Fall conference season continues and Roy’s been on the road almost every week. Nonetheless, the team’s been keeping busy and we’re glad to announce the launch of our latest report on Carrier NaaS (network-as-a-service) and the Middle Mile! Check out our newest resource site that went live just hours ago (you’ll be one of the first to visit) and download our associated 2024 Carrier NaaS report.

We’ve also put up our OCP Global Summit 2024 showcase site — if you missed it, you can still check out the data-center-related content from that show, featuring companies like Astera Labs, Broadcom, Marvell, IP Infusion, Spirent, and more.

Reports that we are working on include SASE and SD-WAN (plus MCN and ZTNA — yes, acronyms galore) and Telco Cloud and Edge. Interested in sponsoring any of those? Drop the AvidThink team a note at [email protected].

Check out the rest of our newsletter for updates from the AvidThink team:

Roy’s Travelogue — AWS GenAI Analyst Summit, OCP Summit, 5G Americas Analyst Day, MEF GNE
Latest Reports — Carrier NaaS/Middle Mile, AI in Networking, Campus NaaS
Recent Articles— AI Engineering (The New Stack), NaaS Evolution (MEF Blog)
NextGenInfra — Carrier NaaS, OCP Global Summit, Ethernet Alliance TEF
October News Roundup — AI for RAN planning, AI infrastructure, AI everywhere (What were you expecting? 6G? )
Other Content — AvidThink in the News, Webinars, Meet Us Live!

Roy’s Travelogue

I must really like Dallas (I have been there 3 times in 6 weeks, including two consecutive weeks). I was there last week for the MEF Global NaaS Event (GNE) and the week before for 5G Americas Analyst Day.

October started with a fun event by a Campus NaaS vendor, Meter, up in San Francisco where former VP Engineering of FaceBook (Jay Parikh, who’s just joined Microsoft) and Cloudflare founder Michelle Zatlyn were speakers — I touched on that in last month’s newsletter. The on-demand version is available to view. That was followed by a trip to Seattle to get the latest on AWS’s Generative AI initiatives, which included a reception at the Space Needle and a game at Lumen Field between the Seahawks and the 49ers (Niners Won!).

Following that, I stayed home for the blowout OCP Global Summit (7,000+ attendees, up from 4,401 last year—yes, I was that last one who slipped in after the 4,400 got in; no, really, OCP itself reports 4,401 as the actual count). There was plenty of great content on data center switching, liquid cooling (no longer exotic), and Open RAN (open RU design, anyone?).

Below is a collage of photos from my travels — on the top left are the unflappable and super-nice-guy Daniel Bar-Lev at MEF GNE. On the right of that, we have MEF CEO Nan Chen presenting me with the Michael Howard Industry Impact Award. Considering the number of outstanding people in the industry, I’m still not sure I deserve that award, but I am grateful to the MEF leadership. It is special because it’s named after an important role model for me (and many other analysts). Michael was a giant in our industry, and we all miss him. If you don’t know Michael Howard, you can check out the Light Reading article, or watch the video from Jim Carroll, our media partner, on YouTube.

Other photos include my 5G Americas Freaky Friday experience (bottom left) with fellow analyst Monica Paolini of Senza Fili (we had reversible badges that allowed us to swap our firms on demand). We also have the requisite shot (center) at almost every conference with Amar Kapadia (CEO of orchestration upstart Aarna Networks) and Trishan de Lanerolle (formerly of Linux Foundation, now at F5) jumping in. The bottom row has my Meter Up panel, and at the bottom right we have a shot from Lumen Field with Jason Redmond of AWS.

Featured Upcoming Events

Coming right up will be Aira Technology’s Aira Activate on Nov 7, featuring numerous industry experts discussing the impact of AI on RAN — if you can’t make it or if they’ve run out of space, fear not, an on-demand version should be available after. Then we have Upperside Conferences’ SD-WAN and SASE 2024 Summit, held 12-13 November in Paris. That’s followed by the Network Automation Forum’s AutoCon 2 in Denver, Colorado (20-22 November), and AWS re:Invent 2024 (2-6 December) in Vegas.

I have plenty of thoughts and learnings from talking to telcos, enterprises, analysts, and vendors on the road, but too little time to put pen to paper. Maybe when all the craziness dies down, I’ll put them together in a blog post. Until then, though, I hope to see you on the road somewhere!

— Roy for the AvidThink Team

2024 October News Roundup

5G

Deutsche Telekom Launches Gaming Service on 5G SA Network DT has launched its 5G SA network specifically for a gaming service, requiring Samsung Galaxy S24 ultra devices initially. The company chose to market specific 5G SA use cases rather than the network itself, with plans to expand to video conferencing and AR applications by year-end.

T-Mobile to Deploy 5G-Advanced Services by End of 2024 T-Mobile will upgrade its nationwide 5G SA network to 5G-Advanced through a software update based on 3GPP Release specifications. The upgrade will enable improved spectral efficiency, enhanced positioning, and L4S technology for better video experiences.

German Telcos Partner with Deutsche Bahn for Railway 5G Coverage Four German mobile operators are collaborating to provide 5G coverage along the Berlin-Hamburg railway route, serving 230 trains and 30,000 passengers daily. The project includes deploying towers for the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), which will replace the current 2G-based GSM-R system.

Deutsche Telekom Highlights 5G Success in Europe DT reports 98% 5G population coverage in Germany and 78% across Europe, while offering 5G SA-based gaming services. Meanwhile, Vodafone Germany has equipped over 16,000 of its 26,000 base stations with 5G SA service.

T-Mobile Returns Millimeter Wave Spectrum to FCC T-Mobile is relinquishing mmWave spectrum beyond its existing coverage areas, citing deployment feasibility issues. The operator will not meet FCC’s original coverage requirements of 40% population coverage or 25% geographic coverage for these licenses.

Verizon Targets 8–9 Million FWA Subscribers by 2028 Verizon aims to double its FWA subscribers through aggressive C-Band and mmWave deployment, targeting 90 million household coverage. Q3 2024 showed 363,000 new FWA subscribers, reaching 4.2 million total, with revenues of $562 million, up $215 million year-on-year.

Ericsson Launches 5G-Advanced Software Suite Ericsson’s new 5G-Advanced software products focus on real-time automation, outdoor positioning, mission-critical services, and energy efficiency. The suite aims to help operators meet business goals and match performance levels to service agreements.

AI

T-Mobile Implements AI for Network Expansion Planning T-Mobile has moved beyond traditional population-based coverage planning by using AI to analyze billions of customer experience data points across the U.S. It assigns customer lifetime values to determine optimal network expansion locations.

Verizon Deploys AI in International Call Centers Verizon’s AI implementation in call centers across Philippines, India, South Africa, and Romania has improved call routing and resolution rates. The system provides live transcription and automated data delivery to agents during calls.

Verizon Explores AI Infrastructure Revenue Opportunities Verizon executives report increasing orders from hyperscalers for dark fiber and lit fiber services. The company is developing new offerings leveraging its power and cooling assets to support enterprise AI deployments closer to customer locations.

Operators Upgrading Transport Networks for Enterprise AI Spirent Communications reports Tier 1 operators are deploying 400G in mid and near-edge sites for SA 5G networks, with 25G and 50G at far edge sites. These upgrades aim to support multi-tenant AI and large language models.

Open RAN

Vodafone Maintains Open RAN Commitment Despite Leadership Change Vodafone reaffirms its goal of 30% network coverage with Open RAN in Europe by 2030. The UK project targets 2,500 sites by 2027, partnering with Capgemini, Dell, Intel, NEC, Samsung, and Wind River.

KDDI Partners with Samsung for Open RAN Deployment KDDI will deploy Samsung’s 4G/5G-compatible Open RAN equipment in 2025, integrating with existing virtualized RAN infrastructure. The implementation focuses on energy efficiency, performance optimization, and intelligent automation.

MasOrange Signs Five-Year Open RAN Deal with Ericsson Spanish operator MasOrange chooses Ericsson’s fully integrated Open RAN solution, similar to AT&T’s arrangement. The deal suggests phasing out existing Huawei and ZTE equipment from the network.

Cambodia Tests 4G Open RAN Network Orex Sai, a joint venture between NTT Docomo and NEC, will deploy a 4G Open RAN test network in Cambodia. The trial will evaluate voice and data communications stability and AI solutions for commercial facilities.

Ericsson Expands rApp Directory for Open RAN Ericsson’s rApp directory now includes over 20 commercial applications for Non-Real Time RAN Intelligent Controller. The platform supports AI-enabled automation, network deployment, and optimization tasks.

TIP President Emphasizes Open RAN Progress TIP President Caroline Chan confirms strong Open RAN momentum, citing KDDI’s 2025 deployment plans. The organization launches TelcoAI Project Group with Deutsche Telekom, Intel, and Nvidia to integrate AI into Open RAN implementations.

Private Networks

Las Vegas Implements AI-Enabled Private 5G Network Vapor IO deploys a 5G private network using Nvidia hardware and AI inference capabilities for traffic automation and public safety applications. The system utilizes computer vision cameras at city intersections.

John Deere Expands Private Network Deployments John Deere operates private cellular networks in 12 factories, planning upgrades from LTE to 5G. The company targets 80% factory equipment connectivity via private cellular within five years, utilizing CBRS spectrum licenses.

Cloud

Telcos Consider Central Office Conversion for AI Infrastructure Major telcos are exploring repurposing central offices as edge colocation centers for AI inferencing. AT&T, Lumen, Frontier, and Ziply Fiber have begun implementing colocation and cloud deployments in these facilities.

Singtel Launches Enterprise AI Cloud Platform Singtel’s RE:AI platform combines GPU infrastructure, storage, and networking to provide enterprises affordable access to AI technologies. The service aims to simplify AI deployment for small and medium businesses.

BT Integrates AI into Network Platform Strategy BT’s Global Fabric network-as-a-service platform, launching services in early 2025, emphasizes AI integration. The strategy focuses on programmability through software, open APIs, and advanced telemetry.

SD-WAN

Gartner Names Fortinet and Cisco as SD-WAN Leaders Fortinet maintains its top position in Gartner’s SD-WAN Magic Quadrant for fourth consecutive year, serving approximately 40,000 enterprise clients. Six companies achieved “Leaders” quadrant status.

Cato Networks Enhances SASE Platform Monitoring Cato Networks has added digital experience monitoring (DEM) capabilities to its cloud SASE platform, complementing existing XDR and EPP features. The enhancement provides application and network performance insights for IT operations teams.