Technologies for dividing networks into network layers are necessary for the development of business in the B2B segment.
By Dan Bowen, Communications Industry Daily
In the annual report of the Chinese government, a new initiative appears – the development of 5G infrastructure. Thanks to this initiative, 5G technologies are being actively implemented in the B2B segment. However, with the launch of new information and communications technologies, existing 5G networks are unable to keep up with the growing pressure. Dividing networks into network layers can solve this problem.
Hu Jian Jun, President of Single’s for Huawei’s core cloud network product line, said in an interview with Communications Industry Daily during the MWC Shanghai 2021 International Mobile Technology Congress in Shanghai: do not fully meet the requirements for deterministic services. ” As noted by Mr. Hu, last year there was a breakthrough in the standardization of the division of 5G networks into network layers, their technical verification and commercial use. This shows that although the technical feasibility of dividing 5G networks into network layers has not yet been fully tested, the technology can have commercial applications, it is necessary to achieve stable development of the B2B segment.
Hu Jian Jun, President of Single’s for Huawei’s core cloud network product line, spoke to Communications Industry Daily during the MWC 2021.
The development of an innovative architecture allows the introduction of network segmentation
According to statistics, there are over 800,000 5G base stations in China, over 200 million 5G network users, and more than 5,000 commercial innovation projects in a number of areas. The government’s initiative in China created the world’s largest 5G network. 5G technologies are being introduced in the B2B market, the number of users is growing, 5G technologies are being applied in various fields. It helps many businesses in their digital transformation process.
At the same time, thanks to the support of operators, network separation technologies are increasingly being used to digitize enterprises in various fields.
“Enterprises in various fields recognize the importance of network separation into network layers for the development of the B2B segment,” said Hu Jingju. Operators pay great attention to the development of the management components (CSMF and NSMF) of the shading architecture to improve the deployment, operation and management of network layers. Thanks to this, users can independently use the services of the operators and the home platforms provided by them.
Mr. Hu also noted that the higher the level of integration of services and ICT technologies, the more there is a lack of opportunities for underdeveloped 5G networks.
Since 2018, the state-owned power grid company of China and the energy provider China Southern Power Grid have been implementing the Smart Grid project based on 5G technologies. The division of the network into layers and MEC technologies were supposed to provide stable, flexible and reliable coverage of the 5G network in the process of distribution, transformation and consumption of electricity using various devices. However, R (AN) cannot provide a consistently low latency. Therefore, the data packet cache had to be allocated to data conversion units to effectively improve the automation of power distribution.
Mr. Hu believes that reducing the dependence of services on network latency by reducing service processing performance and increasing device costs leads to a degraded service quality.
This can be more likely to occur in a variety of industries. For example, industrial enterprises seek to make production more flexible. This requires the PLCs to be centrally controlled and existing networks to be converted to wireless. However, the limitation of these possibilities is preventing the introduction of 5G technologies into the core processes required for industrial automation. Therefore, PLCs are used only in production support systems and for the provision of non-production services through 5G technologies and industrial pilot projects based on the Internet of Things.
In 2021, 5G technologies are rapidly evolving. In addition to building networks, industry players will strive to implement fifth generation technologies to build a robust 5G ecosystem. Operators will improve network architectures and capabilities (such as increased bandwidth and lower latency) to meet the needs of enterprises.
Deterministic division of networks into network layers makes the use of 5G technologies for the B2B segment not only affordable, but also reliable
Already, technologies based on 5G are widely used in a number of industries and the deterministic division of networks into network layers is gradually becoming the basis for the development of such industries as the industrial Internet, the Internet of Things in the energy sector and the Internet of vehicles (Ivor).
“Over the past few years, Huawei has partnered with three of China’s largest operators and major industry suppliers to implement many innovative projects in various areas, accelerating the implementation of 5G technologies in business scenarios. During the implementation of these projects, we have gained vast experience for the commercial application of network separation into network layers for large enterprises. It also helps us to better understand the requirements of different industries for dividing networks into network layers. ” Hu Jian Jun believes that network performance requirements differ depending on the industry and scenario. 5G services for the B2B segment require high performance and determinism of the network, these are the requirements of a service level agreement (SLA). Deterministic division of networks into network layers makes the use of 5G technologies for the B2B segment not only affordable, but also reliable.
Standard Requirements for Dividing Networks into Network Layers and Application Scenarios (Source: Network Slicing Self-Management White Paper)
In the context of current network capabilities, the division of 5G networks into network layers is a guarantee of compliance with SLA conditions, including input data management and segment deployment. It allows you to coordinate the work of all domains in the network to achieve end-to-end network separation into network layers and SLA requirements. In addition, the deterministic network architecture enables end-to-end shading and SLA compliance when deploying deterministic networks independently, and helps improve system capabilities by coordinating various deterministic technologies.
Hu Jian Jun noted that network functions based on dividing networks into network layers allow the provision of deterministic services.
First, the division of networks into network layers is considered the main characteristic of deterministic networks. Hu Jianjun said users now prefer public networks for personal use, as private networks face industry fragmentation and are costly to deploy. Each scenario has a different set of requirements, and the separation of networks into network layers is necessary to separate high priority services and fulfill those requirements.
Second, according to 3GPP, layer management includes communication service management (CSMF), network layer management (NSMF), and network layer subnetwork management (NSSMF). CSMF translates service requirements into network segment requirements, NSMF helps create and manage cross-domain layers, and NSSMF allows you to create and manage (R) AN and CN sub-segments. This enables the cross-domain end-to-end management required for a deterministic 5G network architecture.
In addition, the existing terminal shading ecosystem can be reused. Operators and customers can leverage existing management systems to more quickly deploy the 5GDN architecture.
It should also be noted that deterministic SLA requirements are not just higher performance metric (KPI) requirements. Deterministic SLA requirements imply stability and reliability of KPI data (such as low latency and stable upstream bandwidth).
No doubt the 5GDN architecture will be used to integrate communications (CT) and operational technologies (OT). However, this is a rather complicated process. The development of 5GDN requires a lot of research and collaborative projects in various areas such as hardware, protocols and standards.
