加速E2E 5G网络从实验室环境到实时网络的部署

Accelerating E2E 5G NetworkDeployment from the LabEnvironment to the Live Network Accelerating E2E 5G Network Deployment fromthe Lab Environment to the Live Network Introduction The paper’s primary focus is on the End-to-End (E2E)perspective across the 5G domain and its sub-domains.These subdomains are the RAN (radio access network),the 5G Core infrastructure, the applications and functionsresiding in the RAN and Core, and the E2E services thatspan across the network, which includes the CPE (customerpremises equipment) devices. This white paper provides an overview of testingrequirements within the 5G domain, offering insightson proven effective next-generation testing automationsolutions. This paper covers the following: •The evolving landscape and underlying challenges of 5G•5G deployment objectives•The importance of a next-gen strategy in 5G deployment•A model for next-gen test automation•Technology testing requirements for 5G•5G domain test objectives•Evolving requirements of a 5G testing strategy•The importance of rethinking 5G validation•Sample benefits of a proven Test as a Service solution•Targeting the requirements of future 5G innovation The paper also explores managed validation. Whileorganizations are encountering significant increases in 5Gvalidation complexities, they are also experiencing trends inresource reductions. As a new best practice, they are lookingto automated test experts to provide turnkey testing “as aservice” solutions, reducing test infrastructure Capex andaccelerating time to market. The Evolving Landscape of 5G 5G Deployment Objectives 5G market has been growing by leaps and bounds in recentyears. At this writing, there have been more than 200 5Glaunches across 78 countries, including 19 pure 5G or 5Gstandalone (SA) launches. Over 290 launches are plannedfor the next 2-3 years. 857 devices are commerciallyavailable. 540 are phones, 100 are fixed wireless access(FWA) CPEs, 80 are industrial, with over 180 device vendors.Over 450 devices support 5G SA. More than 300 5G devicesare in development. Approximately $120 billion is projectedto be spent on 5G deployments (2022-2025) with $8 billionmore expected for 5G SA with new Core for that sameperiod. This kind of investment supported over 700 million5G subscribers worldwide by the end of 2021, with estimatesof 3 billion subscribers by 2025. The customer objective for deploying 5G is to solve theunderlying problems, such as the need for higher speedat a lower cost, without sacrificing the quality of serviceacross RAN, the Core, and the devices. While these threesubdomains of 5G are distinct, and at times have conflictingobjectives, all share the same goals: to deliver the highestquality service at the lowest cost, and at the highest speedpossible. A new process with the capability for continuous deploymentand automation – or CI/CD (continuous integrationand continuous deployment) – is used to control costswhile optimizing efficiencies. This process facilitates thedeployment of new technologies, upgrades, and bugfixes from the vendor environment, to test live network orproduction environments seamlessly, without delay. Whereservice providers traditionally deploy only one or twoupgrades a year in the network, the CI/CD model in the 5Gdomain is expected to have one or two upgrades per month.This represents a massive shift in requirements from a 5Gdeployment perspective. Achieving this objective is no smalltask. 5G networks promise to provide significantly higherbandwidth than traditional 4G networks. This is possiblebecause the 5G radio operates at a higher frequencyrange, with cell site radiuses smaller than the 4G radio.This deployment model increases the number of cell sitesrequired to cover the same number of users, increasingthe 5G network infrastructure expense, which accountsfor roughly 60% of the total infrastructure cost. Newtechnologies such as software-defined networking (SDN)leverage cloud architecture and automation capabilities tocontrol costs and to facilitate a multivendor environment’sability to achieve cost-effective 5G releases. This results inreduced overall cost and faster deployment from the vendorenvironment to the provider’s lab, and finally to the livenetwork. ...the rush to 5G Core is underway while the deviceecosystem experiences an unprecedented explosionof devices appearing on the market, as thewidespread demand for acceleration triggers newrelationships with hyperscalers. A critical driver of 5G growth is its abundance of serviceofferings supporting traditional fixed access, wireline access,enhanced broadband mobile services with high-speed –ranging from a few megabytes to gigabytes – to additionalservices such as IoT (Internet of Things) and low-latency-specific applications across industries. The following are several the fundamental challengescustomers face in their objective to achieve fasterdeployment at a lower cost without service degradation. •Expanded network complexity, especiall