Eagle-Lanner tech blog

 

Having set their sights on the automated and cost-saving software-based technology option, many smart operators have embarked on the journey to the radio access network (RAN). Although the Open RAN market is still in its early age and started relatively slowly, it is expected that, by 2021, over 100 macro radios will become available and Open RAN deployments will double because more and more operators are looking to modernize their networks with this technology. Apparently, it won’t take long to see this technology reach full maturity in less than three years, for not only is the expensive deployment cost driving the Open RAN adoption, but the software-centric nature of its design that applies to all Gs (2G,3G, 4G, 5G, and future Gs) perfectly aligns with the operator’s needs. Moreover, to even further performance capabilities for an Open RAN deployment, certain radio partners are now working with chip developers to integrate the software with high-performance chips.

ZTNA (or software-defined perimeter”) is an emerging networking technology intended to overcome the limitations posed by VPNs while totally differing from VPN connections in nature. By providing advanced authentication to all access requested by any user from any physical location, it secures the corporate’s entire ecosystem meanwhile minimizing the network attack surface without a VPN.

Disaggregated in a cloud-native system, the vBNG software virtualizes essential network functions in the network, such as performing subscriber session management tasks, terminating broadband subscriber traffic to corresponding service provider networks, streamlining packet processing for high throughput with ultra-low latency and security enforcement.

A managed smart Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) service can help enterprises accelerate their transition to a multi-cloud environment by facilitating the cloud deployment adoption while both simplifying WAN infrastructure and reducing connectivity costs.

To realize service virtualization and find a solution to address the emerging 5G/IoT requirements, a more advanced automation routing approach is essential, which should provide the most up-to-date view of network resources, intelligent algorithms, and smart network control methods. Instead of a technological revolution by starting from scratch, many carriers consider the gradual transition from 3G/4G to 5G a well-accepted evolution path for simplifying IP/MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) networks—Segment Routing.

In recent years Secure Access Service Edge, or SASE, has been a hot topic within the industry. SASE is a concept or strategy that is very much a reflection of our times, a response to our ever-growing need to remotely access cloud-based applications, data, and online resources anywhere. SASE is still very much an emerging concept that means different things to different enterprises, but at its core, it is a cybersecurity concept that brings together WAN and network security services into one cohesive service model. 

With rising requirements for ultra-high-speed mobile networking coming in parallel with the auspicious 5G cellular networks, the operators, in order to react to this growth, have to adapt their infrastructures to the explosive increase in traffic by users, connected devices, mobile broadband and other networked services. How to modify the existing Radio Access Network (RAN) infrastructures to enable new serviceability and a simplified deployment approach is exactly the trial for these operators. This will cost them dearly as deployment and management of distributed base stations would become more complex. C-RAN (Cloud-RAN), or Centralized-RAN, is hence introduced and anticipated as the optimal solution. It can realize RAN advantages on the base of cloud-native architecture by running selected 5G RAN network functions through Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware platforms, efficiently lowering TCO (total cost of ownership) while reducing latency, enhancing capacity and cellular network infrastructure coverage.

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