UfiSpace Field Proven Open Transport Network for 5G
by Andrew Lui
5G and consumer demand for innovative services means that a network infrastructure has to be more flexible and efficient than ever before. An integrated open transport network can become the foundation for a 5G ready network that enables flexible future growth with more capabilities of implementing new services as they become available.
Using OCP Accepted platforms we are providing an integrated transport network to enable an open and disaggregated architecture for service providers. These field proven solutions cover several parts of the network from the access network to the aggregation, all the way to the core network.
Our latest contribution to OCP is listed on their Integrated Solutions marketplace and it highlights solutions that have been deployed in several telecom environments already. Here's a compilation of the field proven solutions we have contributed.
Disaggregated Cell Site Gateways
The cell site is the most common area for a service provider to begin disaggregating their transport network because it provides the largest impact for the smallest capital investment. The cell site architecture allows for upgrades to be done in piecemeal without affecting other parts of the network.
For transitioning to a 5G network, the S9500-30XS provides 100M/1G for legacy, 10G/25G for 5G, and 40G/100G for backhaul. It also provides full support for IEEE 1588v2 and SyncE with multiple timing interfaces (ToD, BITS, 1PPS and 10MHz) to implement timing synchronization with 4G and 5G networks. Through the GNSS interface, the S9500-30XS can also be set as a grandmaster to enable critical 5G services without the need to adding new timing equipment.
Download our DCSG case study with Asia Pacific Telecom
Work at the cell site is never easy and can be very costly if the equipment is hard to service. This is why the S9500-30XS uses a temperature hardened chassis and comes with front facing, hot-swappable fans and power supplies. These fans and power supplies also has additional redundancy mechanisms to prevent failure and extend availability.
To further embrace open networking, the disaggregated nature of our DCSGs extends use cases past the mobile backhaul into microwave backhaul and private networks as well. With a NOS supporting ITU-T Y.1731 Bandwidth Notification and our DCSG would be capable of being positioned next to the outdoor microwave antennae to aggregate and forward data within the microwave backhaul architecture. Furthermore, our DCSGs are being adopted into private networks of content service providers to extend implement 5G services such as real-time sports streaming, wireless virtual reality gaming and more.
Core and Edge Routers
This disaggregated telecom core and IP edge router design is based on the Distributed Disaggregated Chassis (DDC) Routing System contributed by AT&T to the Open Compute Project. A DDC is a new take on the traditional routing system by distributing the routing functions into separate pizza boxes with their own hot-swappable, redundant power supplies and fans, then disaggregating the hardware and software to embody open networking using white box platforms and open standard software. The DDC can be formed into varying cluster sizes and allows service providers to incorporate incremental, horizontal scaling for network capacity.
An incremental, horizontally scalable network allows service providers to implement a next generation network that supports 100G and 400G services without the need to invest heavily upfront such as buying "under-utilized slots" in anticipation of future capacity growth. The service provider can invest in a cluster size suitable for their current capacity and simply add on additional boxes whenever more capacity is needed, hence, paying as your network grows.
The DDC cluster is made up of disaggregated line cards consisting of 100G and 400G routers, which have service ports and fabric ports. The service ports are compatible with optical cables and transceivers used for connecting to services such as other switches, routers and servers. The fabric ports are used exclusively for connecting to the fabric white boxes. The disaggregated line card, S9700-53DX, has 40 x 100G service ports and 13 x 400G fabric ports and S9700-23D has 10 x 400G and 13 x 400G fabric ports.
The disaggregated fabric box is only used for connecting with the line cards in a CLOS architecture. The S9705-48D has 48 x 400G fabric ports capable of connecting up to 48 disaggregated line cards. Interconnecting the fabric ports can use industry standard optical cables such as DACs (Direct Active Cables), AOCs (Active Optical Cables), and AECs (Active Electric Cables).
Aggregation Routers
The S9700-53DX and S9700-23D provide 100G and 400G service interfaces respectively and are suitable for network aggregation. Utilizing Broadcom's Jericho2 silicon, they support a complete set of features needed by service providers. This includes a large, integrated High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and programmable pipelines making them suitable for providing converged services for operators to offer both mobile and broadband aggregation.
Contact our sales team if you want to know more about our field proven open transport network solutions for 5G.