Industry discussion around 5G has raised the profile of high-bandwidth and low-latency applications. These include high-definition and ultra-high definition video streaming, requiring network bandwidths up 300Mbps, and cloud gaming. Virtual reality and augmented reality gaming and other applications can require both high bandwidth and low latency. Fixed fiber networks can offer significant benefits for these […]

2020 is still expected to be the year when universal CPE (uCPE) deployments move well beyond the early adopters. Several leading service providers have announced new, or enhanced, uCPE solutions during the last 6 to 8 months, and many others have been working on solutions. Second-generation uCPE platforms are already available and processor vendors will […]

Universal CPE (uCPE) solutions require software technology developed to implement software defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualisation (NFV) packaged onto cost effective server platforms configured to work with cloud-based services. The latest solutions are taking advantage of more than 10 years of development using a mix of proprietary and open source software to build […]

During the run-up to what was expected to be a busy OFC 2020 Conference and Exhibition over the past few months, optical equipment manufacturers have been preparing 800G single wavelength coherent solutions for production. Several companies have shared information on recent 800G trials in live carrier networks and have released details of their 800G solutions […]

Universal CPE (uCPE) is a solution that, after more than four years of development, is set to take off in global markets beyond the early adopters. uCPE brings the benefits of network virtualization into the enterprise, using standard server technology with solutions developed for software defined networks (SDN) and network functions virtualisation (NFV). In this […]

In a world of 5G wireless networks and 400G Ethernet connections, it is easy to forget that other technologies can deliver significant benefits for users. Various technologies can drive enhanced services for carriers and their customers, thanks to some recent innovations. While the optical transport network (OTN) has been in the backbone of many carrier […]

Open RAN promises many things; disaggregation, virtualization, a wider ecosystem, less reliance on a small number of suppliers, multivendor interoperability, a greater role for white box systems, more cost effective and scalable solutions, faster time to deployment and integration opportunities with edge computing. In time, many of these will be delivered but there is still […]

The migration to 5G is critical for carriers who are also moving towards cloud RANs and wanting, where possible, to move to open solutions. 5G will bring higher bandwidths, lower latencies, new radio technologies and a new wireless core. RAN disaggregation enabled by cloud RANs and open interfaces gives carriers the opportunity to benefit from […]

5G is rolling out faster than previous wireless generations and will have a much bigger impact on telecoms infrastructure and the supply chain. As mentioned in my previous post, 5G introduces a new radio specification (5G NR), a next generation wireless core network (NGC) and a modular RAN architecture that directly supports disaggregation and open solutions. […]