Freescale and Bell Labs explore wireline and wireless virtualization on the road to 5G
Among the most innovative R&D projects concerns the evolution of the wireless access network towards 5G, and the convergence between wireline and wireless technologies. Specifically, the companies will collaborate to create an industry-first universal access device that can flexibly be used for any combination of wireline and wireless connections.
Key to 5G success will be virtualization technology such as SDN (Software defined Networks) and NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) as wireless, wireline and network functions are converged into a 5G core that operates with software defined resources. This will remove the need for network operators to run separate networks for 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi , wireline, M2M and eventually IoT. Not only is this inefficient and expensive but the rising management overhead for all this hardware and software is rapidly becoming too complex.
This will be essential for 5G along with a new air interface and operating spectrum, which will most likely be in the millimeter wave region. SDN and NFV are already being deployed in 4G networks but for 5G, such technology will form the basis of any future standard.
The project is expected to result in a disruptive, highly configurable access technology that supports both wireline and 5G wireless processing in a single architecture. Network providers will benefit from faster and simpler deployment of next-generation networks, while at the same time significantly reducing CAPEX and OPEX.
The companies plan to unveil a proof of concept of the resulting universal remote node at the end of the research project in the first quarter of 2017.
“As the Internet of tomorrow grows the number of network endpoints, boosting throughput and enhancing quality of service become even more important. This is where we intend to focus moving forward, as we continue our fruitful partnership with Alcatel-Lucent and Bell Labs,” said Tom Deitrich, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Digital Networking group.
“Our partnership with Freescale on both the research and business side has helped us to continue our track record of innovation, and furthered our reputation as a leader in innovative and disruptive thinking that is driving the next generation of wireless technology,” said Marcus Weldon, president of Bell Labs. “Through consistent disruptive innovation, we are helping our customers stay a step ahead in the rapidly changing wireless communications infrastructure space.”
www.alcatel-lucent.com
www.freescale.com
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