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.

Ericsson Spectrum Sharing milestone links up continents, 5G live networks and 5G devices

The move toward commercial Ericsson Spectrum Sharing continues to gather pace with a 5G smartphone from Chinese manufacturer OPPO now added to its 5G ecosystem and successfully tested with a transglobal 5G data call in live commercial 5G networks. 

Ecosystem industry players Qualcomm Technologies, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc., Swisscom, and Telstra also played vital roles in the achievement, which underlined the value of dynamic spectrum sharing to the industry.

The November 29 data-call-first connected Bern, Switzerland and Gold Coast, Australia, with Ericsson Spectrum Sharing deployed in Swisscom and Telstra’s commercial 5G networks at the respective sites. The call was achieved using spectrum sharing on a 3GPP Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) band. 

Pre-commercial 5G smartphones from OPPO, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System, were used on both ends of the call. OPPO is the first 5G device manufacturer to implement Ericsson Spectrum Sharing in its smartphones.  

The data call success validates the support for Ericsson Spectrum Sharing across its 5G ecosystem, from chipsets to 5G devices, and communication service providers’ network products and solutions. The strengthening of the ecosystem is also a step towards the commercial introduction of Ericsson Spectrum Sharing.

Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, part of Ericsson Radio System, is a complete dynamic spectrum sharing solution based on the 3GPP standard with additional intelligent scheduler algorithms. This allows the deployment of both 4G and 5G in the same band through a software upgrade, and dynamically allocates spectrum based on user demand. The switch between 4G and 5G carriers happens within milliseconds, minimizing spectrum wastage and enabling best user performance.

This Ericsson innovation will enable service providers to launch 5G services over a wide area and expand 5G coverage in a tailored way by re-using existing network infrastructure and taking advantage of previous spectrum investments. Communication service providers can therefore provide 5G commercial services and move towards standalone (SA) 5G without the need for blanket costly re-investment.

“This industry-first highlights the value that Ericsson Spectrum Sharing has to communication service providers as they roll-out and ramp-up 5G. With this milestone achieved with our 5G ecosystem partners OPPO, Qualcomm Technologies, and customers Swisscom and Telstra, we’ve shown that our unique solution will not only enable service providers to re-use their 4G spectrum assets for 5G but that it will also support all 5G devices,” said Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president and head of networks, Ericsson. “It is the most economically feasible way to launch 5G on existing bands, enabling nationwide 5G coverage and helping make 5G accessible around the world.” 

“As a leading global tech company, OPPO proactively works to accelerate large-scale commercialization of 5G. Our cooperation with Ericsson, Qualcomm, Swisscom and Telstra to facilitate the commercial use of Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technology is part of the in-depth collaborations among the five companies in the 5G era,” said Andy Wu, vice president and president of software engineering business unit, OPPO. “The 5G smartphones that support this technology will provide more stable, seamless, and speedy connections, and hence a better user experience in the future.”

“Coverage is the next 5G killer app and this is another significant milestone and steps towards ubiquitous 5G coverage,” said Enrico Salvatori, senior vice president and vice president, Qualcomm EMEA. “Dynamic spectrum sharing will bring key benefits to operators and consumers globally and our second-generation Snapdragon X55 5G Modem RF System is a comprehensive solution designed to allow OEMs to rapidly develop global 5G multimode devices for a new era of connected experiences.”

“This latest collaboration of industry partners is paving the way for the faster rollout of 5G by using existing spectrum holdings to serve the needs of 4G and 5G customers in the same location at the same time,” said Channa Seneviratne, Network and Engineering Infrastructure Executive, Telstra. “This collective implementation is yet another innovative example of how 5G technology continues to advance in a rapid fashion, and at Telstra we are pleased to bring that latest technology to Australians first.”

Ericsson has achieved multiple 5G landmarks with all the partners involved in the latest achievement.

Swisscom, with Ericsson as its sole 5G vendor, was the first communications service provider in Europe to launch commercial 5G services in April 2019 on the 3.6 GHz band. Swisscom is targeting 90 percent population coverage by the end of this year.

Telstra, with Ericsson as a key network partner, went live with 5G commercial services and four 5G devices in May 2019 on the 3.6 GHz band. Telstra now offers six 5G devices, and has some 5G sites in 25 metro and regional cities around Australia, with another 10 cities to be added by 30 June 2020.

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.

Sunwave and Mavenir partner to expand ecosystem for enterprise OpenRAN environments

Mavenir and Sunwave announced Tuesday integration of Mavenir’s virtual RAN architecture with an Open digital interface into Sunwave’s CrossFire product portfolio and that first customer trials are now underway.

The companies will jointly or independently support OpenRAN deployments in the enterprise private LTE market and take end to end responsibility.

Existing Distributed Antenna System (DAS) deployments using the CrossFire platform can now be upgraded to support OpenRAN architectures and have an immediate path to 5G. The combination of Mavenir’s OpenRAN and enterprise communication portfolio together with Sunwave’s enterprise portfolio, provide the industry with a true OpenRAN production-proven platform supporting 4G/5G for enterprise and private LTE.

The evolved RAN architecture, designed with cloud-native virtualization techniques, enables the RAN to flex and adapt based on usage and coverage. This flexibility provides expanded and more convenient network location choices for the baseband processing. 

Therefore, this architecture naturally fits in existing networks’ backhaul infrastructure and is future-proof for evolution towards a fully virtualized and cloud RAN architecture. In addition, it offers a strategic differentiation by enabling the Remote Radio Units (RRUs) to interwork with the Virtualized Baseband Unit (vBBU) over a non-ideal fronthaul (i.e. ethernet), overcoming the traditional constraints of CPRI over fiber.

Conventional RAN platforms have been based on proprietary hardware and rely on long life-cycles in development, deployment, and operation. With each generation of radio interface change, these radios are typically replaced with the newer versions at a significant investment and inconvenience to the CSPs. 

Furthermore, radio infrastructures based on this approach are designed based on the peak capacity without granular power and interference management capabilities. This creates the vendor lock-in and the inability to keep pace with technology and demographic transitions.