#FutureofWirelessFriday – Software-Defined Network (SDN)

January 22, 2016
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In the past two weeks we discussed convergence and RAN Virtualization. Now in our final week of the #FutureofWirelessFriday series, we will discuss Software Defined Network (SDN).

Mobile operators globally are looking at SDN to take advantage of the improvements in the manageability and flexibility of the network. By decoupling the system that makes decisions about where traffic is sent from the underlying infrastructure that forward traffic to the selected destination, mobile operators can tailor the network on demand based on customers’ needs.

As the wireless ecosystem moves towards SDN, the routing configurations and the Control and Management (C&M) of the network elements will be virtualized in the cloud so that configuration and management of the network can be done remotely and on demand.

This will enable a software-defined RAN Virtualized network while multiple data streams of licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, and other content can be delivered to the remotes.  Similar to the virtualized server and storage infrastructure of data centers in cloud computing, mobile operators can direct multiple data streams of content from a centralized intelligent switch without having to touch the individual switches.  The delivery of data streams to wherever and whenever they are required in the network enables mobile operators to have more control over network traffic flow and can better manage the traffic loads in a flexible and more efficient way. This ultimately makes it easier for mobile operators to configure and maintain the network.

convergence3

Convergence and RAN Virtualization can benefit mobile operators by enabling better utilization of existing hardware resources to avoid over-provisioning.  Also, as the wireless ecosystem moves towards a software-defined network (SDN), the routing configuration and control and monitoring functionality of the network elements will be virtualized in the cloud or in a data center to eliminate much of the hardware.  An all-digital and software-reconfigurable platform will enable operators to seamlessly migrate to a software-defined virtualized network while providing a platform that helps to maximize current capital investments.

As this series comes to a close, here are some additional resources on RAN Virtualization:

Whitepapers:

  • Reducing Total Cost of Ownership with RF Router – TCO Comparison of C-RAN and RF Router
  • ABI Research: RAN Virtualization Goes Beyond C-RAN with RF Routing

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    Commonly asked questions:

  • Can you use any DAS and BTS systems to enables RAN Virtualization, or do you have to use Dali’s RF Router?
  • What is the maximum range the base station resources can be away from the remote radio in order to avoid timing issues in a RAN Virtualization scenario?
  • Is it fair to say that small cells and C-RAN have dedicated network resources, whereas RAN virtualization through RF Router share network resources?

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    Webinar:

  • ABI Research and Dali Wireless: RAN Virtualization – Going Beyond C-RAN with RF Routing

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    If you would like to share any comments or questions, please tweet us @DaliWireless. To read our past blog entries, click here.
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