Core Network Fast-Tracks 5G Applications Towards 2025

[Beijing, China, September 30, 2021] The Fifth 5G Innovation Development Summit was successfully held during the China International Information and Communication Exhibition hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China. Richard Liu, President of Huawei Cloud Core Network Product Line, delivered a keynote speech titled "Core Network Fast-Tracks 5G Applications Towards 2025 " at the summit. In his speech, Richard Liu shared Huawei's practices and thoughts on the development and promotion of 5G applications.

Richard Liu delivering a keynote speech

Statistics indicate that there will be 2 billion 5G mobile users worldwide by 2025, among which more than 200 million users will use the 5G VoNR+ new calling service. Also, there will be more than 50,000 5GtoB private networks, delivering diverse applications to industries. To underpin these, the current 5G network needs to be further improved. Mr. Liu pointed out in his speech that 5G network capabilities can be optimized from four aspects: 5GtoB, 5GtoC, platforms, and the autonomous driving network (ADN).

5GtoB: Shift 5G Private Networks from Carrier-Class to Industry-Specific

Huawei's 5GtoB PNI-NPN solution has been leveraged and verified as feasible in 3000+ use cases across 20+ industries. In addition to optimizing and scaling up existing 5GtoB applications, Huawei now is pushing 5G to enterprise production intranets, aiming to help industry partners truly digitalize their service processes.

To further 5G's penetration into industries, Huawei proposes to reshape the current carrier-class 5G private networks into industry-specific 5G private networks with the convergence of DOICT — Data Technology (DT), Operation Technology (OT), Information Technology (IT), Communication Technology (CT). More specifically: with DT, the enterprise private networks become more intelligent and reduce latency through closed-loop mechanisms; with OT, telecom protocols can be coordinated with industrial protocols to provide higher reliability; with IT, more industry-specific applications are unlocked, network construction costs are reduced, and network topologies are more flexible; and with CT, enterprise private networks are significantly simplified.

5GtoC: Upgrade Calls from Voice-Only to Voice+Video+Interaction

The popularity of VoLTE terminals in China and the interconnection of VoLTE networks of China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom have advanced the development of the new calling service. With native capabilities of 5GtoC networks and VoLTE terminals, the new calling service is perfectly combined with AR and VR, directly delivering intuitive menus, remote assistance, and multimedia calling line identification presentation (CLIP) to users, negating the need for users to download any other applications.

At the beginning of this year, Huawei and China Mobile successfully made the world's first call of the new calling service. After that, Huawei established the 5GDNA VoNR+ work group together with leading industry stakeholders, including carriers, equipment vendors, and terminal vendors, hoping to build a sustainable 5GtoC ecosystem and enhance individual user experiences.

Platforms: Combine Centralized Telecom Cloud with Distributed Mobile Computing Network (MCN)

The telecom cloud and network edge are two essential platforms for communications services. Especially for 5GtoB applications, industry customers usually pose stringent requirements on the service experience, which needs to be guaranteed by not only a stable, reliable telecom cloud, but also a sharpened network edge.

Huawei believes that telecom cloud native is the best choice for the 5G core network and has developed the Cloud Native Telco Cloud solution. This solution provides a variety of basic network capabilities — from enhanced cloud native to cross-DC N-Way redundancy, knowledge graphs, as well as network modeling and simulation — laying a solid foundation for high reliability and easy O&M. With this solution, 1500 servers can be upgraded in just 4 time windows with zero downtime, services can be switched over between any two DCs that are thousands of kilometers apart, and the core network can automatically make decisions for quickly handling critical faults. Huawei has utilized this solution to help carriers build the world's first cloud-native ultra-large-scale converged core network in China. The network is now serving 340 million users, accounting for more than 80% of the global converged core network users.

At the network edge, Huawei has deployed more than 50 MEC apps for 7 vertical industries, empowering services in 9 types of scenarios. In addition to this, Huawei is further harmonizing network and computing capabilities at the edge, accelerating its transition towards an MCN that provides comprehensive platform capabilities, such as enhanced decompression, positioning, SLA assurance, and I-frame anti-collision. In this way, the edge platform will converge an increasing number of new industry-specific applications.

ADN: Lift Network Automation from L2-L3 to L4

The automation level of current networks is still stuck between L2 and L3, causing heavy OPEX pressure for carriers. To address this issue, Huawei is deeply integrating cloud technologies and AI, and infusing AI into both the service and management planes, and transitioning the network to L4, which features E2E automation, self-healing, and self-optimization.

• E2E automation

Orchestratable workflows will enable E2E automation — the central and edge clouds can be efficiently deployed, services automatically configured, and software upgraded on demand.

• Self-healing

The industry-leading 8-level redundancy architecture and novel technologies such as cross-DC/cross-layer visualization and intelligent diagnosis are used to prevent faults and rapidly recover services, ensuring rock-solid reliability of the core network and sound stability of the entire carrier network.

• Self-optimization

With innate intelligence, NEs can sense service situations and optimize services with a closed-loop approach, providing a deterministic service experience that is visualized and controllable.

Huawei will continue to collaborate with industry partners to stimulate innovation, boost 5G applications, fuel industry digitization, and foster a beneficial 5G ecosystem for all 5G players.