Category: Press Release

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NGMN and ESOA sign Co-operation Agreement

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The EMEA Satellite Operators Associations (ESOA) and the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance have joined forces to strengthen their relationship and to foster a closer co-operation in the area of integration of satellite solutions in the 5G ecosystem.

This co-operation agreement brings together two widely recognised industry organisations in the field of 5G cellular and satellite networks, respectively. Conscious of the need to expand the benefits of connectivity to as many potential citizens as possible, NGMN and ESOA wish to explore synergies between satellite and terrestrial technologies. This will allow mobile and satellite operators to assess the benefits of new business models that will extend connectivity and potentially unleash new markets and growth for both sectors.“The NGMN project on Extreme Long-Range Communications for Deep Rural Coverage provides essential guidance in terms of end-to-end requirements for rural scenarios”, said Peter Meissner, CEO of the NGMN Alliance. “We are looking forward to a close co-operation with ESOA to jointly drive successful global development of the required 5G technology platform for the benefit of the whole industry. The integration of Non-Terrestrial Networks with greatly expanded reach can help operators to provide services to most or all of their territory.”Aarti Holla Maini, Secretary General of ESOA, stated: “The cooperation between NGMN and ESOA is an important step forward to working towards true universal 5G through a Network of Networks. 5G needs a genuine commitment to making cross-sector cooperation a success in order to really deliver a tangible difference over 4G/LTE and to extend connectivity overall. The cooperation will therefore exclusively focus on technologies, their real business impact and their potential interworking and integration.

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NGMN Operators Joint Position on 5G Core Connectivity Options

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5G Core Connectivity Options – Support of all 5G Core Connectivity options essential to fully explore the benefits of 5G core network

Frankfurt, Germany – the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance today highlights the importance of supporting all Core Connectivity options defined by 3GPP for connection of LTE & NR radio equipment to EPC (LTE Evolved Packet Core, used by 4G networks today) and the new 5G core network.NGMN operators expressing their strong opinion that all of the Core Connectivity options are essential to efficiently deliver services enabled by the 5G core network across operators’ LTE & NR radio network deployments and ensure seamless service continuity between these areas. It is therefore imperative that the complete 5G industry supports all of the specified options.3GPP has defined four possible configurations (known as options 2, 4, 5 & 7) for connecting to the new 5G core via LTE and/or NR radio access technologies. 3GPP has also defined one option for 5G radio networks to be supported using EPC, known as option 3.

Whilst options 2 and 3 have been well supported by the industry to date particularly in the context of initial 5G launches, NGMN operators also require support of options 4, 5 and 7 as they look to introduce 5G services across their networks.

For option 4, by aggregating LTE carriers to NR, operators can maximize capacity and make efficient use of existing LTE assets. Option 5 can offer advanced 5G core network supported service capabilities to LTE coverage areas and thus provide service continuity between LTE and NR. As to option 7, in addition to the advantages of option 5, operators can make use of the benefit of dual-connectivity by aggregating NR carriers to LTE.

3GPP have confirmed that all architecture options will be delivered in Release 15 specifications with options 4 & 7 to be delivered in ‘late drop’ scheduled in June 2019, while the other options are already completed.

A 5G core network offers substantial service benefits through native support of capabilities such as Network Slicing, Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) and uRLLC, with a new end-to-end QoS model. The 5G core network is also based on a modular Service Based Architecture providing a cloud-optimised framework for flexible service creation, automation, scalability and resilience.

With demand for radio performance improvements and industry uptake of wide area advanced 5G core network supported service capabilities, the mobile communications industry requires multiple connectivity options to meet the operator requirements.
Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon, Chairman of the NGMN Board, Group CTO of Orange said: “NGMN operators strongly request the industry to promote, develop and implement Core Connectivity options 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 to support 5G deployments in different markets globally and to fully explore the advantages of the 5G core network.”

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5G future revealed as NGMN gathers leading global operators for briefing on industry use cases building on 5G

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Earlier today, the NGMN Alliance successfully brought together key global operators to showcase unique 5G use cases beyond mobile broadband at its press and industry briefing at Mobile World Congress.

Barcelona, Spain – Taking place on the Deutsche Telekom stand with more than 150 attendees, NGMN welcomed speakers from AT&T, China Mobile, NTT DOCOMO, Orange, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom itself. Covering 4G and 5G campus network solutions in industrial and entertainment industries, smart energy, remote medical healthcare, factory automation and 5G powered maintenance for Industry 4.0, the briefing explored 5G expectations in key vertical industries and the next steps the industry needs to take to overcome key challenges.

“The 5G use cases beyond mobile broadband presented during the briefing have truly highlighted the impact of 5G on fundamental vertical industries,” said NGMN CEO Peter Meissner. “The presentations given by some of the industry’s leading operators have clearly shown the potential that 5G has to transform a variety of industries and the challenges that we must all now work on overcoming in the journey towards 5G.”

Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon, Senior Vice President at Orange Labs Networks and Chairman of the NGMN Board, introduced the session by explaining the potential operator strategies of 5G introduction – starting with enhanced mobile broadband for consumers that seamlessly builds on current networks and then extending towards to the industry focused applications with URLLC ultra reliable low latency communications capabilities.

The use cases presented covered a broad range of applications:

  • Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon, Senior Vice President at Orange Labs Networks, kicked off the session by revealing why immersive experience for Industry 4.0 needs 5G.
  • Igal Elbaz, Senior Vice President of Wireless Technology at AT&T, discussed the creation of a 5G zone at the Magic Leap campus in Florida, enabling developers and creators to test applications and devices on a 5G network as the product is being built.
  • Guangyi Liu, Wireless CTO of China Mobile Research Institute, China Mobile, explained how the unique capabilities of 5G technology will enable a different level of automation in energy networks.
  • Seizo Onoe, Chief Technology Architect at NTT DOCOMO and President of DOCOMO Technology, highlighted the medical healthcare trials with partners on 5G remote and mobile diagnosis.
  • Arash Ashouriha, Senior Vice President of Technology Architecture & Innovation at Deutsche Telekom, showcased the 4G and 5G campus network solutions available to industry customers, and the dual slice approach that integrates public and private LTE and 5G connectivity.
  • Luke Ibbetson, Vodafone Group R&D Director, closed the presentations by discussing the transformation of factory automation, with a focus on spectrum licensing.

Following the presentations NGMN welcomed questions from the audience which covered a variety of topics, including 5G security, network sharing, QoS of E2E architecture and the role of operators in private networks for vertical industries.

“The briefing reflects the NGMN board’s focus on the strategic priorities for the organisation going forward,” said Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon. “We look forward to continuing these crucial discussions together guiding the evolution of 5G technology.”

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NGMN paves the way for the development of 5G patent licensing practices across industry segments

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The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance has jointly organised and executed a successful conference on Licensing Practices in 5G Industry Segments with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), bringing various experts from around the world together to discuss licensing practices and challenges of 5G.

 

Geneva, Switzerland – The conference featured moderators and speakers from some of the biggest names in telecoms, including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, NTT DOCOMO, Orange, Ericsson, Nokia and Microsoft. Also in attendance were key stakeholders of vertical industries, including Audi, Bosch, Panasonic and u-Blox, and patent pool administrators, namely Avanci, MPEG-LA, Sisvel and Via Licensing, who co-sponsored the event, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), the Japanese and the European Patent Offices, and the European Commission. Focusing on the development of 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT), the conference facilitated sharing and discussing of present-day licensing practices and related issues across different industry segments.A host of insightful sessions took place igniting an inclusive exchange on:

  • Patent licensing practices with interactive discussions that focused on issues stakeholders need to be aware of.
  • Sharing licensors’, licensees’ and pool administrators’ requirements on patent pools/platforms.
  • Identifying proposed practices and conducts for licensors and licensees.
  • Listing requirements for increasing transparency and assessing essentiality of Standard Essential Patents declared to Standards Developing Organisations.

 

“It’s great to notice that our joint ITU-NGMN conference has been such a success,” said Dr. Peter Meissner, CEO of NGMN. “Obviously, the 5G Eco-System is different. New use cases beyond mobile broadband – like massive IoT as well as highly demanding requirements from vertical industries on low latency, ultra-high reliability and security – are causing substantial network transformations. All these challenges have implications on the intellectual property of mobile network operators and across the different industry segments. Conferences like this are key in identifying IPR issues and exploring solutions for the enlarged eco-system.”

 

On a related matter, NGMN will be hosting a Press & Industry Briefing on 5G use cases beyond mobile broadband on 26th February 2019, from 11am – noon at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. If you are interested in attending or speaking to an NGMN representative, please contact ngmn(at)proactive-pr.com.

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NGMN & Wireless Broadband Alliance join forces to address RAN convergence opportunities

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Call for combined 5G and Wi-Fi network resources to address opportunities and use casesLondon, Frankfurt – NGMN and Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) have published the first results of their collaboration to drive the convergence of multi-technology RANs and core networks. The joint report identifies a number of emerging opportunities and use cases that the industry can benefit from through the convergence of 3GPP’s 5G and Wi-Fi, driven by the ever-enhancing capabilities of licenced and unlicensed technologies. It also highlights the key challenges, which must first be addressed in order to realise convergence over 3GPP Access and Wi-Fi – including tighter integration of Wi-Fi access in 5G networks, network manageability and policy control, and the enablement of Wi-Fi-only devices.

The convergence opportunity
Wi-Fi and cellular ecosystems have traditionally followed their own development paths. The latest versions of each technology have greatly enhanced capability compared with early offerings, with Wi-Fi 6 and 3GPP’s 5G, encompassing New Radio (NR) and LTE from Release 15 onwards, as well as the 3GPP 5G Core. However, as society increasingly depends on fast reliable data connectivity, NGMN and WBA believe an important capability for the industry is the convergence at a network level between 5G and Wi-Fi, so that the unique and complementary capabilities of both RANs can be leveraged to provide seamless network services. Bearing in mind that a significant amount of data traffic from smartphones use a Wi-Fi access, this will lead to a better user experience and create new business opportunities for both Wi-Fi and cellular providers.

New resource requirements
The report identifies a number of use cases and verticals that may require combined resources from both 5G and Wi-Fi networks in providing cost effective solutions that meet diverse sets of requirements on throughput, latency, connection density, coverage, availability and reliability. For example, enterprise services on cellular networks, and in particular, those that the 5G Core enables, may require a new look at the use of an access neutral mechanism for a number of reasons. These include gaps in coverage, the proliferation of indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi deployments, and potential for multi-site enterprise environments.
“Convergence of 5G and Wi-Fi can potentially bring major benefits to cellular operators, enterprise Wi-Fi and public Wi-Fi solution providers, giving access to 5G and enterprise services from both Wi-Fi and 5G access networks.” said Dr. Peter Meissner, CEO of the NGMN Alliance. “However, in order to realise service and network convergence, we have worked with the WBA to identify a number of requirements that must first be satisfied. This is particularly true in the enterprise and Public Wi-Fi space, where there is a demand from cellular operators for a standardised solution for improved visibility and control in the configuration and management of Wi-Fi access networks.”

5G/Wi-Fi Interworking
A number of industry developments and specifications address the interworking of 5G and Wi-Fi from a technical standpoint:

  • 3GPP has already developed specifications to ensure tight integration of 3GPP and non-3GPP radio technologies, such as Wi-Fi. In order to better serve customers and provide the full 5G experience the tight integration of non-3GPP technologies needs to be ensured also within the 5G Core Network. Solutions enabling some of these objectives have already been adopted by 3GPP and Wi-Fi 6, such as the EAP authentication framework similar to Wi-Fi, to accommodate different wireless service subscription-types (e.g. mobile, wireless or fixed broadband) and their native authentication methods.
  • 3GPP Release 15 provides some support for interworking between 5G and Wi-Fi. In particular, 3GPP Release 15 provides support for untrusted non-3GPP access (such as Wi-Fi) to the 5G core via Non-3GPP Interworking Function (N3IWF), with secure transport of Control-Plane/User-Plane (CP/UP) messages over an IKEv2/IPSec tunnels between the terminal devices and the N3IWF.
  • 3GPP Release 16 is continuing the work by enhancing capabilities for Wi-Fi integration, including trusted Wi-Fi support and access traffic steering, switching and splitting.

However, challenges and needs remain – including the enablement of Wi-Fi only devices to connect to the 5G core, further study to ensure the tight integration between 5G and Wi-Fi networks, an interface to enable certain level of network manageability and policy control between 5G core and Wi-Fi networks, and the ability of a client to route traffic over one or more accesses, making optimal use of the available connectivity. As a next step, the WBA and NGMN are undergoing further study on these challenges in order to uncover potential solutions. This will culminate in the recommendation of a future strategy for Converged RAN deployment, ensuring the best user experience making use of both Wi-Fi and Cellular access.

Tiago Rodrigues, General Manager of WBA said: “Wi-Fi 6 introduces new capabilities for carriers, cities and enterprises to cost effectively provide additional coverage and capacity, mainly indoor, to address the 5G use case requirements. Now it’s time to fully capitalize on these capabilities by delivering a clear strategic path for converged RAN deployments. This is a priority. We will continue to work closely with NGMN and its members to review, develop and test potential solutions, as identified in our recent 5G White Paper.”

To download the RAN Convergence Interim White Paper, click here
For more information or to get involved, contact the NGMN Programme Management Office: office@ngmn.org

NGMN News Platzhalter

NGMN Announces new Chairman and Board Members

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The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance has announced its new Chairman and additions to its Board alongside the prioritisation of several key projects leading into 2019.

Frankfurt, GERMANY – Peter Meissner, CEO of NGMN, said: “We are delighted to welcome Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon as our new Board Chairman for 2018 to 2020. Emmanuel, Senior Vice President of Orange Labs Networks, brings substantial management and strategic competence as well as a strong background in IT and Telecommunications  to the Board. We are looking forward to his leadership and guidance as we embark on commercialisation of 5G and further strengthening NGMN’s impact”. 

Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon, said: “I am excited to be leading the Board at such a challenging time for 5G development and eager to steer NGMN’s strategy to cope with these challenges. The work NGMN does for the mobile ecosystem is impressive in its scope and ambition and I am fully committed to continue the Alliance’s valuable work together with my Board colleagues”.

In its Board meeting NGMN has also emphasized the importance of several key activities, which will be critical to the ongoing development and ultimately the deployment of 5G around the world. Among these flagship projects are the Trial and Testing Initiative, Vertical URLLC Requirements, E2E 5G Security, Telco Cloud and NFVI, Rural Coverage and Spectrum and Deployment Efficiency.

This news comes during the successful NGMN Industry Conference & Exhibition, the Alliance’s 7th, being held in Vancouver, Canada and concluding today. The conference has already attracted more than 400 visitors and is exploring the latest technology and thought leadership in 5G mobile broadband.

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New Deliverables From NGMN Suggest Principles to Build End-to-End Solutions for A Connected 5G Future

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The NGMN Alliance – which drives and guides the development of all future mobile broadband technology with a focus on 5G – has published its three deliverables on 5G Extreme Requirements entitled “Operators’ views on fundamental trade-offs”, “RAN Solutions”, and “End-to-End considerations”, respectively.

Compiled by the Alliance’s 5G Extreme Requirements task force, the papers aim to highlight what implications and trade-offs related to the delivery of new 5G services are relevant for mobile network operators.

Ilaria Thibault, task force lead and Principal Researcher at Vodafone commented: “We are very excited to reveal the findings of the outcome of the Extreme Requirements task force, which was to really strike at the heart of what needs to be assessed before the world embarks on advanced 5G services.

This work quantifies and analyses the coverage impact of delivering new extreme 5G services (Ultra-reliable and Low-latency – URLLC) for the radio access network with a theoretical analysis, system-level simulations, and field trials. End-to-end deployment guidelines for meeting extreme requirements at a service level are also provided. Among these guidelines, techniques such as path redundancy and new transport-layer protocols are discussed to improve end-to-end latency and reliability.

For latency-critical services, interworking between the Non-3GPP processing delays and 3GPP processing delays has been assessed.”

CEO of the NGMN Alliance Peter Meissner added: “Our task force has highlighted several key challenges that are crucial to the future of 5G connectivity and how the industry needs to adequately deal with these. Consequently, this year’s NGMN Conference & Exhibition will see us run a special session where operators are set to share results from their 5G tests, trials and first user experience. Our aim is to uncover the new use cases of 5G and how they will be leveraged in the next few years.”

ngmn press and industry briefing at mw 2019

New Deliverables From NGMN Suggest Principles to Build End-to-End Solutions for A Connected 5G Future

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The NGMN Alliance – which drives and guides the development of all future mobile broadband technology with a focus on 5G – has published its three deliverables on 5G Extreme Requirements entitled “Operators’ views on fundamental trade-offs”, “RAN Solutions”, and “End-to-End considerations”, respectively.

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NGMN News Platzhalter

NGMN Alliance backs C-V2X technology for the Connected Car Eco-System

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Two-year research project by members already providing cellular connectivity to over 30 million vehicles leads to ground-breaking white paper recommendations

Frankfurt, GERMANY, July 31, 2018 – The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance – which drives and guides the development of all future mobile broadband technology with a focus on 5G – today published its V2X (cellular vehicle to everything) white paper containing the findings of two years of work by a task force of best in class industry specialists from across the world.

Key conclusions from the NGMN include:

  • C-V2X technology is superior to IEEE 802.11p standards from a technical, economical and eco-system perspective and can easily satisfy basic yet critical safety applications
  • Its technical advantages include communication range, latency and scalability
  • It has a natural evolution path to future advanced applications by updating current networks to 5G
  • It not only covers safety features for vehicles but also supports use cases for other traffic participants, such as pedestrians and cyclists
  • Tests are already ongoing, and the technology can be deployed by 2020

 

“This white paper can provide the framework for a smooth transition into the world of the truly Connected Car – especially as we start to see the introduction of 5G – and I strongly encourage all stakeholders involved in the Eco-System to read the document and shape their future planning around it,” said Huang Yuhong, Deputy General Manager China Mobile Research Institute.

 

The white paper follows the creation of a V2X task force in June 2016 to study and evaluate V2X technologies and requirements, while looking to harmonise Mobile Network Operators’ views on LTE-based V2X and DSRC/IEEE-802.11p.

 

Its objectives include a reduced time to market of C-V2X and triggering co-operation with the automotive industry in order to create a common understanding amongst key players. Additionally, its work is covering various deployment aspects of the Connected Car, including multi-operators and roaming, business models of operating an Intelligent Transport System (ITS), examining available spectrum and regulatory aspects and reviewing security and privacy issues.

 

Mme Huang stressed that NGMN supports the go-to-market statements from major industry stakeholders such as car manufacturers and chip-set suppliers. It also collaborates with other industry associations including 3GPP, ETSI and 5GAA.

 

The white paper comes just a month after NGMN confirmed the launch of four new key projects to support the development and deployment of 5G networks. The projects – “Spectrum and Deployment Efficiencies”, “Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (uRLLC) Requirements for Vertical Industries”, “RAN Convergence” and “Extreme Long-range Communications for Deep Rural Coverage” – have been highlighted as crucial development areas to further optimise and guide the telecoms industry towards the successful deployment of 5G beyond 2018.

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NGMN News Platzhalter

NGMN Alliance launches new projects to boost 5G success

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Updates on first 5G deployment experiences, further technology development and new business models to be shared at the NGMN Industry Conference in Vancouver, November 6-8, 2018

Frankfurt, GERMANY – Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) has confirmed the launch of four new key projects to support the development and deployment of 5G networks.

The projects – “Spectrum and deployment efficiencies”, “Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) requirements for vertical industries”, “RAN convergence” and“Extreme long-range communications for deep rural coverage” – have been highlighted as crucial development areas to further optimise and guide the telecoms industry towards the successful deployment of 5G beyond 2018.

Chairman of the NGMN Alliance Board Johan Wibergh said: “We’re delighted to be leading the way with 5G projects that will bring about further improvements to next-generation networks. Together, they extend our existing work programme and demonstrate our on-going commitment to contributing to the industry.”

“The projects will support standards development with a future-thinking outlook, while guiding the industry towards the successful deployment of 5G, benefiting end users in a range of locations, including high density urban and underserved rural areas.”

Work is already beginning to address requirements from operators who are keen to bring efficient, high-quality and reliable 5G networks to the market. Activities include developing new deployment models for high-density networks, sharing best practices in vertical applications with extreme requirements, making better use of Wi-Fi and re-thinking technologies to adapt to emerging markets. The first results from these new activities will be shared at the NGMN Industry Conference & Exhibition in Vancouver in November 2018.

CEO of the NGMN Alliance Peter Meissner added: “Our conference and exhibition will showcase exciting new innovations and feature key industry leaders from across the globe who will share their first-hand experiences on the work going into the development of 5G.”

“It will also be an excellent opportunity to share the results of our work as we spend two days immersed in business models, technology development and capabilities of 5G. Presentations and discussion around 5G deployment, evolution and innovation and how its potential can be fully realised will be a highlight.”

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