Both Open RAN and vRAN offer a significant benefit by separating RAN hardware from software. Consequently, software for the virtualized Centralized Units and Distributed Units (vCU/DUs) can run on any Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware. This support for commodity hardware enables operators to reduce capital costs by taking advantage of the economies of scale afforded by COTS […]

vRAN transforms the RAN from hardware-specific to software-based run on general-purpose servers. It is the evolution from vendor-specific, purpose-built baseband technologies to general-purpose platforms run by software. In legacy RAN systems, each cell site had a Baseband Unit (BBU), which sent data to and from the site’s Radio Units (RUs) and the core network. The […]

🔐 4G Identity Security Vs. 5G Identity Security 🔐 “One of the issues with using IMSI in 2G/3G/4G is there were a few occasions where the IMSI was sent over the clear – meaning the IMSIs of subscribers nearby could be revealed to anyone listening” In 5G privacy, even before authentication and key agreement, by […]

OREC (5G Open RAN Ecosystem) is a project launched in February 2021 by DOCOMO and 12 global vendors in order to promote the dissemination of open RANs. In October 2021, a vendor newly participated, and now there are 13 vendors involved in the project (as of February 2022). NTT DOCOMO has already estimated that the performance […]

Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) CPRI is an open specification for an interface between Radio Equipment Controllers (REC) often referred to as BBU, and Radio Equipment (RE), often referred to as RRH. The use of a CPRI interface run over a single-mode or multi-mode fiber enables the radio equipment to be mounted at the top […]

Demand for mobile bandwidth continues to grow as customers access new services and applications. To remain competitive, telecommunications companies must cost-effectively expand their network while also improving user experience. Global mobile data traffic is expected to increase 407% between 2018 and 2022. Radio access networks (RANs) are an expensive element in mobile networks. They often […]

4G was a great leap forward, allowing people to stream music and video on the go. 5G is designed to connect many more types of devices than smartphones – anything really. While 4G provided a one-size-fits-all kind of connectivity, where every device got the same service, 5G is different. 4G networks were mostly designed for […]

Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) is a 3GPP standardized cloud-native microservice that calls upon other 5G SAmicroservice functions inside the network core to provide the data that can become operational intelligence relative to the current and future state of the network. NWDAF controls the flow and management of network data from three perspectives: Network Operational […]

With 5GC, 4G, 3G and Non-5G-RAN (radio access networks other than 5G) such as public Wi-Fi will be able to connect to 5GC via a common interface. Using the N3IWF (non-3GPP Inter-Working Function), which is a function newly introduced from 5G, RANs other than 5G-RAN can also be connected to 5GC. It is called Multi-RAT (Radio […]

Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) allows both 4G and 5G to dynamically share the same spectrum, reusing existing 4G radios (e.g., antennas). With DSS, mobile operators can swiftly expand 5G coverage while eliminating the need for new spectrum allocation for 5G. DSS dynamically assigns time-frequency resources between 4G and 5G according to their respective traffic demands […]

Previously, legacy synchronous networks relied on network elements to transmit and receive data at the same frequency in order to establish communication links. Modern data networks have more challenging Timing requirements in addition to Frequency, which include Phase and Time of Day (ToD). Not only the same number of repeated events per second (Frequency) must […]