To keep up with growing network complexity, telcos are applying automation techniques enabled by AI and ML in as many network operations as possible
As 5G continues to evolve, it also continues to become more complex. Virtualization and disaggregation are happening in tandem with deployment of network workloads in hybrid cloud environments, including distributed clouds deep in the network at radio sites or even at customer premises. As a result, configuring, provisioning and assuring networks through manual - or even the standard automation strategies that telcos have been relying on for years - is no longer possible, from an economic or practical perspective.
Therefore, applying automation techniques enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in as many network operations as possible - referred to as AIOps, or Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations - is emerging as the only way for telcos to keep up.
With concerns around both environment impact and overall costs of energy, operators around the world are looking to do whatever possible to create a greener future.
In a recent report, the GSMA announced that core networks and data centers owned by communication service providers (CSPs) account for roughly 13% to 22% of network energy expenditures, so appropriately managing the resource requirements of the 5G core can significantly contribute to the overall energy footprint of telecommunications networks.
For many CSPs, sustainability is a crucial requirement in 5G core networks. It's what their own customers increasingly want, and as we know, many companies have a variety of self-defined annual sustainability requirements and core is a critical component to the overall network reaching those ends.
5G's killer applications have yet to be fully realized -- or defined -- but some potentials include higher capacity, improved connectivity, private 5G and more.
5G hype has been considerable, but the real-world benefits of the wireless networking technology are sometimes hard to find. Beyond the marketing, 5G needs a bit of definition and context before it's clear what it does -- and doesn't -- bring to the table.
A look at 5G on the carrier side
5G carriers continue to tout what the technology might do someday, such as speeds in the tens of gigabits per second and ultralow latency, as if those capabilities are already here. However, 5G's current capabilities aren't any better than 4G. Without a strict performance definition, 5G speeds vary across mobile network operators (MNOs).
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