VIEWPOINT
Future-oriented IP target network architecture is key to helping Mobile Network Operators and enterprises build converged IP networks, to enhance efficiency and introduce digital managed network solutions and architecture, enabling them to drive new growth in business-to-business (B2B) services.
“At Huawei, we are aiming to provide a future-oriented intelligent IP network. We hope to help operators to accelerate the development of new scenarios, new services and new business models to seize the digital transformation opportunities, win the future,” says Rui Gu, VP of Huawei Data Communications Product Line. He was speaking at the recently concluded MPSL SD & AI Net World Congress.
The service providers across the globe are trying to provide improved services to the enterprise segment to increase their revenue. This is particularly important as the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of enterprises across all industry verticals and geographies. Now the growing 5G ecosystem, which enables high-speed and extremely low-latency network experience, allows service providers to provide relevant use cases for different industry verticals. This implies that the IP transport networks are required to not only increase bandwidth but also to provide intelligent connections to transport multiple services with differentiated SLA assurance. This is the key for telcos to expand and grow their B2B services.
Growth in the B2B segment is crucial for service providers as the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) from traditional voice and data services is coming down while the expense of providing always-on ubiquitous high-speed network is going up for the telcos. Further, now they face competition from OTT players who are offering services, like voice, typically offered by service providers.
Four Factors For Telco Growth in B2B Segment
“There are four major characteristics: the ultra-broadband, the full service carrying the highly automation and one-stop services.”, says Rui Gu. He elaborated that the ultra-broadband refers to the technologies such as Wi-Fi 7, 800GE, and orthogonal architecture that help build the required broadband infrastructure networks to meet the evolving requirements for the best-in-class user experience. The ultra-broadband should be designed to provide extremely low-latency, high capacity and high-speed network experience.
On the other hand, full-service transport is an all-in-one hardware platform and network slicing required to address the requirement of converged transport and to ensure the delivery of demanding Service Level Agreement (SLA) assurances. In addition, the full-service, all-in-one platform is geared to carry multiple services in the cloud era while ensuring network simplification and flexibility to provide a truly differentiated network performance.
Further, the requirements of the fully converged IP networks demand high automation based on SRv6 and network digital map. SRv6 standards and technologies are becoming increasingly mature, with over 160 networks with SRv6 deployed globally, and deployments are ramping up. This ensures network-wide programmable and easy automation for improved network efficiency.
The last key requirement for building converged IP networks is to ensure that the service providers are able to provide one-stop services for B2B customers based on carriers’ IP private lines with the digital-powered managed network. Private Line + X, a totally controllable management platform, cloud-native and multi-tenants POP, cross-domain SRv6 and multi-domain and multi-vendor integration are crucial to providing extreme experience and end-to-end visibility for better management and monitoring.
All four factors must work in tandem to provide build converged IP networks to enhance efficiency and introduce digital managed network solutions and architecture to enable them to drive new growth in business-to-business services.
In addition, fully-converged IP networks require the foundation of Green IP Networks that enable more bits, less watts for sustainable network development. Energy-saving and emission-reduction innovations at all levels, including equipment, network and operations, will help in building green IP networks. Operator is expected to have 6.2M € electricity bill reduce in 5 years at device level enabled by saving technologies.
Huawei is working with several service providers and industry partners to support the evolution of the target IP networks to empower them to confidently explore new services and business models. This is crucial to not just accelerating the digital transformation of businesses but to enabling enterprises to maximize the benefits and growth in the digital era.