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Spirent 5G Blog Series: New Cloud

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Blog - Spirent 5G Blog Series: New Cloud

Read how the success of 5G’s business case is contingent on the efficiencies enabled by the 5G telco cloud where carrier-grade requirements and high levels of test and service assurance will be critical.

5G + virtualization = a match made in telecom heaven, but assurance must factor in

5G is incorporating virtualization concepts and virtualization deployments are being accelerated by 5G’s outsized market opportunity. Yes, the stars have certainly seemed to align to deliver this foundational pair of technologies at the same time.

While NFV has threatened to break through for years, the emerging 5G network architecture has finally set the stage for broad deployment. Evolving cloud strategies are also driving uptake.

But here’s the thing: traditional reactive and predominantly manual service assurance and passive test methods that worked well for static networks will not be practical or cost-effective in a rapidly changing virtualized environment. Especially one where the focus has shifted from assurance of equipment to assurance of service performance and quality in a distributed network.

The 5G telco cloud: efficiencies and complexities abound

The success of 5G’s business case is contingent on the efficiencies enabled by the 5G telco cloud. But compared to the public cloud, the telco cloud has stringent, carrier-grade requirements like high availability, scalability and performance:

  • Moving radio baseband processing to the cloud presents challenges to time-sensitive networking and availability. Proactive RAN service assurance and continuous test will be critical to meeting network performance expectations.

  • Separation of the control and user planes supports virtualization and network slicing, but since each slice will have its own performance requirements, end-to-end testing of slices will require automation.

  • Cloud-native virtual network functions comprise reusable microservices that are optimized for a cloud environment. Thorough testing of these new microservices and their bundles will be required.

Cloud complexity has grown by leaps and bounds and the performance requirements have become more stringent. Put simply, traditional passive test and assurance do not have the response time necessary to ensure the performance needed.

Assuring the Promise of 5G

Automation and machine intelligence to assure quality

In this cloud-based, virtualized 5G world of dynamic services, network changes happen faster than humans can process. This means automation will be essential to service orchestration and service assurance. It must be intelligent, actionable, real-time, and driven by analytics and machine learning.

Active test and automated service assurance simplify the testing, verification and delivery of 5G. For example, they can power:

  • Rapid turn up of new services using automated workflows that seamlessly integrate back office systems and test functions and network elements;

  • Proactive monitoring of the health and performance of the network, functions and services and verify SLA compliance;

  • Intelligent, end-to-end automation of continuous processes across development and operational domains, such as testing and validation, lab management, and launching and assuring networks and services; and

  • Zero-touch, automated troubleshooting and problem resolution.

Simplifying the complexity of 5G cloud testing with automation

While the combination of 5G and virtualization is a match made in telecom heaven, expect 5G telecom cloud to also present performance challenges that require new, automated assurance processes.

Spirent has deployed critical network automation capabilities at top North American mobile operators who are automating more than 50 different operational, engineering and customer care functions. The deployments deliver seven-times faster service activation, millions in cost savings and higher quality, differentiated market offerings.

Follow our 5G blog series and download our Simplify 5G white paper to learn more about how automation, emulation and new test methodologies can reduce the complexity and economics of testing, verifying and delivering 5G networks.

Check back for more 5G assurance insights and join in the conversation by contacting us below. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Stephen Douglas
Stephen Douglas

思博伦5G战略总监

Stephen在思博伦的战略部门工作,其职责是定义技术方向、创新性解决方案及市场领先的颠覆性技术——这些技术对行业发展至关重要。Stephen在电信领域拥有近20年的工作经验,他一直处于下一代技术的前沿,并在整个行业与多家运营商、初创企业和一级OEM合作,帮助他们推动创新与转型。Stephen是互联技术的坚定信仰者,随时努力挑战、削弱并打破阻碍创新及业务成功的绊脚石。