Corning exec: ‘5G is real and it’s going to be coming indoors’
Corning Incorporated and Intel are working together to improve 5G availability and performance indoors for enterprise users. The companies will streamline 5G in-building deployment by delivering a virtual platform for Corning’s 5G network solutions powered by Intel Xeon Scalable processors and Intel FlexRAN Reference Software Architecture.
Michelle Engarto, vice president, Wireless Product Line Management, Corning Optical Communications, made it very clear to RCR Wireless News how critical it is to be at the forefront of bringing the power of 5G indoors.
“We know that 5G is here,” Engarto said. “It’s real and it’s going to be coming indoors.”
She added that Corning has been aware for some time that enterprises are concerned about keeping up with network and data needs of their employees and business partners. Where there is greater connectivity, there is a greater demand for data, and so as connectivity improves in the 5G era, an enterprise will undeniably be faced with increasing data demands.
“It is also difficult to manage mmWave and high spectrum,” she explained. While mmWave 5G transmitters offer incredibly fast speeds and very low latency, they also operate over relatively short distances and aren’t very good at penetrating obstacles, particularly certain types of building materials.
“Even raindrops can be a problem for mmWave frequencies,” Engarto added. Further, before 5G connectivity can be brought indoors, an enterprise must have the outdoor 5G environment ready, and will also need to have 5G-capable devices already established in the facility. Because of hurdles like these, 5G in-building deployment can be expensive and time consuming.
However, by moving away from customized hardware and towards software defined platforms, Corning is providing a way for enterprises to save time and money, dramatically streamlining 5G in-building deployment.
“Before, if you needed indoor cellular, we would tell you how many antennas you need, how many cables you need. It’s expensive, it’s takes up space, it gets hot, requiring even more equipment to cool everything down,” Engarto explained. “But, as we move toward software defined platforms, a lot of that goes way. It is much more cost effective. We don’t want them to have to rip out gear, so we are providing a virtualized way to update software, and we can use another company’s gear because our platform can interface with other company’s equipment.”
She also stated that in order to truly capture the benefits that 5G has to offer, it is important to implement flexible and scalable infrastructure that can evolve and adapt as fast as software-based applications. “Fiber offers effectively unlimited bandwidth and is protocol agnostic. Virtualization converts a traditional hardware challenge into a software-based solution. By combining fiber and virtualization, Corning and Intel will demonstrate the ultimate in flexibility and scalability for in-building 5G infrastructure,” she said.
vRAN a key part of in-building 5G
In a press release, Intel’s Vice President and General Manager of Wireless Access Networks Division, Data Center Group, Cristina Rodriguez commented, “This Intel-based foundation for next-generation virtualized radio access networks (vRAN) will enable customers to reap the full benefits of 5G-based platforms for ultra-reliable low latency, enhanced mobile bandwidth, and massive machine-to-machine communication both inside and outside their buildings.”
The collaboration combines Corning’s wireless connectivity portfolio and Intel’s leading-edge technologies, including second-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors; Intel FlexRAN 5G and 4G Reference Software; Intel FPGA Programmable Acceleration Card N3000; 10/25/40Gb Intel Ethernet 700 Series Network Adapters to support 5G innovation as deployments proliferate around the world.
The new enterprise platform will be commercially available in 2020, and as Rodriguez stated, “will ensure the 5G revolution does not stop at the building door.”
