intelligence (for instance, dual SIM).

There is also no roaming between different sites so a customer in such instance would have IT/OT specific to each location (or having to swap SIMs). Plus managing multiple sites is inefficient from an MNO perspective and calling out a problem that they do not have right now. The architecture prevents economies of scale from a managed service perspective โ€“ so operating costs will not naturally get cheaper within this architecture.

Centralized Private Networks

Centralised private networks share a control plane in a centralized core instance are the best-suited for multi-site deployments. This architecture is well-suited for multi-site MPN deployments since it is based on provisioning an already integrated platform with a synergetic control and management plane. It has a multi-tenant deployment integration engine enabling a flexible addition of new sites.

Key limitation is that complexity also increases with the number of and the central private networks core reaches performance limits. Key benefit is the cost-efficiency of sharing a control plane across sites.ย Currently, this architecture can be enabled mainly by established network equipment providers, however, it can be challenging to deploy and run for mobile network operators due its technical setup and associated operational requirements: knowing where to host the 5G Core, customer-dedicated environment or multi-tenancy, connectivity options for premise connected back to the 5G core environment, performance, and responsibility of these connections.

Hybrid Private Network Solution

From BTโ€™s observation, I believe there actually is a compromise between dedicated and centralised private networks.ย Dual connectivity is a hybrid solution which re-utilized existing public radio access networks and mobile core capabilities of the public mobile network.ย Clear benefits of this architecture are โ€œout-of-the-boxโ€ integration with public network and high level of scalability and cost efficiency due to synergies with public network.

A possible downside is that coverage or capacity challenges in any part of the public network may trigger the need for complex and costly infrastructure extensions of the public network.ย Furthermore, autonomy of the individual site is lower by design due to a lack of dedicated infrastructure on various levels. And we cannot ignore the difficulty of managed and prioritising B2C and B2B business operations (roadmap, investment, usage, and service integration) within a single limited resource platform from a mobile network operator perspective.

Dual Connectivity is underpinned by some of the roadmap elements of the 5G architecture โ€“ and many of the benefits are linked to 5G slicing becoming a technical/at-scale/proven capability.ย 

Choosing Winning Combination

To win in the market, operators need to find the best-suited combination of value proposition and technical deployment model.ย Choosing the winning combination is highly dependent on the enterpriseโ€™s situation in terms of use cases, their benefits/ requirements, the physical site specifics, and lastly the providerโ€™s unique selling position. As for any innovative and complex product, such as a private network, a single winning go-to-market proposition does not exist.

To be positioned to win, providers must come up with a value proposition with scalable sales and delivery channels, as well as expand their technology ecosystem to enable flexible deployment architectures.ย Agility in this context is regularly reviewing the strategy to tweak but also continuing to be data-driven based on commercial viability.

Conclusion

To conclude, the potential for 5G is massive, but so are the challenges to realize its full potential. The 5G landscape has a complex, multi-partner ecosystem. Investing in 5G requires working with a provider with a rich partner ecosystem to support complex global deployments.ย In addition, as the number of connected devices increases, so does the number of security threats; it requires the development of a security protocol for a more holistic strategy across the entire network to protect operations, data, and devices from internal and external attacks.

The level of change and innovation required to deliver on the 5G promise will bring significant challenges, complexity, and need for investment as customers are increasingly wanting to ensure new investments are 5G-ready. Many organisations lack the expertise and appetite to grapple with this new technology and BT see one of the biggest challenges being the availability of the right experience and expertise to provide an effective journey and deliver the right business value.ย 

Working with an expert mobile network operator such as BT will help you overcome these challenges and start reaping the benefits of 5G.

5G Transforming Municipal Operations

5G presents transformative solutions for municipal operations throughout our nation. The legislative and management leaders within a community rely on insights from data collected directly from operations and other sources to enable mission-critical decisions.ย This is all made possible by the confluence of 5G, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence.

These awards recognize innovators in private network deployments across connected industries leveraging 5G, LTE, or CBRS. Showcase your achievements in select categories and be recognized by the industry. Explore the 25 award categories here.

Key Dates to Remember:

  • Entries Open:ย Submit Now!
  • Entries Close: October 30, 2024
  • Winners Announced: November 15, 2024
  • Private Network Magazine: November 30, 2024

Find more details and FAQsย on what’s required to submit your nomination, including submission guidelines, and judging criteria.

As a result, the traditional way of running a town’s operation is being transformed into one of high velocity, efficiency, and reduced cost.ย In addition, the applications and solutions enabled by a 5G public or private network allow town operations to unlock value, enhance citizens’ experience and engagement, and also increase economic development.

Utility monitoring and Rapid Response

A utility operator in a small town can receive real-time data over the 5G network on the health of a wastewater treatment facility without being physically present at the plant.ย Further, the operator can access platforms to implement corrective actions for operational failures at the plant. A drone and other autonomous vehicles on the 5G network can run security surveillance on thousands of acres of reservoir property to detect and enable rapid response to any threats to a town’s water supply.

Transportation

Transportation studies and analysis become an ongoing exercise based on vital pedestrian and vehicular traffic data being captured in real-time and transmitted for storage and analysis.ย Gone are the days of $300 thousand traffic studies for small communities. Instead, well-placed 5G-enabled traffic applications coupled with GIS devices replace the need for rubber strips on roads to count cars and the deployment of labor-intensive resources to conduct traffic studies.

This ebook provides essential insights and practical tools for navigating private networks, with technical details and case studies for telecom professionals and organizations seeking secure, tailored connectivity. Get Details.

eBook Authored by Mika Skarp, Dr. Jose Costa-Requena, and Bren Tully Walshย from Cumucore.ย 

Also, available on Amazon/Kindle and Google Books.

Public Safety

Policing as we know it also changes. For example, a drone with access to facial recognition solutions can quickly identify a perpetrator in a vehicle and use data analysis to predict the destination of the vehicle and alert officers to be prepared to apprehend the suspect at the destination within a certain period of time, avoiding a high-speed chase that would place innocent individuals at risk.

Future-Proof Vision of Communities with 5G and Fiber Optics

It takes visionary leadership to make the promise of 5G a reality. The vision of communities across the United States is documented in a community’s Comprehensive Plan. Leaning in on the vision for our community, five to ten years into the future, the Town of Purcellville inserted language in our Comprehensive Plan to support the advancement and integration of drone technology.

More importantly, the Town of Purcellville passed a resolution to pursue the deployment of fiber optics whenever feasible during construction projects. This is called a “one dig” policy, where whenever a street has been excavated for construction, the municipal seeks lay fiber optic cables in the trenches prior to completing the street work.

Without fiber optic cables, edge computing deployments, and connection, the promise of 5G is impossible. Fiber optics cables connect the transmission towers of a 5G network and ensure virtually unlimited, ubiquitous connectivity for blazing uploads and downloads.

In addition, fiber optic networks are viewed as future-proof because once it’s buried, they can function for over 40 years, and their data-carrying capacity can be almost infinitely upgraded without digging up the cable merely by swapping out the electronics that encode and power the pulses of light that travel within its walls.

A Town that embraces the opportunity to deploy fiber throughout its community as mid-mile and last-mile access will be transformed into a technologically, socially, and economically advanced community.

This all begins with the vision being documented in the community’s comprehensive plan and then planned and executed by the legislative and operational arms of the Town government. Fiber is the foundation or the bones that 5G stands upon, invest in it or be left behind.

Introduction

New โ€œprivateโ€ cellular networks help users and machines to securely access information from more places as industries continue to evolve to improve operations and embrace industry 4.0.ย Many customers have studied the market and already invested in 5G and edge networking at their first site. This pattern has been repeated by companies in many industries and led to important testing across cellular networks as customers explore what they can do.

These awards recognize innovators in private network deployments across connected industries leveraging 5G, LTE, or CBRS. Showcase your achievements in select categories and be recognized by the industry. Explore the 25 award categories here.

Key Dates to Remember:

  • Entries Open:ย Submit Now!
  • Entries Close: October 30, 2024
  • Winners Announced: November 15, 2024
  • Private Network Magazine: November 30, 2024

Find more details and FAQsย on what’s required to submit your nomination, including submission guidelines, and judging criteria.

There are many examples listed below where customer sees the need for the private, low-latency network enabled by MEC as an enabler to transform their business. This article is intended to provide a fresh view of how enterprises are using AT&Tโ€™s solution and provide speaking points with a level of detail that will help the audience resonate with technology.

AT&T 5G private cellular strategy

AT&T offers expertise in building, operating, and supporting enterprise-grade 5G networks for businesses of all sizes. The AT&T 5G private cellular solutions creates a mobile edge/core on the customer premises. This enables customized coverage to meet your needs with increased privacy and control of your network environment.

It also provides the benefit of a more predictable experience to better support not just connected workers but emerging solutions. This addresses the need for increased performance and more predictable latency for time-sensitive critical work functions and newly emerging solutions. These requirements are critical to manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation that are looking to improve productivity and transform their businesses.

This ebook provides essential insights and practical tools for navigating private networks, with technical details and case studies for telecom professionals and organizations seeking secure, tailored connectivity. Get Details.

eBook Authored by Mika Skarp, Dr. Jose Costa-Requena, and Bren Tully Walshย from Cumucore.ย 

Also, available on Amazon/Kindle and Google Books.

Healthcare Clinics and Hospitals

A highly secure, private 5G cellular network provides medical professionals continuous connectivity to the patient, medical, and other data vital to patients receiving timely, high-quality critical care in a busy medical center.

Healthcare Clinics and Hospitals Use Case

Mobile medical carts with persistent, private connectivity so nurses can immediately access patient, RX & procedure information as they attend to their patients.

Largest non-profit Health Systems Use Cases

Use Case 1: Private 5G network to enable new and improved customer experiences and support planned analytics solutions by transmitting data via private, low-latency connectivity. Prior to engagement, the largest non-profit health systems deployed AT&Tโ€™s temporary 5G private network to demonstrate the improved performance that a persistent 5G network could offer over Wi-Fi for use cases like robotic surgery.

Use Case 2: Private 5G network demonstrated that applications used during robotic surgery no longer suffered connectivity loss and latency as they did using Wi-Fi. The Board of Directors decided to purchase MEC after viewing the demonstration comparing performance between private 5G and Wi-Fi networks.

VITAS Healthcare Virtual Reality Study on the AT&T 5G Network Reveals Promising Results

Early results from virtual reality (VR) therapy study led by VITAS Healthcare, powered by the AT&T 5G network, show that hospice patients experienced relief from pain, anxiety, and even disease-specific symptoms. In its latest video, VITAS highlights the utility of cutting-edge technology when paired with the deeply personal, compassionate work that VITAS care teams perform every day.

MyndVR and Stanford University Collaborates with AT&T to Study Impact of Virtual Reality on Seniors

The Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL) at Stanford University, the pioneering lab focused on the psychological and behavioral effects of virtual reality, announced today a new study in collaboration with MyndVR, the leading provider of VR solutions for older adults. The Study will examine how older adults’ use of VR affects their psychological well-being and their attitudes toward new technologies.

AT&T 5G Connects Researchers & Patients at Ellison Institute

A new private 5G network from AT&T* is helping to revolutionize the way patients and researchers connect at the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC. The on-site 5G network is providing ultra-fast connectivity for patient-centered cancer research, treatment, and wellness education. The Ellison Institute is among the first medical facilities in the country using 5G to help advance cancer research.

Department of Defense (DoD)

DoD – 5G network Testbed capabilities for a smart warehouse

  • Test Demonstrates Data Throughput Speeds Greater Than 4 Gigabits Per Second and Less Than 10 Milliseconds of Latency
  • AT&T successfully completed its first milestone towards proving the capabilities of its 5G network solution to enable smart warehouse applications for the DoD

DoD – Naval Postgraduate School and Nellis AFB

This private network solution at Nellis AFB is expected to support a broad array of technology tools and innovations that can help the base modernize its approach to its mission. Potential Nellis use cases powered by AT&T 5G could include:

  • Support for world-class flight line operations, where mission data is transferred at high speeds with lower latency from the data platforms, sensors, and onboard systems of arriving/departing aircraft to on-ground personnel.
  • Enhanced continuous video surveillance and analytics for increased base security.
  • Improved virtual, geographically distributed training for the Virtual Test and Training Center using AR/VR capabilities.
  • Near real-time management of inventory and aircraft schematics; improved use of parts; diagnostics analysis.

Energy

AT&T is working with a major oil and gas company. They are in the middle of installing over a dozen MEC sites. The customer is immersed in an extreme climate, with extreme working conditions. Think about when the temperatures drop, and what happens to a smartphone, getting too hot or too cold shuts it down. For enterprises having to send a worker out to take a reading on a drill head or other piece of equipment, the worker risks their life, and by the time they are back in the office, the reading has changes.

Oil and Gas

A secure, private 5G network allows enterprises to reduce human footprint on hazardous terrain and sets up a roadmap with automated data collection, worksite surveillance, and notifications.

Use Case:

  • Field staff physically take status information they record at hazardous work sites into the local office to input the data into enterprisesโ€™ applications
  • Currently, they do not allow data to be transmitted via commercial network

Business Problem:

  • Enterprise has many work sites in harsh environments where outdoor climate and terrain make outdoor working conditions hazardous.
  • Employees cannot transmit enterprise data over the commercial cellular network. Potential security risk, etc.
  • Workers go out to the work sites and manually record their findings.
  • Workers go back to the sheltered office and input the information into the enterpriseโ€™s online applications using enterprise workstations.
  • Workers repeat this process daily. Human errors and accidents occur as the workers traverse the worksite with large, dangerous equipment where snow and ice cover the ground much of the year.

Benefits of 5G and MEC:

Enterprise customers recognize MECโ€™s value in keeping their data inside the local network. This became a means to an end to achieve the goal enterpriseโ€™s executive sponsor stated in our first meeting:

โ€œWe need to get as many people as possible off the [North Slope] because itโ€™s a dangerous place to work.โ€

Enterprise is using MEC to meet that goal through a two-phase approach.

Phase 1: Replace clipboards & pencils with MEC-entitled smartphones/tablets for workers doing onsite inspections. Workers input findings into applications accessed via mobile devices. Data is transmitted in near-real time via the private cellular network.

  • Human safety benefit: Less time at the work site
  • Operational benefit: more efficient data collection & reporting

Phase 2: Automate data collection and implement continuous site/equipment inspection via IoT solutions.

  • Sensors collect data without the need for human intervention, and solutions provide real-time alerts about issues such as equipment malfunction, intrusion, potentially dangerous conditions, etc.

Human safety benefit: Minimize or eliminate human workers collecting data in dangerous work areas.

Operational benefit: Inspect and collect information about equipment that a human worker could not assess 24×7 data reporting and notifications ranging from preventative maintenance to impending dangers.

Research Labs and R&D Centers

MxD (Manufacturing x Digital)

At MxD in Chicago, AT&T is demonstrating how video intelligence using 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) can provide near-real-time insights into operations on the factory floor.ย At MxD, AT&T is demonstrating:

  • Production accuracy – Manufacturers can identify product abnormalities based on defined specifications and receive near real-time notifications.
  • Inventory tracking – Manufacturers can detect the number of boxes on a shelf and receive real-time notification when a box is removed.
  • Safety monitoring – Manufacturers can create a โ€œsafety zoneโ€ in a designated area and receive near-real-time notifications to manage operations more efficiently.

Texas A&M Rellis Campus

A series of demonstrations by experts from Texas A&M and AT&T showed how 5G could help power a wide range of innovations:

  • Food prices could drop as crop yields grow and costs are trimmed through the use of data-gathering drones, deep-learning algorithms, and robotic farming practices.
  • Emergency health care could improve as paramedics at a scene continuously stream and share videos and vitals to consult with ER doctors.
  • Veterinarians could use similar techniques to inform the triage and treatment of livestock and pets after natural disasters.
  • Businesses could address staffing challenges using immersive, remote forms of augmented-reality training, collaboration, and management.
  • Soldiers and field commanders could gain an advantage over adversaries by using lighter, faster, smarter, nimbler, and more resilient communication systems.

Universities

Purdue University accelerates research and innovation with ATT 5G at Indiana 5G Zone

Indianapolis is one of only two U.S.-based metro areas selected to launch both AT&T and Verizon 5G broadband networks.ย Businesses, researchers, and universities are invited to develop next-generation technological advancements.

The Indiana 5G Zone is sponsored as part of a strategic initiative established in partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to leverage Indianaโ€™s developing digital infrastructure in order to catalyze innovation and support rapidly-developing companies.

Connected Campus

AT&T and Google Cloud announced new solutions across AT&Tโ€™s 5G and Google Cloudโ€™s edge computing portfolio to deliver transformative capabilities that help businesses drive real value and build industry-changing experiences in retail, healthcare, manufacturing, entertainment and more โ€” with the ability to use Google Maps, Android, Pixel, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), and other solutions across Google for more immersive customer experiences.

Use Case:

  • Video analytics services to help businesses with theft prevention, crowd control, queue prediction, and management
  • Streamlining and automating inventory management, connecting brick-and-mortar, and eCommerce and backend systems for near real-time visibility into operations
  • Scaling access to services like telehealth-based therapy, using AR and VR for remote care either from patientsโ€™ homes or at an onsite facility
  • Accelerating operations with remote support and quality control checks at plant locations and optimizing bandwidth usage by streaming video on edge rather than on-device
  • Enhancing in-venue experiences for concerts and sporting events, with solutions ranging from immersive AR and VR experiences, smart parking, and ticketless entry, to contactless food and souvenir payment.

Sports and Entertainment

The sheer range of cellular offers an opportunity to enhance connectivity at sporting events without being invasive to our sport โ€“ the Edge and private cellular enables convergence where cellular traffic can be aligned to what we have over fiber, making it an opportunity to augment our broadcast strategy.

NCAA Final Four

5G and Edge Broadcast: Lets fans experience the NCAA final four games via unique angles of the player’s actions as captured by the AT&T 5G hardwired to nighthawk over the Hoop and Sideline reporter with s20.

Closer to the Action: 5G smartphones broadcasting live gives fans up-close visibility of the player’s action.

NFL Football Team

A private, low-latency 5G network enables athletes and coaches to transform the way the team practices and trains with cutting-edge video analytics.

Use Case:

  • Video on-field practice and identify player motions and behaviors impeding performance and/or creating a risk of injury with video analytics
  • Distribute videos and analytical feedback via private cellular connection among coaches, trainers, and owners

Smart Cities

AT&T to build USโ€™s first 5G Smart City in Virginia with JBG National Landing

AT&T and JBG SMITH, a leading owner, and developer of high-quality, mixed-use properties in the Washington, DC market, have entered into a letter of intent to deliver the first 5G Smart City at scale in National Landing.

The first network infrastructure deployments are planned for the first half of 2022 and will expand with the development of the community. 5G, with the local area and compute edges, could make National Landing a prototype for smart cities of the future and create a unified consumer experience across asset types. The area could also enhance offerings in mobility and self-driving vehicles, immersive retail and entertainment, and building automation and environmental sustainability.

A combination of mmWave and sub6 5G spectrum will be enabled by an interconnected series of building side mounts, street furniture, and underground network infrastructure.

The 5G rollout dominates corporate agendas, with all industries anticipating the innovation, new use cases, and business models that the connectivity revolution will drive. However, telecom operators worldwide feel the pressure to get their infrastructure ready for the new โ€˜5G eraโ€™ as soon as possible.

These awards recognize innovators in private network deployments across connected industries leveraging 5G, LTE, or CBRS. Showcase your achievements in select categories and be recognized by the industry. Explore the 25 award categories here.

Key Dates to Remember:

  • Entries Open:ย Submit Now!
  • Entries Close: October 30, 2024
  • Winners Announced: November 15, 2024
  • Private Network Magazine: November 30, 2024

Find more details and FAQsย on what’s required to submit your nomination, including submission guidelines, and judging criteria.

Time synchronization is a critical requirement for 5G. A lack of accurate time synchronization can be devastating for the operation of 5G leading to interference with other operator services and wider network and security problems.ย In a previous article, we explored the various approaches to 5G synchronization, the challenges and vulnerabilities that come with them, and why the new Precision TimeNet proposition can revolutionize how mobile operators can meet the stringent requirements for 5G synchronization and get ahead of the curve.

In this article, we will take a real-world example of one of Net Insightโ€™s partners, Tรผrk Telekom. We will discuss how weโ€™re working together to develop an innovative solution that overcomes any hurdles associated with 5G synchronization. Our solution, Precision TimeNet, empowers telecom operators to harness the power of 5G without additional CAPEX and OPEX by bringing time synchronization to 5G RANs over existing transport network infrastructure.

The time synchronization challenges faced by a big telecoms operator

Tรผrk Telekom is the first integrated telecommunication operator in Tรผrkiye, with over 180 years of history. The company delivers a wide service network and product range in consumer and corporate services, unifying mobile, internet, landline, and TV products and services under the single โ€˜Tรผrk Telekomโ€™ brand. As of June this year, Tรผrk Telekom operates 17.1 million fixed access lines, 14.6 million broadband, 24.6 million mobile, and 2.9 million TV subscribers across all 81 Turkish cities.

This ebook provides essential insights and practical tools for navigating private networks, with technical details and case studies for telecom professionals and organizations seeking secure, tailored connectivity. Get Details.

eBook Authored by Mika Skarp, Dr. Jose Costa-Requena, and Bren Tully Walshย from Cumucore.ย 

Also, available on Amazon/Kindle and Google Books.

As part of the 5G/DSS rollout process Tรผrk Telekom executed an extensive inspection of the existing network and identified a critical challenge. The recommended PTP synchronization standard for telecom profiles requires hardware and/or software upgrades to meet the high demands for 5G, and vendors solutions might not always be compatible with each other.

Tรผrk Telekom experienced the impact of GPS/GNSS dependence and how it can cause 5G services to be affected. In addition, the cost and complexity of rolling out and operating a large-scale nationwide PTP network are significant.ย As a result, the operator decided that its 5G network must be independent of GPS or other GNSS solutions. Tรผrk Telekom opted for the potential to reduce cost and accelerate national 5G rollouts with the Time Transfer solution.

The operator teamed up with Net Insight to combine expertise in 5G and time synchronization and jointly develop Precision TimeNet, an overlay time synchronization solution. Precision TimeNet enables mobile operators to distribute time over an existing underlying IP network without being forced to do costly forklift upgrades for enabling PTP, while meeting increasing regulatory requirements on GNSS independence.

Partnering to drive innovation

Net Insight has a long history of delivering proven synchronization solutions to the media industry, which has had strict reliability and time synchronization requirements for single-frequency digital TV networks. The further development of Time Transfer resulted in Precision TimeNet (PTN), with built-in mechanisms to distribute time across existing networks.

Precision TimeNet is an overlay synchronization technique combining cutting-edge technology, decades of proven expertise, and robust hardware ready for rapid field deployment within any 4G/4.5G/DSS/5G and emerging 6G networks. Tรผrk Telekom has performed extensive network trials and PTN is now used in live 5G operation in existing IP/MPLS and DWDM networks. The Precision TimeNet solution is set up as an overlay network solution enabling the distribution of time in Tรผrk Telekomโ€™s network architecture.

The sync information is transported within standard VPN connections between Precision Time Nodes and without utilizing any PTP support in intermediary nodes. This results in significant cost savings as intermediary nodes within MPLS and DWDM do not require upgrades.ย The PTN solution is designed to work alongside any routing stack and requires no changes to the existing network design, thus preventing vendor lock-in to ensure flexible and rapid deployment. In addition, the overlay PTN also provides operational advantages. Previous costly and large-scale PTP hardware upgrades are no longer necessary for Tรผrk Telekom.

In Tรผrk Telekomโ€™s case, the overlay solution has not only solved the criticality of functional and reliable synchronization but also secured operational efficiency through extensive synchronization telemetry, visualization, and data-driven troubleshooting and optimization.

Therefore, Tรผrk Telekom can continually improve its networks in a better and more operatively reliable way.ย In addition, Tรผrk Telekom is future-proofed as it is now well prepared to meet existing and future synchronization requirements, imposed, for instance, by new 5G RAN features such as Carrier Aggregation (CA), Fronthaul (FH) and Massive MIMO, while being flexible in choosing technology and vendors in future network extensions. In addition, the PTN solution is fully interoperable with and complements existing GNSS and PTP market alternatives.

Demonstrating success

Tรผrk Telekom is currently in the phase of rolling out the PTN network and is now operational in all Turkish regions. Measurements with live 5G radio have been performed and the results have proven the capabilities of the overlay solution of accurately distributing time across Tรผrk Telekomโ€™s national network.

The cooperation between Tรผrk Telekom and Net Insight creates great possibilities to utilize extensive experiences from the fixed and mobile networks covering all of Tรผrkiye in the development of the synchronization solution. Being the first operator to use this technology, Tรผrk Telekom has the advantage of early evaluation and feedback from an actual large nationwide synchronization network. Both Tรผrk Telekom and Net Insight have the intention to share their experiences in international standardization.

This innovative technology will be able to be leveraged beyond telecom by other sectors such as energy and finance while providing time information with much more precision than the actual current needs of 5G, independent of GPS and cost-effectively.

As weโ€™re entering the 5G era, leveraging innovation to remove critical challenges like time synchronization has both economic and social impact.

5G is transforming markets, industries, and ultimately lives –ย leveling the playing field for more operators to jump on the 5G innovation speed train will open up more opportunities for everyone.

Read the complete article in the 5G Magazine
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