are you 5g ready?

ARE YOU 5G READY?LESSONS LEARNED FROM FIRST 5G DEPLOYMENTS

Sébastien PrieurProduct Line Manager, EXFO

November 26, 2019

250+assurance systems

deployed

No.1worldwide in fiber

optic test solutions

5000+audits of quality of

service & performance

95%+of the top CSPs worldwide use EXFO solutions

1900employees in 25

countries & customers in 120 countries

35years of pioneering

essential solutions & technologies

We are the communications industry’s test, monitoring & analyticsexperts.

© 2018 EXFO Inc. All rights reserved. 2

© 2018-2019 EXFO Inc. All rights reserved. 3

Our customersFixed & mobile

network operatorsNetwork equipment

manufacturersWebscale

companies

Table of contents

1 Where are we with 5G?

2 5G vs 4G ecosystem

3 The role of fiber in 5G

4 5G testing challenges



Where are we with 5G


The 5G promiseInvolves a major transformation of the network

Ultra Reliable Low Latency

Communications (URLLC)

25xDecrease in

end-to-end latency

[1 ms]

10xHigh Reliability

[99.999%]

massive Machine Type

Communications (mMTC)

1000xNew service

deployment time

[90 min]

100-1000xConnection density

[1M devices/km2]

Enhanced Mobile

BroadBand (eMBB)

10xExperienced

throughput

[1 Gbps]

30xPeak data rate

[20 Gbps]

Ve

rtic

als

Re

qu

ire

me

nts

SDN/NFVCloudHigh speed AnalyticsFiber

’s role in the transformation of the network to 5G


Standardization of 5G (3GPP)

H2 2017 H1 2018 H2 2018 H1 2019 H2 2019 H1 2020

Release 15 Non-Standalone

NR (5G Phase 1)

Non-Standalone (NSA)• NR definition

• Dual Connectivity with

4G EPC

• eMBB / FWA

Standalone (SA)• 5GC definition

• Dual

Connectivity with

5GC

Release 16 (5G Phase 2)

Use Case extensions• URLLC

• V2X,

• industrial IoT

The vast majority of 5G trials have been concerned

with 5G NSA

We are here

Release 15 Standalone NR (5G Phase 1)

H2 2020 H1 2021 H2 2021

9 trials of 5G SA have been announced since the

SA standards were frozen in June 2018.

Release 17

Use Case extensions• mMTC

• Others…


5G rolloutnetwork and use cases

Ultra-Reliable

Low Latency

Comm.

(URLLC)

20

21

-22

3GPP R16

Standalone(SA)

Enhanced

Mobile

Broadband

(eMBB)20

19

-20

3GPP R15

Non-Standalone(NSA)

massive IoT

(mMTC)

20

22

+

3GPP R17

Standalone (SA)

Solutions for :

✓ Deploying a stronger transport network

✓ Building a Virtualized Network

✓ Enabling Network Slicing

✓ Automation

Services:

✓ Prioritize 5G-NR roll-out

✓ Validate FWA access

✓ Follow eMBB service ramp-up

✓ URLLC use cases

Where EXFO’s expertise will help :


2019 is the year of 5G

Source: Qualcomm


Operator 5G deployment status

Source: Heavy ReadingN = 104

– The majority (57%) expect to launch 5G by 2020. Over 90% will have launched by 2023

– Mass-market launches are expected to peak in 2021-2023 timeframe (53% of the group)

– Mass market launches are most significant for transport network planning

Network densification

– 3x more macro cell sites

– Massive deployment of small cells (hundreds of thousands by 2026 for EMEA)

Move toward edge computing

– Europe market of €1.71B by 2023

– CAGR of 29.3%


It’s all about the fiber!

– Top priority for most MNOs

– P2P, WDM, PON, Packet based… all relying on fiber

– 100x more metro fiber for 5G

5G eMBB is now live

– 56 launches, 32 countries

– 57% of operators by 2020

– Rollout expected >>4G rate

5G Market Trends

3

1 2

4

Source: Ken Research

5G vs 4G ecosystem


Latency> 10x decreaseURLLC : < 1ms E2E

© 2019 EXFO Inc. 20190144 14

5G key requirements

Reliability> 10x increaseURLLC : > 99.999%

Throughput> 10x increaseeMBB : 1 Gbit/s (20 Gbit/s peak)


New 5G transport technologies

CU

RU

CU

MEC

MEC

DU

DU

DU

RU

RU

RU

DU

Core

Access/Fronthaul Aggregation/Midhaul Core/backhaul

TODAY

WITH5G

CPRI OBSAI OTNETHERNET

1GE / 10GE / 100GE

eCPRI 10G/25G O-RAN

ROE

OTN

ETHERNET10GE/ 25GE/ 50GE

802.1CM TSN

F1 ETHERNET

SyncE + IEEE1588/PTP

FlexE10G

xPON

Ethernet 400GE

FlexE

OTUCn/FlexO

Network Slicing

SPN/G.mtn

Edge computing


Most important technologies for 5G transport



Early success of 5G

services relies heavily

on the performance of

the existing 4G network


4G vs 5G

Source: GSMA


5G Non-Standalone starts with 4G

NOW: 5G Non-StandAlone (NSA) Next phase (2021-2023): 5G StandAlone (SA)

4G/LTE

4G CORE (EPC)

5G NR

Dual-connectivityData Plane

Control Plane

4G/LTE

4G Core(EPC)

Dual-connectivity

5G Core

5G NR

Improved downlink throughput (eMBB)

Uplink/downlinkImproved uplink/downlinkImproved latencyImproved reliability

5G NR: 5G New RadioeMBB: enhanced Mobile BroadbandEPC: Evolved Packet CoreLTE: Long Term Evolution

Mainly small-cells!600MHz, 2.5GHz, 3.5GHz

mmWave at 24, 28, 39GHz


5G vs 4G installation, What’s different today?

Radio siteMobile core

Centralized 4G RAN RRH CPRI

Edge cloud(CO/data center)

BBUBackhaul

IP/Ethernet

Regional cloud(data center)

RF/Coax

Centralized 5G RAN RU CPRI/eCPRI DU CU

DU + CU

Backhaul

IP/Ethernet

What’s different today?• Some RU combines RRU and Antenna

(no more Coax) into AAU• New eCPRI protocol

NSA using 4G Mobile Core

BBU


D-RAN or Distributed Radio Access Network

Radio site Mobile coreEdge cloud(CO/data center)

DU CUBackhaul

IP/Ethernet


DU CU

Distributed 4G/5G RAN (classical)

RU

Distributed 5G cloud RAN

RUMidhaul

F1/Ethernet

Backhaul

IP/Ethernet

Flexible placement of RAN function = More transport profiles

CPRI/

eCPRI

CPRI/

eCPRI


C-RAN or Centralized Radio Access Network

Radio site

Centralized 4G/5G RAN

Fronthaul

CPRI/eCPRI


DU CU


BBU

Backhaul

IP/Ethernet

Centralized 5G cloud RAN

Fronthaul

CPRI/eCPRIDU CU

Midhaul

F1/Ethernet

Backhaul

IP/Ethernet

RU

RU

Mobile core

Flexible placement of RAN function = More transport profiles

Moving to network synchronization

From mostly GNSS in NA for 4G

Moving to PTP and SyncE for 5G

Existing LTE sites and bands are reused


LTE & 5G-NR sharing the same bands (almost)

Source: Ericsson


Why use mmWave?

– Because the current band is fully crowded and the mmWave is “mostly” empty

5G introduces Millimeter Waves

High Band (e.g. mmWave)Mid-BandLow Band

5G Spectrum

100 GHz39 GHz24 GHz6 GHz3 GHz<1 GHz

Full Empty!

mmWave is defined as having a wavelength of less than 1cm (30GHz)

– However, for 5G, it also includes frequencies starting at 24GHz

– The band between 6 GHz and 24 GHz is used for many other applications such as satellite

communication


Why not use this empty space before? Because propagation in mmWave is very difficult (as low as 100m in dense urban environment)

– Rain fade, foliage absorption, buildings blockage and more

Challenges with Millimeter Waves

To overcome this propagation problem, need Small Cells, Massive MIMO and Beamforming


With a range of less than 1km, mmWave cannot be deployed with the conventional large tower macro cell

– The solution of choice is Small Cell to cover areas blocked by obstacles

Solution: Small cell

29© 2019 EXFO Inc. All rights reserved.

Current cell density

Macro sites at 3.5 GHz (6)

6 sites

30© 2019 EXFO Inc. All rights reserved.

High cell densification with 5G small cells

Macro sites at 3.5 GHz (6)

Small cells at 3.5 GHz (11)

Indoor hotspots (13)

Small cells at 26 GHz (11+87)

117 sites

x20


RAN Evolution Impact on Transport

Source: Cisco


5G transport architectureThere is no “one size fits all” option for 5G!

Passive, active & active packetC/DWDM

Direct/dark fiber

Specialized 5G variants of backhaul technologies

Cell siteIP routers

Microwave sub-6, 6-42, 60, 80 GHz

IP/MPLS aggregation

Metro optical aggregation

Integrated access

backhaul

NG PON2XGS-PON

Software defined networking

CoreNG fronthaulBackhaul & aggregation

Data center & servicesCloud packet coreRemote radio Cloud RAN

Head-endIP router

Core IP router

Microwave

Optical DWDM

eCPRI, F1

eCPRI, F1CPRI/OBSAI

Source: Nokia


The role of fiber in 5G


A game changer where wireless can no longer exist without fiber

Brings a convergence between FTTA, FTTH and 5G = FTT-5G

5G and fibre

Densification

Fibre

Convergence


5G and fibre

5G3G/4G

There's more to it than just wireless

Fiber-based infrastructure

What issues should you be looking for?

© 2019 EXFO Inc. 20190144 36

Is your fiber foundation ready?

– Fiber rolled out 15-20 years ago

– Fiber degradation

– “Older” generation of connectorization, components and design

– In most cases, inexistent test data history

– No confidence on the quality to support higher-speed (backhaul/mid)

– High-speed upgrade in fronthaul, backhaul and cross-haul . . . 1G to 10G to 100G to 400G . . .

– Core to the edge, central offices, data centers and interconnect

– Data center installed closer to the edge to cope with new requirements and content availability

– C-RAN is deployed to allow centralization and virtualization

– Fixed wireless access (FWA) small cells

– Smart cities and telephone poles bring new challenges ($ vs. number)

– Legacy and next-gen working together

– Physical and virtual

– Fiber: P2P, xPON, xWDM . . .

– Transport: High-speed Ethernet, CPRI, eCPRI, NFV

– Radio: RF, WiFi macrowave

The fiber plant is aging . . .

Faster speeds and redundancy

New fiber rollouts

Complex mix of architectures &

technologies

© 2019 EXFO Inc. 20190144 37


Plans for transport network upgrades


– Crunch time for transport network upgrades is now

– For both fronthaul and midhaul/ backhaul

– By 2021, the vast majority of transport upgrades will have at least begun (88%+ of respondents)


5G testing challenges

5G testing challenges


With new higher rates harder to get it working

from the first time

New 5G sites installed by contactors.

MNO’s need to insist contractors follow best

practices

New transceivers, higher rates, new equipment…..

4G could forgive, 5G won’t! Don’t plug and pray! How & what to test


Actual 5G installations

Nokia Small Cells Nokia 5G 2xQSFP28 (25G)

Ericsson 5G 2xSFP+ (CPRI Rate 8 10.1G)EE 5G London 3.5GHz


How to improve 5G networks reliability

Radio site

Centralized 5G RAN


Centralized 5G RAN

RU eCPRI DU CU

DU + CU

Backhaul

IP/Ethernet


RU eCPRI DU CU

DU + CU

Backhaul

IP/Ethernet


eCPRI

Transported over CWDM/DWDM

Fiber Inspection

1 2

Fiber Characterization

1

2

2

4

4

Transport Equipment Validation

3

CU+DU Emulation

3

3

5G approach • Contractors don’t test because it wasn’t as important for lower 4G rates • Now, Customers are realizing that most installation are faulty. Why?

5G approach • Customers needs a tool to verify that their antennas are working properly. • 5G CU/DU emulation confirms that the whole fronthaul installation is

working properly


EXFO’s CPRI/OBSAI and

eCPRI BERT application to

establish a link with the RU

and confirm proper

operation.

EXFO’s iOLM (intelligent

Optical Link Mapper) to

automatically identify the

location of fiber or connector

issues (high loss or highly-

reflective connector).

EXFO’s Fiber Inspection

Probe (FIP) for to ensure

que quality of all the

connectors on the fiber link.

Automatically detects dirty

or damaged connectors.

How to improve 5G fiber link reliability

CPRI/OBSAIBERT

eCPRI BERT

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

These three easy steps can save more than 50% on truck rolls

• On average, during an installation of a new cell site 80% of the connectors are dirty or damaged

• Cleaning the connector without inspecting is not the right way to proceed

Bad Connectors

© 2019 EXFO Inc. All rights reserved.


Step 1 – Fiber connector inspection

Criteria is defined as a standard:

IEC 61300-3-35 - Fiber-Optic Interconnecting

Devices and Passive Components-Basic Test

and Measurement Procedures

Zones Scratches Defects

A: Core none none

B: Claddingno limit ≤ 3µm

none > 3µm

no limit <2µm

5 from 2 - 5µm

none > 5µm

C: Adhesive no limit no limit

D:Contact no limit None ≥ 10µm

CoreAdhesive


Step 1 - Fiber connector inspection

During an installation of a new cell site, studies show that on average 80% of connectors are dirty or damaged.


Step 2 – Fiber characterization

Table 1. iOLM diagnostic examples

Step 3 - Radio unit link validation

© EXFO Inc. All rights reserved.

Problem Statement

When installing a new RU, it is critical that all equipment be

verified before the riggers have finished the construction

phase. Confirms that equipment is ready to be

commissioned and that every is plugged correctly.

Solution

EXFO CPRI/OBSAI/eCPRI BERT application verifies that the

RU or DU is fully operational at the expected rate and that

the correct small form factor pluggable (SFP) transceivers

are installed and connected correctly.

What needs to be tested

– RX optical power

– eCPRI/CPRI/OBSAI link negotiation with the RRH or RU

– BER tests for link reliability assessment

– Round-trip latency validation

eCPRI 10G and 25G


FTB 5GPro - Test Kit

The only intelligent 5G RAN test solutionFiber Connector Inspection

(FIP)

FIP 400B SeriesNext Generation Fiber Inspection Probe

Validate CPRI/OBSAI/eCPRITransport Links

eCPRI/CPRI/OBSAI

BERT

Fiber Characterization (iOLM)Intelligent RF Spectrum

Analysis over CPRI

Wander, SyncE, 1588-PTP Transceivers ValidationFTB 5G Pro

Test KitEthernet up to 100G

iORF

FTB 5GPro - Test Kit


Timing and Synchronization for 5G

EXFO’s 1588 PTP validates

1588 PTP packet network

synchronization services,

supports G.8265.1, G.8275.1

and G.8275.2 profiles.

EXFO’s SyncE application

validates SyncE frequency,

ESMC messages and clock

quality levels.

1588 PTP SyncE Wander

Wander/TE delivers all the test

results (TE, MTIE, TDEV)

required in order to diligently

evaluate the reference signal/

clock during turn-up or

troubleshooting at cell tower

locations

OpticalRF™―Key features

Auto-detect of CPRI

Vendor MappingOverlay of Spectrums &

Side-by-Side view

Auto CPRI Rate Scan

Real time PIM slope detection

w/ Pass/Fail Verdict

Masks - Limit Lines

w/ Pass/Fail Verdict Alarms, RF Interference and

PIM Logger


iORF or intelligent OpticalRF

• Automated Configuration• Automated Detection• Automated Analysis• The iOLM of RF technology

One button test

• For complete analysis• With Pass/Fail verdict

The easy button!

Up to 90% time savings for RF Frontline

technicians with our unique iORF


iORF will inform end user of all the problems of the sector under test and report back an analysis on :

• Healthy sector: No RF interference or PIM detected

• Internal or external PIM (passive intermodulation)

• Peak detection of external RF Inferences

• Known interferers

• Ubiquity interferer

• Much more to come

What is reported to the tech?

Easy-to-learn, common and intuitive user

interfaces

Built-in automation and intelligence to help make testing

quick and accurate

Flexible modules that will evolve

with your 5G network

Reduced OPEX and travel time

© 2019 EXFO Inc. 20190144 60

Designed to face your operational challenges


Q&A

are you 5g ready?

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