Nokia has outlined the scope of its Future X architecture for 5G, the basis for its new reference silicon design and the foundation of its 5G technology and services portfolio.
This portfolio – to be showcased at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month – comprises a full, end-to-end network that delivers up to three times more data capacity per cell site and 30% lower total cost of operation through artificial intelligence-based automation.
Nokia’s 5G Future X provides unprecedented baseband performance thanks to Nokia’s breakthrough ReefShark chipset. ReefShark chipsets also decrease the size of massive MIMO antennas by 50%, increasing deployment options, while achieving a 64% reduction in the power consumption of baseband units. Machine Learning-enabled beamforming technologies allow networks to ‘follow’ mobile devices and extend cell range as well as provide massive capacity wherever it is needed.
The 5G Future X network is one that scales efficiently to cope with the traffic and constant creation of new services and applications assigned to network ‘slices’. Nokia 5G core solutions, such as Cloud Packet Core, combine cloud-native architecture concepts such as network function software disaggregation, stateless functional software elements with ‘state-efficient’ processing and a shared data layer, with automated cloud networking and dynamic lifecycle management. These enable best-in-class service delivery, agility and operational efficiency.
Automation is key to realizing the full operating potential of 5G and dealing with the massive number of network connections and their different requirements. Nokia’s advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning throughout the network to radio cell sites, wherever they are located, improve both performance and operations. Automation on top of a Nokia cloud-native infrastructure can also result in operational savings of around 30%. Nokia embraces a culture of open architecture to enable customers to access — and benefit from — intelligence within their network.
Stéphane Téral, executive director: research and analysis at IHS Markit, says: “Nokia has taken a holistic approach with its 5G Future X portfolio in order to drive the performance required by 5G applications. With such a wide breadth of technology and services expertise it is in a unique position to optimize the operator path to 5G.”
Marc Rouanne, president of mobile networks at Nokia, comments: “With our 5G Future X portfolio we are opening up network data and network intelligence to our customers to jointly program and tailor machine learning and automation that runs on our new silicon. The Future X architecture invented by our Nokia Bell Labs research has made it possible to mix the knowledge across Nokia, between IP, Optics, RF, software and innovative in-house silicon. We now expect to be able to deliver unprecedented capabilities and efficiencies that will allow our customers to transform their service offering for 5G.”
The Nokia 5G Future X portfolio outlined:
* Nokia 5G New Radio – the radio software, based on the 3GPP 5G New Radio Release 15 standard.
* Nokia AirScale Radio Access – a modular way to build radio access networks delivering services with virtually unlimited capacity, scaling and market-leading latency and connectivity. In 2018 Nokia will introduce over 20 new products and features with software-upgradeable radios, including ReefShark-based products, and the smallest-ever outdoor AirScale system module, all to make the rollout of 5G services quicker and easier while reducing the total cost of ownership.
* Nokia’s 5G AirScale active antennas – ideal for meeting the needs for 5G applications that require mobility support, wide-area coverage, multi-gigabit throughput speeds and millisecond latency. New antenna products include AirScale massive MIMO Adaptive Antennas for 5G and LTE, a portfolio of new 5G ready radio heads, as well as a new dual-band Compact Active Antenna addressing all operator deployment scenarios.
* Nokia’s 5G Small Cells — extending Nokia’s industry leading LTE based small cells portfolio, the new 5G outdoor and indoor small cells are compact and easily deployable and complement the 5G macro network.
* Nokia 5G Anyhaul – the portfolio is expanded for the 5G era with enhanced SDN automation capabilities and products for Microwave, IP Routing, Optical Networking, and Next Gen PON, all supporting the migration of radio access and packet core functions to cloud architectures.
* Nokia 5G Core — Nokia cloud-native packet core supports separated control and user planes and offers both virtualized and new physical deployment capabilities, including platforms built with Nokia’s industry leading FP4 processor. Nokia’s approach to 5G core includes support for both wireless and fixed technologies, ensuring the delivery of converged services. The core portfolio is rounded off with the launch of 5G registers to enable the management of subscriptions on the 5G network.
* Nokia Massive Scale Access – complements 5G New Radio with fiber, DSL, cable and Wireless PON solutions. The end-to-end access portfolio enables service providers to connect more people sooner, using whichever access technology best suits the use case.
* 5G Acceleration Services — to help customers plan a coherent 5G business strategy through techno-economic modelling developed with Bell Labs Consulting. Our end-to-end expertise and innovations in network planning, site evolution, predictive care and virtual operations will help operators realize the Future X architecture.