A10 Networks extends carrier-class firewall product lineup with a container offering, new 5G network ready features

A10 Networks announced Wednesday that it is extending the capabilities of the Thunder Convergent Firewall (CFW), part of the A10 Orion 5G Security Suite, to support the coming cloud-native 5G requirements. The container-based carrier-class firewall delivers up to 180 Gbps throughput, one of the fastest in the industry. 

A10 is also releasing a new version of its Advanced Core Operating System (ACOS) 5.1, which includes multiple 5G-ready updates. Thunder CFW running ACOS 5.1 brings functionality, performance and scale of the existing physical and virtual appliances to the container firewall, helping to prepare service provider customers in their transition to cloud-native 5G infrastructures.

The Thunder containerized firewall was recently demonstrated as part of the Linux Foundation’s end-to-end cloud-native 5G network proof of concept at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon. This first of its kind proof-of-concept (PoC) was a fully containerized, end-to-end 5G non-stand-alone (NSA) distributed cloud network, which paves the way for commercial deployments in mobile operator networks globally.

The Thunder CFW includes functionality that helps ensure the security, reliability and availability of 5G networks as they transition from physical network functions to be completely cloud native. It can be broadly deployed in mobile networks at the SGi, roaming and radio access network (RAN) interfaces. 

The A10 vThunder virtual network function (VNF) package has been integrated and validated with leading NFV-MANO solutions, including Ericsson Cloud Manager, NEC Netcracker HOM, Red Hat OpenStack, and tested in recent ETSI NFV Plugtests for end-to-end VNF lifecycle operation capabilities.

“The Thunder CFW release is an integral foundational element to our comprehensive A10 Orion 5G Security Suite. With the ACOS 5.1 release, A10 has integrated comprehensive feedback from multiple proven deployments in tier-one mobile operators over the last year. These production networks have required hyperscale, lower latency, automation, and advanced security,” said Yasir Liaqatullah, vice president, product management at A10 Networks. “As 5G adoption increasingly requires multi-terabit performance on the Gi-LAN, we continue to provide industry-leading scale in virtual network functions (VNFs), cloud-native network functions (CNFs) and physical network functions (PNFs), including scale-out agile deployments with containerized solutions for virtual mobile edge compute requirements.”

In addition to the release of the high-performance containerized firewall CNF, A10 Networks also released new PNFs with its 7600 series models, delivering up to 385 Gbps throughput in a compact RU physical appliance.

The A10 Orion 5G Security Suite is available now. Thunder CFW with ACOS 5.1 and the new CNF and PNF form factors will be available later this month.

Supermicro debuts server class edge systems for open 5G radio access network (RAN) offerings

Supermicro Computer announced new solutions for 5G cell tower deployments leveraging fully-configurable SuperServers based on second generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, O-RAN compliant partner software, and ability to operate in harsh environments. These capabilities accelerate the mobile network evolution from proprietary hardware/software to open source software and disaggregated hardware for 5G installations. 

Supermicro's two new systems are its first servers for 5G, the Intelligent Edge, and other embedded applications to be based on second generation Intel Xeon processors. 

The E403-9P-FN2T is built for demanding environments and includes three PCI-E slots for GPU and FPGA accelerator cards. The compact 1U 1019P-FHN2T is ideal for controlled environments such as micro data centers and re-purposed central office locations and features two full-height full-length PCI-E slots.

With these expansion slots, Supermicro can provide real-time Edge AI inferencing via GPU cards, and accelerate 5G RAN software and open-standard site-to-site communication using the Intel FPGA Programmable Acceleration Card N3000. These new servers complement Supermicro's Xeon D-based 1019D and E403 models. 

Supermicro is developing IP65-rated protective enclosures to meet the needs of outdoor environments such as cell towers and microcell sites.

Supermicro is a market leader in delivering high-performance, power-efficient open hardware server platforms extending the data center level remote management to edge computing platforms, and has deep experience with virtualization and containers, including software such as Kubernetes and VMware. 

The 5G architecture is based on open hardware platforms connected by standardized interfaces, and virtualized network elements. Supermicro joined the O-RAN Alliance to help build a cloud-native, open 5G RAN architecture, and these solutions will concurrently support 4G as networks transition to 5G.

The 5G core network has moved to a virtualized model, which runs on data center hardware where Supermicro's Resource-Saving Architecture provides computing platforms such as the high-performance multi-node BigTwin and the high-density SuperBlade and MicroBlade products. These systems leverage shared cooling and efficient power, and feature a disaggregated structure to enable the latest upgrades without the wasteful rip-and-replace of entire server racks.

Ericsson’s Cloud Packet Core strengthens SK Telecom’s 5G network; improves network performance, user experience

Ericsson was selected to deliver a Cloud Packet Core for SK Telecom’s 5G network. Ericsson’s Cloud Packet Core, part of the company’s Cloud Core portfolio, helps service providers to smoothly migrate to 5G Core (5GC) stand-alone architecture.

Ericsson’s Cloud Packet Core is at the business end of mobile broadband and IoT networks. It creates value, visibility and control of traffic and applications by determining the optimal quality of a service, then enforcing it through appropriate policy.

Building on virtual Evolved Packet Core (EPC) applications, Ericsson is dedicated to supporting customers on a smooth evolution from EPC to dual mode core operations, 5G EPC and 5GC. The company offers flexibility, fast time to market and efficiency in operations. 

On the way, Ericsson Cloud Packet Core - which supports over 100 commercial virtual EPC customer networks - provides a variety of use cases. Some of these are brand-new and are enabled by this new technology, while others are currently evolving use cases with a new level of automation and speed. 

Modernizing and managing capacity growth, adding sites, and migrating to datacenters. From complete virtual EPC and user management deployed in a single COTS server for thousands of users to traditional large-scale MBB operations with more than 10 million subscribers in tier 1 carriers.

The Cloud Packet Core portfolio supports network slicing already in 4G. This allows for multiple logical networks to be created on top of a commonly shared physical infrastructure and acts as a step towards a 5G Core architecture. 

The network evolution from EPC to 5G core plays a central role in creating a powerful network platform that is capable of being exposed and automated for service providers. This means service providers extract more value and become contributors to existing and emerging ecosystems. 

“By utilizing Ericsson’s Cloud Packet Core network solution, which realizes simplified network operations, we will unleash the full potential of new 5G-enabled use cases with greater efficiency,” said Jung Chang-kwan, vice president and head of infra engineering group, SK Telecom.

“This deal, and the opportunity to work with SK Telecom’s Network Functions Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVI), has put us in the ideal position to further strengthen their 5G network,” said Jan Karlsson, senior vice president and head of digital services, Ericsson. “Delivering our Cloud Packet Core solution will positively impact SK Telecom’s network operations and will reinforce Ericsson’s position as a leader in 5G core.”

SK Telecom switched on its commercial 5G network in December 2018 after selecting Ericsson as one of its primary 5G vendors. Previously, Ericsson provided radio access network (RAN) products, including mid-band massive MIMO.

Cellwize RAN automation and orchestration platform with VMware, to enable 5G automated end-to-end assurance

Cellwize Wireless Technologies announced that it is working in cooperation with VMware to provide a network-wide 5G automated assurance solution from the core, through the RAN and to the edge. Communication service providers (CSPs) can benefit from a holistic view of the network, enabling them to leverage network intelligence to predict outcomes, and rapidly optimize configurations to provide service resilience and a superior customer experience.

The 5G experience of the future is being created right now, and the existing assurance systems of today are not adequate for the network-element complexity and the large data volumes associated with robust 5G services. 

Starting out as a cloud-based Centralized Self-Organizing Networks (C-SON) provider, Cellwize has evolved its technology into a wider automation architecture that orchestrates ‘zero-touch’ closed-loop functionalities across a multitude of vendor and wireless technologies. Cellwize solutions are enabling the 5G journey for customers across North America, Latin America, Europe and APAC.

Cellwize’s RAN intelligence technology, in cooperation with VMware’s Smart Assurance, an automated service assurance solution, provides operational intelligence and collective management of optical, virtual and physical networks. 

Cellwize RAN automation and orchestration platform delivers an orchestrated ‘zero-touch’ deployment, configuration, optimization and healing of mobile networks across the landscape of vendor and wireless technologies.

VMware Smart Assurance provides an automated approach to operational intelligence to reduce service impact and operations expenses. Its automation maintains a stable configuration to prevent network incidents, proactively detecting abnormal patterns. 

When incidents cannot be prevented, it automatically identifies the root cause of the problem and generates an alert or triggers a remediation workflow. As a result, network operators can focus on delivering service QoS guarantees, meet stringent SLAs, and provide a high-quality customer experience, rather than spend their time troubleshooting network problems.

VMware Smart Assurance automatically discovers the topology of an entire multi-vendor network - including the transport, physical, virtual and services layers - within hours and presents the user with a comprehensive, graphical topology view. As changes happen, the topology and relational map automatically update.

Altran aligns with Baicells to create multi-platform 5G RAN offering to help OEMs and operators monetize 5G faster

Altran has collaborated with Baicells to developed a 5G RAN multiplatform solution using Altran’s decades of wireless expertise. As the 5G ecosystem rapidly expands, a number of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are collaborating with Altran to design and deliver solutions that leverage 5G technology for both operators and enterprises. 

Baicells, a cloud-based 4G/5G wireless solutions provider, is the latest OEM to select Altran’s 5G RAN software framework. With Altran’s expertise, Baicells will fast track its 5G RAN solution to support several key markets, including telecommunications, industrial, enterprise and private networks. 

5G is expected to achieve economies of scale over the next two to three years, lowering costs across network architecture. As such, RAN is a critical piece of infrastructure to deliver monetizable use cases. Altran’s innovative 5G RAN software framework enables OEMs to accelerate product development and support deployment roadmaps for operators at a reduced cost. 

The framework uses a single software package that works across both millimeter wave and sub-6GHz for both non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA) modes, regardless of platform type. This significantly reduces the cost of maintenance for software releases across different platforms. 

The 5G RAN framework leverages Altran’s decades of wireless expertise, including stack development for 2G, 3G and 4G networks, to support multiple platforms and use cases. It is fully compliant with 3GPP, O-RAN, Open RAN and service control functions (SCF) for femto application platform interface (FAPI) and network FAPI (nFAPI) interfacing, making it interoperable with multiple physical layer (PHY) and remote radio unit (RRU) providers and ecosystems.

“We worked closely with Baicells to create a differentiated 5G RAN solution that reflects the company’s commitment to innovation, while also ensuring that it is cost-effective for operators,” said Dominique Cerutti, chairman and chief executive officer of Altran. “Operators are looking to recoup their investments in 5G infrastructure faster, and the ability to quickly deploy multiple 5G use cases will be critical for achieving a good ROI. To achieve successful 5G deployments, robust RAN solutions will be key.”