This analyst opinion addresses two press releases from Deutsche Telekom on 5G Network slicing and OpenRAN non-RT RIC Proofs of Concept.  

Omdia view

Much digital ink has been spilled over the “failure” of 5G, but let’s be honest: CSPs mainly target the mass-market consumer; and the 5G non-standalone deployments are little more than a fast 4G experience. In the case of low-band deployments, where the CSP stuffs 5G through a 4G pipe, the user gets a 4G experience. Is anyone surprised that most consumers were not prepared to pay more to have a 5G symbol appear on their mobile phone screen?

CSP futures are about to change, and Deutsche Telekom (DT) lays it out pretty clearly in two recent press releases regarding network slicing and open RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) optimization. It is important to see these events as connected because of the roles played by network slicing and open RAN in DT’s network evolution. 

The first [press release] points to DT’s proof of concept (POC) for non real-time RIC (non-RT RIC). The second describes DT’s dynamic slicing and orchestration POC—for enterprise services. Both POCs provide lessons for multi-vendor systems integration.

The non-RT RIC and rApp press releases show DT’s willingness to take on the difficult technology that ultimately directs the RAN to optimize radio performance. DT integrated the RICs, from Juniper and VMWare, and rApps, from AirHop and VIAVI Solutions, into its self-developed SMO (service management and orchestration) framework, which directed the Mavenir RAN. Lessons learned and recommendations for the Open RAN ecosystem are shared. 

In the second POC, DT brings together end-to-end slicing of its network, crossing the boundaries from its BSS through the RAN to the mobile device with MDSO (multi-domain service orchestration) from Blue Planet, cloud-native 5G Core by Mavenir, and the RAN from Ericsson.

DT demonstrated the orchestration of 5G slicing, aiming to meet the application-delivery needs for enterprise customers, with the endpoint being a fully automated, closed-loop lifecycle. The POC demonstrates the following enablers, listed here verbatim from the press release:

  • ­Product order placement by the enterprise customer 
  • Order decomposition and distribution to technology domains by MDSO 
  • Model-driven RAN and Core domains’ slice orchestration and end-to-end service orchestration in minutes  
  • Dynamic instantiation of network functions such as User Plane Function (UPF)
  • Customer SIM subscription and provisioning

Network slicing is not something the enterprise customer selects. That is all hidden under the covers, because no one buys a slice—instead, what they buy are the benefits of a service enabled by the underlying slice-and-automation technologies. All that remains are the enterprise applications that will build on this slicing-and-orchestration technology.

Why link these separate POCs?

Deutsche Telekom intends to develop its network beyond the mass-market consumer by bringing new and innovative services to the enterprise. Multi-sourcing and supporting existing infrastructure is a part of the evolution. Additionally, sharing the lessons learned helps to prod the open RAN ecosystem vendors into polishing their products and making them ready for commercial deployment. As the heir apparent of centralized self-organizing networks (CSON), the non-RT RICs will be in growing demand as the integration matters are solved. 

The network slicing and orchestration POC signals DT’s intent to provide a differentiated service and performance for an enterprise’s application needs. One can reasonably assume these services will apply when consumer technology’s “best effort” is not good enough for enterprise SLAs. A recent example would be the autonomous vehicle (AV) freeze surrounding a public entertainment venue, which the AV company blamed on the mobile network, because the AVs could not phone home. Apparently, “all circuits were busy.” A dedicated private network SLA orchestrated by network slicing would address this. 


Actions speak louder than words.

What is DT saying? It is signaling intent to move forward with automation and optimization benefits from 5G networking and reaching out to the enterprise markets. The multi-vendor, multi-domain orchestration will help DT to grow from a mass-market consumer telco into a world-class techno, enabling enterprises with its 5G infrastructure.  

Appendix

Further reading 

“Deutsche Telekom and partners demonstrate non-real-time RAN optimization in a multi-vendor environment,” Retrieved September 8, 2023

“Deutsche Telekom and Partners Demonstrate Multi-Domain 5G Dynamic Slicing Orchestration for Enterprise Services,” Retrieved September 8, 2023

 

Self-Organizing Networks and RAN Intelligent Control – 2023 (June 2023)

Tech Trend: 5G SA Core Network Slicing (August 2023)

Enterprise 5G Services: Network Slicing Solutions and Strategies (July 2023)

Enterprise 5G Monetization: Survey Insights on 5G MEC and Network Slicing (September 2023)

 

 

Author

Joe Hoffman, Principal Analyst, Service Provider

[email protected]