Get ready for 6G… but don’t lose momentum in 5G – still a lot more to be done!
The recent in-person UK 5G Showcase 2022 event in London was a celebration of the last four years of 5G trials and testbeds activity, as well as a look at the upcoming landscape of private networks; its challenges and some of the solutions that address them.
Real Wireless is proud to have been involved in the trials and testbeds activity programme. We were involved in the first phase with the AutoAir project and are now in the final stages of completing work on the Liverpool 5G Create Testbed. We are a member of Project Proteus under the DCMS FRANC, announced in December and are actively working on the next round of projects which we are looking forward to sharing in the near future.
On Day Two of the event Real Wireless CTO Simon Fletcher chaired a track on ‘Private networks and the role of system integrators’. Panellists from Amazon Web Services (AWS), AWTG, Cellnex, Nokia Enterprise UK&I and Telit joined Simon to explore private network challenges and proof points from the Testbeds & Trials Programme and took a forward look at the likely course of growth of the private network market. The discussion focused on the concept of what a private network is and highlighted the justification on why they are important, the challenges they face and how system integrators can help overcome these.
There were different viewpoints, from system integrator, neutral hosts through to a device view, but ultimately the session provided an overview of the ecosystem. Nokia, Cellnex and Telit presented an engaging session, where they had certain audience members asking questions representing different industries e.g. construction worker and doctor in their work clothes. They discussed the benefits of private networks, the different vertical sectors and the communications challenges that those sectors could face, and how they could be addressed by private cellular networks (PCNs) So, it was not about Wi-Fi, it was about PCNs.
Then the discussion led to a system integrator view with AWTG talking about all of the different deployments they had been involved with in the UK, and some of the challenges. To clarify, PCNs are complex systems, not a ‘plug-and-play’ model, although an interesting presentation from AWS illustrated the breadth of different deployment models. Not offered yet in the UK market, but enabled through the CBRS ecosystem in the US, was the AWS presentation which gave a disruptor’s view at the end of the session.
AWS is selling services – it provides the hardware ‘for free’, everything is based on Opex, not Capex, they just send what you need in the post, you plug it in and get connected. That is another type of private network, highlighting a different business model, and one that is potentially highly disruptive to the system integrators’ approach which is based on the complexity of such systems. This complexity suggests that you need system integration expertise to ensure compatibility with current networks and to ensure data strategy and cybersecurity aspects are covered. It is a complex and rapidly evolving ecosystem, with many things to consider i.e. what spectrum you are going to use, or you can go for a AWS approach where you provide clarity of where you want coverage and AWS sends you the hardware you need and away you go, similar to how a Wi-Fi model works.
This is predominantly for indoor use and has been tested inside their warehouses / fulfilment centres, but with an outdoor capability (within reason) using outside access points that could connect to vehicles and workers in the immediate vicinity when they come on to the campus. This is being offered into the market in the US; SIMs and a small cell, and a pico-box is then attached to the side of the building with MIMO antennas on it. For particular applications it may well work well and shows the fruits of AWS CBRS ecosystem engagement. This option highlights how the different private network options are evolving and the different network models available.
To summarise the session, the panel agreed that system integrator capability is needed in the market, and there are a number of vendors that you can select to be your system integrator, but the capability to be able to do system integration is important for private networks to be a success.
Simon also participated in an open plenary session discussion on ‘Future looking – 6G’ alongside Ericsson, European Commission, Samsung Electronics R&D Institute, University of Bristol and Digital Futures Institute, University of Sheffield & DCMS College of Experts, and Vodafone. This session considered key research areas for next generation wireless, including network diversification and convergence, open architectures and standards, software-isation and sustainability, and a focus on delivering social value.
The European Commission provided a bigger picture view; Europe-wide research programme, Horizon Europe, discussing frameworks, collaboration and ecosystems. Ericsson provided strong messaging on AI as an important enabling technology. Samsung had some interesting points to raise commenting that the time to do planning of 6G R&D has almost passed as we are already starting to move to the standardisation process and actively planning the roadmap. The UK needs to get moving with it or will be at risk of losing R&D capability from the UK unless it aggressively addresses the Agenda. 2028 is an anticipated date for early 6G deployments for the innovator small testbeds projects and early commercial activities.
Simon agreed that whilst 6G is important, certainly to drive new technologies, he highlighted that Real Wireless believes that the message to the UK 5G ecosystem is that we don’t drop what we are doing now to go and look at 6G. There are some things we are doing here now, in the UK, that we should get better and better at, and they will be on the cutting edge of technical and commercial approaches. A particular example is neutral hosting, as an important area to think about is the sharing of infrastructure and mechanisms for doing that, and that may include sharing of spectrum as well. This is to mitigate the capex-related investment costs to continue to innovate there. He refers to JOTS NHIB specifications and the Small Cell Forum initiatives and highlights there are things that the UK operator sector is doing now that are ahead of the curve and are recognised on the global stage.
Densification is not going to go away as a trend. These things are not going to be dropped for 6G and we should continue to push 5G. Of course, new technologies will come into play. Ericsson for example will talk about having new experiences, interactivity, metaverse and AI for example, which all drive the big vision, but in terms of the digital infrastructure of the UK we need to keep investing and not wait and ask questions on what 6G is. It will emerge over time.
Vodafone talked about sustainability and a green agenda, reflecting what it is saying in NGMN. Sheffield University talked about university thinking in terms of spectrum in the millimetre wave and above bands, and a strong message on how energy efficiency and sustainability-related research is important. The UK is thought-leading in terms of how to do energy saving in systems, in particular in the manufacturing sector.
Overall, it was a thought-provoking discussion, offering different perspectives and thoughts on what 6G could be going forward. The topic of software-isation was often raised as an important underpinning trend where IT and Telco converge. On Day One of the event there was a side meeting chaired by Real Wireless, Mobile VCE, BCS and WCIT that explored some of the opportunities for the UK to compete and collaborate internationally in the area of software-isation.
The UK 5G showcase was used by DCMS to announce a new entity is in the planning, UK Telecoms Innovation Network, placing diversification front and centre in the drive beyond the early stages of 5G deployment. This looks to be a positive development as it shows a continued commitment to the sector.
