Deutsche Telekom (DT) has announced that it has achieved an end-to-end data call based on 5G Wireless Wireline Convergence (WWC) standards on a trial system in its Bonn Lab. 5G WWC standards offer a path to a fully converged broadband access network that integrates fixed and mobile operations on a common 5G core. Using these standards in an industry first proof-of-concept, DT says it has validated in a lab trial the feasibility of converging the fixed network control plane into a 5G core to steer traffic from a 5G residential gateway. The traffic was then routed along the entire fixed line access chain to the core network.
Operators traditionally use two separate and distinct network cores: one for mobile users and one for fixed access. The 5G core can be implemented as a common core, where the control plane and user plane can span across fixed and mobile networks. Therefore, the new converged network based on 5G WWC standards enables operators to support both wireline and wireless networks without duplication of functions such as authentication, subscriber databases, charging, and network-management tools. It also creates new options for converged services.
‘Convergence will allow us to optimise our network assets and deliver new, differentiated service experiences to our customers regardless of the access used,’ said Ahmed Hafez, VP of Network Convergence at DT, adding: ‘Our tests prove the feasibility of the convergence architecture by controlling residential gateways in our fixed network from a common 5G core. It is critical now that the vendor ecosystem implements the standards into their product roadmaps, speeding up the time to market for end-to-end convergent solutions.’