To meet the requirements of use cases in areas such as the Internet of Things, AR/VR, Industry 4.0 and the automotive sector, operators need to be able to provide computing resources across the whole telco domain – all the way to the edge of the mobile network. Service exposure and APIs will play a key role in creating solutions that are both effective and cost efficient.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explores recent advances in the service exposure area that have resulted from the move toward 5G and the adoption of cloud-native principles, as well as the combination of Service-based Architecture, microservices and container technologies. It includes examples that illustrate how service exposure can be deployed in a multitude of locations, each with a different set of requirements that drive modularity and configurability needs.
Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...Ericsson
Cloud-native application design is set to become standard practice in the telecom industry in the near future due to the major efficiency gains it can provide, particularly in terms of speeding up software upgrades and releases. At Ericsson, we have been actively exploring the potential of cloud-native computing in the telecom industry since we joined the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) a few years ago.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains the opportunities that CNCF technology has enabled, as well as unveiling key aspects of our application development framework, which is designed to help navigate the transition to a cloud-native approach. It also discusses the challenges that the large-scale reuse of open-source technology can raise, along with key strategies for how to mitigate them.
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...Ericsson
Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is becoming the standard Ethernet-based technology for converged networks of Industry 4.0. Understanding the importance and relevance of TSN features, as well as the capabilities that allow 5G to achieve wireless deterministic and time-sensitive communication, is essential to industrial automation in the future.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explains how TSN is an enabler of Industry 4.0, and that together with 5G URLLC capabilities, the two key technologies can be combined and integrated to provide deterministic connectivity end to end. It also discusses TSN standards and the value of the TSN toolbox for next generation industrial automation networks.
Ericsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive stateEricsson
Low latency communication and minimal battery consumption are key requirements of many 5G and IoT use cases, including smart transport and critical control of remote devices. Thanks to Ericsson’s 4G/5G research activities and lessons learned from legacy networks, we have identified solutions that address both of these requirements by reducing the amount of signaling required during state transitions, and shared our discoveries with the 3GPP.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains the why and how behind the new Radio Resource Control (RRC) state model in the standalone version of the 5G New Radio standard, which features a new, Ericsson-developed state called inactive. On top of overcoming latency and battery consumption challenges, the new state also increases overall system capacity by decreasing the processing effort in the network.
Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...Ericsson
A variety of automotive and transport services that require cellular connectivity are already in commercial operation today, and many more are yet to come. Among other things, these services will improve road safety and traffic efficiency, saving lives and helping to reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change. At Ericsson, we believe that the best way to address the growing connectivity needs of this industry sector is through a common network solution, as opposed to taking a single-segment silo approach.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explains how the ongoing rollout of 5G provides a cost-efficient and feature-rich foundation for a horizontal multiservice network that can meet the connectivity needs of the automotive and transport ecosystem. It also outlines the key challenges and presents potential solutions.
5G New Radio has already evolved in important ways since the 3GPP standardized Release 15 in late 2018. The significant enhancements in Releases 16 and 17 are certain to play a critical role in expanding both the availability and the applicability of 5G NR in both industry and public services in the near future.
This Ericsson Technology Review article summarizes the most notable new developments in releases 16 and 17, grouped into two categories: enhancements to existing features and features that address new verticals and deployment scenarios. This analysis and our insights about the future beyond Release 17 is an important component of our work to help mobile network operators and other stakeholders better understand and plan for the many new 5G NR opportunities that are on the horizon.
Ericsson Technology Review: Boosting smart manufacturing with 5G wireless con...Ericsson
5G wireless connectivity is designed to enable the fully-connected factories of the future. Creating the necessary transparency across all processes and assets at all times requires robust communication between goods, production systems, logistics chains, people and processes throughout a product’s complete life cycle, spanning everything from design, ordering, manufacturing, delivery and field maintenance to recycling and reuse. The integration of 5G ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) in the manufacturing process will accelerate the transformation of the manufacturing industry and make smart factories more efficient and productive than ever.
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 2, 2018Ericsson
Technology development keeps getting faster and more interconnected, with new innovations appearing every day. As a result, we’re swiftly moving toward the realization of the “Augmented Connected Society” – a world characterized by ubiquitous internet access for all, self-learning robots and truly intuitive interaction between humans and machines. But how can our industry best prepare for this future?
In my role as CTO, I have the challenging and exhilarating annual task of identifying the five technology trends of the future that are (or will be) most relevant to our industry. You can find my insights and reflections in the Technology Trends article included in this issue of the magazine.
It is my hope that the Technology Trends article, together with the other five articles in this issue, will generate a variety of stimulating future-focused discussions in your workplace. Please feel free to share links to the magazine and/or individual articles with your colleagues and other contacts via e-mail or social media.
Ericsson Technology Review: Technology trends 2018 - Five technology trends a...Ericsson
Ericsson CTO Erik Ekudden presents the five technology trends driving the creation of a future network platform that can deliver truly intuitive interaction between humans and machines.
Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...Ericsson
Cloud-native application design is set to become standard practice in the telecom industry in the near future due to the major efficiency gains it can provide, particularly in terms of speeding up software upgrades and releases. At Ericsson, we have been actively exploring the potential of cloud-native computing in the telecom industry since we joined the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) a few years ago.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains the opportunities that CNCF technology has enabled, as well as unveiling key aspects of our application development framework, which is designed to help navigate the transition to a cloud-native approach. It also discusses the challenges that the large-scale reuse of open-source technology can raise, along with key strategies for how to mitigate them.
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...Ericsson
Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is becoming the standard Ethernet-based technology for converged networks of Industry 4.0. Understanding the importance and relevance of TSN features, as well as the capabilities that allow 5G to achieve wireless deterministic and time-sensitive communication, is essential to industrial automation in the future.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explains how TSN is an enabler of Industry 4.0, and that together with 5G URLLC capabilities, the two key technologies can be combined and integrated to provide deterministic connectivity end to end. It also discusses TSN standards and the value of the TSN toolbox for next generation industrial automation networks.
Ericsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive stateEricsson
Low latency communication and minimal battery consumption are key requirements of many 5G and IoT use cases, including smart transport and critical control of remote devices. Thanks to Ericsson’s 4G/5G research activities and lessons learned from legacy networks, we have identified solutions that address both of these requirements by reducing the amount of signaling required during state transitions, and shared our discoveries with the 3GPP.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains the why and how behind the new Radio Resource Control (RRC) state model in the standalone version of the 5G New Radio standard, which features a new, Ericsson-developed state called inactive. On top of overcoming latency and battery consumption challenges, the new state also increases overall system capacity by decreasing the processing effort in the network.
Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...Ericsson
A variety of automotive and transport services that require cellular connectivity are already in commercial operation today, and many more are yet to come. Among other things, these services will improve road safety and traffic efficiency, saving lives and helping to reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change. At Ericsson, we believe that the best way to address the growing connectivity needs of this industry sector is through a common network solution, as opposed to taking a single-segment silo approach.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explains how the ongoing rollout of 5G provides a cost-efficient and feature-rich foundation for a horizontal multiservice network that can meet the connectivity needs of the automotive and transport ecosystem. It also outlines the key challenges and presents potential solutions.
5G New Radio has already evolved in important ways since the 3GPP standardized Release 15 in late 2018. The significant enhancements in Releases 16 and 17 are certain to play a critical role in expanding both the availability and the applicability of 5G NR in both industry and public services in the near future.
This Ericsson Technology Review article summarizes the most notable new developments in releases 16 and 17, grouped into two categories: enhancements to existing features and features that address new verticals and deployment scenarios. This analysis and our insights about the future beyond Release 17 is an important component of our work to help mobile network operators and other stakeholders better understand and plan for the many new 5G NR opportunities that are on the horizon.
Ericsson Technology Review: Boosting smart manufacturing with 5G wireless con...Ericsson
5G wireless connectivity is designed to enable the fully-connected factories of the future. Creating the necessary transparency across all processes and assets at all times requires robust communication between goods, production systems, logistics chains, people and processes throughout a product’s complete life cycle, spanning everything from design, ordering, manufacturing, delivery and field maintenance to recycling and reuse. The integration of 5G ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) in the manufacturing process will accelerate the transformation of the manufacturing industry and make smart factories more efficient and productive than ever.
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 2, 2018Ericsson
Technology development keeps getting faster and more interconnected, with new innovations appearing every day. As a result, we’re swiftly moving toward the realization of the “Augmented Connected Society” – a world characterized by ubiquitous internet access for all, self-learning robots and truly intuitive interaction between humans and machines. But how can our industry best prepare for this future?
In my role as CTO, I have the challenging and exhilarating annual task of identifying the five technology trends of the future that are (or will be) most relevant to our industry. You can find my insights and reflections in the Technology Trends article included in this issue of the magazine.
It is my hope that the Technology Trends article, together with the other five articles in this issue, will generate a variety of stimulating future-focused discussions in your workplace. Please feel free to share links to the magazine and/or individual articles with your colleagues and other contacts via e-mail or social media.
Ericsson Technology Review: Technology trends 2018 - Five technology trends a...Ericsson
Ericsson CTO Erik Ekudden presents the five technology trends driving the creation of a future network platform that can deliver truly intuitive interaction between humans and machines.
Mobile data traffic volumes are expected to increase by a factor of four by 2025, and 45 percent of that traffic will be carried by 5G networks. To deliver on customer expectations in this rapidly changing environment, communication service providers must overcome challenges in three key areas: building sufficient capacity, resolving operational inefficiencies through automation and artificial intelligence, and improving service differentiation. This issue of ETR magazine provides insights about how to tackle all three.
Ericsson Technology Review: Simplifying the 5G ecosystem by reducing architec...Ericsson
One critical aspect of a successful 5G deployment is the mobile network operator’s ability to support user equipment, radio network, core network and management products that are manufactured by a multitude of device and network equipment vendors. The multiple connectivity options in 3GPP architecture for 5G have created several possible deployment alternatives.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article argues that there is a significant risk of ecosystem fragmentation if too many different connectivity options are deployed. After considering all the options, the authors conclude that a deployment approach based on options 3 and 2 will reduce network upgrade cost and time, simplify interoperability between networks and devices, and enable a faster scaling of the 5G ecosystem.
The rise of the innovation platform
Society and industry are transforming at an unprecedented rate. At the same time, the network platform is emerging as an innovation platform with the potential to offer all the connectivity, processing, storage and security needed by current and future applications. In my 2019 trends article, featured in this issue of Ericsson Technology Review, I share my view of the future network platform in relation to six key technology trends.
This issue of the magazine also addresses critical topics such as trust enablement, the extension of computing resources all the way to the edge of the mobile network, the growing impact of the cloud in the telco domain, overcoming latency and battery consumption challenges, and the need for end-to-end connectivity. I hope it provides you with valuable insights about how to overcome the challenges ahead and take full advantage of new opportunities.
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL REALITIES
The key role that connectivity plays in our personal and professional lives has never been more obvious than it is today. Thankfully, despite the sudden, dramatic changes in our behavior earlier this year, networks all around the world have proven to be highly resilient. At Ericsson, we’re committed to ensuring that the network platform continues to improve its ability to meet the full range of societal needs as well as supporting enterprises to stay competitive in the long term. We know that greater agility and speed will be essential.
This issue of our magazine includes several articles that explain Ericsson’s approach to future network development, including my annual technology trends article. The seven trends on this year’s list serve as a critical cornerstone in the development of a common Ericsson vision of what future networks will provide, and what sort of technology evolution will be required to get there.
ERIK EKUDDEN
Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Group Function Technology
Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...Ericsson
The growing interest in cloud computing scenarios that incorporate both distributed computing capabilities and heterogeneous hardware presents a significant opportunity for network operators. With a vast distributed system (the telco network) already in place, the telecom industry has a significant advantage in the transition toward distributed cloud computing.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the future of cloud computing from the perspective of network operators, examining how they can best manage the complexity of future cloud deployments and overcome the technical challenges. Redefining cloud to expose and optimize the use of heterogeneous resources is not straightforward, but we are confident that our use cases and proof points validate our approach and will gain traction both in the telecommunications community and beyond.
Blind cache: a solution to content delivery challenges in an all-encrypted webEricsson
Revelations about pervasive surveillance have prompted many online service providers to use HTTPS to protect their content delivery processes. While the move to HTTPS brings many benefits, it also presents significant challenges for operators and content providers – particularly when it comes to caching. To overcome the caching challenge, Ericsson has been cooperating with internet companies to develop a solution we call blind cache, which enables content providers to leverage deeply distributed edge caches while remaining in control of their content and its usage.
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2018Ericsson
We are publishing this magazine shortly after the first release of a completely new standard – 5G – from 3GPP. Fittingly, many of the articles in this issue relate to what we think is most important in 5G and how to address the new opportunities that it entails.
One of the key reasons for the flexibility provided in 5G is the desire to support industries to use connectivity, virtualization, machine intelligence and other technologies to change their processes and business models as part of the next industrial revolution, Industry 4.0. It is therefore a pleasure to be able to include an article that we have co-written with Comau and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies on the topic of industrial automation.
I hope you find the contents of this issue of the magazine as intriguing as I do. Please feel free to share links to the magazine and/or individual articles via e-mail or social media.
Ericsson Technology Review: Critical IoT connectivity: Ideal for time-critica...Ericsson
Critical Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity is an emerging concept in IoT development that enables more efficient and innovative services across a wide range of industries by reliably meeting time-critical communication needs. Mobile network operators (MNOs) are in the perfect position to enable these types of time-critical services due to their ability to leverage advanced 5G networks in a systematic and cost-effective way.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the benefits of Critical IoT connectivity in areas such as industrial control, mobility automation, remote control and real-time media. It also provides an overview of key network technologies and architectures. It concludes with several case studies based on two deployment scenarios – wide area and local area – that illustrate how well suited 5G spectrum assets are for Critical IoT use cases.
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economyEricsson
The 5G network evolution has opened up an abundance of new business opportunities for communication service providers (CSPs) in verticals such as industrial automation, security, health care and automotive. In order to successfully capitalize on them, CSPs must have business support systems (BSS) that are evolved to manage complex value chains and support new business models. Optimized information models and a high degree of automation are required to handle huge numbers of devices through open interfaces.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains how 5G-evolved BSS can help CSPs transform themselves from traditional network developers to service enablers for 5G and the Internet of Things, and ultimately to service creators with the ability to collaborate beyond telecoms and establish lucrative digital value systems.
Ericsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystemEricsson
The surge in data volume that will come from the massive number of devices enabled by 5G has made edge computing more important than ever before. Beyond its abilities to reduce network traffic and improve user experience, edge computing will also play a critical role in enabling use cases for ultra-reliable low-latency communication in industrial manufacturing and a variety of other sectors.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the topic of how to deliver distributed edge computing solutions that can host different kinds of platforms and applications and provide a high level of flexibility for application developers. Rather than building a new application ecosystem and platform, we strongly recommend reusing industrialized and proven capabilities, utilizing the momentum created with Cloud Native Computing Foundation, and ensuring backward compatibility.
Ericsson Technology Review: Versatile Video Coding explained – the future of ...Ericsson
Continuous innovation in 5G networks is creating new opportunities for video-enabled services for both consumers and industries, particularly in areas such as the Internet of Things and the automotive sector. These new services are expected to rely on continued video evolution toward 8K resolutions and beyond, and on new strict requirements such as low end-to-end latency for video delivery.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explores recent developments in video compression technology and introduces Versatile Video Coding (VVC) – a significant improvement on existing video codecs that we think deserves to be widely deployed in the market. VVC has the potential both to enhance the user experience for existing video services and offer an appropriate performance level for new media services over 5G networks.
Ericsson Technology Review, issue #2, 2016Ericsson
The latest issue of Ericsson Technology Review covers a wide range of topics including narrowband Internet of Things, the next-generation central office, telco-grade platform as a service, 4G/5G RAN architecture, and cloud robotics enabled by 5G. The feature story – Five trends shaping innovation in ICT – presents what I consider to be the major technology trends that will stimulate innovation in the coming year. Do you agree with me? I’d love to hear from you with any feedback you might have.
If I were to suggest one takeaway from all of the articles included in this issue, I would say it is speed. Device processing is getting faster, data speeds are constantly increasing and radio speeds are approaching those of fiber. More people are becoming subscribers, more things are becoming connected and more applications are running constantly. Developers of new technologies are working hard to enhance responsiveness by reducing latency, a key performance parameter. The capability to determine which functions can be virtualized to maximize ideal placement in the network and ensure low latency is one of the primary driving factors behind the proposed split of radio-access architecture discussed in this issue.
As always, I hope you find our stories relevant and inspiring.
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2019Ericsson
Our participation at MWC in Barcelona this year revealed that a steadily growing number of mobile network operators and representatives from various industries are keen to explore the myriad of new opportunities that 5G represents for their businesses. In particular, we found that many are curious to learn more about the role of 5G in Industry 4.0 and other industry transformations, where it enables manufacturing companies leverage automation and data exchange technologies that require seamless communication across industrial processes.
Fittingly, the feature article in this issue of the magazine explains how 5G can be used most effectively in the fully-connected factories of the future. We also have excellent articles about the role of distributed cloud in supporting emerging industrial use cases, the necessity of business support systems that can handle IoT use cases, and important technology choices to consider in the design of massive IoT devices. Last but not least, we have included two articles that provide expert guidance regarding two key aspects of 5G deployment.
Feel free to share links to the magazine and/or individual articles with your colleagues and other contacts via e-mail or social media. Happy reading!
Ericsson Technology Review: Digital connectivity marketplaces to enrich 5G an...Ericsson
One of the key growth opportunities for the telecom industry is to provide network capabilities that support the digital transformation underway in most businesses and industries. Already today, we have a powerful technology foundation in place, and this will become even stronger with 5G. Now is the ideal time to evolve the business side of the equation toward platform business models, which will enable the telecom industry to prosper in multisided business ecosystems as well.
Ericsson Technology Review: Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT de...Ericsson
The massive IoT device domain faces two key challenges: cost-efficiently connecting a large number of devices in a wide area, and efficiently managing these devices over their complete life cycle. Further, since security and trust are key requirements in most massive IoT applications, it is important to ensure that the devices are secure, both in terms of communication and data integrity end-to-end (E2E), from device to data usage.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explores how to address these challenges in five key technology areas – connectivity, communication protocols, security, identity solutions and machine intelligence (MI). Carefully considered choices in these areas make it possible to achieve the desired key device characteristics and create IoT devices that support the multitude of existing and emerging massive IoT use cases.
With 5G bringing in new possibilities for operators across the globe, a higher capacity microwave backhaul becomes even more important to ensure high-quality mobile broadband. This year’s Ericsson Microwave Outlook report discusses how this demand can be met with advanced microwave technology, spectrum, combination with fiber, and machine intelligence.
Introducing our 5G Platform for the first movers in 5G, the first completely end-to-end solution that combines core and radio solutions in 5G to enable new opportunities and use cases
Ericsson Technology Review: Industrial automation enabled by robotics, machin...Ericsson
The emergent "fourth industrial revolution" will have a profound impact on both industry and society in the years ahead. Robotics, machine intelligence and 5G networks in particular will play major roles in this revolution by enabling ever higher levels of automation for production processes.
Mobile data traffic volumes are expected to increase by a factor of four by 2025, and 45 percent of that traffic will be carried by 5G networks. To deliver on customer expectations in this rapidly changing environment, communication service providers must overcome challenges in three key areas: building sufficient capacity, resolving operational inefficiencies through automation and artificial intelligence, and improving service differentiation. This issue of ETR magazine provides insights about how to tackle all three.
Ericsson Technology Review: Simplifying the 5G ecosystem by reducing architec...Ericsson
One critical aspect of a successful 5G deployment is the mobile network operator’s ability to support user equipment, radio network, core network and management products that are manufactured by a multitude of device and network equipment vendors. The multiple connectivity options in 3GPP architecture for 5G have created several possible deployment alternatives.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article argues that there is a significant risk of ecosystem fragmentation if too many different connectivity options are deployed. After considering all the options, the authors conclude that a deployment approach based on options 3 and 2 will reduce network upgrade cost and time, simplify interoperability between networks and devices, and enable a faster scaling of the 5G ecosystem.
The rise of the innovation platform
Society and industry are transforming at an unprecedented rate. At the same time, the network platform is emerging as an innovation platform with the potential to offer all the connectivity, processing, storage and security needed by current and future applications. In my 2019 trends article, featured in this issue of Ericsson Technology Review, I share my view of the future network platform in relation to six key technology trends.
This issue of the magazine also addresses critical topics such as trust enablement, the extension of computing resources all the way to the edge of the mobile network, the growing impact of the cloud in the telco domain, overcoming latency and battery consumption challenges, and the need for end-to-end connectivity. I hope it provides you with valuable insights about how to overcome the challenges ahead and take full advantage of new opportunities.
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL REALITIES
The key role that connectivity plays in our personal and professional lives has never been more obvious than it is today. Thankfully, despite the sudden, dramatic changes in our behavior earlier this year, networks all around the world have proven to be highly resilient. At Ericsson, we’re committed to ensuring that the network platform continues to improve its ability to meet the full range of societal needs as well as supporting enterprises to stay competitive in the long term. We know that greater agility and speed will be essential.
This issue of our magazine includes several articles that explain Ericsson’s approach to future network development, including my annual technology trends article. The seven trends on this year’s list serve as a critical cornerstone in the development of a common Ericsson vision of what future networks will provide, and what sort of technology evolution will be required to get there.
ERIK EKUDDEN
Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Group Function Technology
Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...Ericsson
The growing interest in cloud computing scenarios that incorporate both distributed computing capabilities and heterogeneous hardware presents a significant opportunity for network operators. With a vast distributed system (the telco network) already in place, the telecom industry has a significant advantage in the transition toward distributed cloud computing.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the future of cloud computing from the perspective of network operators, examining how they can best manage the complexity of future cloud deployments and overcome the technical challenges. Redefining cloud to expose and optimize the use of heterogeneous resources is not straightforward, but we are confident that our use cases and proof points validate our approach and will gain traction both in the telecommunications community and beyond.
Blind cache: a solution to content delivery challenges in an all-encrypted webEricsson
Revelations about pervasive surveillance have prompted many online service providers to use HTTPS to protect their content delivery processes. While the move to HTTPS brings many benefits, it also presents significant challenges for operators and content providers – particularly when it comes to caching. To overcome the caching challenge, Ericsson has been cooperating with internet companies to develop a solution we call blind cache, which enables content providers to leverage deeply distributed edge caches while remaining in control of their content and its usage.
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2018Ericsson
We are publishing this magazine shortly after the first release of a completely new standard – 5G – from 3GPP. Fittingly, many of the articles in this issue relate to what we think is most important in 5G and how to address the new opportunities that it entails.
One of the key reasons for the flexibility provided in 5G is the desire to support industries to use connectivity, virtualization, machine intelligence and other technologies to change their processes and business models as part of the next industrial revolution, Industry 4.0. It is therefore a pleasure to be able to include an article that we have co-written with Comau and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies on the topic of industrial automation.
I hope you find the contents of this issue of the magazine as intriguing as I do. Please feel free to share links to the magazine and/or individual articles via e-mail or social media.
Ericsson Technology Review: Critical IoT connectivity: Ideal for time-critica...Ericsson
Critical Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity is an emerging concept in IoT development that enables more efficient and innovative services across a wide range of industries by reliably meeting time-critical communication needs. Mobile network operators (MNOs) are in the perfect position to enable these types of time-critical services due to their ability to leverage advanced 5G networks in a systematic and cost-effective way.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the benefits of Critical IoT connectivity in areas such as industrial control, mobility automation, remote control and real-time media. It also provides an overview of key network technologies and architectures. It concludes with several case studies based on two deployment scenarios – wide area and local area – that illustrate how well suited 5G spectrum assets are for Critical IoT use cases.
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economyEricsson
The 5G network evolution has opened up an abundance of new business opportunities for communication service providers (CSPs) in verticals such as industrial automation, security, health care and automotive. In order to successfully capitalize on them, CSPs must have business support systems (BSS) that are evolved to manage complex value chains and support new business models. Optimized information models and a high degree of automation are required to handle huge numbers of devices through open interfaces.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains how 5G-evolved BSS can help CSPs transform themselves from traditional network developers to service enablers for 5G and the Internet of Things, and ultimately to service creators with the ability to collaborate beyond telecoms and establish lucrative digital value systems.
Ericsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystemEricsson
The surge in data volume that will come from the massive number of devices enabled by 5G has made edge computing more important than ever before. Beyond its abilities to reduce network traffic and improve user experience, edge computing will also play a critical role in enabling use cases for ultra-reliable low-latency communication in industrial manufacturing and a variety of other sectors.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the topic of how to deliver distributed edge computing solutions that can host different kinds of platforms and applications and provide a high level of flexibility for application developers. Rather than building a new application ecosystem and platform, we strongly recommend reusing industrialized and proven capabilities, utilizing the momentum created with Cloud Native Computing Foundation, and ensuring backward compatibility.
Ericsson Technology Review: Versatile Video Coding explained – the future of ...Ericsson
Continuous innovation in 5G networks is creating new opportunities for video-enabled services for both consumers and industries, particularly in areas such as the Internet of Things and the automotive sector. These new services are expected to rely on continued video evolution toward 8K resolutions and beyond, and on new strict requirements such as low end-to-end latency for video delivery.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explores recent developments in video compression technology and introduces Versatile Video Coding (VVC) – a significant improvement on existing video codecs that we think deserves to be widely deployed in the market. VVC has the potential both to enhance the user experience for existing video services and offer an appropriate performance level for new media services over 5G networks.
Ericsson Technology Review, issue #2, 2016Ericsson
The latest issue of Ericsson Technology Review covers a wide range of topics including narrowband Internet of Things, the next-generation central office, telco-grade platform as a service, 4G/5G RAN architecture, and cloud robotics enabled by 5G. The feature story – Five trends shaping innovation in ICT – presents what I consider to be the major technology trends that will stimulate innovation in the coming year. Do you agree with me? I’d love to hear from you with any feedback you might have.
If I were to suggest one takeaway from all of the articles included in this issue, I would say it is speed. Device processing is getting faster, data speeds are constantly increasing and radio speeds are approaching those of fiber. More people are becoming subscribers, more things are becoming connected and more applications are running constantly. Developers of new technologies are working hard to enhance responsiveness by reducing latency, a key performance parameter. The capability to determine which functions can be virtualized to maximize ideal placement in the network and ensure low latency is one of the primary driving factors behind the proposed split of radio-access architecture discussed in this issue.
As always, I hope you find our stories relevant and inspiring.
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2019Ericsson
Our participation at MWC in Barcelona this year revealed that a steadily growing number of mobile network operators and representatives from various industries are keen to explore the myriad of new opportunities that 5G represents for their businesses. In particular, we found that many are curious to learn more about the role of 5G in Industry 4.0 and other industry transformations, where it enables manufacturing companies leverage automation and data exchange technologies that require seamless communication across industrial processes.
Fittingly, the feature article in this issue of the magazine explains how 5G can be used most effectively in the fully-connected factories of the future. We also have excellent articles about the role of distributed cloud in supporting emerging industrial use cases, the necessity of business support systems that can handle IoT use cases, and important technology choices to consider in the design of massive IoT devices. Last but not least, we have included two articles that provide expert guidance regarding two key aspects of 5G deployment.
Feel free to share links to the magazine and/or individual articles with your colleagues and other contacts via e-mail or social media. Happy reading!
Ericsson Technology Review: Digital connectivity marketplaces to enrich 5G an...Ericsson
One of the key growth opportunities for the telecom industry is to provide network capabilities that support the digital transformation underway in most businesses and industries. Already today, we have a powerful technology foundation in place, and this will become even stronger with 5G. Now is the ideal time to evolve the business side of the equation toward platform business models, which will enable the telecom industry to prosper in multisided business ecosystems as well.
Ericsson Technology Review: Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT de...Ericsson
The massive IoT device domain faces two key challenges: cost-efficiently connecting a large number of devices in a wide area, and efficiently managing these devices over their complete life cycle. Further, since security and trust are key requirements in most massive IoT applications, it is important to ensure that the devices are secure, both in terms of communication and data integrity end-to-end (E2E), from device to data usage.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explores how to address these challenges in five key technology areas – connectivity, communication protocols, security, identity solutions and machine intelligence (MI). Carefully considered choices in these areas make it possible to achieve the desired key device characteristics and create IoT devices that support the multitude of existing and emerging massive IoT use cases.
With 5G bringing in new possibilities for operators across the globe, a higher capacity microwave backhaul becomes even more important to ensure high-quality mobile broadband. This year’s Ericsson Microwave Outlook report discusses how this demand can be met with advanced microwave technology, spectrum, combination with fiber, and machine intelligence.
Introducing our 5G Platform for the first movers in 5G, the first completely end-to-end solution that combines core and radio solutions in 5G to enable new opportunities and use cases
Ericsson Technology Review: Industrial automation enabled by robotics, machin...Ericsson
The emergent "fourth industrial revolution" will have a profound impact on both industry and society in the years ahead. Robotics, machine intelligence and 5G networks in particular will play major roles in this revolution by enabling ever higher levels of automation for production processes.
verywhere you turn, “cloud talk” is all the rage – and mobility in the cloud is no exception. In this whitepaper, learn about the advantages of leveraging the Mobile Cloud as the foundation for your mobile strategy.
There has been no shortage of edge computing activities during 2017, in both the telco and web-scale
domains. Several Tier One communication service providers (CSPs), including AT&T, China Mobile, and
Deutsche Telecom (DT), have announced that edge computing will be a key component of their future
network strategies and expect that several new use cases will be powered by edge servers. In the cloud
domain, Amazon, Facebook, and Google are pushing further toward the edge of their own networks, creating
more points of presence throughout the world. Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods in the United States
could also be interpreted as a first attempt to obtain real estate across the U.S. market that can be used
for Amazon’s edge servers. In fact, all major web-scale companies—Amazon, Google, and Microsoft—have
announced edge computing services that are driven by IoT use cases.
The digital transformation underway is accelerating, enabling new business opportunities both for telecom operators and for enterprises from other industries. The main drivers are the need for increased efficiency, flexibility and new business models enabled by the introduction of 5G and increased adoption of cloud technologies. New services can be expected to be deployed at an unprecedented pace.
Information Technology that drives growth in Telecommunications.pdfAnil
The relationship between IT and Telecom
Today, telecommunications has evolved to facilitate communication through computers, cloud-based technology, and similar other advanced IT technologies that were unimaginable even a decade ago. People no longer need to be in the office to connect with their teammates, VoIP systems can be integrated with an app to make connections quicker! Thus, enabling a tech-savvy ecosystem that facilitates improved employee experience and higher productivity for a business.
Role of IT in the Telecom Industry:
1. Cloud Computing
Cloud networking inherently simplifies and speeds up networking functionalities through the use of virtual routers, bridges, and adapters. Telecoms are leveraging this property of cloud computing to create Virtualized Radio Access Networks (vRAN) facilitating agility, flexibility, and efficiency in mobile networks.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
Three out of four business executives believe that AI will drive efficiency in the future says Harvard Business Review (HBR). Innovative and forward-facing providers are already pairing AI with ML and other emerging technologies to improve learning, optimize performance, and enhance consumer satisfaction. The role of IT-based services like data science and analytics, in the telecom industry, is what brings services like customized UX and predictive maintenance to end-users.
3. Natural Language Processing (NLP)
For every minute a customer waits to resolve their problem, the Consumer Service Index (CSI) takes a dive. Walmart resolved this issue with the help of NLP powered by telecom services. Their bot now resolves up to 90% of consumer queries.
Cloud computing, along with mobility increasing percolation of broadband, is aiding the creation of a networked society. Moving towards a digitally connected world, telecom operators have a unique opportunity to position themselves and capitalise the growth of cloud services – both as service providers and adopters of the technology.
Receiving a staggering 39% of all investments made in Q4, 2014, enterprise software is innovating, disrupting and shaking up the current incumbents like never before.
Viewing this change from a recruitment perspective, we've market mapped enterprise software into its key areas to show you where the most value and potential is.
In this QuickView:
- Key Areas to Watch in 2015
- Technology Layers:
- Infrastructure Layer
- Data Architecture Layer
- Applications Layer
- Security
- Investment by Industry
- Top 100 Cloud-Based Enterprise Software Startups Ranked by Total Funding, March, 2015
Every 25 years or so, telecom networks get totally re-designed. The last big re-build came with the internet in the early 1990s. Now “IP networking” technology is giving way to another technology cycle known as “software defined networking”. SDN is a new architecture for telecom networks in which the emphasis shifts from hardware to software. It will be hugely disruptive because it fundamentally changes who controls the telecom network. In the report we predict some of the winners and losers.
“Is your network Cloud Ready ?” With the advent of the Cloud, Enterprise Network is changing significantly. Discover the European Analysis commissioned by #Verizon and #Zscaler featuring #Gartner research which examines this major IT transformation
Scaling Mobile Network Security for LTE: A Multi-Layer ApproachF5 Networks
Service providers know they need to protect the network, maintain stability, and manage millions of real-time sessions without costs spiraling out of control. In this paper, Patrick Donegan, Senior Analyst at Heavy Reading, outlines the new challenges introduced by LTE and the security architecture in the service provider network. He stresses the importance of implementing a dynamic, multi-layered security approach that makes use of virtualization, service chaining, and real-time subscriber awareness.
Security is a top priority for service providers, who must deliver superior network quality and customer experiences without adding complexity or cost. F5 Networks offers a suite of dynamic, multi-layered solutions that simplify delivery architectures, boost service availability, and enhance application awareness and control
Cellular Core Enterprise White Paper by Rethink Technology ResearchAndy Odgers
Enterprises of all sizes are facing unprecedented volume and complexity of both data and communications traffic, and the challenges only increase when those two converge. Quortus is taking a pioneering role in the trend to offload enterprise mobile traffic to the edge of the network where it can support the highest quality and business value. This white paper was produced for Quortus by Caroline Gabriel, Research Director at Rethink Technology Research.
Whitepaper - Software Defined Networking for the Telco Industryaap3 IT Recruitment
is SDN (Software Defined Networking) the next big thing in Network Security, or another headache and potential skills gap for the next generation of business networks?
Companies should
strive to incorporate more agility and SOFT in their
processes and IT systems, which will enable them to
respond faster to changes in customer requirements and
market conditions.
Similar to Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G world (20)
Ericsson Technology Review: Integrated access and backhaul – a new type of wi...Ericsson
Today millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum is valued mainly because it can be used to achieve high speeds and capacities when combined with spectrum assets below 6GHz. But it can provide other benefits as well. For example, mmWave spectrum makes it possible to use a promising new wireless backhaul solution for 5G New Radio – integrated access and backhaul (IAB) – to densify networks with multi-band radio sites at street level.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains the IAB concept at a high level, presenting its architecture and key characteristics, as well as examining its advantages and disadvantages compared with other backhaul technologies. It concludes with a presentation of the promising results of several simulations that tested IAB as a backhaul option for street sites in both urban and suburban areas.
Ericsson Technology Review: Optimizing UICC modules for IoT applicationsEricsson
Commonly referred to as SIM cards, the universal integrated circuit cards (UICCs) used in all cellular devices today are in fact complex and powerful minicomputers capable of much more than most Internet of Things (IoT) applications require. Until a simpler and less costly alternative becomes available, action must be taken to ensure that the relatively high price of UICC modules does not hamper IoT growth.
This Ericsson Technology Review article presents two mid-term approaches. The first is to make use of techniques that reduce the complexity of using UICCs in IoT applications, while the second is to use the UICCs’ excess capacity for additional value generation. Those who wish to exploit the potential of the UICCs to better support IoT applications have the opportunity to use them as cryptographic storage, to run higher-layer protocol stacks and/or as supervisory entities, for example.
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G migration strategy from EPS to 5G systemEricsson
For many operators, the introduction of the 5G System (5GS) to provide wide-area services in existing Evolved Packet System (EPS) deployments is a necessary step toward creating a full-service, future-proof 5GS in the longer term. The creation of a combined 4G-5G network requires careful planning and a holistic strategy, as the introduction of 5GS has significant impacts across all network domains, including the RAN, packet core, user data and policies, and services, as well as affecting devices and backend systems.
This Ericsson Technology Review article provides an overview of all the aspects that operators need to consider when putting together a robust EPS-to-5GS migration strategy and provides guidance about how they can adapt the transition to address their particular needs per domain.
Ericsson Technology Review: Spotlight on the Internet of ThingsEricsson
The Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a fundamental cornerstone in the digitalization of both industry and society as a whole. It represents a huge opportunity not only in economic terms, but also from a global challenges perspective – making it easier for governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to address pressing food, energy, water and climate related issues.
5G and the IoT are closely intertwined. One of the biggest innovations within 5G is support for the IoT in all its forms, both by addressing mission criticality as well as making it possible to connect low-cost, long-battery-life sensors.
With this in mind, we decided to create a special issue of Ericsson Technology Review solely focused on IoT opportunities and challenges. I hope it provides you with valuable insights about the IoT-related opportunities available to your organization, along with ideas about how we can overcome the challenges ahead.
This presentation explains the importance of SD-WAN technology as part of the Enterprise digital transformation strategy. It goes over the first wave of SD-WAN in a single vendor deployment, with Do-it-yourself (DIY) as the preferred model. Then continues with the importance of orchestration in the second wave of SD-WAN deployments in a multi-vendor ecosystem, turning to SD-WAN Managed Services as the preferred model. It ends up with some examples of use cases and the Verizon customer case. More information on Ericsson Dynamic orchestration - http://m.eric.sn/6rsZ30psKLu
Enable Critical broadband networks - When business performance, and even lives are at stake, you need technology that you can rely on. Around the world and across industries, there is a growing demand for business critical and mission-critical broadband communications. To serve these types of organizations, service providers need to deliver the highest level of availability, reliability and security . That is why we have launched a new Critical Broadband Networks offering, which enables service providers and government operators to ensure critical communications when it really matters.
The offering consists of:
Critical network capabilities: Guaranteeing performance of a business- or mission-critical network and enabling operators to effectively serve critical industries.
Critical broadband applications: Includes Ericsson’s Group-Radio application suite of Mission-Critical Push-to-Talk, Data and Video services. Combined, these provide land mobile radio users with a migration path to LTE and 5G, whilst retaining existing operational capabilities for mission-critical group communications.
Flexible deployments for private networks: deployment models for both local private networks as well as for nationwide networks, leveraging operators’ existing assets and operations to gain business scale, and faster time-to-market.
Evolving cellular IoT for industry digitalizationEricsson
Ericsson lays out its vision for the evolution of cellular IoT and launches new offerings - enabling service providers to tap growth opportunities from industry digitalization.
Ericsson Technology Review: Distributed cloud - A key enabler of automotive a...Ericsson
Emerging use cases in industries where the first phases of the fourth industrial revolution are taking place, such as automotive and manufacturing, are creating new requirements for networks and clouds. At Ericsson, we believe that distributed cloud will be a key technology to support such use cases.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explains how distributed cloud technology exploits key features available in both 4G and 5G networks to enable a distributed execution environment for applications that ensures performance, short latency, high reliability and data locality. The flexibility of cloud computing is maintained at the same time that the complexity of the infrastructure is hidden, with application components placed in an optimal location that utilizes the key characteristics of distributed cloud.
Ericsson Technology Review: The advantages of combining 5G NR with LTEEricsson
Capacity exhaustion is a growing challenge for network operators due to the rapidly increasing data consumption by mobile broadband (MBB) subscribers. Rather than addressing this by densifying 4G networks with new sites, 5G New Radio (NR) offers operators the opportunity to meet growing demand and improve performance through the efficient use of new frequency bands at existing sites. The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explains how deploying 5G NR with mid bands (3-6GHz) at existing 4G sites enables maximal reuse of site infrastructure investments as well as delivering a significant performance boost. By adding NR with 100MHz unpaired spectrum, it is possible to achieve eight times higher downlink capacity relative to LTE (2x50MHz paired spectrum). Massive MIMO techniques, such as beamforming and multi-user MIMO, deliver improved downlink data rates both outdoors and indoors.
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...Ramesh Iyer
In today's fast-changing business world, Companies that adapt and embrace new ideas often need help to keep up with the competition. However, fostering a culture of innovation takes much work. It takes vision, leadership and willingness to take risks in the right proportion. Sachin Dev Duggal, co-founder of Builder.ai, has perfected the art of this balance, creating a company culture where creativity and growth are nurtured at each stage.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a buttonDianaGray10
Here is something new! In our next Connector Corner webinar, we will demonstrate how you can use a single workflow to:
Create a campaign using Mailchimp with merge tags/fields
Send an interactive Slack channel message (using buttons)
Have the message received by managers and peers along with a test email for review
But there’s more:
In a second workflow supporting the same use case, you’ll see:
Your campaign sent to target colleagues for approval
If the “Approve” button is clicked, a Jira/Zendesk ticket is created for the marketing design team
But—if the “Reject” button is pushed, colleagues will be alerted via Slack message
Join us to learn more about this new, human-in-the-loop capability, brought to you by Integration Service connectors.
And...
Speakers:
Akshay Agnihotri, Product Manager
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State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewPrayukth K V
The IoT and OT threat landscape report has been prepared by the Threat Research Team at Sectrio using data from Sectrio, cyber threat intelligence farming facilities spread across over 85 cities around the world. In addition, Sectrio also runs AI-based advanced threat and payload engagement facilities that serve as sinks to attract and engage sophisticated threat actors, and newer malware including new variants and latent threats that are at an earlier stage of development.
The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
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Topics covered:
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UI automation Sample
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Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
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In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
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Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*
Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G world
1. sites
Application cloud
Network slices
Management and monetization
device SDK
Cloud infrastructure
Access, mobility and network applications
Transport
Distributed sites National sites Web-scale
player
Market-
place
ERICSSON
TECHNOLOGY
SERVICE
EXPOSURE
IN 5G
C H A R T I N G T H E F U T U R E O F I N N O V A T I O N | # 0 4 ∙ 2 0 1 9
2. ✱ SERVICE EXPOSURE IN 5G
2 ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MAY 7, 2019
Exposure – and service exposure in particular – will be critical to the creation
of the programmable networks that businesses need to communicate
efficiently with Internet of Things (IoT) devices, handle edge loads and pursue
the myriad of new commercial opportunities in the 5G world.
JAN FRIMAN,
MATTIAS EK,
PETER CHEN,
JITENDRA MANOCHA,
JOÃO SOARES
While service exposure has played a notable
role in previous generations of mobile
technology – by enabling roaming, for
example, and facilitating payment and
information services over the SMS channel –
its role in 5G will be much more prominent.
■ Thehighexpectationsonmobilenetworks
continuetorise,withnever-endingrequestsfor
higherbandwidth,lowerlatency,increased
predictabilityandcontrolofdevicestoservea
varietyofapplicationsandusecases.Atthesame
time,wecanseethatindustriessuchashealthcare
andmanufacturinghavestarteddemandingmore
customizedconnectivitytomeettheneedsoftheir
services.Whilesomeofthesedemandscanbemet
throughimprovednetworkconnectivitycapabilities,
thereareotherareaswherethoseimprovements
alonewillnotbesufficient.
Forexample,inrecentyears,contentdelivery
networks(CDNs)havebeenusedinsituationswhere
deploymentswithintheoperatornetworkbecamea
necessitytoaddressrequirementslikehigh
bandwidth.Morerecently,however,newuse-case
categoriesinareassuchasaugmentedreality(AR)/
virtualreality(VR),automotiveandIndustry4.0
havemadeitclearthatcomputingresourcesneedto
beaccessibleattheedgeofthenetwork.This
developmentrepresentsagreatopportunityfor
operators,enterprisesandapplicationdevelopersto
Service
exposure:A CRITICAL CAPABILITY
IN A 5G WORLD
3. SERVICE EXPOSURE IN 5G ✱
MAY 7, 2019 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW 3
introduceandcapitalizeonnewservices.The
opportunityalsoextendstoweb-scaleproviders
(Amazon,Google,Microsoft,Alibabaandsoon)
thathaveinvestedinlarge-scaleanddistributed
cloudinfrastructuredeploymentsonaglobalscale,
therebybecomingthemass-marketproviderof
cloudservices.
Severalweb-scaleprovidershavealreadystarted
providingon-premisessolutions(acombinationof
full-stacksolutionsandsoftware-onlysolutions)to
meettherequirementsofcertainusecases.
However,theabilitytoexpandtheavailabilityof
web-scaleservicestowardtheedgeoftheoperator
infrastructurewouldmakeitpossibletotacklea
multitudeofotherusecasesaswell.Suchascenario
ismutuallybeneficialbecauseitallowstheweb-scale
providerstoextendthereachofservicesthatbenefit
frombeingattheedgeofthenetwork(suchasthe
IoTandCDNs),whileenablingtelecomoperatorsto
becomepartofthevaluechainofthecloud
computingmarket.
SUCHASCENARIO...[ENABLES]
TELECOMOPERATORSTOBECOME
PARTOFTHEVALUECHAINOFTHE
CLOUDCOMPUTINGMARKET
Defining exposure
Exposure in the IT/telecom sphere can be divided into a number of subareas.
Data exposure is the process by which any kind of consumer (human or machine) can access data in a
system via secure and controlled mechanisms. Data is normally exchanged in one direction only. Common
examples of data exposure include accessing data via an application programming interface (API),
downloading a file or retrieving observations from a server.
Service exposure goes beyond data exposure to also include the ordering of execution of operations in
the underlying system. Using an API to initiate operations and/or processes is a good example of service
exposure. Services can be invoked bidirectionally by triggering events, for example. Data can also be
updated via a service.
Service exposure can be applied in a domain, as in network exposure, which exposes both data and
services of the network. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management
(CRM) are other examples of domains where service exposure can be applied.
To maintain security, the details of the underlying system are typically hidden in exposure scenarios.
4. ✱ SERVICE EXPOSURE IN 5G
4 ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MAY 7, 2019
Figure1illustrateshowacollaborationwithweb-
scaleprovidersontelecomdistributedcloudscould
bestructured.Wearecurrentlyexploringa
partnershiptoenablesystemintegratorsand
developerstodeployweb-scaleplayerapplication
platformsseamlesslyontelecomdistributedclouds.
Distributedcloudabstractionontheweb-scale
playermarketplaceencompassesedgecompute,
latencyandbandwidthguaranteeandmobility.
InterworkingwithIoTsoftwaredevelopmentkits
(SDKs)anddevicemanagementprovides
integrationwithprovisioningcertificatehandling
servicesandassignmenttodistributedcloudtenant
breakoutpoints.
Inthemidtolongterm,serviceexposurewillbe
criticaltothesuccessofsolutionsthatrelyonedge
computing,networkslicinganddistributedcloud.
Withoutit,thegrowingnumberoffunctions,nodes,
configurationsandindividualofferingsthatthose
solutionsentailrepresentsasignificantriskof
increasedoperationalexpenditure.Thekeybenefit
ofserviceexposureinthisrespectisthatitmakesit
possibletouseapplicationprogramminginterfaces
(APIs)toconnectautomationflowsandartificial
intelligence(AI)processesacrossorganizational,
technology,business-to-business(B2B)andother
borders,therebyavoidingcostlymanualhandling.
AIandanalytics-basedservicesareparticularly
goodcandidatesforexposureandexternal
monetization.
Keyenablers
The5Gsystemarchitecturespecifiedby3GPPhas
beendesignedtosupportawiderangeofusecases
basedonkeyrequirementssuchashighbandwidth/
throughput,massivenumbersofconnecteddevices
andultra-lowlatency.Forexample,enhancedmobile
broadband(eMBB)willprovidepeakdatarates
Figure 1 Collaboration with web-scale providers on telecom distributed clouds
Devices/
local network
Access sites
Application cloud
Network slices
Management and monetization
Web-scale player platform and device SDK
Mobile
Fixed Cloud infrastructure
Access, mobility and network applications
Transport
Distributed sites National sites Web-scale
player
SDK
SDK
SDK
SDK
Market-
place
7. SERVICE EXPOSURE IN 5G ✱
MAY 7, 2019 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW 7
Functionalarchitectureforserviceexposure
Thefunctionalarchitectureforserviceexposureis
builtaroundfourcustomerscenarios:
❭❭ internal consumers
❭❭ business-to-consumers (B2C)
❭❭ business-to-business (B2B)
❭❭ business-to-business-to-business/consumers
(B2B2X).
Inthecaseofinternalconsumers,applicationsfor
monitoring,optimizationandinternalinformation
sharingoperateunderthecontrolandownershipof
theenterpriseitself.InthecaseofB2C,consumers
directlyuseservicesviaweborappsupport.B2C
examplesincludecallcontrolandself-service
managementofpreferencesandsubscriptions.
TheB2Bscenarioconsistsofpartnersthatuse
servicessuchasmessagingandIoTcommunication
tosupporttheirbusiness.TheB2B2Xscenariois
madeupofmorecomplexvaluechainssuchas
mobilevirtualnetworkoperators,webscale,gaming,
automotiveandtelcocloudthroughweb-scaleAPIs.
Figure2illustratesthefunctionalarchitecturefor
serviceexposure.Itisdividedintothreelayersthat
eachactasaframeworkfortherealization.Domain-
specificfunctionalityandknowledgeareappliedand
addedtotheframeworkasconfigurations,scripts,
plug-ins,modelsandsoon.Forexample,theaccess
controlframeworkdeliversthebuildingblocksfor
specializingtheaccesscontrolsforaspecificarea.
Theabstractionandresourcelayerisresponsible
forcommunicatingwiththeassets.Ifsomeassetsare
locatedoutsidetheenterprise–atasupplieror
partnerfacilityinafederationscenario,forexample
–B2Bfunctionalitywillalsobeincludedinthislayer.
Thebusinessandservicelogiclayerisresponsible
fortransformationandcomposition–thatis,when
Figure 2 Functional architecture for service exposure
API gateway
Operator's
internal
applications
Operator’s
consumer
services
Operator’s services
to enterprises
Enterprises’ services to
consumers/enterprises
Developer portal,
marketplace & SDK
API management
Exposed service execution APIs & exposed management
BSS/OSS
Transformation Composition Orchestration
Business & service logic
Protocol stacks
Radio Core OSS BSS Cloud CoS Partner/
supplier
Routing Adaptation
Abstraction and resource layer
Internal B2B B2B B2B2X
In-house assets providing raw capabilities
8. ✱ SERVICE EXPOSURE IN 5G
8 ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MAY 7, 2019
thereisaneedtoraisetheabstractionlevelofa
servicetocreatecombinedservices.
TheexposedserviceexecutionAPIsandexposed
managementlayerareresponsibleformakingthe
servicediscoverableandreachablefortheconsumer.
ThisisdonethroughtheAPIgateway,withthe
supportofportal,SDKandAPImanagement.
Businesssupportsystems(BSS)andoperations
supportsystems(OSS)playadoubleroleinthis
architecture.Firstly,theyserveasresourcesthatcan
exposetheirvalues–OSScanprovideanalytics
insights,forexample,andBSScanprovide“charging
onbehalfof”functionality.Atthesametime,OSS
areresponsibleformanagingserviceexposureinall
assurance,configuration,accounting,performance,
securityandLCMaspects,suchasthediscovery,
orderingandchargingofaservice.
Oneofthekeycharacteristicsofthearchitecture
presentedinFigure2isthattheserviceexposure
frameworklifecycleisdecoupledfromtheexposed
services,whichmakesitpossibletosupportboth
short-andlong-tailexposedservices.Thisisrealized
throughtheinclusionandexposureofnewservices
throughconfiguration,plug-insandthepossibilityto
extendtheframework.
Anotherkeycharacteristictonoteisthatitis
possibletodeploycommonexposurefunctionsboth
inadistributedwayandindividually–in
combinationwithothermicroservicesforefficiency
reasons,forexample.Typicalcasesaredistributed
cloudwithedgecomputingandweb-scalescenarios
suchasdownload/upload/streamingwheretheedge
siteandterminalareinvolvedintheoptimization.
Theexposureframeworkisrealizedasasetof
looselyconnectedcomponents,allofwhichare
cloud-nativecompliantandmicroservicebased,
runningincontainers.Thereisnotaone-size-fits-all
deployment–someofthecomponentsareavailable
inseveralvariantstofitdifferentscenarios.For
example,componentsintheAPIgatewaysupport
B2Bscenarioswithfullchargingbuttherearealso
scaled-downversionsthatonlysupportreporting,
intendedfordeploymentininternalexposure
scenarios.
Otherkeypropertiesoftheserviceexposure
frameworkare:
COMMONEXPOSURE
FUNCTIONS[CANBEDEPLOYED]
BOTHINADISTRIBUTEDWAY
ANDINDIVIDUALLY
Terms and abbreviations
3PP – Third-party Provider | 5GC – 5G Core | AI – Artificial Intelligence | API – Application Programming
Interface | AR – Augmented Reality | B2B – Business-to-Business | B2BCX – Business-to-Business-to-
Business/Consumers | B2C – Business-to-Consumers | BSS – Business Support Systems | CDN – Content
Delivery Network | CoS – Communication Services | CRM – Customer Relationship Management |
eMBB – Enhanced Mobile Broadband | ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning | IDE– Integrated Development
Environment | IOT – Internet of Things | LCM – Life-cycle Management | mMTC – Massive Machine-type
Communications | NEF – Network Exposure Functions | NF – Network Function | ONAP – Open Network
Automation Platform | OSS – Operations Support Systems | SBA – Service-based Architecture |
SBI – Service-based Interface | SCEF – Service Capability Exposure Functions | SDK – Software
Development Kit | uRLLC – Ultra-reliable Low-latency Communications | VNF – Virtual Network Function
| VR – Virtual Reality
9. SERVICE EXPOSURE IN 5G ✱
MAY 7, 2019 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW 9
❭❭ scalability (configurable latency and scalable
throughput) to support different deployments
❭❭ diversified API types for payload/connectivity,
including messaging APIs (request-response
and/or subscribe-notify type), synchronous,
asynchronous, streaming, batch, upload/
download and so on
❭❭ multiple interface bindings such as restful,
streaming and legacy
❭❭ multivendor and partner support (supplier/
federation/aggregator/web-scale value chains)
❭❭ security and access control functionality.
Deploymentexamples
Serviceexposurecanbedeployedinamultitudeof
locations,eachwithadifferentsetofrequirements
thatdrivemodularityandconfigurabilityneeds.
Figure3illustratesafewexamples.
InthecaseofOperatorBinFigure3,service
exposureisdeployedtoexposeservicesinafullB2B
context.BSSintegrationandsupportisrequiredto
handleallcommercialaspectsoftheexposureand
LCMofcustomers,contracts,orders,servicesand
soon,alongwithchargingandbilling.OperatorB
alsousesthedeployedB2Bcommercialsupportto
acquireservicesfromasupplier.
InthecaseofOperatorA,serviceexposureis
deployedbothatthecentralsiteandattheedgesite
tomeetlatencyorpayloadrequirements.Services
areonlyexposedtoOperatorA’sownapplications/
VNFs,whichlimitstheneedforB2Bsupport.
However,duetothefactthatOperatorAhostssome
applicationsforanexternalpartner,bothcentrally
andattheedge,fullB2Bsupportmustbedeployed
fortheexternallyownedapps.
TheaggregatorinFigure3deploystheservice
exposurerequiredtocreateservicesputtogetherby
Figure 3 Service exposure deployment (dark pink boxes indicate deployed components)
Operator A
Customer
app
Operator
app/VNF
Customer
app
Operator
app/VNF
Customer
Access/local site Regional/national site
Supplier
B2B
Operator B
Aggregator
Customer
App
Direct
exposed
services
Aggregated
services
Operator
app
Hosted
app
Services at
the edge
Federated/
roaming
services
Supplied
service
B2BB2BB2B
B2B
B2B
10. ✱ SERVICE EXPOSURE IN 5G
10 ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MAY 7, 2019
Further reading
❭ Ericsson web page, Service enablement, available at:
https://www.ericsson.com/en/portfolio/digital-services/cloud-core/service--enablement
❭ Ericsson web page, Cloud core exposure server, available at:
https://www.ericsson.com/en/portfolio/digital-services/cloud-core/cloud-unified-data-management-and-
policy/cloud-core-exposure-server
❭ Ericsson web page, Cloud packet core, available at:
https://www.ericsson.com/en/portfolio/digital-services/cloud-core/cloud-packet-core
morethanonesupplier.UnifiedDeliveryNetwork
andweb-scaleintegrationbothfallintothiscategory.
Asexposuretotheconsumerisdonethroughthe
aggregator,thisalsoservesasaB2Binterfaceto
handlespecificrequirements.Examplesofthis
includetheadvertisinganddiscoveryofservicesvia
theportalsofweb-scaleproviders.
AsubsetofB2Bsupportisalsodeployedto
providetheserviceexposurethathandlesthe
federationrelationshipbetweenOperatorAand
OperatorB,inwhichbothpartiesareonthesame
levelintheecosystemvaluechain.
Conclusion
Thereareseveralcompellingreasonsfortelecom
operatorstoextendandmodernizetheirservice
exposuresolutionsaspartoftherolloutof5G.One
ofthekeyonesisthedesiretomeettherapidly
developingrequirementsofusecasesinareassuch
astheInternetofThings,AR/VR,Industry4.0and
theautomotivesector,whichwilldependon
operators’abilitytoprovidecomputingresources
acrossthewholetelcodomain,allthewaytotheedge
ofthemobilenetwork.Serviceexposureisakey
componentofthesolutiontoenabletheseusecases.
Recentadvancesintheserviceexposurearea
haveresultedfromthearchitecturalchanges
introducedinthemovetoward5Gandtheadoption
ofcloud-nativeprinciples,aswellasthecombination
ofService-basedArchitecture,microservicesand
containertechnologies.Asoperatorsbegintouse
5Gtechnologytoautomatetheirnetworksand
supportsystems,serviceexposureprovidesthem
withtheadditionalbenefitofbeingabletouse
automationincombinationwithAItoattract
partnersthatareexploringnew,5G-enabled
businessmodels.Web-scaleprovidersarealso
showinginterestinunderstandinghowtheycan
offertheircustomersaneasyextensiontowardthe
networkedge.
Modernizedserviceexposuresolutionsare
designedtoenablethecommunicationandcontrol
ofdevices,providingaccesstoprocesses,data,
networksandOSS/BSSassetsinasecure,
predictableandreliablemanner.Theycandothis
bothinternallywithinanoperatororganizationand
externallytoathirdparty,accordingtothetermsofa
ServiceLevelAgreementand/oramodelfor
financialsettlement.
Serviceexposureisanexcitingandrapidly
evolvingareaandEricssonisplayinganactiverolein
itsongoingdevelopment.Asacomplementtoour
standardizationeffortswithinthe3GPPand
Industry4.0forums,wearealsoengagedinopen-
sourcecommunitiessuchasONAP(theOpen
NetworkAutomationPlatform).Thisworkis
importantbecauseweknowthatmodernized
serviceexposuresolutionswillbeatheartof
efficient,innovativeandsuccessfuloperator
networks.
11. SERVICE EXPOSURE IN 5G ✱
MAY 7, 2019 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW 11
Jan Friman
◆ is an OSS/BSS expert
in the Architecture and
Technology team within
Business Area Digital
Services, where he is driving
the architecture of service
exposure. Since joining
Ericsson in 1997, he has
held various OSS/BSS-
related positions within the
company’s R&D, system
management and strategic
product management
organizations. He holds an
M.Sc. in computer science
from Linköping University,
Sweden.
Mattias Ek
◆ joined Ericsson in 1996
and currently serves as a
strategic product manager.
He has extensive experience
in service delivery platforms
and service enablement
domains, specializing in
consumer interaction,
mobile commerce and
consumer self-service. His
focus in recent years has
shifted toward exposure
and enablement solutions
for cellular IoT, massive
IoT and machine-type
communications. Today,
Ek leads the IoT Enabler and
Network Exposure team
in Solution Area Packet
Core with responsibility for
commercial and product
strategies.
Peter Chen
◆ is the technical product
manager leading the
technical solution and
evolution for the network
exposure area in Product
Development Unit UDM &
Policy. He has been working
in different areas within the
core network at Ericsson
since 2006 including IMS,
voice over Wi-Fi and Unified
Data Management (UDM),
and he has contributed more
than 10 patents in these
areas in recent years. He
holds a B.Sc. in materials
science and engineering
from Dalian University of
Technology, China.
Jitendra Manocha
◆ is strategic product
manager (5G Core) in
Solution Area Packet
Core within Business Area
Digital Services, where he
is responsible for the Cloud
Core Exposure Server, a
component of Ericsson’s
5G Cloud Core solution. He
joined Ericsson in 2004 and
has held various leading
positions in product lines,
R&D and services. He holds
an M.Sc. from KTH Royal
Institute of Technology in
Stockholm, Sweden.
João Soares
◆ is a solution manager for
distributed cloud, leading
Ericsson’s strategic solution
development for edge
computing. Before joining
the company in 2014, he
worked for Portugal Telecom
(now Altice Portugal),
during the introduction of
cloud technologies within
the operator’s network.
He holds both an M.Sc.
and a Ph.D. in electronics
and telecommunications
engineering from the
University of Aveiro,
Portugal.
theauthors