Page 113 - SAMENA Trends - February 2020

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

India’s DoT Announces 5G Field Trials

Given everything else that the sector has such as health, education, agriculture and 5G trials have been rescheduled more
been dealing with, the timing of India’s surveillance were on the agenda, as were than once, but, with 5G spectrum auctions
Department of Telecommunications the role of enhanced mobile broadband planned to take place sometime between
(DoT) announcement on 5G field trials and fixed wireless access (FWA). Pending April and June, the need to get trials
is quite interesting. The DoT is aiming to Wireless Planning and Coordination underway is beginning to look urgent.
get 5G field trials up and running in only approval, DoT will allocate trial spectrum However, in the light of debt issues facing
a month’s time. This apparently follows a to operators, which will then choose both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, it’s
meeting this week with operators and their vendor partners. Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, hard to see where the massive investment
potential vendor partners to discuss use and ZTE are in the frame for Vodafone required for 5G spectrum and rollout will
cases and their preparedness. It seems, Idea and Airtel. Reliance Jio has submitted come from. Indeed, in the case of Vodafone
local press reports say, that operators and an application for trial with Samsung, Idea, survival in the Indian market may
vendors gave a number of presentations its 4G partner. State-run telco BSNL has be a more immediate concern than next
on potential 5G use cases. Trial categories submitted its application with ZTE. India’s generation network investment.

ETSI Launches New Group to Work on Fifth-Generation Fixed Networks

The European Telecommunications group. Fiber is one of the cornerstones of also identify the principal characteristics
Standards Institute (ETSI) announced a communication technologies, supporting demarcating different generations and
new group, ETSI ISG F5G, that’s dedicated fixed access and the interconnection define them. Fourth, the group will look at
to specifying the fifth generation of fixed between any other access networks. the architecture of F5G, which will specify
networks. The ETSI ISG F5G group will look Defining its future developments to the end-to-end network architectures,
at how fiber connections can be enhanced maintain this fundamental role through features and related network devices/
as well as new opportunities that could turn the overall evolution of communications elements’ requirements for F5G, including
the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) paradigm is therefore essential,” said Pesando, in on-premises, access, IP and transport
into “Fiber to Everything Everywhere,” a statement. The new group will start networks. Finally, the group will focus on
according to the press release. The group with five areas. The first, F5G use cases, F5G quality of experience (QoE) factors for
will address aspects related to new optical include services to consumers and new broadband services. It will analyze
distribution network (ODN) technologies, enterprises, which will be picked based the general factors that impact service
XG(S)-PON and Wi-Fi 6 enhancements, on their impact in terms of new technical performance and identify the relevant QoE
control plane and user plane separation, requirements that are identified. The dimensions for each service. Members
smart energy efficiency and end-to-end second area, which is called landscape of the group include: Association eG4U,
full-stack slicing, autonomous operation of F5G technology and standards, will Altice Portugal, BOUYGUES Telecom, BTC,
and management, and adaptation of the study the technology requirements for Cadzow Communications, CAICT, CATT,
transport network, among other items. The F5G use cases, including gap analysis and China Unicom, China Telecommunications,
kick-off meeting for the group took place on taking a look at the existing technologies. CICT, ECO, Fraunhofer HHI, Futurewei,
Feb. 20-21 at an ETSI facility and members The third area will look at defining fixed Huawei Technologies, JSPRC Kryptonite,
of the group elected Dr. Luca Pesando, network generations and the path of fixed POST Luxembourg, Rostelecom, TIM and
TIM, as the chairman of the ISG group. “I’m network evolution. It will include transport, Turk Telekomunikasyon.
happy to be the chairman of this new ETSI access and on-premise networks. It will

113 FEBRUARY 2020