Network Virtualization Has International, Security Benefits, MWC Told; Experts Agree
Network virtualization and open radio access networks (ORANs) could be key to securing 5G networks, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel told the Mobile World Congress. Network virtualization “flips our traditional way of thinking about equipment supply chains,” Rosenworcel said. It builds…
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on equipment markets where the U.S. remains strong, she said. AT&T Chief Technology Officer Andre Fuetsch told MWC Wednesday the company is on track to virtualize 75 percent of core network functions by Dec. 31, 2020. The challenge is bringing the different elements together to make 5G work, said Ricky Corker, Nokia president-customer operations, Americas. Through artificial intelligence and orchestration, “we can move data and loads around the network, seamlessly, where in the past that wasn’t possible,” he said. “Technology is predictable, but what people do with it is not,” said Asha Keddy, Intel 5G executive officer: “It’s all about removing the constraints.” Bejoy Pankajakshan, Mavenir chief strategy officer, said 5G “is not just a new generation” but a “network transformation.” Providers will become digital service providers instead of just communications companies, he said: AI, analytics and automation are the “key elements to make 5G successful,” Pankajakshan said. In later comments to us, experts agreed with MWC speakers. The equipment market is “a bit quirky, but if it's intended to include software and SAAS [software as a service], it works,” said Shane Tews of the American Enterprise Institute. Tom Struble, tech policy manager at the R Street Institute, sees reason for moving to ORANs: “ORAN provides greater transparency and can help assuage cybersecurity concerns about potential back doors or other vulnerabilities built into network equipment.” AT&T explained such advantages. “As network functions are virtualized … 5G’s virtual and cloud-based network systems will allow for more adaptable security since they can be quickly adjusted, removed, or replaced using software, reducing the likelihood that an entire network would be impacted by a cyberattack,” it wrote.