Tag: 5G

China Telecom Executive Analyzes 5G Evolution to Date, Suggests Collaborative Path Forward

The 2020 OFC Optical Networking and Communication Conference, held in San Diego in March, served as the setting for a candid and informative analysis of the evolution of global 5G deployments to date, and how network operators around the world can work together to ensure 5G achieves its full potential in the future.

At the event, Qi Bi, president of the China Telecom Technology Innovation Center and CTO of the China Telecom Beijing Research Institute, shared his first-hand perspectives of 5G to dispel some of “the media hype” surrounding 5G and to map the current trajectory of 5G innovation and deployment.

For the first time, Qi said, the world is deploying a technology designed to support both broadband data connectivity and a range of business-focused machine-to-machine applications for vertical markets. Despite using a common 5G standard, operators are taking different paths to get to the same destination. According to Qi, China has been one of the true pioneers in 5G, becoming the first country to grant commercial 5G mobility licenses using the 3GPP standard in 2019.  As a result, China Telecom currently has more than 8 million subscribers on its 5G network.

For all the progress operators have made developing and deploying 5G technology, Qi said, there are still many opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Multiple access technologies may have reached the saturation point, making it more difficult to innovate in wireless.

Most of the remaining opportunities for innovation lie in the antenna area, including massive MIMO, which has become, in Qi’s words, “the trademark of 5G technology.”

Overall 5G KPI results have been mixed.
Qi said they can be divided into three categories:

Accomplished

  • Mobility
  • User speed
  • Efficiency

Reachable (with future investment)

  • Density
  • Connections
  • Delay

Failed to reach

  • Energy improvement
  • Peak rates

5G may be one standard, but it’s not one system.

“The hyped future of 5G by one unified standard actually requires the deployment of separate hardware systems,” Qi said.

The promise of 5G includes providing enhanced broadband connectivity, connecting millions of M2M/IoT devices, and enabling ultra-low latency applications such as AR/VR and autonomous vehicles. One 5G standard can’t do that alone. Making them a reality will require the evolution of multiple systems deployed in phases.

An integrated approach to the design and deployment of 5G networks will drive the success of 5G technology.

The challenges inherent in deploying 5G technology – including higher CapEx and OpEx costs, increasing hardware complexity, multiple applications requiring multiple systems, and unclear and uncertain new revenue opportunities – will be better served by collaboration between vendors and operators rather than competition, Qi said. He cited China Telecom’s collaboration with competitor China Unicom to build a 5G network in China as an example of the type of joint efforts that will be required to ensure 5G’s success.

A stand-alone network strategy will lead to more ubiquitous 5G coverage.

According to Qi, China Telecom is pushing the industry to adopt a stand-alone 5G network strategy versus a non-standalone strategy. A stand-alone strategy entails building a dedicated 5G network. A non-stand alone strategy involves an operator relying on its existing 4G LTE network to provide coverage and building a 5G network on top of it to act more like a “hotspot.” A stand-alone strategy is China Telecom’s preferred approach, Qi said.

Qi concluded his talk by reiterating:

  • 5G and next-generation systems will drive growth in the wireless and optical industries.
  • Ever-growing 5G data rates will revolutionize the ways we live and do business.
  • 5G and future access systems are expensive – vendors and operators should collaborate more than they compete.
  • A healthier global ecosystem with less focus on protectionism will be necessary as 5G and next-gen systems become more complex.

View the video.

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China Telecom Americas, a wholly-owned US-based subsidiary of China Telecom Corp. Ltd., is an international telecom provider for Data, IP and Voice Wholesale services to multinational companies, organizations and international carriers requiring China domestic services and International access to China & Asia Pacific.

With headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, and offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, San Jose, and subsidiaries in Toronto, Canada, and Sao Paolo, Brazil, China Telecom Americas continues to expand its strength and reach.

China Telecom Americas provides locally based, one-stop-shop, turnkey solutions for everything from China domestic and international data circuits to IDC services, network management, equipment management, system integration, and much more.

For additional information on China Telecom Americas, please visit www.ctamericas.com.

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Leveraging 5G, Network Slicing and MEC to Deliver Real-World Services and True Business Value

In late 2019, China Telecom – the parent company of China Telecom Americas – announced a new 5G network slicing project trial in China that will be focused on the promise and potential of enterprise and industrial applications. This experiment will ultimately lead to the first 5G smart factory, which will then be used as an example and prototype for future 5G use. As 5G’s higher speeds and lower latencies enable numerous new applications from the IoT to the manufacturing floor, the need for network slicing becomes more critical. Network slicing lets communications providers dedicate individual “slices” of the network for IoT and Industrial Internet services, allowing them to allocate their network resources more efficiently.

5G is going to change how companies work and will provide new ways of leveraging real-time data to derive business value. The impact of 5G will be pervasive globally. In fact, the GSMA predicts that 5G will account for almost half of China’s overall mobile connections by 2025, with other markets such as Japan, South Korea and the US having similar rates of adoption.

China Telecom exploring what can be achieved through 5G

China Telecom has been at the forefront of exploring what can be achieved through 5G. As part of this commitment, China Telecom has stated that it expects to have access to 300,000 5G base stations by the end of 2020. This is five times the number the company had live at the end of 2019. Clearly, China Telecom and China Telecom Americas expect 5G, and network slicing as part of it, to grow considerably. And we aren’t alone. Industry analyst firm, Global Market Insights, recently predicted that the market for network slicing will experience a growth rate of as much as 15% from now until 2026.

China Telecom conducting trials at manufacturing facilities across China

To ensure its customers will be able to truly experience what will be possible, China Telecom has been focused on conducting trials at manufacturing facilities across China to demonstrate the true power of 5G network slicing with Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC), a network architecture concept that enables cloud computing capabilities and an IT service environment at the edge of the cellular network. China Telecom is presently working with technology partners and the ETSI to explore standards and specifications for deploying network slicing in MEC-enabled 5G networks.

This is critical because China Telecom understands that each application and service have different requirements for bandwidth capacity, speed and latency. The only common requirement is availability, with 100% being the expectation. Think about a service such as connected cars. According to ABI Research, there will be 41 million 5G connected cars on the road by 2030. China Telecom understands that this type of application will require a much different service profile than what is needed to enable reading of smart meters. Some may require ultra-low latency, others may require high bandwidth, and the ability for China Telecom to deliver exactly what each service needs is made possible by its ability to slice network capacity across the control, data and management planes.

To provide customers with the low latency required by the Industrial Internet, China Telecom will be deploying MEC at the edge of its network globally, which will allow enterprises to leverage the network like never before.

Real-world applications that China Telecom is working on

Some of the many real-world applications that China Telecom is working on to deliver to its customers, with the help of its technology partners, include:

  • 5G for Smart Grid
  • Flexible Smart Manufacturing with 5G Edge Computing
  • 5G Intelligent Connected Vehicles
  • Aircraft Surface Inspection
  • Heavy Industry 5G and Smart Manufacturing

China Telecom is truly just beginning to scratch the surface in terms of what 5G can deliver, and the opportunities are endless.

If your business is ready to benefit from the power and potential of 5G please let us know. We’d love to share our experiences working with some of the world’s largest companies.

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China Telecom Americas, a wholly-owned US-based subsidiary of China Telecom Corp. Ltd., is an international telecom provider for Data, IP and Voice Wholesale services to multinational companies, organizations and international carriers requiring China domestic services and International access to China & Asia Pacific.

With headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, and offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, San Jose, and subsidiaries in Toronto, Canada, and Sao Paolo, Brazil, China Telecom Americas continues to expand its strength and reach.

China Telecom Americas provides locally based, one-stop-shop, turnkey solutions for everything from China domestic and international data circuits to IDC services, network management, equipment management, system integration, and much more.

For additional information on China Telecom Americas, please visit www.ctamericas.com.

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IoT and Tech Use Cases in China to Fight COVID-19 (Telemedicine/Healthcare)

With more than 700,000 people worldwide affected by the coronavirus, we as a global community face a pandemic unlike anything any of us has ever seen.  During this time, China Telecom’s and China Telecom Americas’ primary focus has been the safety and well-being of our employees, colleagues, and communities around the world.

As one of the world’s foremost providers of integrated communications and information technology services, however, China Telecom cannot overlook the potential that its technology can play against this invisible enemy that has now stretched to every corner of the globe. China Telecom sees connectivity as an effective means for providing healthcare to the millions of people living in remote areas where individualized medical attention is not possible or economically feasible.

While full and comprehensive healthcare most often requires in-person care, telemedicine can be incredibly effective during the initial phases of diagnosing and treating illness and injury. It can also be a powerful training tool for local healthcare workers to increase their ability to provide the localized care required to identify and stop the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19.

While connectivity is the logical component of telemedicine based on its ability to conduct teleconsultations and videoconferencing, China Telecom believes that the application of other technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), can also play an important role in improving care globally.

Connecting Globally, Thinking Locally

As the largest subsidiary of China Telecom, it is impossible for China Telecom Americas to look at a global issue such as COVID-19 without considering the implications and opportunities locally in China; an area that is well-suited to provide a telemedicine use case that the world can follow.

China combines a vast geographic area, an aging population, and a lack of infrastructure outside of its major metropolitan areas that would lead one to question its ability to create a blueprint of effective telemedicine that can be replicated in other markets.

Despite these challenges, China has several compelling attributes, such as pervasive mobile broadband, an abundance of talent and technical innovation, and governmental support, which combine to create optimism around how technology can be applied to improve healthcare.

Examples of how China Telecom has leveraged technology to serve the greater good

In response to the recent pandemic, there have been several examples of how China Telecom has leveraged technology to serve the greater good.  Some of these examples include:

  • Working to deliver China’s first 5G remote diagnosis of new coronavirus pneumonia using advanced 5G technology with the high bandwidth and low latency required to improve diagnosis and treatment.
  • The use of the China Telecom network to aid in the rollout of online learning programs to support students across China who are not allowed to meet in their usual manner. This has been implemented across all levels of education from primary and middle students to the more than 563 undergraduate courses offered being offered by Peking University that utilize online video, group chats and live streaming.
  • Outside of illnesses related to COVID-19, patients are being treated for a variety of other ailments – both physical and psychological – by doctors and institutions who understand the desire of the public to avoid hospitals as they practice social distancing.
  • The launch of the “5G + Cloud + AI” pneumonia intelligent auxiliary analysis system that improves the accuracy of virus detection and shortens the time of CT scanning. Early data shows that the system can control the reading time within 1 minute through the AI ​​algorithm, with detection accuracy greater than 90% which represents a significant improvement in the efficiency of epidemic diagnosis and treatment.
  • The establishment of the “5G AIoT Anti-epidemic Resumption Solution Online Launch Conference,” focused on exploring how to apply the Internet of Things, 5G, AI and further cloud and network integration to prevent and control epidemics.
  • The use of location data from consumer mobile devices to help identify the travel patterns of carriers of the COVID-19 virus.

While these represent only a handful of the efforts underway, we are confident that use cases like these will ignite further innovation around how technology can be applied to improve healthcare, to control the spread of this virus, and to prevent future outbreaks.

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China Telecom Americas, a wholly-owned US-based subsidiary of China Telecom Corp. Ltd., is an international telecom provider for Data, IP and Voice Wholesale services to multinational companies, organizations and international carriers requiring China domestic services and International access to China & Asia Pacific.

With headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, and offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, San Jose, and subsidiaries in Toronto, Canada, and Sao Paolo, Brazil, China Telecom Americas continues to expand its strength and reach.

China Telecom Americas provides locally based, one-stop-shop, turnkey solutions for everything from China domestic and international data circuits to IDC services, network management, equipment management, system integration, and much more.

For additional information on China Telecom Americas, please visit www.ctamericas.com.

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China Telecom’s 5G Tianyi Cloud Conference System Enabled International Coronavirus Conference

On March 16, 2020, China Telecom announced that their 5G and Tianyi Cloud conferencing system enabled China’s National Health Commission’s recent international conference. Held locally in Beijing and online for remote from around the world, China hoped to use this conference to share their experiences in preventing and treating the worst symptoms of the Novel Coronavirus with other countries. The conference focused specifically on Coronavirus-related pneumonia and controlling the spread of the virus.

The Importance of China’s Information-Sharing Conference on Coronavirus

Also on March 16, the UN published a statement by a World Health Organization senior advisor. He said that China’s experience with his new disease can help serve as lessons for countries around the world. He mentioned that the epidemic has already slowed down in China.

Even though the Novel Coronavirus can spread rapidly, China demonstrated that it doesn’t necessarily have to grow so quickly that it will overwhelm health services. By sharing their own example of actions that worked well for them, China hopes to help the international community reduce virus cases and deal better with the cases that they do have.

About the Coronavirus Conference in Beijing

The International Sharing Conference occurred on March 12, 2020 in Beijing. China’s attendees included representatives from relevant international organizations and embassies. Representatives from various countries and the World Health Organization’s Pacific Region also participated. While some local participants attended the conference in person, the conference required multi-site video connections to allow others to attend by remote video, which is where China Telecom’s strong 5G network and Tianyi cloud conferencing proved vital.

Tari Desai, WHO’s Director-General, gave a video speech at the meeting. In addition, the director of the National Health Commission, Ma Xiowei, spoke about China’s epidemic prevention experience from the Hubei branch. Also, health commissions from Shanghai, Beijiing, Sichuan, and Guangdong provinces offered their own experiences with control and specific cases through a real-time, HD video connection, provided by China Telecom. On a very positive note, the World Health Organization said they believe that China has adopted the most flexible, proactive, and brave control and prevention measure in global history.

China Telecom’s Contribution to the Coronavirus Conference

Since it’s obvious that other country’s can benefit by China’s example and experience, it’s also important to note the large contribution that China Telecom made by providing their 5G connections and Tianyi cloud conferencing system. For example, they completed the conference site’s 5G coverage within only one day to ensure they had foolproof remote communication. According to conference reports, 90 percent of the people who participated in the conference relied upon access via this conferencing system.

During the conference, leaders from China’s National Health and Medical Commission tried out many features of the system, including video speeches and data uploads, and downloads. They praised the performance and stability of the network and publicly mentioned that they hoped that China Telecom could accelerate development of 5G networks all over Beijing to benefit the capital and the country.

5G Network Slice Project Trial in China

China Telecom is excited to announce a new 5G network slice project trial in China, which will soon be leveraged in enterprise and industrial applications. Along with leading technology partners from around the world, China Telecom participated in the “5G Slicing + MEC + Intelligent Manufacturing” trial to explore the uses of 5G network slicing and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) in 5G networks to enable intelligent manufacturing and Industrial IoT applications in China. This research will pave the way for 5G smart factories, and other scenarios and use cases for 5G in the enterprise.

Introducing 5G to the Intelligent Manufacturing Industry

5G is likely to be far more advantageous to the business market than to the consumer market. Within the business market, the technology itself is sound, but the greatest concerns lie in implementation. 5G network slice technology is ready for business use on a technical level, but it needs to be tested in practice. Both business and pricing models are yet to be brought to market.

Regardless, 5G is necessary for any industry that currently operates with the Internet of Things. 5G will be able to extend into intelligent warehousing, logistics, and supply systems, in addition to manufacturing and production. Through 5G, manufactures are going to be able to better leverage their intelligent technology and their smart systems capabilities to gain unprecedented real-time visibility, edge processing with isolation and control of mission-critical operations.

5G Network Slicing Breakthroughs to Come

China Telecom, as a leader in Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), is presently working with technology partners and the ETSI to explore standards and specifications for deploying network slicing in MEC-enabled 5G networks. According to ETSI, “Network Slicing allows the allocation of the required features and resources from the available network functions to different services or to tenants that are using the services,” and the potential to give customers the ability to create instantly validated, low-latency slices, improving the overall functionality and security of the 5G ecosystem – a potential major advancement for enterprise networking. Analysts are optimistic on MEC for manufacturing as well, with Research and Markets predicting that the MEC market in support of manufacturing in Asia will reach $194.4M by 2024.

To support the demand, China Telecom was able to achieve a 5G end-to-end call through the 5G trial network with a commercial chipset terminal in 2018.  This year,  China Telecom has been further conducting standalone trials at manufacturing facilities, to show the true power of 5G network slice with MEC processing. In the first ever test of this type of technology in a manufacturing setting, industrial vision inspection equipment and an AI-based industrial vision analysis system running on nearby MEC servers were used to identify anomalies and in the production line from multiple high-definition (20 Mbps) video streams with a delay of less than 20ms to immediately alert workers if anomalies were discovered.

This highlights the potential uses of 5G in a manufacturing capacity. With the higher speeds and larger volumes of data available, smart devices like tele-robotics and robotics in industrial automation use-cases are able to perform exceedingly complex tasks in real-time. This opens the door for additional automation, flexibility, and significant improvements in manufacturing, shipping, logistics, and other industrial applications.

The Benefits of a 5G Network Slice

Around the globe, countries are trying to figure out how they are going to manage the implementation of 5G. 5G slicing allows for the creation of isolated, end-to-end networks on the same physical network. A single physical network can be used to virtualize a multitude of networks, thereby making it possible to support 5G solutions. At present, 5G solutions have vastly different levels of requirements. Unlike 2G and 3G, a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be used.

China Telecom’s experiments with 5G slicing will make it truly feasible to utilize 5G devices within an organization’s infrastructure, thereby facilitating all the benefits that come with 5G technology.

Network slicing vastly improves security through network segmentation. With network security being one of the primary concerns with smart devices and internet of things devices, this is a major draw and selling point. Through 5G slicing, companies are going to be able to leverage fully secured solutions, without compromising performance.

China Telecom Will Deliver First End-to-End 5G Network Slicing

This experiment will ultimately lead to the first 5G smart factory, which will then be used as an example and prototype for future 5G use. This exciting technology is something that manufacturers have been waiting for, as the technology allows them to leverage new smart machines and smart devices with low latency and greater reliability.

Ultimately, many believe that network slicing is going to be the determining factor regarding whether 5G wireless is going to be a success. But China Telecom is excited to announce that the benefits of 5G have already been proven, and that there will be more to come.

Keysight Technologies, China Telecom Collaborate To Accelerate Commercial Deployment Of 5G Technology

November 21, 2018 SANTA ROSA, Calif. – Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a leading technology company that helps enterprises, service providers, and governments accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, announced that the company has extended its collaboration with China Telecom to accelerate commercial deployment of 5G technology.

The extended collaboration supports China Telecom’s 5G new radio (NR) device trials using Keysight’s 5G NR network emulation solutions, based on the company’s UXM 5G wireless test platform, for protocol and radio frequency (RF)performance validation. Keysight’s 5G test solutions enable China Telecom and its mobile device ecosystem ensure new 5G devices comply with the latest 3GPP 5G NR Release 15 specifications prior to market introduction.

“China Telecom is actively promoting commercial deployment of 5G technology,” said Baorong Li, general manager of Terminal R&D Center of Guangdong Research Institute, China Telecom Co., Ltd. “Leveraging Keysight’s 5G network emulation solutions will enable us to greatly accelerate development and deployment of our 5G technology and establish a leadership position in the industry.”

Introduction of 5G NR

The introduction of 5G NR is leading to more complex and integrated designs, driving the need for scalable solutions that address the entire workflow, from early design to acceptance and manufacturing. Common tools shared across departments, workflows, and the ecosystem, significantly simplify and accelerate test case creation, execution and analysis. Early collaborations with industry leading chipset and device manufacturers has enabled Keysight to launch 5G solutions that support sub-6GHz and mmW frequencies for comprehensive protocol, RF, conformance and performance testing.

“Our extended collaboration with China Telecom highlights the global industry adoption of Keysight’s 5G network emulation solutions that help ensure 5G NR devices perform as expected on leading mobile operators’ networks,” said Kailash Narayanan, vice president and general manager of Wireless Devices and Operators at Keysight Technologies. “Keysight is committed to accelerating 5G technology in China and around the world and support the delivery of enhanced mobile broadband use cases.”

About Keysight Technologies

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) is a leading technology company that helps enterprises, service providers, and governments accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Keysight’s solutions optimize networks and bring electronic products to market faster and at a lower cost with offerings from design simulation, to prototype validation, to manufacturing test, to optimization in networks and cloud environments. Customers span the worldwide communications ecosystem, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor and general electronics end markets. Keysight generated revenues of $3.2B in fiscal year 2017. In April 2017, Keysight acquired Ixia, a leader in network test, visibility, and security. More information is available at www.keysight.com.

China Telecom adds 5G base stations

China Telecom has announced they deployed a new 5G base station in Lanzhou, in China’s Gansu province, expanding its pilot project for 5G networks to six cities. The telco previously deployed 5G base stations in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou, Chengdu and Xiong’an new district in Baoding.

China Telecom said it plans to run laboratory and networks tests until the end of next year, before commencing pre-commercialization of 5G technology in 2019. The telco aims to launch commercial 5G services in 2020.

China Telecom set up its 5G station in tech city Shenzhen

China Telecom set up its 5G station in tech city Shenzhen in early October covering various industrial zones including Shenzhen Software Industry Base. With these 5G base stations, the Asian operator said it can undertake end-to-end testing for key 5G technologies.

Last month, China Telecom signed an agreement with the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) to collaborate on several areas related to 5G including smart manufacturing, internet of things, smart cities, Big Data and networking.

China Telecom also said it is also looking into the use of cellular networks for emerging areas such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), the internet of vehicles.

Last month, the Chinese government kicked off the third phase of 5G technology research and development tests. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the third phase of technical tests aims to get pre-commercial products ready for when the first version of 5G standard comes out in June next year.

China recently completed the second phase of 5G tests. The Asian nation established the IMT-2020 development group in 2013 in a move to foster the development of 5G technologies. The IMT-2020 Promotion Group completed the initial phase of its trial program in 2016. That phase included testing wireless technologies including massive multiple-input-multiple-output, novel multiple access, new waveforms, advance coding, ultra-dense network implementations and high-frequency communications. The trial phase also included network slicing, edge computing and network function reconstruction.

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