Author: Ed Gubbins

Ed serves as Senior Analyst for Mobile Access Infrastructure in the Current Analysis Service Provider Infrastructure Group. He focuses on tracking, analyzing and reporting on developments impacting mobile infrastructure and mobile networking: 2G and 3G RAN and packet core along with, LTE, metro-scale Wi-Fi and WiMAX.

Nokia Left Out of China’s 5G RAN – Another Sign of Growing Polarity in the Global Ecosystem

by Ed Gubbins, posted in Net Transformation, Ultra Broadband
Ed Gubbins – Principal Analyst

Summary Bullets:

• Nokia has been excluded from the latest wave of 5G RAN rollouts by major Chinese mobile operators

• Though Nokia has strategies to overcome this obstacle, the underlying trends of geographic polarization don’t bode well for the industry.

Reporting its Q1 2020 earnings today, Nokia acknowledged that it has essentially been shut out of the Chinese 5G RAN market – the largest such market in the world.

This news didn’t come as a shock to anyone who had seen recent reports that – despite a fresh deal to supply China Unicom with a 5G core platform – Nokia was not named as a supplier in the latest wave of 5G RAN contracts awarded by China’s three major mobile operators. As usual, these procurements went mostly to China’s two major equipment vendors, with Huawei earning the lion’s share, and ZTE’s much smaller share still towering over that awarded to Sweden-based Ericsson. Continue reading “Nokia Left Out of China’s 5G RAN – Another Sign of Growing Polarity in the Global Ecosystem” →

COVID-19 Could Accelerate Wireless Industry 4.0

by Ed Gubbins, posted in Ultra Broadband
Ed Gubbins – Principal Analyst

Summary Bullets:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic could accelerate investment in wireless solutions for the digital, ‘big data’ transformation of enterprise verticals sometimes called ‘Industry 4.0.’
  • Changes made in response to both social distancing and recession-induced workforce reductions could last long after the threat of the virus subsides.

The COVID-19 global pandemic is already expected to transform society in fundamental and irrevocable ways that we can’t yet fully predict. One effect of this transformation may be to accelerate initiatives to deploy cellular network technologies, such as LTE and 5G, to fundamentally reorder industrial operations across a range of enterprise verticals. This trend is already underway, as enterprises investigate the benefits of wireless networks that provide more reliability, and lower latency, than WiFi. However, the sudden and severe disruption that COVID-19 has wrought could force near-term changes among enterprises that lead to lasting practices. For example: Continue reading “COVID-19 Could Accelerate Wireless Industry 4.0” →

COVID-19 Could Spur Demand for Fixed Wireless Access – Both 4G and 5G

by Ed Gubbins, posted in Ultra Broadband
Ed Gubbins – Principal Analyst

Summary Bullets:

• The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to increase demand for fixed wireless access (FWA) solutions to fill gaps in fiber broadband networks.

• 5G FWA has a mixed reputation but is improving; meanwhile, LTE-based FWA may be useful for serving some immediate needs

The COVID-19 global pandemic has resulted in a sudden and widespread explosion in telecommuting, as countless employees who can work from home now do. In many cases, these new telecommuters are using live videoconferencing tools that are sharing home-broadband bandwidth with children who have been sent home from school. The result is a sharp increase in home broadband needs. Where residences have access to fiber, these capacity needs may not be hard to meet. But fiber doesn’t reach every residence; any number of obstacles – including geographical or regulatory ones, or even sheer distance – might get in the way. Thus, demand is likely to increase deeply for fixed-wireless access solutions to fill in the gaps in fiber broadband networks. Continue reading “COVID-19 Could Spur Demand for Fixed Wireless Access – Both 4G and 5G” →

Huawei Launches New 5G RAN Gear, Including Massive MIMO and More

by Ed Gubbins, posted in Net Transformation, Ultra Broadband
Ed Gubbins – Principal Analyst

Summary Bullets:

• Huawei promoted several new RAN solution launches at an event held in London this month, including a Super Uplink solution for increasing 5G network capacity and radios utilizing 400 MHz of bandwidth.

• Huawei also emphasized the value of both frequency- and time-division spectrum.

At an event held February 20 in London, Huawei updated press and analysts on its latest 5G moves. The vendor cited its ability to provide end-to-end solutions for 5G networks, including RAN, core, and Multi-Access Edge Computing, which helps deliver 5G’s low-latency requirements. This comprehensive approach could also enable more cohesive network slicing, a key capability for enabling 5G’s ultimate value proposition.

But Huawei also introduced some important new offerings in its RAN portfolio, along with messages that it hopes will aid its 5G RAN strategies. Continue reading “Huawei Launches New 5G RAN Gear, Including Massive MIMO and More” →

New 5G Network Recommendations Complicate UK Operators’ Rollout Plans

by Ed Gubbins, posted in Het Nets, Internet of Things, Net Transformation, Ultra Broadband, Vendor Transformation
Ed Gubbins – Principal Analyst

Summary Bullets:

  • The UK government has proposed limits in how much Huawei 5G RAN gear mobile operators deploy.
  • Exactly how operators will implement those limits is unclear, raising several questions.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the UK’s technical authority on cybersecurity, made big headlines this week by issuing recommendations for UK operators regarding how to honor national security concerns in selecting 5G network suppliers. But, beyond the headlines – primarily regarded as a win for Huawei, since the NCSC allowed a role for Huawei in UK 5G networks despite pressure from the U.S. – the NCSC’s actions raise plenty of questions about how UK operators will source, plan, and deploy their 5G radio access networks (RANs). Continue reading “New 5G Network Recommendations Complicate UK Operators’ Rollout Plans” →

The Definition of ‘Small Cell’ Keeps Getting Blurrier

by Ed Gubbins, posted in Net Transformation
Ed Gubbins – Senior Analyst

Summary Bullets:

  • Small cells were originally defined as miniature, low-power mobile base stations.
  • That definition is getting murkier as the product category evolves to address changing market needs.

Small cells have always been a bit hard to define. In the simplest terms, they are miniature, low-power mobile base stations. That definition was complicated somewhat by the arrival of low-power radio units that connect to the same baseband units found in standard (macrocell) base stations. These products were called small cells as well – whether deployed outdoors or in enterprises (examples of the latter include Ericsson’s Radio Dot System and Huawei’s LampSite). And the complications didn’t stop there. Continue reading “The Definition of ‘Small Cell’ Keeps Getting Blurrier” →

We’re Not Entering the 5G Era; This Is the Age of 4G/5G

by Ed Gubbins, posted in Net Transformation, SDN/NFV, Ultra Broadband
Ed Gubbins – Senior Analyst

Summary Bullets:

  • Both 4G and 5G will co-evolve in mobile operator networks for years.
  • Even standalone 5G will coexist alongside 4G/5G networks, as operators further monetize 4G investments.

For some time now, the telecom industry has been heralding the dawn of the 5G era, the time when operators are deploying 5G networks and launching 5G services. But, it would be more accurate to say we’re at the dawn of the 4G/5G era, as this is what operators are actually deploying. Both technologies will co-evolve in operator networks for years. And as operators ramp up 5G network investment, they can’t neglect LTE. Continue reading “We’re Not Entering the 5G Era; This Is the Age of 4G/5G” →

ZTE’s 5G Field Test with China Mobile and Why It Matters

by Ed Gubbins, posted in Net Transformation, Ultra Broadband
Ed Gubbins – Senior Analyst

Summary Bullets:

  • ZTE has completed a 5G New Radio (NR) field test with China Mobile in the Chinese province of Guangdong.
  • This tests demonstrates ZTE’s readiness to supply large-scale 5G rollouts and take advantage of the unique opportunities posed by standalone 5G in particular.

Network equipment vendors have been promoting their progress in 5G for years. So, when a vendor announces the completion of yet another 5G field test in early 2019 – many months past widespread industry pronouncements that “5G is here!” – it’s easy to casually disregard. It’s also easy to miss the real significance of this activity. Continue reading “ZTE’s 5G Field Test with China Mobile and Why It Matters” →

MWC19: 5G Promises to Solve the Problems Caused by, Um, 5G

by Ed Gubbins, posted in Net Transformation, SDN/NFV, Ultra Broadband
Ed Gubbins – Senior Analyst

Summary Bullets:

• At Mobile World Congress, radio access network vendors are likely to promote features that simplify 5G networks, ease their deployment, and optimize their energy consumption.

• Ironically, these features are necessary to tackle problems exacerbated by 5G itself.

Cartoon character Homer Simpson once called alcohol “the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.” These days vendors of 5G infrastructure are making similar-sounding claims, as 5G hype has given way to a more, ah, sober reckoning of its implications.

As the telecom industry gathers at this year’s Mobile World Congress, we’re sure to hear that “5G is here!” and “5G is real!” – just as we have in previous years. But as the real-world challenges of 5G deployments draw nearer for operators, RAN vendors will need to devote some messaging to assuaging operators’ fears. In fact, this has already begun, and it takes the form of RAN vendors emphasizing 5G benefits that are, in fact, more like remedies to problems posed by 5G itself.
Continue reading “MWC19: 5G Promises to Solve the Problems Caused by, Um, 5G” →

Samsung’s Bold Commitment to a 5G Future Gives Its RAN Business Short Shrift

by Ed Gubbins, posted in Net Transformation, SDN/NFV, Ultra Broadband
Ed Gubbins – Senior Analyst

Summary Bullets:

• Samsung’s bold announcement of $160 billion investment in the future missed an opportunity to highlight its 5G mobile access infrastructure capabilities.

• At this crucial inflection point in the run-up to the 5G era, Samsung’s longtime-underdog RAN business shouldn’t take a back seat in high-level messaging.

Samsung this week announced sweeping plans to invest a total of KRW 180 trillion (or about $160 billion) over the next three years in future growth areas including artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, automotive electronics components, and biopharmaceuticals.

Given the intended impact of the announcement, it’s surprising that Samsung didn’t take the opportunity to make a stronger statement about its role in 5G mobile access infrastructure. True, the release does state that the Korea-based tech giant “will also invest aggressively to become a global player in the advanced markets for 5G chipsets and related devices and equipment.” If that last word can be read to include mobile networking gear, then at least part of a single word in the 820-word message was aimed at capturing 5G networking mind share – not exactly a ringing bell.
Continue reading “Samsung’s Bold Commitment to a 5G Future Gives Its RAN Business Short Shrift” →