VIAVI SOLUTIONS
Densification of the network is also part of the solution . Tighter spacing between radios is one strategy but we are unlikely to succeed unless we grapple with highly challenging technologies like massive MIMO beamforming antennae .
But , it ’ s not just about new radio spectrum and technologies . Very low latency services need the user plane to be broken out near the user , and that means core network functions can ’ t just sit in a centralised data centre ; they must be able to reside near to the edge . Conversely , limited real estate at the edge means that we can ’ t rely on being able to deploy anything but the bare minimum of infrastructure at the radio sites ; anything that doesn ’ t absolutely have to be
co-located with the radio must be capable of being hosted away from the edge .
These are some of the factors that mean that 5G needs completely new mindsets about designing , deploying and operating the new network .
Is 5G also about reducing cost ? The drive towards a more disaggregated and open RAN arises in part by the desire to make the infrastructure ecosystem more competitive and lower the barrier to selecting new vendors , reducing cost and lock-in for operators . But I believe that is a secondary consideration to other factors such as the fact that delivering a wide range of use cases in the various environments we encounter in cellular networks is a complex problem . This necessitates flexible systems able to adapt to delivering the specific mix of services in the environment in which they find themselves . This is also a major driver to openness , at least as important as costs .
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