Page 107 - SAMENA Trends - March-April 2022

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Rogers Claims Canada’s First Commercial 5G Standalone Launch

Rogers Communications has announced other major devices later in the year. The use cases.’ A press release highlighted
the launch of Canada’s first commercial announcement came six months after that 5G SA brings lower latency and
5G Standalone (SA) network services, Rogers reported completion of its national network slicing capabilities, expands the
enabling mobile customers with 5G SA 5G SA core network rollout in October 2021, 5G footprint and supports future enterprise
capable devices including Google Pixel alongside the country’s first 5G SA device and consumer applications, such as
6/6 Pro smartphones to connect to the certification. Rogers’ CTO Jorge Fernandes dedicated private networks, public safety
new network, which was built exclusively declared that the 5G SA network ‘will systems and edge computing for AR/VR
with Ericsson. Users with suitable devices bring immediate benefits to customers consumer applications. Rogers added that
will automatically connect to the 5G by increasing coverage, scalability and its 5G SA ‘is built to scale massively and
SA service where it has been rolled out availability, and improving network will support the unprecedented growth of
and Rogers says it will be onboarding response times, enabling a world of new IoT devices in the years to come.’

NTT DOCOMO and NEC to Incorporate 5G SA Core Using AWS' Cloud Computing

Japan’s NEC has announced that, working with CTO and Executive General Manager for telecom operators, resulting in
mobile operator NTT DOCOMO, the two companies of the R&D Innovation Division of accelerating the telecom industry’s
have launched proof-of-concept (PoC) testing to DOCOMO, adding: ‘The PoC will evolution by delivering significant
operate the vendor’s 5G core network (5GC) service realize a hybrid cloud environment value to our customers.’
in a hybrid cloud environment that utilizes the
Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud and end-to-end
cloud-native network architecture. The three firms
hope to use the PoC trial to establish the viability of
cloud-native mobile networks leveraging a public
cloud for network function virtualization (NFV). In the
press release, NEC noted that the PoC will ‘validate
the energy efficiency and high performance that
AWS Graviton2 processors can bring to NEC’s 5GC
in the AWS cloud to achieve an energy-performance
advantage over comparable solutions. ‘We are
excited to conduct this proof-of-concept with NEC’s
advanced cloud-native 5GC and AWS’ innovative
cloud infrastructure technology. We believe this
collaboration will lead to the further evolution of
networks and network virtualization,’ said Naoki Tani,

KDDI Rolling Out HPE’s 5G Standalone Virtualized Base Stations in Japan

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has vRAN workloads, and is optimized for edge communications in addition to new value
announced that Japanese telco KDDI (au) applications that require high bandwidth added experiences.’ Earlier this month
is using its HPE ProLiant DL110 Gen10 and low latency. ‘The O-RAN compliant KDDI claimed a ‘world first’ when – working
Plus-Telco server for the commercial 5G virtualized base stations we developed with equipment manufacturers Samsung
network operation of O-RAN compliant 5G are now commercially operational,’ said and Fujitsu – it announced the switch-on
Standalone (SA) base stations in Japan. Kazuyuki Yoshimura, Chief Technology of its first commercial 5G SA Open RAN site
In a press release, HPE confirmed that Officer, KDDI Corporation. ‘With open powered by vRAN in Kawasaki, Kanagawa
the Japanese operator is ramping up the and virtualized base stations, KDDI aims prefecture. Launched on 18 February 2022,
buildout of 5G base stations throughout the to provide customers with advanced the site is carrying live traffic on KDDI’s
country to provide more of the population communication services which flexibly network thanks to the deployment of
with access to the next generation mobile and quickly support their use cases. KDDI Samsung’s 5G virtualized CU (vCU) and
technology. The vendor’s Telco server will continue to take the lead in developing virtualized DU (vDU), Fujitsu’s Massive
being deployed is reportedly designed for innovative network technologies, while MIMO radio units.
Open Radio Access Network (RAN) and providing customers with safe and secure

107 MARCH-APRIL 2022