Today, everything is connected – from phones to watches to cars – modernizing industries, and cellular connectivity changing the way we live, work, and learn. But, at the same time carriers are building out the infrastructure to support this enhanced connectivity, they are setting aggressive decarbonization goals, including public Net Zero ambitions.

What that means for communications service providers (CSPs) is that they can no longer view performance as the sole criterion for success. The telecommunications network of today must be powerful and nimble – and it needs to be sustainable, too. And, AI is the key to creating and managing energy efficiency, reducing carbon footprint while continuing to deliver the high-quality service customers demand.

RAN Represents the Bulk of Energy Usage – And an Opportunity for Savings

The telecom industry is in a unique position when it comes to decarbonization. Advanced connectivity is key to enabling carbon reduction in other industries, and there is also a tremendous opportunity for the telecom industry to lead by example by cutting its own emissions. 

The Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment accounts for 80% of the energy use for an operator, based on a benchmarking study by the GSMA. Yet the GSMA also reports 62 operators, representing 61% of the industry (by revenue), have committed to a science-based carbon reduction target, pledging to reduce direct and indirect emissions by 2030.

As networks become increasingly complex, managing energy usage can’t be done manually. Software that monitors for periods of low usage to shut down unnecessary equipment is a good first step, but purely reactive solutions won’t be enough to manage traffic demands while cutting emissions.

AI is the missing ingredient that will help CSPs gain insights to inform ongoing energy savings, while also driving real-time efficiencies through operational orchestration.

AI is what will take network energy management from reactive to predictive, making decisions based on the network’s needs.

For example, AI functions can decide, based on data, what resources will be needed in the coming hours and days, and if all the capacity in the frequency bands within the RAN will be needed. They can then turn off or on different frequency bands or other resources according to predicted demand.

Because, AI programs dynamically learn, adapt, and act accordingly, these tools enable operators to control cells dynamically and in turn, serve dynamic traffic patterns instead of just peak traffic.

Taking things to the next level, CSPs will be able to use AI and machine learning predictions to build digital twins of the RAN environment, allowing them to test and develop energy-saving features without any risk to their actual, live network. 

AI Can Identify and Enable Savings Beyond Network Operations

And it’s not just the day-to-day network management where AI tools can help reduce energy usage. They can also help operators diagnose and resolve issues remotely, getting things right the first time to reduce unplanned downtime – as well as achieving carbon reduction through fewer maintenance truck rolls. And, with AI insights, CSPs can identify where new cell sites or other resources should be deployed, creating efficiencies with deployments and equipment buildouts.  

Another area where AI can enable energy savings is in the passive equipment at individual cellular sites, things like climate control or air conditioning.

AI solutions can help companies manage the energy infrastructure on-site more intelligently. They can also help in areas where demand response programs are enabled, or when government regulations or tariffs are in place to control peak demand.

For example, AI-powered applications can switch to battery power during times when tariffs are higher (peak load shifting), or when the grid power usage reaches a certain power grid alternating current (AC) limit.

There is a real urgency behind the need for CSPs to make operations more energy efficient, as the telecom industry works to meet self-declared sustainability targets as well as government mandates. Yet, there can be an understandable hesitancy to enact some energy-saving solutions, for fear of disrupting networks or reducing the quality of service. Luckily, AI can be a solution for both these issues – giving CSPs the tools they need to manage complex network functions in the most efficient manner possible, while also collecting and analyzing data to test and refine new applications in a virtual environment, such as a digital twin. Cellular networks need to get smarter to meet sustainability expectations without affecting customer experience – and AI is the key to making it work.

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Communications service providers (CSPs) face a host of barriers, such as accessing high-quality data, that impede their ability to effectively deploy AI which could improve network and service operations, according to new research commissioned by Nokia and conducted by Analysys Mason.

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“CSPs are unable to access high-quality data sets (which will enable them to make more accurate decisions) because they are using legacy systems with proprietary interfaces. This will restrict how quickly they can integrate AI into their networks,” according to the research, which is based on responses from 84 CSPs surveyed globally. Almost 50 percent of Tier-1 CSPs ranked data collection as the most challenging stage of the telco AI use case development cycle.

Further, the research found that only six percent of CSPs surveyed believe they are at the most-advanced level of automation, or zero-touch automation, which relies on AI and machine learning (ML) algorithms to manage and improve network operations. The high-quality data issue is also impacting CSPs’ ability to retain AI talent.

Still, 87 percent of CSPs have started to implement AI into their network operations, either as proof of concepts or into production; with 57 percent saying they have deployed telco AI use cases to the point of production.

CSP respondents said they believe AI will help improve network service quality, top-line growth, customer experience, and energy optimisation to meet their sustainability goals.

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The research said CSPs should evaluate their telco AI implementation strategies and develop a clear roadmap for AI implementation to overcome their data challenge and other impediments, such as an inability to scale AI use case deployments. The report can be found here.

Adaora Okeleke, Principal Analyst, at Analysys Mason said: “CSPs must transition to more-autonomous operations if they are to manage networks more efficiently and deliver on their main business priorities. But as this research demonstrates, accessing high-quality data remains a critical obstacle to deploying telco AI within their networks. They need to really examine their AI implementation strategies to work around this data quality issue.”

Andrew Burrell, Head of Business Applications Marketing, Cloud and Network Services at Nokia, said: “AI has a crucial role in driving step changes in network performance, including cutting carbon footprints. CSPs are aware of the challenges of more deeply embedding AI into their operations and, as this research points out, the steps they can take to positively alter that situation, including building the right ecosystem of vendor partners with the right skillsets that can better cater to their network needs.”

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Wipro Limited, a leading technology services and consulting company, announced the appointment of Ankush Saigal as Head of Telecom Industry Sector, Southeast Asia.

Universal connectedness is driving dynamic transformation across the telecom industry in Southeast Asia. Telecom companies and Communications Service Providers (CSPs) are growing and expanding, as they continue to strengthen their underlying IT infrastructure to drive innovation.

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Ankush will lead Wipro’s business growth in the telecom sector in Southeast Asia at a time when the overall telecom and CSP industry is looking to adopt an ecosystem play to reach greater heights and drive sustainable growth. He will also help clients accelerate their transformation journey and realize their growth ambitions by reimagining operating models and enhancing customer experience.

“We are pleased to welcome Ankush to the Wipro Southeast Asia leadership team. Ankush brings extensive experience of establishing and nurturing long-term strategic client engagements. I am looking forward to consolidating Wipro’s leadership positioning in the telecom sector further, and significantly expanding our existing engagements with telecom brands across Southeast Asian countries, with Ankush onboard. We will also nurture a thriving ecosystem with our technology partners, to craft significantly differentiated value propositions for clients,” said Badri Srinivasan, Managing Director – Southeast Asia, Wipro Limited.

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“The telecom and CPS industry in Southeast Asia is continuously evolving. Enterprises are looking for partners who bring a consultative approach through deep industry domain knowledge and cutting-edge technology expertise. Wipro already has a strong presence in the region and is leading the way in partnering with telecom & CSP companies globally. It is an honor to join Wipro and partner with clients on their transformation journey. I would like to thank the Wipro Leadership team for this opportunity to be a part of the next growth phase at Wipro,” said Ankush Saigal.

An industry veteran, Ankush has worked with some of the largest brands in the industry. Prior to joining Wipro, Ankush was with Accenture, where his responsibilities included expanding Technology Sales across Communication, Media and HiTech Industry, driving go-to-market (GTM) with key ecosystem partners and managing key client relationships. Prior to Accenture, he worked with Infosys and was managing one of the largest business relationships in the region.

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Comtrend, a leading Broadband CPE manufacturer and solution provider to regional and rural Communications Service Providers (CSPs), announced the availability of their first VDSL OpenSync-certified gateway. The VR-3071 is the first certified product in a series of Comtrend devices that are planned for OpenSync integration.

Through Comtrend’s partnership with the personalized communications services pioneer Plume, the VR-3071 can pre-ship with OpenSync which enables immediate access to Plume’s powerful cloud- and AI-driven SaaS Experience Platform featuring services for smart homes. Additionally, Service Providers with VR-3071 gateways that are already deployed can now easily add Plume services by simply upgrading the firmware.

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Once connected to the Plume Cloud, OpenSync-enabled, Comtrend gateways can access such Services as HomePass––a new bundle of smart home services for consumers featuring whole-home adaptive WiFi, advanced parental and access controls, cybersecurity and more. For service providers, Haystack provides a back-end data prediction and analytics suite that has a demonstrated track record of measured success across critical operational areas, including reduced truck rolls and churn, increased ARPU, and self-install savings to bring CSPs significant return-on-investment.

John DiFrenna, Comtrend’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, states “Comtrend remains committed to providing access to valuable solutions for every service provider, no matter their technology selection, market size, or location. Today, Comtrend is the only manufacturer to offer a VDSL OpenSync-ready gateway. This is Comtrend giving choice to our customers; whether it is a new product set, robust feature or establishing relationships with best-in-class partners such as Plume, Comtrend will continue to adapt and evolve as we service our CSP client demands”.

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VMware unveiled new product innovations and partnerships that will enable communications service providers (CSPs) to rapidly modernize their networks in a cost and energy efficient manner and accelerate 5G core, RAN and edge deployments and lifecycle management.

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“Today’s CSPs find themselves in a unique position in the edge value chain, with the ability to act as principals and provide the most cost and energy efficient path to edge transformation”

CSPs are accelerating the pace of 5G and Open RAN deployments to meet the demands of consumers and enterprises as they increase their appetite for ultra-low latency and high speed networks to support their digital transformation. This rapid pace of deployment introduces operational complexities from network lifecycle management to vendor interoperability along with network service assurance.

“Today’s CSPs find themselves in a unique position in the edge value chain, with the ability to act as principals and provide the most cost and energy efficient path to edge transformation,” said Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager, Service Provider and Edge, VMware. “At the same time, CSPs need to rapidly modernize their networks and deploy overlay services to monetize their investments. VMware’s flexibility and consistency in delivering a multi-cloud approach allows our CSP customers to meet this challenge head-on.”

Expanded VMware Telco Cloud Platform Ecosystem—Now Supporting 275+ VNFs and CNFs

VMware Telco Cloud Platform 2.5 with VMware Telco Cloud Automation 2.1 enable CSPs to expedite the innovation cycle to deliver new network services, reduce operational complexities for VNF and CNF onboarding, instantiation, and lifecycle management to achieve substantial TCO savings. The latest release of VMware Telco Cloud Platform adds the capability to:

• Upgrade control plane and worker node pools separately, amid management of cluster failures.
• Protect and better secure 5G networks from sophisticated security attacks with intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) for east-west network traffic.
• Accelerate the deployment of network services with an expanding partner ecosystem of over 275 virtualized and containerized network functions (VNFs and CNFs) including Mavenir’s Converged Packet Core.

“The success of 5G rollouts hinges on the ability to disaggregate networks and roll out new services at a faster pace and larger scale,” said Ashok Khuntia, Mavenir’s President, Core Networks. “With Mavenir’s 5G Converged Packet Core certified through the VMware Ready for Telco Cloud program, we were able to quickly validate our CSAR package conformity as well as the steps for onboarding and lifecycle management of our network functions. As a result, VMware and Mavenir will enable CSPs to quickly onboard and deploy network functions resulting in time, money and integration savings.”

VMware Telco Cloud Automation 2.1 extends multi-cloud operations and automation capabilities with new support for AWS and Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) enabling CSPs to provision CNFs directly on native Amazon EKS.

“DISH Wireless has already deployed thousands of edge nodes to build the world’s first hyper-distributed cloud, and it’s growing exponentially. Our 5G Open RAN network is the first application deployed and supported by VMware Telco Cloud Automation,” said Marc Rouanne, EVP and Chief Network Officer, DISH Wireless. “VMware Telco Cloud Automation enables DISH to automate deployment and management of physical and virtual infrastructure and applications, at scale. We, with the help of VMware, can now offer a new platform for developers to stretch the cloud to end devices and create a bridge between hyper-scale clouds.”

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Extended Capabilities for Closed-Loop Operations of Large-Scale Mobile Networks

The latest release of VMware Telco Cloud Service Assurance 2.0 enables new use cases for mobile service assurance, including CaaS, 4G and 5G mobile cores, network slicing, and RAN.

To streamline the testing and proof of concept (PoC) of this software, VMware has expanded its scope of work with its customer DISH Wireless. DISH Wireless is testing VMware’s software to monitor its distributed-cloud infrastructure and collect metrics and logs to provide actionable insights and facilitate closed-loop automated provisioning and management.

“At DISH Wireless, data is the most valuable product generated by our wireless cloud. We are now trialing VMware Telco Cloud Service Assurance to enhance our ability to collect data from the edge, anticipate issues, maintain high system reliability, and ultimately, expose great value to our enterprise development community,” said Brian Mengwasser, Vice President of MarketPlace & Apps Design, DISH Wireless.

Enabling Rapid Deployment and Cost/Energy Savings for the Disaggregated RAN

VMware Telco Cloud Platform RAN™ 2.0 accelerates and simplifies deployments across distributed RAN sites with cloud-smart automation. This release enables improved performance, operability, and scale, helping accelerate adoption and time-to-launch.

• The addition of VMware Bare Metal Automation provides CSPs with simplified zero-touch provisioning and lifecycle management from bare metal provisioning to telco cloud infrastructure and network functions.
• VMware ESXi enhancements (included in the platform) provide bare metal equivalent latency performance and the flexibility, agility, and security benefits inherent to virtualization platforms.

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Napatech, the leading provider of programmable Smart Network Interface Cards (SmartNICs) used for Data Processing Unit (DPU) and Infrastructure Processing Unit (IPU) services in telecom, cloud, enterprise, cybersecurity and financial applications worldwide, will showcase its SmartNIC-based offload solution for 5G User Plane Function (UPF) in collaboration with AMD and Advantech at MWC Americas in Las Vegas from September 28^th through 30^th, in AMD’s booth number W.1720.

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Unlike in most 4G networks based on purpose-built appliances, the 5G packet core is implemented as virtualized or cloud-native software running on servers located within edge and core data centers. As Communications Service Providers (CSPs) and enterprises scale up the deployments of their 5G networks, they face strong financial pressure to maximize the number of users that can be supported on each server, whether individual subscribers or IoT devices, thereby minimizing the net cost-per-user.

Within 5G packet core software, the subsystem that represents the highest compute workload is the User Plane Function (UPF), which performs critical packet inspection, routing and forwarding functions associated with connecting user and device traffic from the Radio Access Network (RAN) to the Data Network (DN). Since general-purpose server CPUs are not well suited to the performance and latency requirements of real-time packet processing, network operators and 5G core software vendors increasingly adopt solutions for offloading the UPF to accelerator cards which are optimized for executing such workloads.

Napatech addresses the key business challenges around packet core deployments through its new, integrated hardware/software solution that leverages an AMD Xilinx Virtex® field programmable gate array (FPGA) to deliver industry-leading UPF performance. The solution comprises a fully-offloaded UPF fast path implemented within Napatech’s Link-Inline™ software stack, running on an NT200 programmable PCI-Express (PCIe) SmartNIC based on an AMD Virtex® UltraScale+™ VU9P FPGA. The UPF data path is implemented as a port-to-port inline or “hairpinned” architecture, which ensures that following initial setup all flows are processed on the SmartNIC with no need to pass traffic to and from the server CPU, maximizing the overall performance of the system.

Using a single 200Gbps NT200 SmartNIC to sustain 100Gbps of full duplex traffic, the Napatech UPF Offload solution processes up to 140 million concurrent flows, with a flow learning rate greater than 1.5 million flows per second, achieving a total throughput of up to 85 million packets per second on stateful connections and ensuring full wire speed operation for typical packet sizes. In a representative use case analyzed by the company, the Napatech UPF offload solution enables network operators to support 75x more users per server than with a software-based UPF and 7x more users per server than with a competing ASIC-based SmartNIC.

Napatech’s UPF offload solution is ideally suited to deployments in telco edge data centers and on-premises enterprise locations, both of which face the challenges of supporting large numbers of subscribers and/or devices within small-footprint servers that maximize energy efficiency. At MWC, Napatech will showcase its NT200 SmartNIC installed in an Advantech SKY-8260S server based on an AMD EPYC 7003 Series processor, which is a 2U single-socket server optimized for edge infrastructure. This short-depth, high performance server has been designed to meet high availability and business-critical network needs, combining best-in-class processing power with high density PCI Express card payload and advanced reliability features in a compact form factor.

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“Napatech is thrilled to be working with innovative, industry-leading partners like AMD and Advantech as we bring our UPF offload solution to market,” said Napatech senior director of Business Development Charlie Ashton. “Our strategy is to ensure that end-users such as telecom operators and enterprise IT organizations can access our technology through the server suppliers, software vendors and system integrators that they select, so a robust ecosystem facilitates and accelerates their deployments.”

“The outstanding performance and feature-set of the AMD Virtex UltraScale+ VU9P FPGA enables Napatech to deliver impressive throughput and functionality for their UPF offload solution,” said Nick Hancock, director of Telco Compute at AMD. “When an AMD EPYC processor-powered Advantech SKY-8260S server is used in conjunction with the Napatech solution, more CPU cores are then available for running applications and services in an edge cloud, maximizing efficiency. We are delighted that Napatech will be exhibiting in our booth at MWC.”

“The Advantech SKY-8260S carrier-grade server powered by the AMD EPYC 7003 Series processor is specifically designed to address the challenges of telco edge and enterprise on-premises infrastructure, delivering high density, optimized performance, advanced reliability and robust environmental features,” said Ben Shen, director, Cloud-IoT Group at Advantech. “We are pleased to be partnering with Napatech to enable the deployment of high-performance packet core infrastructure in a small-footprint platform optimized for the network edge.”

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