Senza Fili Sparring Partners

VIAVI: Automation at an inflection point: Are you ready to go? With Per Kangru

Automation is at an inflection point. It is no longer a future aspiration, it is something that operators have started to implement, both in their new and legacy networks. They see the opportunity for cost savings and increased efficiency, but also the risks and challenges automation brings.
In this Sparring Partners, Per Kangru at VIAVI shares how the experience with operators shaped VIAVI’s approach to automation and provides guidance for operators evaluating what are the most fruitful steps in their automation journey.  
Is there an inflection point in the adoption of automation? Why now?
What are the low-hanging fruits of automation? What have operators done so far to prepare and what should they plan for the future?
What bottlenecks do operators face when implementing automation? How can they mitigate them?
What role is AI playing in driving automation?
What steps and strategies maximize the benefits of automation?
How far have operators gone in the path towards zero-touch operations? How does VIAVI help them on this journey?
This episode of Sparring Partners is sponsored by VIAVI Solutions
You can watch the video of the Sparring Partners at
https://senzafili.com/publications/automationinflectionpoint_viavi/
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Bell Canada: How will RIC make open RAN more efficient? With Simona Marinova

RIC promises to make open RAN (and traditional RAN too) more efficient. But when? Are we ready to deploy RIC? And what RIC functionality is available now and what should we expect over the next few years? How dependent are open RAN deployments on RIC?
In this Sparring Partners, Simona Marinova at Bell Canada and Monica Paolini at Senza Fili gave an update on RIC availability and maturity, and talked about how beneficial RIC will be in the evolution of the RAN:
How are we doing on non-real-time and real-time RIC?
Is RIC crucial to open RAN deployments?
Will operators use RIC in traditional RAN?
What do we need RIC for? Do we need RIC for network slicing?
What are the use cases for xApps and rApps?
Are RICs interoperable with xApps and rApps and with O-RAN equipment?
What are the challenges in deploying RIC? Or in not deploying it in early-stage open RAN?
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Getting RIS off the ground with AI and ML. With Melike Erol-Kantarci at the University of Ottawa

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) open the way to one of the most fascinating technological advances: passive transmission. RIS turns reflection from a source of interference to an entirely new way to transmit the wireless signal that is well suited to the dense, high-traffic, high-obstruction areas where the need for capacity is the highest and connectivity often disappointing.
In this Sparring Partners with Melike Erol-Kantarci at the University of Ottawa, we talked about her research on how RIS can improve capacity and coverage by creating a sublayer of elements that are small, inexpensive and energy-efficient (passive transmission does not require power), how AI is used to tune RIS phase shift and which use cases RIS can support, and what is the roadmap from 5G to 6G.
The challenge? Operators need to manage all the RIS units and integrate them within the macro infrastructure. If using mmWave – as it will be most likely – RISs will be densely deployed, thus increasing the complexity of coordination. This is where AI and ML are necessary: they make RIS manageable by optimizing the deployment and operations of RIS. Mel gave us an overview of her research in this area and of what we should expect from AI/ML-driven RIS. 
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What’s the best way to share the 6 GHz spectrum? With Pasquale Cataldi

The 6GHz band has become prime estate: a large amount of spectrum that can be safely shared with incumbents and used for indoor connectivity and densification in high-traffic areas.
Understandably, everybody wants to use it and protect their access to it: mobile operators, other service providers, enterprises, public entities, and everybody in their homes.
Who should have access to it? How should we ensure coexistence with incumbents? And how should we protect the right to access the spectrum?
Pasquale Cataldi at Innovation Lamba and Monica Paolini at Senza Fili examined different approaches to spectrum sharing in the 6 GHz band – from the US all-unlicensed to the Chinese all-licensed approach, and including the new Ofcom’s hybrid sharing proposal and other combinations of licensed and unlicensed access.
What regulatory framework will maximize the use of 6 GHz? What is the best way to share spectrum without unnecessary complexity, costs and delays? What do users want? What do service providers need? How important is it to have a harmonized approach across countries?
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Open RAN: The path to 6G. With Ravi Sinha, O-RAN ALLIANCE

We are still in the 5G and 5G Advanced phase, but it is good to take a peek at where 6G may take us in the evolution towards an open RAN – and possibly beyond what we now call Open RAN.
In this Sparring Partner, I talked with Ravi Sinha at O-RAN ALLIANCE about multiple RAN evolution paths from 5G/5G-A to 6G that will open the RAN beyond the fronthaul interface.
 
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Is Wi-Fi more energy efficient than 5G? With Claus Hetting at Wi-Fi NOW

We had many Sparring Partners on energy efficiency in wireless, but none was on Wi-Fi. This is a glaring omission since Wi-Fi accounts for the majority of wireless traffic – in most countries, it hovers at around 80% of wireless traffic. Yet, there is much less data (and debate) on Wi-Fi energy efficiency than on 5G or LTE – and there are reasons for this.
Claus Hetting at Wi-Fi NOW helped us fill this gap in the next Sparring Partners. We debated on the energy efficiency of Wi-Fi, and on how it compares to that of 5G and LTE. We also talked about how efficiency changes in different use scenarios and how we should measure efficiency.
 
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