Background
Today operators and providers are pushing full speed ahead into 5G network deployment to meet the exponential growth of mobile data usage and 5G applications. Operators and providers need to walk a fine line between upgrading their network architecture quickly and continuing to provide existing customers with uninterrupted, uncompromised services. This is also happening in parallel with the added challenge of keeping operating and upgrade expenses to a minimum. As a result, service assurance is a critical discipline for the successful upgrade of network architecture. An effective end-to-end service assurance system evaluates problems, ranks them based on their impact level, and prioritizes corrective actions. It is indispensable for operators and providers to leverage service assurance to ensure the rapid deployment of their 5G networks while maintaining or exceeding the level of services they provide to their existing customers.
Requirements
Lanner recently collaborated with a US-based global leader in service assurance to develop a platform for the transportation sector, namely for motor vehicles and trains. To meet the unique needs of transport systems, the platform needed to meet specific requirements. As trains and motor vehicles operate come rain or shine and in various conditions, the platform had to be robust and ruggedized. These include the ability to function optimally in a wide range of temperatures and withstand excessive vibration. What’s more, with wireless connectivity as a cornerstone of any modern transport systems, the platform had to support Wi-Fi, LTE, CBRS, and multiple SIM slots. Lastly, it also had to support the Ethernet RJ45 IP interface.
Lanner Solution
To meet the needs of transport systems, Lanner and its partner developed a mobile SD-WAN appliance based on Lanner’s LVC-2001 vehicle gateway. With multi-carrier connectivity as an essential consideration, the mobile SD-WAN appliance features an M.2 expansion slot for LTE and CBRS, a mini-PCIe expansion slot for Wi-Fi, and multiple front-access SIM card readers. The appliance is a fanless vehicle system featuring rich I/O functionality and environmental endurance, making it highly applicable for mobile vehicle applications. Despite being fanless, the appliance features enhancements to its thermal cooling capabilities, which factor in outdoor and indoor usage. What’s more, the appliance comes equipped with a SoC (System-on-Chip) Intel® Bay Trail Atom™ E3825 or E3845 processor that delivers the required performance for vehicle computing needs while also being very power-efficient.
The appliance also offers expandable functionality, including an abundance of I/O peripheral connectivity, including two serial COM ports, two video output by HDMI and VGA, USB and Digital I/O ports, two RJ-45 LAN ports, and SATA/mSATA storage options. In terms of wireless connectivity, it offers three mini-PCIe sockets with four SIM card readers supporting 3G/4G/LTE cellular communications. The compact system also comes with an optional CAN bus for driving behavior analysis. While the LVC-2001 is a 4G LTE-based appliance, it is upward compatible with 5G through the addition of a 5G communication module.
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