SlideShare uma empresa Scribd logo
1 de 39
Baixar para ler offline
ERICSSON
TECHNOLOGY
C H A R T I N G T H E F U T U R E O F I N N O V A T I O N | V O L U M E 1 0 2 I 2 0 2 0 – 0 2
CTOTECHTRENDS
CREATINGINTELLIGENT
DIGITALINFRASTRUCTURE
INTEGRATEDACCESS
ANDBACKHAUL
IN5GNRNETWORKS
CRITICALIOT
CONNECTIVITY
FORINDUSTRY
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
#02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW 5
CONTENTS ✱
08	 5G BSS: EVOLVING BSS TO FIT THE 5G ECONOMY
Managing complex IOT value chains and supporting new business
models requires more sophisticated business support systems (BSS)
than those that communication service providers have used in the past.
5G-evolved BSS enable smooth collaboration between connectivity
providers, service creators, partners, suppliers and others.
20	 OPTIMIZING UICC MODULES FOR IOT APPLICATIONS
The ability to deliver low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) devices on a mass scale
is at risk of being hampered by the high cost of the universal integrated circuit cards (UICC)
currently required to provide connectivity. Until a less costly alternative becomes available,
the IoT requires workarounds that either lower device cost or justify the price of UICCs
by leveraging more of their capabilities.
40	 THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING: HIGHLY DISTRIBUTED
WITH HETEROGENEOUS HARDWARE
Cloud computing is being shaped by the combination of the growing popularity
of distributed solutions and increased reliance on heterogeneous hardware capabilities.
As the role of distributed computing in cloud computing continues to expand, network
operators, who have large, distributed systems already in place, have a golden opportunity
to become major cloud players.
52	 CRITICAL IOT CONNECTIVITY – IDEAL FOR
TIME-CRITICAL INDUSTRIAL COMMUNICATIONS
Critical IoT connectivity is ideal for a wide range of Internet of Things
use cases across most industry verticals. Mobile network operators
are uniquely positioned to address the time-critical communication
needs of individual users, enterprises and public institutions by
leveraging their existing assets and new technologies in a
systematic fashion.
64	 INTEGRATED ACCESS AND BACKHAUL
– A NEW TYPE OF WIRELESS BACKHAUL IN 5G
Integrated access and backhaul (IAB) is an advanced concept in 5G that shows significant
promise in addressing the challenge of wireless backhaul of street sites. IAB has several
advantages compared with other backhaul technologies, and if used properly, it could
become an essential backhaul solution for 5G NR networks.
	FEATURE ARTICLE
Future network trends: Creating intelligent
digital infrastructure
Thevisionofafullydigitalized,automatedandprogrammableworldofconnected
humans, machines, things and places is well on its way to becoming a reality.
Inhisannualtechnologytrendsarticle,ourCTOErikEkuddenexplainstheseven
technology trends that are most relevant to the network platform’s evolution
to become the platform for innovation to meet any societal or industrial need.
30
30
20
Customer and partner interaction
BSS exposure layer
Order capture and fulfillmentCatalog
Charging Mediation BillingBilling
Party
management
Intelligence
management
= Decoupling and integration
08
Gaming
AR/VRB
E-MBB
Automotive
Network slices
Internet of
Things
Fixed access
Manufacturing
APP
SmartNICs
PMEM
HW capability
exposures
Access sites (edge cloud)
Central sites
Public clouds
Distributed sites
(edge/regional cloud) xNF: telco Virtual Network Function or
Cloud-native Network Function
APP: Third-party application
HW capability
control
Business
intent
Zero-touch orchestration
APP
APP
APP APP APP
APP
xNF
xNF
APP
xNF xNF
APP
xNF
xNF
xNF
xNF
xNF
40
52	
64
#02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW 7ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020
EDITORIAL ✱
Ericsson Technology Review brings you
insights into some of the key emerging
innovations that are shaping the
future of ICT. Our aim is to encourage
an open discussion about the potential,
practicalities, and benefits of a wide range
of technical developments, and provide
insight into what the future has to offer.
a d d r e s s
Ericsson
SE -164 83 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: +46 8 719 00 00
p u b l i s h i n g
All material and articles are published on the
Ericsson Technology Review website:
www.ericsson.com/ericsson-technology-review
p u b l i s h e r
Erik Ekudden
e d i t o r
Tanis Bestland (Nordic Morning)
e d i t o r i a l b o a r d
Håkan Andersson, Magnus Buhrgard,
Dan Fahrman, John Fornehed, Kjell Gustafsson,
Jonas Högberg, Johan Lundsjö,
Mats Norin, Håkan Olofsson, Patrik Roseen,
Anders Rosengren, Robert Skog,
Gunnar Thrysin and Sara Kullman
f e at u r e a r t i c l e
Future network trends:
Creating intelligent digital infrastructure
by Erik Ekudden
a r t d i r e c t o r
Liselotte Stjernberg (Nordic Morning)
p r o j e c t m a n a g e r
Susanna O’Grady (Nordic Morning)
l ay o u t
Liselotte Stjernberg (Nordic Morning)
i l l u s t r at i o n s
Jenny Andersén (Nordic Morning)
s u b e d i t o r s
Ian Nicholson (Nordic Morning)
Paul Eade (Nordic Morning)
i s s n : 0 0 1 4 - 0 17 1
Volume: 102, 2020
■ the key role that connectivity plays in our daily
lives has never been more obvious – not only for
each of us as individuals but also for countless
enterprises around the globe. Thankfully, despite
the sudden, dramatic changes in our behavior in
early 2020, networks all around the world have
proven to be highly resilient.
At Ericsson, we’re committed to ensuring that the
network platform continues to improve its ability
to meet the full range of societal needs as well as
supporting enterprises to stay competitive in the
long term. The ability to bridge distances and make
it easier to efficiently meet needs in terms of resource
utilization, collaboration, competence transfer, status
verification, privacy protection, security and safety
is of utmost importance. Greater agility and speed
will be essential.
My 2020 technology trends article, on page 30
of this issue of the magazine, explains my view
of the ongoing evolution of the network platform
in terms of the key needs that are driving its
evolution and the emerging capabilities that
will meet both those and other needs.
The first three trends all relate to bridging the gap
between physical reality and the digital realm – that is,
delivering sensory experiences and utilizing digital
representations to make the physical world fully
programmable. The emerging capabilities that I have
highlighted this year are non-limiting connectivity,
pervasive network compute fabric, trustworthy
infrastructure and cognitive networks.
BRIDGING THE GAP
BETWEEN PHYSICAL
AND DIGITAL REALITIES
All seven of these trends serve as a cornerstone in
the development of a common Ericsson vision of
what future networks will provide, and what sort of
technology evolution will be required to get there.
This issue of the magazine also includes five
additional articles highlighting some of our
latest research in the areas of cloud computing,
the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G advancements.
The cloud computing article is particularly
noteworthy, as it explains how we think network
operators can best manage the complexity of
future cloud deployments and overcome
technical challenges.
The first IoT article in this issue explains how critical
IoT connectivity can be used to address time-critical
needs in areas such as industrial control, mobility
automation, remote control and real-time media,
while the second one tackles the challenge that
today’s universal integrated circuit cards (UICC)
present to IoT growth.
With regard to 5G advancements, our BSS
article explores how 5G-evolved BSS can help
communication service providers transform
themselves from traditional network developers
to service enablers and ultimately service creators.
Another exciting 5G advancement that we present
in this issue is integrated access and backhaul (IAB),
an innovative concept that shows significant promise
in addressing the challenge of wireless backhaul of
street sites.
We hope you enjoy this issue of our magazine
and we’d be delighted if you share it with your
colleagues and business partners. You can find
both PDF and HTML versions of all the articles at:
www.ericsson.com/ericsson-technology-review
GREATERAGILITY
ANDSPEEDWILLBE
ESSENTIAL
✱ EDITORIAL
ERIK EKUDDEN
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT,
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AND
HEAD OF GROUP FUNCTION TECHNOLOGY
8 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 9
5G offers communication service providers an unprecedented opportunity
to enhance their position in the value chain and tap into new revenue
streams in a variety of industry verticals. A successful transition will require
business support systems (BSS) that are evolved to fit the 5G economy.
JAN FRIMAN,
MICHAEL NILSSON,
ELISABETH MUELLER
The rapidly expanding Internet of Things
(IoT) and all the new capabilities available
in 5G have opened up a wealth of opportunities
for communication service providers (CSPs)
beyond their traditional markets, particularly
in verticals such as automotive, health care,
agriculture, energy and manufacturing.
To monetize them, CSPs will need to meet
the expectations of a broader range
of stakeholders and be able to handle
complex ecosystems.
■ One of the primary roles of business support
systems (BSS) is to manage a CSP’s relationships
with its stakeholders by keeping track of
agreements, handling orders, generating reports,
sending invoices and so on. In the past, these
stakeholders were generally limited to consumers,
resellers, partners and suppliers. In the 5G/IoT
business context, though, more complex
ecosystems are arising that BSS must evolve to
support. To do so, the requirements of a larger,
more diverse group of stakeholders must be taken
into account, and mechanisms must be established
to manage the relationships between them.
Examplesofnewstakeholdergroupsthatneed
tobeconsideredinthe5G/IoTbusinesscontext
include:
❭ Enterprises and industry verticals that require
solutions beyond telecoms
❭ New types of suppliers such as IoT device
providers and suppliers of eSIM (embedded
SIM) and related technologies
❭ Platform providers that specialize in specific IoT
or edge clusters or groups of use cases such as
massive and broadband IoT platforms, industrial
IoT platforms and content data networks
❭ Integrators that specialize in specific verticals
such as asset management, mission-critical
services or automotive that combine
capabilities from multiple stakeholders to
address consumer needs.
Networkdeveloper,serviceenabler
orservicecreator?
Lookingahead,thecapabilitiesthataCSPneeds
initsBSSsolutionwilldependontheroleitplays
–oraimstoplay–intheIoTecosystem.Figure1
illustratesthethreeroletypes:networkdeveloper,
serviceenablerandservicecreator.
Inthetraditionalnetworkdeveloperrole,aCSP
actssolelyasacellularconnectivityproviderby
offeringsolutionssuchasradio,corenetworkand
communicationservices.Inthisrole,theCSP’s
businessmodelsareconsumerfocused.Itsrolein
theIoTecosystemislimited.
Intheserviceenablerrole,theCSPextendsits
servicesbyincorporatingadditionalcapabilities
suchascloud/edgeandIoTenablementandshifts
focustobusinesscustomersandindustryverticals.
TheCSPbecomesaserviceenablerfor5Gandthe
IoT,actingasasupplierofconnectivityandplatform
services.Asaserviceenabler,theCSP’sbusiness
5G BSS:
EvolvingBSS
tofitthe
5Geconomy
Figure 1 The evolving role of the CSP in the IoT ecosystem
A) Network developer
Customer Customer Customer
CSP
IoT
provider
IoT
providerCSP
SIM
manufacturer
SIM
manufacturer
Device
manufacturer
Device
manufacturer
Device
manufacturerCSP CSP
B) Service enabler C) Service creator
✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY ✱
2 3MARCH 26, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 2020
10 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 1110 11
modelsareextendedtobusiness-customerfocused
withrespectto5GIoT.
Intheservicecreatorrole,theCSPtransitions
frombeingaconnectivityandplatformproviderto
creatingnewdigitalservicesandcollaborating
beyondtelecomstoestablishdigitalvaluesystems.
Asaservicecreator,theCSPpartnerswithsuppliers
todelivernewservicesallthewayuptofullIoT
solutions,takingontherolesofintegrator,
distributororco-seller.
BSSforallthreeCSProles
TraditionalBSSsupporttheCSPinthenetwork
developerrole,inwhichtheCSPchargesforvoice,
textanddataservicesbasedonconsumptionor
subscriptionlevel.Themainrequirementsfor
theseBSSare:
❭ Customer management, traditional partner
business (roaming partners), charging and
billing, and finance modules
❭ Order capture and order execution for new
telco subscriptions and/or add-on offerings
❭ Charging and balance/quota management
in BSS, as well as mediation
❭ Interaction with operations support systems
(OSS) for network provisioning.
EvolvingBSStosupportaCSPinaserviceenabler
rolerequiresashiftinfocustotheneedsof
enterprisecustomersandIoTusecases.TheBSS
mustbetransformedintoasystemthatisableto
monetizeIoT/5Gplatformsandedgedeployments,
whichrequiressignificantchangesinboththe
functionalandnon-functionalspace.Inthenon-
functionalspace,thismainlyinvolvesscalability
telecoms,sothatpartnerscandeveloptailored
applicationsanddeploythemontheoperator’s
infrastructure.
Finally,thenewbusinessmodelsavailableto
CSPsasservicecreatorsrequirenewmonetization
modelsforchargingandbilling.Forexample,
multipartycharging,revenuesharingandprofit
sharingallrequireextendedbillingand
reconciliationfunctionality.
BSSsolutionlevelsandkeycapabilities
Table1organizesandsequenceskeyBSS
capabilitiesbasedontechnicaldependenciesand/or
levelofcomplexity.Onebyone,thesecapabilities
–thatis,enablingtheBSStohandletrafficand
alargenumberofdevicesatIoTscale.
Intermsoffunctionality,theBSSenhancements
requiredbyserviceenablersinclude:
❭ Automation of full life-cycle management for
devices/IoT resources supported by flexible
orchestration, including exposure of services
for managing relationships with business
customers
❭ Support for batch orchestration, flexible supply
agreements and contracts for non-telco
services with associated charging models
❭ Service exposure of network capabilities, so
that IoT providers can bundle their offerings
with connectivity and sell them on to their
customers
❭ Service exposure of BSS and OSS capabilities
to enable efficient ordering processes,
especially with regard to the management of
mass subscriptions.
SupportingaCSPintheservicecreatorrole,where
thefulllifecycleofpartnersmustbetakeninto
account,requiresBSSwithfurtherfunctional
extensions.Thestakeholderecosystemofservice
creatorsissignificantlymorecomplex,asthe
customerbasebroadenstoincludeverticalsandthe
CSPstartsofferingfullsolutionsbeyondtelecoms.
Asaresult,BSSforservicecreatorsmustinclude
extensiveandflexiblepartnerrelationship
management.Supplychainmanagementis
especiallyimportant.
Thecapacitytoexposenetworkcapabilityaswell
asBSSandOSScapabilitiesiscriticallyimportantto
aCSP’sabilitytodeliveronservicecreationbeyond
Terms and abbreviations
API – Application Programming Interface | BSS – Business Support Systems | CSP – Communication
Service Provider | IoT – Internet of Things | ODA – Open Digital Architecture | OSS – Operations Support
Systems | SBI – Service-Based Interface | SDK – Software Development Kit | SLA – Service Level Agreement
BSS solution level Capabilities
5G enabled • 5Gservice-basedinterface(SBI)support(chargingfunction)
• NetworkslicingsupportinBSSandOSS
• Classicroamingpartners
• Containerizationandmicroservices
• Commontechnologystack
IOT and edge
monetization
• IDmanagementandcorrelation
• Life-cyclemanagementforIoTdevices
• Businesscustomerand5G/IoTenterprisemanagement
• Charginginmultilevelhierarchies
• Supplyagreements
• Flexibleorchestrationoforderingprocesses
• Serviceexposurefordevicemanagement
• OpenAPIexposure
• Continuousintegration/continuousdelivery(CI/CD)forserviceexposure
• Enterpriseself-care
• Multipartychargingandbest-effortcharging
• Privatenetworks
• Platformpartnerships
• Contractfornon-telcoservices(IoT/edgeenabled)
• Chargingmodelsfornon-telcoservices
• Multi-tenancy
• Chargingandbillingonbehalfof
• Location-awareservices
• Blockchainforsmartcontracting
• ServiceLevelAgreement(SLA)management
Full 5G ecosystem • Partnerrelationshipmanagement
• Partnercatalog
• Partnerrevenuesharing
• Reconciliationandsettlement
• Flexiblebilling
• Platformasaserviceanddistributedcloud
• Edgeplatformservices
• Multi-accessedgecomputing(MEC)
• BSSasaservice
• Continuousmonitoring
• Artificialintelligenceandmachine-learningautomation
• CI/CD
Table 1 Key capabilities of the three BSS solution levels
✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY ✱
4 5MARCH 26, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 2020
12 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 13
addontoeachother,continuouslyincreasingBSS
maturityandtransformingtheBSSintoasystem
capableofsupportingallthenewusecasesand
businessmodelsthatcharacterizethe5G/IoT
ecosystem.
Thefirstevolutionstep–‘5Genabled’inTable1
–providessupportfornew5Gstandardsand
concepts,whichenablesadrasticincreaseindata
transmissionthroughputwhilemaintainingfocuson
traditionalconsumers.Applyingcontainerization
andacommontechnologystackwillassurethe
scalabilityoftheBSSsolutiontomeettheincreased
throughputdemandsofthenetwork.
Atthenextsolutionlevel,IoTandedgemonetization,
thefocusshiftstobusinesscustomers.Thesenew
capabilitiesenabletheCSPtoprovideextended
supportforenterpriseswhenitcomesto5GandIoT
usecasesbycoveringIoTdevicemanagement,
supportfornon-telcoservicechargingandmulti-
partychargingaswellasIoTand/oredge-platform
monetization.Inaddition,serviceexposureenables
self-serviceforenterprisesalongwithapplication
developmentfortheoptimizationofIoTdevices.
Thenumberof5G/IoTusecasesthattheCSPisable
tosupportincreasesdrasticallyatthisstage.
Theadditionofpartnercapabilitiesatthefull
5GecosystemlevelallowstheCSPtoaddresstotally
newcustomersegmentsbeyondtelecomsand
provideindustry-specificsolutionstoverticals.
ACSPcancreatenewservices(evendeliverBSS
asaservice),andoffertheseservicesonamarketplace
toreachnewsegmentsofbusinesscustomers.
Themultitudeofpartnershipsrequiresupportfor
newbusinessmodelsthatallowflexiblecharging,
revenuesharingandbilling.
5GreferencearchitectureforBSS
Fromahigh-levelarchitecturalviewpoint,BSSin
the5G/IoTecosystemcloselyresembletraditional
monitorthestateofthedevicethroughoutits
lifecycleisnotsufficient.Forexample,contracts
thatcoverlargeherdsofdevicesarelikelytobe
basedonrecurringchargesperactivedevice.
Inthesescenarios,theaggregatednumbersof
devicesperstatebecomekeyparametersinthe
calculationofcharges.
ThecalculationofchargesrelatedtoIoTdevices
isalsocomplicatedbythefactthatthestateofthe
devicecaninfluencethechargedparty.Oneexample
ofthischallengeisIoTdevicesthataremountedin
vehiclesatafactory.Thefactorypersonnelwilllikely
wanttotestthatthedeviceisworkingbefore
shippingthevehicletothereseller.Theresellermay
BSS,withsimilarinterfacestosurroundingsystems.
TheBSSarchitectureinFigure2ispresentedinthe
OpenDigitalArchitectureformat[1].Itisdivided
intopartymanagement,corecommerce
management,intelligencemanagement,production
andengagementmanagement.Productionincludes
thesouthboundapplicationprogramminginterface
(API)layertothenetworkinfrastructure,IoT
platforms,cloud/edgeandOSS,whileengagement
managementincludesthenorthboundAPIlayerto
customersandpartners.
5GandtheIoTplaceseveralchallenging
requirementsonnewcapabilitiesintheBSS
architecturethatarenotdirectlyvisibleatahigh
level.Allfunctionalareasareaffectedbythe5G
evolutionandareextendedtosupportthenew
requirementsandpossibilities,mostnotablyinthe
areasofmass-devicemanagement,deviceand
resourcelife-cyclemanagement,subscription
management,chargingmodelsfornon-telco
servicesandmultipartycharging.
IoT-scalemass-devicemanagement
Thesheernumberofconnecteddevicesinthe5G/
IoTworldisamajorchallengeforBSStomanage.
WhilecurrentBSSarchitecturesarescalable,they
willbetoocostlyforIoTusecasesduetothelarge
datafootprintandprocessingneedofeachdevice.
Scalabilityaloneisnotenoughtohandlemassive
amountsofdevices.Toaddressthis,5G-evolved
BSSmusthaveapersistenceandmanagement
modelthatislightweightenoughtoallowalarge
numberofdevicestousethesamefootprintasone
traditionaldevice.Thiscanbeaddressedusing
conceptssuchasherding,whereeachindividual
deviceonlyrequiresaminimaldatafootprint.
Thebehaviorofeachindividualdeviceis
determinedbytheherdconfiguration,whichis
asinglespecificationperherd.
Life-cyclemanagementof
IoTdevicesandresources
ManagingthelifecyclesofIoTdevicesand
resourcesisanothersignificantchallengeforBSS.In
manyemergingIoTapplications,theabilityto
Figure 2 5G reference architecture for BSS
Intelligence
management
Party management
Production
Southbound API
Core commerce management
Social
media
Mediation
= Decoupling and integration
Policies IoT
Cloud/
edge
OSS
Comm.
services
EPC/
5G Core
Customers Business
customers
Developers Apps
Engagement
management
Northbound API
SCALABILITYALONEISNOT
ENOUGHTOHANDLEMASSIVE
AMOUNTSOFDEVICES
✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY ✱
6 7MARCH 26, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 202012 13
14 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 15
thenwanttodemonstratetheservicethedevice
providestoprospectivebuyers,beforeaconsumer
ultimatelybuysthevehicleandstartsusingthe
service.Ateachofthesestages,thechargedparty
andchargingmodelmaybedifferentdependingon
thestateofthedevice.Overcomingsuchchallenges
requiresaBSSarchitecturethatcanprovideup-to-
datestateinformationperindividualdeviceor
resourceaswellasaggregatedinformationtothe
rating,chargingandbillingfunctions.
SubscriptionmanagementforIoTdevices
Subscriptionmanagementisanotherareathatmust
evolvetofitthenew5G/IoTbusinesscontext.
TraditionalBSSarebuilttomanageconsumer
subscriptions.Theyarenotcapableofhandlingthe
massivenumberofdevicesinIoTusecasesinacost-
efficientmanner.Subscriptionmanagementin
5G-evolvedBSSrequiresahighlevelofautomation
andsolutionsthatreducetheprocessingfootprintto
onboardandmanagedevices,servicesandproducts.
OneeffectiveapproachistoexposeAPIsandtools
thatallowpartnersorevenconsumerstoonboard
andmanagedevices.
Togainefficiencyandminimizemanagement,
poolsofservicesandproductscanbelinkedtoherds
ofdevices,insteadofapplyingindividualservicesto
devicerelationships,whichisthecommonpractice
inBSStoday.Theserviceinstanceslinkedtoherds
arekepttoaminimalfootprintandthemajorityof
theparametersneededforprocessingcanbekepton
specificationlevel.Thischangewillenablemore
efficientprocessinginBSSandreducethenumber
ofscenariosthatrequiremassprovisioning.
UnliketraditionalBSS,5G-evolvedBSSmustbe
abletocaptureandcreatethenetworkchargingdata
records(chargingfunction).Thistaskprovidesthe
Multipartycharging
WhiletraditionalBSSareabletohandleroaming
partnersandwholesaleagreements,theyarenot
equippedtohandlethedramaticincreasein
differenttypesofpartneragreementsinthe5G/IoT
ecosystem.Theabilitytohandleawidevarietyof
partneragreementsandsupporttheonboardingof
partnersandrelatedchargingmodelswillbecrucial
toCSPs’abilitytomonetizeonexpectedIoTgrowth
andavoidbecomingbit-pipewholesalers.
Inthe5G/IoTecosystem,asingleeventthatBSS
receivefromthe5Gcorenetworkcantriggera
complexvaluechainthatrequiresmultiplepartiesto
bechargedorsharerevenue.ACSPcannotrelyon
traditionaltechniquestohandlethiscomplexity–
doingsowouldmeanpostponingchargingor
revenuesharedistributionuntilthebillrun.
Todeliverup-to-dateinformationtotherelevant
partners,theCSPneedsBSSthatcanprocessthe
entirevaluechainassoonasanyactivityoccursthat
impactsthem.Thisdoesnotmeanthateverything
mustbeprocessedinrealtime,butratherthatevents
mustbehandledinanonlineasynchronousprocess.
Forexample,whenBSSgrantconsumerstherightto
accessspecificservices,theeventisfollowedupbya
post-sessionprocesstocalculateanddistributethe
charges/revenuesharefortheinvolvedpartners.
Asaresult,therelevantpartnershaveaccessto
up-to-dateinformationwithinseconds,ratherthan
attheendofthedayoratthebillrunastheywould
intraditionalBSS.
In5G-evolvedBSS,differenteventsforthesame
servicecanhavedifferentchargeorrevenueshare
distribution.One-timefees,recurringchargesor
usagefeescanallhavedifferentdistributionrules
andincludeoneormorepartners.Forexample,itis
possibleforanoperatortochargeaone-timefee
toaconsumerandkeepalloftherevenue,whilealso
chargingarecurringfeetothesameconsumerand
splittingthatrevenuewithapartnerthatprovides
theconsumerdeviceonarentalbasis.
DigitalBSSarchitecturefor5GandtheIoT
Figure3showsthekeycomponentsofEricsson’s
digitalBSSarchitecture.Thecolorschemeindicates
therelationshipbetweenthecomponentsinthis
architectureandthefunctionalODAarchitecture
showninFigure2.
BSSwithauniqueopportunitytodeterminewhich
charging,balancemanagementandaggregation
functionsmustbeperformed,andusethis
knowledgetomonetizetheusageofthe5Gnetwork.
Forinstance,theBSScanmonitorallowancesand
balancesinrealtime,ifsorequiredbyapartner
agreement,ordecidetopostponetheratingand
balancemanagementtoanearreal-time
asynchronousflow.
AllowingtheBSStodecidetheimportanceand
risklevelofeacheventbasedonagreements,Service
LevelAgreements(SLAs)andoperatorbusiness
rulesmakesitpossibletoaccommodatemultiple
chargingmodelssimultaneously.Amongother
things,thisapproachenablesreal-timemonitoring
ofindividualdeviceherds,whileatthesametime
providingpartnerratingsforoneormultiple
involvedpartnersinacontinuous,nearreal-time,
flowforindividualdevicesessions.
Chargingmodelsfornon-telcoservices
5G-evolvedBSSmustalsosupportthemanagement
andmonetizationofservicesthatarenottraditional
telcoservices,suchasthosefortheIoTplatformor
applicationhostingattheedge.Inthepast,BSS
havetraditionallyreliedonawell-definedsetof
parametersprovidedthroughstandardized
protocols,butthisapproachwillnotbesufficient
whenenteringthenon-telcoservicearena.
Tomonetizeonnon-telcoservices,the5G-evolved
BSSmusthavetheflexibilitytousepreviously
unknownidentifiersandparameters,especially
inthechargingandbillingsystems.
Theusageofanon-telcoservicecanbemonetized
usingsomethingassimpleasanetworkslice
identifiertodeterminehowtoaggregateandcharge
foraservice.Inotherinstances,amuchmore
complexmodelmustbeused,involvingmultiple
inputparametersforeacheventtodeterminewhich
partyorpartiesshouldbechargedandwhich
chargingmodelshouldbeapplied.Consequently,
thechargingandbillingsolutionin5G-evolved
BSSmustprovidetheflexibilitytomapandevaluate
non-telcoidentifiersandotherparametersat
configurationtime.
Figure 3 Ericsson’s digital BSS implementation architecture
Customer and partner interaction
BSS exposure layer
Order capture and fulfillmentCatalog
Charging Mediation BillingBilling
Party
management
Intelligence
management
= Decoupling and integration
ONE EFFECTIVE
APPROACH IS TO EXPOSE
APIs AND TOOLS THAT ALLOW
PARTNERS ... TO ONBOARD
AND MANAGE DEVICES
✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY ✱
8 9MARCH 26, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 202014 15
16 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 17
Thefront-endchannelsinthecustomerandpartner
interactionlayerandtheBSSexposurelayerare
deployedasamicroservicearchitecturetofacilitate
businessagility,scalingandtheintroductionof
customizedsolutionsasperoperatorneeds.
Furtherdowninthestack,thearchitectureisbased
onminiservices,primarilytooptimizefootprint,
performanceandlatency.
Table2mapsoutthe5GevolutionareasinBSS
tothemainfunctionalblocksinourdigitalBSS
BSS functional block 5G evolution areas
Customer and partner
interaction
• Catalogdriven,omnichannel
• B2CandB2Bdigitalfrontend:customer/partnerjourneys
• B2CandB2BCPQ(configure,priceandquote),framecontracts
• B2B2Xmarketplace
BSS exposure layer •OpenAPIexposure
• Looselycoupledprinciple
• SDKtosupportAPIaggregation
Catalog • Exposureforpartnerproductcreation
• Enhancedbundlingwithpartnerproducts
• Productmodelsfornetworkresources
• Productmodelsforenterpriseproducts
• Partnercatalog
• Multi-deviceofferings
Order capture
and fulfillment
• Ecosystemorchestration
• Newbusinessmodelsupport
Charging • Supportfornewchargingtriggerpoints
• ManagecommunicationservicesatIoTscale
• Charginglife-cyclemanagementasapartofmassIoTdevice
andmasssubscriptionlife-cyclemanagement
• Multipartycharging
•Charginginhierarchies
• Chargingonbehalfof
• Non-telcoservicecharge
Mediation • Calldetailrecordgenerationfor5G
• OnlinemediationSBI->diameter
Party management • ExtendedB2B(supplyagreements,non-telcocontracts)
• Digitalpartnermanagement
Intelligence management • SLAmanagement
• Datalake
Billing • Life-cyclemanagementasapartofmassIoTdeviceand
masssubscriptionlife-cyclemanagement
• Multipartybilling
• Billingonbehalfof
• Revenuesharing
• IoTpartnersettlements
Table 2 Prioritized 5G evolution areas in the main BSS functional blocks
Further reading
❭ EricssonTechnologyReview,BSSandartificialintelligence–timetogonative,January2019,availableat:
https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/ericsson-technology-review/articles/bss-and-artificial-
intelligence-time-to-go-native
❭ Ericsson blog, Impacts of monetizing 5G and IoT on Digital BSS, October 29, 2019, Michael Fireman,
available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2019/10/impacts-of-monetizing-5g-and-iot-on-digital-bss
❭ Ericsson blog, Monetize 5G and IoT business models, October 7, 2019, Michael Fireman, available at:
https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2019/10/monetize-5g-and-iot-business-models
❭ Ericsson, Telecom BSS, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/portfolio/digital-services/digital-bss
❭ Ericsson, Digital BSS, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/digital-services/offerings/digital-bss
References
1. TMA, Open Digital Architecture Project, available at: https://www.tmforum.org/collaboration/open-digital-
architecture-oda-project/
architecture.Containerization,microservicesanda
commontechnologystackarecommontoallblocks.
Conclusion
The5Gnetworkevolutionpresentscommunication
serviceproviderswiththeopportunitytotransform
themselvesfromtraditionalnetworkdevelopersto
serviceenablersfor5GandtheInternetof Things,
andultimatelytoservicecreatorswiththeabilityto
collaboratebeyondtelecomsandestablishlucrative
digitalvaluesystems.Alongtheway,thisjourney
opensupsubstantialnewrevenuestreamsin
verticalssuchasindustrialautomation,security,
healthcareandautomotive.Tosuccessfully
capitalizeonthisopportunity,CSPsneedBSS
thatareevolvedtomanagecomplexvaluechains
andsupportnewbusinessmodels.
5G-evolvedBSSenablesmoothcollaboration
betweenconnectivityproviders,servicecreators,
partners,suppliersandothersthatresultsinthe
efficientcreationofattractiveandcost-effective
services.Optimizedinformationmodelsandahigh
degreeofautomationarerequiredtohandlehuge
numbersofdevicesthroughopeninterfaces.
Deploymentinacloud-nativearchitectureensures
flexibilityandscalability.Itisimportanttokeepthe
businesslogic,interfacesandinformationmodels
of5G-evolvedBSSflexible,sotheycanbeadjusted
tosuitthevaluechainsandbusinessmodelsofthe
differentindustryverticals.
AtEricsson,wewillcontinuetoevolveourBSS
offeringtosupportourcustomersontheirjourneys
fromnetworkdeveloperstoserviceenablers,from
serviceenablerstoservicecreatorsandbeyond.
Aspartofthiswork,wearealsofirmlycommitted
todrivingandcontributingtorelevantstandards
intheBSSareaandparticipatinginopensource
anddevelopercommunitiestopromoteopenness
andinteroperability.
CSPs NEED BSS THAT
ARE EVOLVED TO MANAGE
COMPLEX VALUE CHAINS
✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY ✱
10 11MARCH 26, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 202016 17
18 ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 202018 ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020
theauthOrs
Jan Friman
◆ is an OSS/BSS expert
in the architecture and
technology team within
Business Area Digital
Services. Since joining
Ericsson in 1997, he has held
various OSS/BSS-related
positions within the
company’s R&D, system
management and strategic
product management
organizations. Friman holds
anM.Sc.incomputerscience
from Linköping University,
Sweden.
Michael Nilsson
◆ is a BSS expert in the
solution architecture team
within Business Area Digital
Services. Nilsson joined
Ericsson in 1990 and has
extensive experience from
the telecommunications
area in support and
verification, radio, core and
transmission network design
and BSS product
development. Since 2012, he
has held the position of chief
architect for next generation
BSS development.
Elisabeth Mueller
◆ is an expert in BSS
end-to-end systems whose
current work focuses on
5G/IoT BSS architecture.
She joined Ericsson in 2006
when LHS in Frankfurt was
acquired to complement the
Ericsson BSS offerings with a
billingsystem. Since then she
has taken on many different
roles within the company,
including system design,
system management and
solution architecture in all
BSS areas. Mueller holds an
M.Sc. in mathematics from
Johannes Gutenberg
University in Mainz,
Germany, along with several
patents in the BSS area.
✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY
12 ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 2020
20 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 21
The UICCs used in all cellular devices today are complex and powerful
minicomputers capable of much more than most Internet of Things (IoT)
applications require. Until a simpler and less costly alternative becomes
available, it makes sense to find ways to reduce the complexity of using
them and use their excess capacity for additional value generation.
BENEDEK KOVÁCS,
ZSOLT VAJTA,
ZSIGMOND PAP
UICCs are used today to facilitate network
connection in all 3GPP user equipment –
mobile phones, IoT devices and so on.
■ The most important tasks of UICC modules –
commonly referred to as SIM cards – in today’s
mobile networks are to store network credentials
and to run network security and access
applications in a secure and trusted environment.
In addition, they are also capable of storing a large
amount of extra information and running multiple
toolkit applications. A UICC’s own operating
system provides a full Java environment. It can run
dozens of Java-based applications in parallel and
support powerful remote management operations.
Backward-compatibilityisprovidedbyrunning
anetworkserviceapplicationonUICCmodules,
whichcanemulatethefilesystemforstoring
necessarycredentialsandold-schoolsmartcard
protocols,extendedwithfeaturessuchasenhanced
security,extendedtelephoneregisterandoperator
logoimage.TheinterfacebetweentheUICCmodule
andtheuserequipment(devices)isstandardized,
whichenablesoperatorstorunvalue-added
applications,suchasmobilewalletormobilelottery,
ontheUICCmodule.
WhiletheadvancedfeaturesofUICCmodules
continuetoprovideconsiderablevalueinmobile
phoneapplications,mostofthemaresuperfluous
inIoTapplications.Inlightofthis,theindustry
isworkingtofindalesssophisticatedsolution
thatismoreappropriateforapplicationsthat
requiremassivenumbersofdevicesinprice-
sensitiveenvironments.Industryalignmenton
suchasolutionisexpectedtobeachallengingand
time-consumingprocess,however,duetothefact
thattheIoTareaisfragmentedintomanydifferent
verticals,applicationareasandusecases.
Ericssonisfullycommittedtosupportingthe
long-term,industry-alignedsolution.Inthemeantime,
however,itisvitaltofindworkaroundstoensure
thatthecostofUICCsdoesnotstifleIoTgrowth.
Whilethedefinitivesolutiontothequestionof
whatshouldreplacetheUICCishardtopredict,
twomid-termworkaroundsareclear:thecomplexity
ofusingUICCsandleveragingtheirexcesscapacity
togenerateadditionalvalue.
ReducingthecomplexityofusingUICCs
There are three main approaches to reducing the
complexity of using UICCs in IoT applications:
optimization, usage of 3GPP standardized
certificate-based authentication, and
virtualization.
Optimization
A typical operator profile on a 3GPP consumer
mobile phone is up to tens of kilobytes; the average
IoT sensor only requires 200-300 bytes. And of all
the functionality that a UICC can provide, an IoT
device only really needs the Universal Subscriber
Identity Module application and the remote SIM
provisioning (RSP) application, which allows
remote provisioning of subscriber credentials
(also known as operator profiles).
Onegoodwaytosignificantlyreducethefootprint
oftheUICCistooptimizetheoperatorprofileand
thenecessarysoftwareenvironmentwithinthe
UICCmodule.Doingsonotonlysavesstorageinthe
devicebutalsoreducesenergyconsumptionduring
over-the-airdownload.Furthersizereduction
ofthedevicemaybeachievedwhentheUICCis
completelyintegratedintothebasebandmodem
orapplicationprocessor(integratedUICCor
iUICC[2]).Thissimplifiedandintegratedsolution
couldworkeffectivelyforusecasesthatrequire
low-cost,simple,secureandlow-powerIoTdevices
inhighvolumes.
TheuseofaniUICCrequiresaneffective
RSPprotocol[3,4]thatmakesitpossibleto
changesubscriptioncredentials.CurrentRSP
standardsaretoocomplexforiUICCsformany
reasons,includingtheiruseofHTTPS
OPTIMIZING
UICCmodules
forIoT
applications
Definition of key terms
Identity describes the link between the identifier of an entity and the credentials that it uses to prove
that it is the rightful owner of the identity.
First used in Finland in 1991, the original subscriber identity module (SIM) was a smart card with
a protected file system that stored cellular network parameters. It was designed to connect
expensive user equipment – mobile phones – with expensive subscriptions to the cellular network.
When it became clear that smart cards did not have the capacity to provide an adequate level of security
in next-generation cellular networks, they were replaced with universal integrated circuit cards (UICCs)
– minicomputers equipped with general microprocessors, memory and strong cryptographic
co-processors [1].
✱ UICC MODULES AND THE IoT UICC MODULES AND THE IoT ✱
2 3APRIL 14, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ APRIL 14, 2020
22 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 23
(HypertextTransferProtocolSecure)andreliance
onSMSsupport.HTTPSistypicallynotpartofthe
protocolstackofconstrainedlow-powerIoTdevices.
Instead,thesedevicesuseastackwithConstrained
ApplicationProtocol(CoAP),DatagramTransport
LayerSecurity(DTLS)andUserDatagram
Protocol.Insomecases,theLightweightMachine-
to-Machine(LwM2M)protocolisusedontopof
CoAPfordeviceandapplicationdatamanagement.
Theuseofonlyonestackkeepsthecostofthe
devicedown.
Ericssonproposesutilizingthesameprotocol
stackforprofiledownloadandprofilemanagement
asisusedfordeviceandapplicationdata
management.Figure1illustrateshowtoachieve
thisbyadaptingtheGSMAembedded-SIM
solutionforconsumerdevicesforusewithIoT
devices.Inthissolution,thelocalprofileassistant
(LPA)issplitintotwoparts.Toreducedevice
footprint,themainpartoftheLPA(includingthe
useofHTTPS)ismovedfromthedevicetoadevice
authentication has been performed. According to
the 3GPP, authentication in private networks
such as Industry 4.0 solutions may rely entirely
on certificate-based solutions such as Extensible
Authentication Protocol over Transport Layer
Security. Without a UICC for securely storing
and operating on secret long-term credentials
for network access authentication, another
secure environment with secure storage
solution is needed.
Forcertainapplicationsalowerlevelofsecurity
mightbeaccepted.Thevalueofthedatathatthe
IoTdeviceprovidesorhandles,inrelationtothe
costoftheIoTdevice,determinestherequired
securitylevelofthesecureenvironmentforprotecting
networkaccessauthenticationcredentials.Inthe
caseofaUICCbeingused,itdeterminesthe
realizationoftheUICCfunctionality.Forsome
low-costconstrainedIoTdevices,arealization
usingahardware-isolation-basedtrustedexecution
environmentmaybeacceptable.Asthereisno
universalandperfectsolution,operatorsmust
decidewhichsolutionismostsuitableforanygiven
application.ItislikelythattheUICCsandeUICC-
basedsolutionswillremainthetechnologyofchoice
inpublicnetworksforthenextfewyears.
Virtualization
Virtualizing the UICC is yet another alternative
that addresses the cost issue associated with
UICC technology. One way to do this is to run
a UICC environment in a virtual machine
(or at least on a separated processor core) inside
the application processor or the baseband modem.
Another approach is to store the operator profiles
in the security zone of the application processor,
then download them to empty physical UICC
hardware on demand.
Thebiggestadvantagesofthesevirtualization
solutionsisflexibilityandbetterutilizationof
existinghardwareresources,whileatthesametime
maintainingmanyoftheadvantagesofcurrent
technology.Thesemethodsareparticularlyeffective
whenanIoTdeviceneedstomanagemultiple
operatorprofiles–acircumstancethatwillbecome
increasinglycommon,accordingtoananalysis
carriedoutbytheGSMA[5].
Thedisadvantagesofvirtualizationaresimilarto
thoseofcertification-basedsolutions.Mostnotably,
certificationisharderwhenatrustedenvironment
isintegratedwiththerestofthedevicecompared
withusinganisolatedUICCoreUICC.
GeneratingadditionalvaluefromtheUICC
Experience shows that it is significantly less
expensive to limit a protected and certified
manufacturing environment to a dedicated
hardware module such as a UICC than to ensure
that all the software running in the mobile
equipmentcanbetrusted.Inlightofthis,webelieve
thatcommunicationserviceproviderswillcontinue
usingUICCmodulesforatleastthenext5-10years.
During this period, it makes sense to exploit the
potential of the UICCs to better support IoT
applications by creating value-added services
for operators and enterprises. Three examples of
this are using the UICC as cryptographic storage,
using it to run higher-layer protocolstacks,
andusingitasasupervisoryentity.
UsingtheUICCascryptographicstorage
UICC modules were designed to serve as
cryptographic storage and are used today mainly
for the storage of security credentials for 3GPP
connectivity. We propose, in accordance with
GSMA IoT SAFE [1], that the UICC itself should
also be used as a crypto-safe for the IoT platform,
providing support to establish encrypted
connection of the applications.
orconnectivitymanagementserver.Thedevice
managementprotocolstack(OpenMobileAlliance
(OMA)LwM2M[1],forexample)handlesthe
communicationbetweenthetwoLPAparts.
Profileprotectionisstillend-to-endbetween
theiUICC/embedded-UICC(eUICC)andthe
provisioningserver(SubscriptionManager-Data
Preparation–SM-DP+).
Usageof3GPPstandardized
certificate-basedauthentication
Another way to reduce the need for a UICC
is to use a network authentication mechanism
different to the classical 3GPP Authentication
and Key Agreement (AKA). The use of certificates
is a classic solution used in the internet that may
easily fit into the existing network architecture
of an enterprise/service provider. In public
5G networks, authenticating with certificates
is possible as a secondary authentication for a
service using AKA, but only after primary network
OPERATORSMUST
DECIDEWHICHSOLUTION
ISMOSTSUITABLEFOR
ANYGIVENAPPLICATION
Figure 1 Remote provisioning using IoT-optimized technology
SIM alliance profile
LPA split
IoT
platform
HTTPS
Internet
Device owner/user
LwM2M-based
secure communication
IoT device with
cellular module
Provisioning
server
(SM-DP+)
Mobile
network
operator
LPAprLPAdv
✱ UICC MODULES AND THE IoT UICC MODULES AND THE IoT ✱
4 5APRIL 14, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ APRIL 14, 2020
24 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 25
AgenericIoTdevicehasmultipleidentitiesforuse
inmultiplesecuritydomains.Everyidentityhasat
leastoneidentifierandcredential,allofwhichmust
bestoredsomewhere.Althoughtherearemultiple
options,ahardwareelementthatispowerfulenough
toplaytheroleoftherootoftrustisdefinitelyneeded.
TheUICCisperfectforthisrole,asitisalreadyused
asanidentityfor3GPPnetworks,storingInternational
MobileSubscriberIdentity,intensifiedcharge-
coupleddevice,Wi-FiandOMALwM2M[6]
credentialsalongwithdozensofotheridentifiers.
Thenecessarytrustedandcertifiedenvironment
andinfrastructurearealreadyavailabletomanufacture
themodule,downloadandupdateitscontentand
carryoutremotemanagementaswell.
Tocovereveryaspect,UICC-basedsolutions
requirecooperationbetweentheUICCecosystem
andtheIoTdevicesecuritysubsystem(ARMTrust
Zone[7],forexample).IDandcredentialmanagement
itselfisdevice-independent,whichsavesdevelopment
costandincreasesthesecuritylevel.Additional
advantagesofusingUICCasarootoftrustare:
❭ it has its own local processor
❭ it is usually equipped with powerful
cryptographic co-processors
❭ it comes with a powerful, standardized remote
management subsystem (RMS)
❭ it is handled through a separate logistics chain.
The UICC can generate key-pairs and store
private keys for multiple security domains
effectively and securely. Effectiveness comes
from its powerful cryptographic co-processors,
while security is provided by the combination of
the standardized RMS and the UICC’s ability to
run cryptography processes inside the module.
This means that the keys never leave the hardware
and therefore they cannot be exposed to the
application. Not only does this architecture
provide security, it can also securely tie
the 3GPP connectivity credentials and other
IoT certificates to each other.
Sincemodemfirmwareisaclosedenvironment,
itisdifficulttoupgradeandtocustomizeitsprotocol
stacks(extendingthemwithproprietaryadded
values).Inaddition,asmallsecurityholeinthe
protocolstackcanbeenoughforahackertotake
controlofthewholemodem.
Alternatively,thesehigher-layerprotocolstacks
canbemovedtotheUICC.Figure2depictsablock
diagramofadevice,wheretheOMALwM2M
clientrunsontheUICCmoduleandusesanon-IP
datadelivery(NIDD)protocolconnectiontosend
informationtothedevicemanagementsystem.
Runninghigher-levelprotocolsintheUICC
modulecanimprovesecurityinseveralways.
Forexample,itispossibletoruntheLwM2M
stackoveraNIDDconnection[9]andeventoallow
thiscodetoexecuteontheUICCmoduleinstead
ofonthedeviceprocessor.Inthisscenario,
command/controlisneverexposedonthe
IPlayerbecauseitisrunninginthesignaling
networkoftheoperator.Anadditionaladvantage
ofthisapproachisthatitincreasesinteroperability.
Thereisastandardizedwayofupgradingthe
communicationstackintheUICC–itiseven
possibletoinsertthecommunicationstackinto
theoperatorprofile.Thisdoesnotcompletely
solvecompatibilityandinterfacingproblems,
butacertifiedoperatorcanhandletheseissues
onahighersecurityleveltoprovidewider
solutionmatching.
InthesimplestIoTdevices,itmightevenbe
possibletoruntheactualIoTapplicationonthe
UICCmodule.Thiswouldopenforedge-computing
solutionsinwhichsimpletasksareexecutedonthe
device–datafilteringtoreducetheamountofdata
beingsentovertheair,forexample.Securitycanalso
beimprovedifthebinaryisstoredontheUICC
insteadofonthedeviceapplicationprocessor.
TherecentlyreleasedGSMAIoTSAFE[8]offers
asolutionwheretheUICCisutilizedasarootof
trustforIoTsecurity.Here,anappletontheUICC/
eUICCprovidescryptographicsupportandstorage
ofcredentialsforestablishingsecurecommunication
(forexample,usingDTLS)toanIoTservice.The
existingUICCmanagementsystem(UICCOTA
mechanism)isusedbytheoperatortoestablish
trustedcredentialsbetweenthedeviceandtheIoT
service.TheGSMAIoTSAFEdefinesanapplication
programminginterfaceforinteroperabilitybetween
SIMappletsfromdifferentoperators.
UsingtheUICCtorun
higher-layerprotocolstacks
In addition to providing security and encryption
functions, UICC modules could also serve as
main application processors. Today, a low-cost,
sensor-like IoT device usually has at least three
processors on board: one is on the UICC module,
another runs inside the baseband modem, and a
third – the application processor itself (sometimes
combined) – collects data and hosts higher level
communication stacks such as LwM2M, CoAP
or MQ Telemetry Transport.
Shiftingthehigher-levelcommunicationstack
fromtheapplicationprocessortotheUICC
modulecanleadtocheaperhardwareandlower
developmentcosts,aswellasprovidingaunique
approachtointeroperability.Asaresult,some
modemmanufacturershaveimplementedthese
protocolsinsidethemodem,runningacomplete
OMALwM2Mprotocolstackinthebasebandchip,
forexample.Whilethismayfreeupanexternal
applicationprocessorandspeedupdevice
development,thissolutionisratherinflexible.
Figure 2 IoT device with LwM2M client running on the UICC module, using NIDD
Application
Operator
profile
PSK
IMEI
BIP
Sensor data
IoT device
UICC
PSK
NIDD/SMS/USSD
NIDD/SMS
/USSD
Dev. ID
SCEF
Radio modem
LwM2M
client
Device and
data
management
(LwM2M
server)
SIMtoolkit
EFFECTIVENESS
COMESFROMITS POWER-
FULCRYPTOGRAPHIC
CO-PROCESSORS
✱ UICC MODULES AND THE IoT UICC MODULES AND THE IoT ✱
6 7APRIL 14, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ APRIL 14, 2020
26 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 27
UsingtheUICCasasupervisoryentity
Zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) is yet another
possibility for better utilization of the UICC
module. ZTP refers to the possibility of adding
an identity to a device when required, with
automatic setup of the working environment
(requiring manual intervention).
Aneffectiveautomaticprovisioningsystem
requiresremoteprovisioningmanagement,
keyandcredentialstorage,identitymappingof
UICCmodulesandapplicationsaswellasstrong
flexibilityincaseofoperatorprofiles,butallofthis
isfarfromenough.ProvisioningofIoTdevicesisa
complex,slowandcostlyprocedure.Althoughthere
isajointefforttoextendmobilenetworkstosupport
standardized,automaticdeviceandsubscription
provisioning,itisataveryearlystage.
Duringtheprovisioningprocedure,twoormore
identitiesaregiventothedevice,whichentails
thattheseidentifiersaredownloaded,anddifferent
subsystemsareconfigured(mobilenetwork,device
ThisiswhereaUICCapplicationcanhelpand
supportanOTTZTPservice.AUICCmodulecan
storesensitiveinformationfromdifferentsecurity
domains.AsitworksclosetotheIoTdevice,itcando
correctiveactionslocallyifthereisaproblemwith
theconnectivity(attempttoactivateanotherprofile
andconnecttoanotheroperator).Inaddition,itis
scalingtogetherwiththeIoTdevices.Sincethis
solutioniscompletelyunderthecontrolofthe
operator,itcanbeindependentoftheapplication,
therebyalsosavingdevelopmentcosts.
Figure3showsanexampleofthissystem:
acentralZTPservice,inconnectionwith
multiple subsystemsandasupportapplication
ontheUICCmodule.
ThecentralZTPserviceworkingtogetherwith
theZTPsupportapplicationontheUICCmodule
canbeveryeffective.TheZTPserviceandtheZTP
supportapplicationtogethercancoveralmost
everyusecaseandsolvetheproblemstheIoTarea
isstrugglingwithtoday.
TheUICCapplicationcanbeusedtomonitor
connectivityandfixissueslocally.Thiscanbe
highlyeffectiveifcredentialsarestoredonthe
UICCmoduleandiftheIoTprotocolstack
isalsorunningontheUICCmodule.
FornarrowbandIoT,thetraditionalprofile
downloadsolutionandthemachine-to-machine
SM-DPisineffective.Significantlybetterresults
canbeachievedbyusingtheSM-DP+inanewway.
Forexample,runningtheLPAproxyontheUICC
modulemakesitpossibletousecompletelynew
optionsfordeviceprovisioning.
Conclusion
The universal integrated circuit card (UICC)
modules present in all 3GPP IoT devices
today are costly and underutilized.
managementsystem,datamanagementsystem,
andsoon).Severalstandardizedtechnologiesexist
tosupportthisprocessbut,unfortunately,
theyarenotconnectedintoaworking,efficient,
fullyautomatedandcooperativesystem.
Themoststraightforwardwaytoconnect
differentsubsystemsinaflexibleandprogrammable
wayistorunacentralizedserviceaboveoratthe
samelevelasthesesubsystems.ThisZTPservice
isconnectedtothe3GPPnetwork(forinstance
tosubscriberdatamanagement),totheSM-DP+
system(usuallyoperatedbytheUICCmodule
vendororanindependentbootstrapoperator),
tothedevicemanagementsystemandtothedata
managementsystem.TheconnectiontotheIoT
deviceitself,tothemanufactureroreventothe
installerofthedevicecanalsobeestablished.
Themainpurposeofthisserviceistodrivethe
IoTdevicethroughthestepsofautomaticdevice
provisioningfromtheverybeginning(orderingthe
device)tothefinaldecommissioning.
Althoughthisover-the-topservice(OTT)
canspeeduptheprovisioningprocesssignificantly,
ithassomedisadvantages.Itshouldnotstoresensitive
data,butonlymanageitindirectly.Furthermore,
ifthedevicehasnoconnectionatall,itcannot
doanything.Scalingcouldalsobeaproblem.
Figure 3 ZTP system with central ZTP service and UICC support
Application
IoT device
ZTP support
application
Device vendor
Data
management
Device
management
Enterprise
CRM
UICC vendor
Mobile
network
operator
Operator
profile
ZTP service
AUICCMODULECAN
STORESENSITIVE
INFORMATION
Terms and abbreviations
AKA – Authentication and Key Agreement |BIP – Bearer Independent Protocol | CoAp – Constrained
Application Protocol | DTLS – Datagram Transport Layer Security | eUICC – Embedded UICC (soldered to
the device board) | HTTPS – Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure | IMEI – International Mobile Equipment
Identity | IOT – Internet of Things | IUICC – Integrated UICC (integrated to a microchip) | LPA – Local
Profile Assistant | LPAdv – LPA (device), interfacing to the UICC | LPApr – LPA (proxy), interacting with the
device owner and SM-DP+ | LwM2M – Lightweight Machine-to-Machine | NIDD – Non-IP Data Delivery |
OMA – Open Mobile Alliance | OTT – Over-the-Top | PSK – Pre-shared Keys | RMS – Remote Management
Subsystem | RSP – Remote SIM Provisioning (protocol) | SCEF – Service Capability Exposure Functions |
SM-DP – Subscription Manager–Data Preparation | UICC – Universal Integrated Circuit Card |
USSD – Unstructured Supplementary Service Data | ZTP – Zero-Touch Provisioning
✱ UICC MODULES AND THE IoT UICC MODULES AND THE IoT ✱
8 9APRIL 14, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ APRIL 14, 2020
28 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 29
Further reading
❭ Ericsson Technology Review, Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT devices, January 2019,
available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/ericsson-technology-review/articles/key-
technology-choices-for-optimal-massive-iot-devices
❭ Ericsson, eSIM – Let’s talk business, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/digital-services/trending/esim
❭ Ericsson blog, Secure IoT identities, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2017/3/secure-iot-identities
❭ Ericsson blog, Secure brokering of digital identities, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2017/7/
secure-brokering-of-digital-identities
References
1. Ericsson blog, Evolving SIM solutions for IoT, May 27, 2019, Smeets, B; Ståhl, P; Fornehed, J, available at:
https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2019/5/evolving-sim-solutions-for-iot
2. UICC card HW specification for P5Cxxxx cards, available at: http://www.e-scan.com/smart-card/nxp.pdf
3. GSMA, RSP Technical Specification Version 2.1, February 27, 2017, available at:
https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/SGP.22_v2.1.pdf
4. GSMA, Remote Provisioning Architecture for Embedded UICC Technical Specification Version 4.0,
February 25, 2019, available at: https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/SGP.02-v4.0.pdf
5. GSMA Intelligence: The future of the SIM: potential market and technology implications for the mobile
ecosystem, February 2017, Iacopino, P; Rogers, M, available at: https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/
research/?file=3f8f4057fdd7832b0b923cb051cb6e2c&download
6. OMA, Lightweight Machine to Machine Technical Specification: Core, July 10, 2018, available at:
http://www.openmobilealliance.org/release/LightweightM2M/V1_1-20180710-A/OMA-TS-LightweightM2M_
Core-V1_1-20180710-A.pdf
7. ARM, ARM Security Technology, available at: http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.prd29-
genc-009492c/PRD29-GENC-009492C_trustzone_security_whitepaper.pdf
8. GSMA, IoT SAFE, available at: https://www.gsma.com/iot/iot-safe/
9. OMA, white paper, Lightweight M2M 1.1: Managing Non-IP Devices in Cellular IoT Networks, October
2018, Slovetskiy, S; Magadevan, P; Zhang, Y; Akhouri, S, available at: https://www.omaspecworks.org/wp-
content/uploads/2018/10/Whitepaper-11.1.18.pdf
theauthOrs
Benedek Kovács
◆ joined Ericsson in 2005.
Over the years since he has
served as a system engineer,
R&D site innovation
manager (Budapest) and
characteristics,performance
management and reliability
specialist in the development
of the 4G VoLTE solution.
Today he works on 5G
networks and distributed
cloud, as well as coordinating
global engineering projects.
Kovács holds an M.Sc. in
information engineering and
a Ph.D. in mathematics from
the Budapest University of
Technology and Economics
in Hungary.
Zsigmond Pap
◆ joined Ericsson in 2012.
After working in the cloud
native and 5G packet core
areas as technical manager
and system architect
respectively, he moved into
the IoT area. He specializes
in low-level software
development and he has
participated in multiple
hardware and firmware
developments related to
custom hardware solutions.
He holds an M.Sc. in the area
of hardware and embedded
computers and a Ph.D.
in information engineering
fromtheBudapestUniversity
of Technology and
Economics in Hungary.
Zsolt Vajta
◆ joined Ericsson in 2015
as a software developer
focused on developing
and maintaining modules
to implement the link
aggregation control protocol
in the IP operating system.
In 2018, he became involved
in research on IoT device
activation and zero-touch
provisioning. As of early
2020, he has joined the
packet core area as a
product owner. He holds
an M.Sc. in informatics and
physics as well as a Ph.D.
in nuclear physics from
the University of Debrecen
in Hungary.
The authors would
like to thank the
following people
for their
contributions
to this article:
Gergely Seres,
John Fornehed,
Per Ståhl, Peter
Mattsson, Bogdan
Dragus, Robert
Khello and
Tony Uotila.
The industry is looking for ways to replace them
with a next-generation solution, but for the
foreseeable future UICC modules are here to stay.
While there are a few ways to reduce the
complexity of using UICC modules and thereby
reducing the cost of IoT devices, it is also possible
to extend the application of UICC modules well
beyond the cellular domain. For example,
members of the existing UICC ecosystem can
start exploiting UICC capabilities for storing
IoT identities, executing IoT protocols,
increasing security, providing end-to-end
connectivity as a service, and/or supporting
zero-touch provisioning.
✱ UICC MODULES AND THE IoT UICC MODULES AND THE IoT ✱
10 11APRIL 14, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ APRIL 14, 2020
✱ CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 ✱
FUTURE NETWORK
TRENDS
CREATING INTELLIGENT DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Allaroundtheworld,theunprecedented
events of 2020 have brought into focus
thecriticalrolethatdigitalinfrastructure
plays in the functioning of virtually
every aspect of contemporary society.
More than ever before, communication
technologies are providing innovative
solutions to help address social,
environmentalandeconomicchallenges
by enhancing efficiency and enabling
both intensified network usage and
more well-informed decisions.
Oneofthemostimportantfeaturesofdigital
infrastructureistheabilitytobridgedistances
andmakeiteasiertoefficientlymeetsocietal
needsintermsofresourceutilization,
collaboration,competencetransfer,status
verification,privacyprotection,securityand
safety.Thecommunicationsindustry
supportsotherindustriesbyenablingthem
todeliverdigitalproductsandservicessuch
ashealthcare,education,finance,commerce,
governanceandagriculture.Italsoplaysa
vitalroleintacklingclimatechangebyhelping
otherindustriesreduceemissionsand
improveefficiency.
Inlastyear’strendsarticle,Iintroduced
theconceptofthenetworkplatformand
explainedhowitservesasacatalystinthe
developmentofanopenmarketplace
thatisalwaysavailabletoanyconsumer
ofthedigitalinfrastructure.Thenetwork
platformformsthecoreofthedigital
infrastructure,withtheabilitytoensure
long-termcompetitivenessforenterprises
andmeetthefullrangeofsocietalneedsas
well.Itisatrustworthysolutionthat
guaranteesresilience,privacy,reliability
andsafetyforalltypesoforganizations–
public,privateandeverythinginbetween.
Italsohasthescale,costperformanceand
qualityrequiredtosupportfutureinnovations.
Asaresultofthesecharacteristics,itisthe
mostsustainablesolutiontoaddressall
futurecommunicationneeds.
Futuretechnologieswillenableafully
digitalized,automatedandprogrammable
worldofconnectedhumans,machines,
thingsandplaces.Allexperiencesand
sensationswillbetransparentacrossthe
boundariesofphysicalandvirtualrealities.
Trafficinfuturenetworkswillbegenerated
notonlybyhumancommunicationbutalso
byconnected,intelligentmachinesand
botsthatareembeddedwithartificial
intelligence(AI).Astimegoeson,the
percentageoftrafficgeneratedbyhumans
willdropasthatoftrafficgeneratedby
machinesandcomputervisionsystems–
includingautonomousvehicles,drones
andsurveillancesystems–rises.
Themachinesandother‘things’that
makeuptheInternetofThings(IoT)require
evenmoresophisticatedcommunication
thanhumansdo.Forexample,connected,
intelligentmachinesmustbeableto
interactdynamicallywiththenetwork.
Sensordatawillbeusedtosupportthe
developmentofpervasivecyber-physical
systemsconsistingofphysicalobjects
connectedtocollaborativedigitaltwins.
Futurenetworkcapabilitieswillalsoinclude
supportforthetransferofsensing
modalitiessuchassensationsandsmell.
Thenetworkplatformactsasaseamless
universalconnectivityfabriccharacterized
byitsalmostlimitlessscalabilityand
affordability.Itiscapableofexposing
capabilitiesbeyondcommunication
services,suchasembeddedcomputeand
storageaswellasadistributedintelligence
thatsupportsuserswithinsightsand
reasoning.
Inthisarticle,Iwillexplaintheongoing
evolutionofthenetworkplatforminterms
ofthekeyneedsthataredrivingits
evolution(trends1-3)andtheemerging
capabilitiesthatwillmeetboththose
andotherneeds(trends4-7).
BY: ERIK EKUDDEN, CTO
30 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 31
✱ CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 ✱
TREND#1:
ACOLLABORATIVE,AUTOMATED
PHYSICALWORLD
Asphysicalanddigitalrealitiesbecome
increasinglyinterconnected,advanced
cyber-physicalsystemshavebegunto
emerge.Thesesystemsconsistofhumans,
physicalobjects(machinesandotherthings),
processes,networkingandcomputation,
andtheinteractionsbetweenthemall.
Theirprimarypurposeistoprovideindividuals,
organizationsandenterpriseswithfull
transparencytomonitorandcontrolassets
andplaces,therebygeneratingmassive
benefitsintermsofefficiency.Oneearly
exampleofthisisthewaythatcyber-physical
systemscanhelpplannersoptimizeenergy
andmaterialsusage.
Soon,therewillbehundredsofbillionsof
connectedphysicalobjectswithembedded
sensing,actuationandcomputing
capabilities,whichcontinuouslygenerate
informativedata.Thesensordatagenerated
byphysicalobjectscanbeusedtocreate
theirdigitaltwins.Collaborativedigital
twinswillhavetheabilitytomanagethe
interactionsbetweenthephysicalobjects
theyrepresent.
Digitalizingthephysicalenvironment
inwhichthephysicalobjectsinteract
requiressensordatafusion–thatis,
usingdatafrommultiplesourcesto
createanaccuratedigitalrepresentation
ofthephysicalenvironment.Oneexample
ofsensordatafusionisachievinghigh-
precisionpositioningbycombining
network-basedpositioningdatawith
informationfromothersensorssuchas
camerasandinertialmeasurementunits.
Ultimately,thejointcommunication
andsensinginfuturesystemswillmakeit
possibletoleveragealltheinterconnected
digitaltwinsanddigitalrepresentations
oftheenvironmenttocreateacomplete
digitalrepresentationofeverything.
TREND#2:
CONNECTED,INTELLIGENT
MACHINES
Machineswillbecomeincreasingly
intelligentandautonomousastheir
cognitiveabilitiescontinuetoexpand.
Theirunderstandingoftheworldaround
themwillcontinuetogrowintandemwith
theirabilitytointeractwithothermachines
aspartofacognitivesystemofsystems.
Anintelligentmachineusessensorsto
monitortheenvironmentandadjustits
actionstoaccomplishspecifictasks
inthefaceofuncertaintyandvariability.
Thesemachinesincludethreemajor
subsystems:sensors,actuatorsandcontrol.
Examplesofintelligentmachinesinclude
industrialrobots,speechrecognition/
voicesynthesisandself-guidedvehicles.
Thecomplexityofcontrolandlogicskills
makesexpertsystemscentralintherealm
ofintelligentmachines.
Trends 1-3: The key drivers
of network platform evolution
The three key drivers that are most significant to the evolution of the network platform are
all related to bridging the gap between physical reality and the digital realm. Most notably,
this involves delivering sensory experiences over networks and utilizing digital representations
to make the physical world fully programmable.
Thenetworkplatformwillprovide
anautomatedenvironmentinwhich
interconnected,intelligentmachines
cancommunicate,includingsupportfor
AI-to-AIcommunicationandautonomous
systemssuchascommunicationamong
self-drivingvehiclesandintelligent
machinesinfactories.
Intelligentmachineshavetheirownway
ofperceivinginformation(data),whichis
differentfromhowhumansperceiveit.
Forexample,communicationamong
intelligentmachinesrequiresnewtypesof
videocompressionmechanisms,astoday’s
videocodecsareoptimizedforhuman
perception.
Anotheraspecttoconsiderishow
intelligentmachineswillinteractand
communicatewitheachother.Toimprove
thereliabilityandefficiencyofmachine-
to-machinecommunication,machineswill
needtounderstandthemeaningofthe
communicationintermsofcapabilities,
intentionsandneeds.Thiswillrequire
semantics-drivencommunication.
Cognitionisoneofthemostimportant
capabilitiesofanintelligentmachine.
Cognitivemachinesarecapableof
self-learningfromtheirinteractionsand
experienceswiththeirenvironment.
Theygeneratehypothesesandreasoned
arguments,makerecommendationsand
takeactions.Theycanadaptandmake
senseofcomplexityandhandle
unpredictability.Thefuturenetworkwill
empowercognitivemachinesbyproviding
themwithnewnetworkfeaturesandservices
suchassensing,high-precisionpositioning
anddistributedcomputingcapabilities.
TREND#3:
THEINTERNETOFSENSES
Theabilitytodelivermultisensoryexperiences
overfuturenetworkswillmakeiteasierthan
everbeforetotransferskillsovertheinternet.
Itwillultimatelyleadtotheemergenceof
theinternetofsenses,whichcombines
visual,audio,hapticandothertechnologies
toallowhumanbeingstohaveremote
sensoryexperiences.
Theinternetofsenseswillenable
seamlessinteractionwithremotethings
andmachines,makingitpossibletofully
realizeusecasessuchasremotehealth
checks,remoteoperationofmachinery,
holographiccommunicationandvirtual
reality(VR)vacations.Amongotherbenefits,
theinternetofsensesisexpectedtohavea
significantimpactintermsofsustainability,
bydramaticallyreducingtheneedfortravel.
Intheyearsahead,majorleapsforward
areexpectedinsensorandactuator
technologies,suchastheactuationof
smellandhigh-qualitytouchsensation.
Duringremoteoperations,theadvancesin
hapticdeviceswillallowvirtualobjects
tobeperceivedjustastherealobjects
themselves.Holographiccommunication
willbepossiblewithoutwearingextended
realityglasses,dueto3Dlightfielddisplay
technologies.
Bodyaugmentationcapabilitieswillenable
humanstobesmarter,strongerandmore
capable.Otherexamplesarecontactlenses
thatcandisplayaugmentedreality(AR)
content,universaltranslatorearbuds
thatallowforlanguage-independent
communicationandexoskeletonsthat
increasephysicalstrength.Eventually,
brain-computerinterfaceswillenable
communicationatthespeedofthought
where,insteadofspeakingtomachines,
humanswillmerelythinkinorderto
directthem.
Thenetworkplatformsupportsthe
internetofsenseswithnovelnetwork
enablerssuchasdistributedcompute,high-
precisionpositioning,integratedsensing
andapplicationprogramminginterfaces.
Theseareneededtosupportbandwidth
andlatencyreservation,networklatency
reportingandnetworksliceprioritization.
Ericssonhasdeployedadigitaltwin
intheItalianportofLivorno(Leghorn).
Asaresult,terminalportoperations
willincreasinglybecomeamixture
ofphysicalmachinery,robotics
systems,automatedvehicles,
human-operateddigitalplatforms
andAI-basedsoftwaresystems.
Allthosecomponents,servedby
a5Gsolution,transformtheport
environmentintoa‘playground’
inwhichtoexperiencethefuture
ofanautomatedphysicalworld.
Theport’sdigitaltwinmakesuse
ofaplethoraofreal-timedata
capturedbyconnectedobjectsat
thephysicalport,includingsensors,
camerasandvehicles.AnAIoperation
managementsystemoperatesonthe
digitalmodeltodeterminethe
sequenceoflogisticstasksand
activities.Feedbackfromthese
processesprovidesliveupdates
tothehumansupervisorsusing
VRandtothedocks/quay
operatorsthroughAR.
Resultsindicatethatthereare
about60directandindirectbenefits
ofthesolution,includingimproved
competitiveness,increasedsafety
forpersonnel,sustainablegrowthof
theportcity,improvedmanagement
oflogisticsandapositive
environmentalimpact.
USE CASE
DIGITAL TWIN
IN THE PORT
OF LIVORNO
32 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 33
✱ CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 ✱
TREND#4:
OMNIPRESENTANDNON-
LIMITINGCONNECTIVITY
Theconceptofubiquitousradioaccessis
evolvingtowardthevisionofafuturenetwork
thatwilldelivernon-limitingperformance
tosatisfytheneedsofhumans,thingsand
machinesbyenhancingmultidimensional
coverage,stellarcapacityandaugmenting
capabilities.
Accesscoverageeverywhere
Furtherdensificationofnetworksisneeded
toprovidehigh-speedcoverageeverywhere.
Connectedairbornedevices,suchasdrones,
requireaccessonaltitudesuptoseveral
kilometers,makingitnecessarytohavea
3Dpointofviewincludingtheelevation
aspecttoprovidecoverage.Thereisalso
aneedtoensurehigh-performingindoor
connectivitybyincreasingthenumberof
indoorsmallcellsandfullyintegratingthem.
Flexiblenetworktopologies
anddeployments
Networktopologiesanddeploymentswill
needtobecomeincreasinglyflexibleto
providecoverageeverywhereanddeliver
extremeperformance.Onepossibilityisa
multi-hop-basedradionetwork,wherea
multitudeofnodescollaboratetoforward
amessagetothereceiver.Thissolutionis
particularlyinterestingforsmallercells
oflimitedreach.Satellites,high-altitude
platformsandairbornecellscanbe
integratedintothenetworkasacomplement
toextendcoverage.Furthercomponentsin
aflexibletopologycanincludeconnected
devicerelayandthepossibilityforad-hoc
deploymentsofnetworks.Ultimately,
distributedmassiveMIMO(multiple-input,
multiple-output)solutionsmayleadtofully
distributedconnectivity,wheremanyradio
networknodessimultaneouslyserveauser,
withoutfixed-cellborders.
Accessforzero-energydevices
Therapidlygrowingdemandforvast
numbersofconnectedsensorsand
actuatorshasmadeitnecessarytoinvent
zero-energydevices.Thesewillbedeployed
onceandwillcontinuouslyreportandact
withouttheneedformaintenanceor
externalcharging.Thesteppingstones
alongthewayincludenarrowbandIoT
enhancementsandmassivemachine
typecommunicationfor5GNewRadio
forlocalareanetworks(LANs)aswellas
forwide-areausage.
Extremeradioperformance
Thenetworkwillutilizehigherfrequency
bandstodeliverextremeperformance.
Forexample,communicationsoverthe
terahertzfrequencyband(above100GHz)
havesomeattractiveproperties,
includingterabit-per-secondlink
capacitiesandminiaturetransceivers.
Trends 4-7: Critical enablers
of the future network platform
The network platform is designed to deliver the kind of extreme performance required by
applicationareassuchastheinternetofsensesandcommunicationamongintelligentmachines.
It will also serve new types of devices with close-to-zero-cost and close-to-zero-energy
implementations, which can be embedded into everything. Looking ahead, increasingly
advanced technologies in four areas (trends 4-7) will expand the capabilities of the digital
infrastructure through the network platform.
Thedesignofterahertzelectronicsincludes
verysmallantennaandradiofrequency
(RF)elementsaswellashigh-performance
oscillators.
Fullduplexisanothercomponentthatcan,
insomespecificscenarios,substantially
increasethelinkcapacitycomparedwith
halfduplex.Fullduplexismadepossibleby
self-interferencesuppressioncircuits.
Visiblelightwirelesscommunication,
piggybackingonthewideadoptionofLED
(light-emittingdiode)lighting,isanother
potentialstepinthefrequencydomainto
complementRFcommunications.
Networkasasensor
Higherfrequencieswillfurtherenhancethe
spatialandtemporalresolutionoftheradio
signal.Reflectionsofsuchradiosignalscan
beusedtosensethesurroundings.
Furthermore,highfrequencieshave
distinctatmosphericandmaterial
interactions,wheredifferentfrequencies
aremoreorlesssusceptibletothingslike
absorptioninwater,forexample.Thishas
beenshowntobesufficienttoforecast
weatherandairquality.
Distanceinformationtoreflecting
surfacescanbeidentifiedbyintegrating
positioningandsensingcapabilities.
Suchinformationcanbeusedtodetect
obstaclesandspeedaswellastogenerate
real-timelocalmaps.
TREND#5:
PERVASIVENETWORK
COMPUTEFABRIC
Asdistributedcomputeandstorage
continuestoevolve,thelinesbetween
thedevice,theedgeofthenetworkand
thecloudwillbecomeincreasinglyblurred.
Everythingcanbeviewedasasingle,
unified,integratedexecutionenvironment
fordistributedapplications,including
bothnetworkfunctionsandthird-party
applications.Inthenetworkcompute
fabric,connectivity,computeandstorage
willbeintegrated,interactingtoprovide
maximumperformance,reliability,
lowjitterandmillisecondlatencies
fortheapplicationstheyserve.
Ratherthanprocessingdatacentrally,
inmanycasesitismoreefficientinterms
ofbandwidthand/orlatencyconstraints
tobringtheprocessingclosertowhere
thedataisproduced,insightsareconsumed
andactionsaretaken.Insomecases,local
operationmayberequiredbyregulationsor
preferredforprivacy,securityorresilience
reasons.
Asidefromtheapplications,thenetwork
alsoprovidesacontinuousexecution
environmentforaccessandcorefunctions.
Itrunsonadistributedcloudinfrastructure
withintegratedaccelerationfordata-
intensivevirtualnetworkfunctionsand
applications.
Thefuturenetworkplatformgoes
beyondtheuseofmicroservicesto
implementnetworkfunctionsasserverless
architectures.Theservermanagementand
capacityplanningdecisionsarefully
autonomousfromthedeveloperandthe
networkoperator.Thenetworktakescare
34 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 35
✱ CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020
ofthedeployment,scalingandallresources
requiredtoensurethatthefunction
deployedisalwaysavailableatanyscale.
Upcomingnovelcomputingarchitectures
includememory-centriccomputing,optical
computing,nanocomputing,neuromorphic
computingandevenquantumcomputing.
Inthefuture,thesearchitectureswillenable
continuedexponentialgrowthincompute
capacityformostapplicationsrunningon
thenetworkcomputefabric–animportant
developmentastheendofMoore’slaw
approaches.
TREND#6:
TRUSTWORTHY
INFRASTRUCTURE
Governmentsandenterprisesareadopting
advancedtechnologiesforsecureassurance
ofmission-andbusiness-criticalprocesses
suchasfactoryautomation,remotecontrol
ofassetsandmore.Thehighlytrustworthy
networkplatformfulfillstherequirements
ofeventhemostmission-andbusiness-
criticalusecases.Itoffersafusionof
connectivityandcomputecharacterizedby
differentdimensionsofresilience,privacy,
security,reliabilityandsafety.Itwillalso
provideadaptableandverifiabledimensions
oftrustworthinessinascalableandcost-
efficientmanner.
Ratherthanbeingdesignedpernode
orforaparticularpartofthenetwork,the
always-oncharacteristicsofthenetwork
platformsuchasreliability,availabilityand
resilienceriseuptocoverthecomplete
network.Always-onmechanismsarebuilt
intouserplane,controlplaneanddevice
mobilitysolutions.Allpartsofthenetwork
willbeaddressedincludingtransport
nodesandtransportnetworks,network
infrastructureandsitesolutions.
Toprotectcommunicationanddata,
secureidentitiesareutilizedatevery
layerbetweenhumans,devicesand
applicationsindifferentindustrysegments.
Theseidentitiesaresecurelyanchored
todevicesandnetworknodesbyroot-
of-trustmechanisms.
Networkplatformsolutionsutilize
confidentialcomputingtoprotectidentities
andtheirdataandestablishtrustamong
networkcustomersandtheirassets,
therebyalsoofferingassurancetousers
andregulators.Thisrequiresautomated
trustassessmentofallnetworkelements,
things,machinesandapplications,aswell
ascomputeandstorageresourcesby
usingremoteattestationandAI.
ResponsibleAIwillbringtrustworthy
automatedprotectionandriskmanagement.
AI-basedautomationprovidestheability
toactonahighnumberofeventsaffecting
thenetworkinfrastructureorthenetwork
usage.
TREND#7:
COGNITIVENETWORK
Inthevisionofzero-touchnetwork
managementandoperations,networks
aredeployedandoperatedwithminimum
humanintervention,usingtrustworthy
AItechnologies.Alloperationalprocesses
andtasks,including,forexample,delivery,
deployment,configuration,assurance
andoptimization,willbeexecutedwith
100percentautomation.
Thenetworkitselfwillcontinuously
learnfromitsenvironmentobservations,
interactionswithhumansandprevious
experiences.Thecognitiveprocesses
understandthecurrentnetworksituation,
planforwantedoutcome,decideonwhat
todoandactaccordingly.Theoutcome
servesasaninputtolearnfromitsactions.
Thecognitivenetworkwillbeableto
optimizeitsexistingknowledge,buildon
experienceandreasoninordertosolve
newproblems.
Thenetworkwillutilizeintent-based
anddistributedintelligenceformultiple
functions,includingoptimizationofthe
radiointerface,automationofnetwork
managementandorchestrationsuchas
theoptimizationofparameters,handlingof
alarmsandself-healing.AIalgorithmswill
bedeployedandtrainedatdifferent
networkdomains,forexample,in
management,thecorenetworkandthe
radionetwork.Physicallayeralgorithms,
suchaslinkadaptation,handover,power
controlanddynamicschedulingof
resourcescanbeoptimizedwithAIagents.
Networkmanagementwillbecomeless
complexthroughintelligentclosed-loop
automationwithsupportforhumansto
interactwiththenetworkandmonitorits
behaviors.Thenetworkoperatorexpresses
theintentofadesirednetworkstateorgoal,
andthenetworkinternallyresolvesthe
detailedstepsnecessarytoachievethat
intent.Networkknowledge,dataand
actionsareshapedinsuchawaythatthe
operatorinteractingwiththenetworkcan
understandthem.
Thecognitivenetworkwillbebasedon
controldesign,usingbothmachine
reasoningandmachinelearningtechniques
thataredistributedandcapableofactingin
realtime.Thenetworkisahighlydistributed
systemwheremultipleAIagents,present
acrossthenetwork,needtointerworkto
optimizeoverallnetworkperformance.
Localdecisionsneedtobecoordinated
withmorecentralintent-baseddecisions.
ThecentralAIagentneedstomakedecisions
inrealtimebasedonbothlocalandglobal
information.MultipledistributedAIagents
sharedistributedinsightsthroughout
thenetworkthroughfederatedlearning.
Cognitivenetworkswillbeinherently
trustworthy–thatis,reliable,safe,
secure,fair,transparent,sustainable
andresilient–bydesign.
CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 ✱
36 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 37
✱ CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 ✱
Thedigitalinfrastructureoffersendless
possibilities to individuals, enterprises
and governments across the globe,
with its unique ability to bridge vast
distances and enable powerful new
solutions to a wide rangeofsocial,
environmentalandeconomic
challenges. Health care, education,
finance, commerce, governance and
agriculture are just a few of the sectors
that stand to benefit from the massive
efficiency gains that digital
infrastructure can provide.
Designedtocarryvitalmessages,
commands,reasoning,insights,intelligence
andallthesensoryinformationneededto
supportthecontinuousevolutionofindustry
andsociety,thenetworkplatformisdesigned
tobethespinalcordofdigitalinfrastructure.
Itisalsotheidealplatformforalltypesof
innovation,withtheabilitytosupport
interactionsthatempoweranintelligent,
sustainableandconnectedworld.
Themajoradvantageofthenetwork
platformisthatitwillbeaccessible
anywhere,always-onandwithguaranteed
performance.Nomadicdistributed
processingandstoragewillbeembedded
intoittosupportadvancedapplications.
Itwillbeinherentlyreliableandresilient,
fulfillingalltherequirementsforsecure
communication.Cognitiveoperations
andmaintenanceofthenetworkandits
serviceswilldeliverthemostcost-efficient
andsustainablesolutiontomeetany
andallcommunicationneeds.
Withthisinmind,itisclearthatthemost
importantfuturenetworktrendstowatchin
2020arethosethatrelatemostcloselyto
thegrowthandexpansionofintelligent
digitalinfrastructureonthenetworkplatform.
Thefirstthreeoftheseventrendsthisyear
arethekeydriversofnetworkplatform
evolution–thecreationofacollaborative
automatedphysicalworld,connected,
intelligentmachinesandtheinternetof
senses.Allthreehighlightthegrowingneed
tobridgethegapbetweenphysicaland
digitalrealities.Trends4-7areincreasingly
advancedtechnologiesinfourareas–
non-limitingconnectivity,pervasive
networkcomputefabric,trustworthy
infrastructureandcognitivenetworks.
Breakthroughsinthesefourareaswillbe
essentialtofullyenabletrends1-3and
continuouslyexpandthecapabilitiesofthe
digitalinfrastructurethroughthenetwork
platformintheyearsanddecadesahead.
◆ As Group CTO, Erik Ekudden is responsible for setting the direction of technology leadership
for the Ericsson Group. His experience of working with technology leadership globally influences
thestrategicdecisionsandinvestmentsin,forexample,mobility,distributedcloud,artificialintelligence
andtheInternetofThings.Thisbuildsonhisdecades-longcareerintechnologystrategiesandindustry
activities.EkuddenjoinedEricssonin1993andhasheldvariousmanagementpositionsinthecompany,
including Head of Technology Strategy, Chief Technology Officer Americas in Santa Clara (USA),
and Head of Standardization and Industry. He is also a member of the Royal Swedish Academy
of Engineering Sciences and the publisher of Ericsson Technology Review.
ERIK EKUDDEN
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
AND HEAD OF GROUP FUNCTION TECHNOLOGY
CONCLUSION
The network platform is
the spinal cord of intelligent
digital infrastructure
Furtherreading
❭ Ericsson blog, What do cyber-physical systems have in store for us?, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2019/12/
cyber-physical-systems-technology-trend
❭ Ericsson report, 10 Hot Consumer Trends 2030, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/consumerlab/
reports/10-hot-consumer-trends-2030
❭ Ericsson blog, Driving business value in an open world, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2020/7/cto-driving-business-
value-in-an-open-world
❭ Ericsson Technology Review, CTO Technology Trends 2019, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/
ericsson-technology-review/articles/technology-trends-2019
38 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 39
40 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 41
With a vastly distributed system (the telco network) already in place,
the telecom industry has a significant advantage in the transition
toward distributed cloud computing. To deliver best-in-class application
performance, however, operators must also have the ability to fully
leverage heterogeneous compute and storage capabilities.
WOLFGANG JOHN,
CHANDRAMOULI
SARGOR, ROBERT
SZABO, AHSAN
JAVED AWAN, CHAKRI
PADALA, EDVARD
DRAKE, MARTIN
JULIEN, MILJENKO
OPSENICA
The cloud is transforming, both in terms of
the extent of distribution and in the diversity of
compute and storage capabilities. On-premises
and edge data centers (DCs) are emerging,
and hardware (HW) accelerators are becoming
integral components of formerly software-only
services.
■ One of the main drivers into the age of
virtualization and cloud was the promise of
reducing costs by running all types of workloads
on homogeneous, generic, commercial off-the-
shelf (COTS) HW hosted in dedicated,
centralized DCs. Over the years, however, as use
cases have matured and new ones have continued
to emerge, requirements on latency, energy
efficiency, privacy and resiliency have become
more stringent, while demand for massive data
storage has increased.
Tomeetperformance,costand/orlegal
requirements,cloudresourcesaremovingtoward
theedgeofthenetworktobridgethegapbetween
resource-constraineddevicesanddistantbut
powerfulcloudDCs.Meanwhile,traditionalCOTS
HWisbeingaugmentedbyspecialized
programmableHWresourcestosatisfythestrict
performancerequirementsofcertainapplications
andlimitedenergybudgetsofremotesites.
Theresultisthatcloudcomputingresources
arebecomingincreasinglyheterogeneous,while
simultaneouslybeingwidelydistributedacross
smallerDCsatmultiplelocations.Clouddeployments
mustberethoughttoaddressthecomplexityand
technicalchallengesthatresultfromthisprofound
transformation.
Inthecontextoftelecommunicationnetworks,
thekeychallengesareinthefollowingareas:
1. Virtualization of specialized HW resources
2. Exposure of heterogeneous HW capabilities
3. HW-aware workload placement
4. Managing increased complexity.
Getting all these pieces right will enable the
future network platform to deliver optimal
application performance by leveraging emerging
HW innovation that is intelligently distributed
throughout the network, while continuing to
harvest the operational and business benefits
of cloud computing models.
Figure1positionsthefourkeychallengesin
relationtotheorchestration/operationssupport
systems(OSS)layer,theapplicationlayer,run-time
andtheoperatingsystem/hypervisor.Thelowerpart
ofthefigureprovidessomeexamplesofspecialized
HWinatelcoenvironment,whichincludesdomain-
specificaccelerators,next-generationmemoryand
storage,andnovelinterconnecttechnologies.
Computeandstoragetrends
With the inevitable end of Moore’s Law [2],
developers can no longer assume that rapidly
increasing application resource demands
will be addressed by the next generation
of faster general-purpose chips. Instead,
commodity HW is being augmented by a very
heterogeneous set of specialized chipsets,
referred to as domain-specific accelerators,
that attempt to provide both cost and
energy savings.
Forinstance,data-intensiveapplicationscantake
advantageofthemassivescopeforparallelization
HIGHLY DISTRIBUTED WITH HETEROGENEOUS HARDWARE
Thefutureof
cloudcomputing
Figure 1 Impact of the four key challenges on the stack (top) and heterogeneity of HW infrastructure (bottom)
HW-aware
workload placement
Exposure of
HW capabilities
Virtualization of
specialized HW
Orchestration/OSS
Application
Run-time
Operating system/hypervisor
Distributed compute
& storage HW
• Memory pooling
• Storage-class memories
• GPUs/TPUs
• FPGAs
• Cache-coherent interconnects
• High bandwidth interconnects
• Cache-coherent interconnects
• High bandwidth interconnects
• Near-memory computing
• PMEM
• GPUs/ASICs
• FPGAs and SmartNICs
Distributed compute
& storage HW
Next-generation
memory & storage
Domain-specific
accelerators
Novel interconnect
technologies
Operating system/hypervisor
Run-time User
device
Application
Central Edge
5G UPF 5G gNB
Managing increased
complexity
✱ THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING ✱
2 3MAY 12, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MAY 12, 2020
42 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 43
physicalacceleratorintomultiplevirtualaccelerators
mustbedonemanually.Addressingtheseissues
willrequireappropriateabstractionsandmodels
ofspecializedHW,sothattheircapabilitiescanbe
interpretedandincorporatedbyorchestration
functions.
Theneedforappropriatemodelswillbefurther
amplifiedinthecaseofdistributedcomputeand
storage.Here,theselectionoftheoptimalsite
locationwilldependontheapplicationrequirements
(boundedlatencyorthroughputconstraints,for
example)andtheavailableresourcesandHW
capabilitiesatthesites.Theprogrammingand
orchestrationmodelsmustbeabletoselect
appropriatesoftware(SW)options–SWonlyinthe
caseofmoderaterequirements,forexample,orSW
complementedwithHWaccelerationforstringent
requirements.
AsSWdeploymentoptionswithorwithoutHW
accelerationmayhavesignificantlydifferent
resourcefootprints,sitesmustexposetheirHW
capabilitiestobeabletoconstructatopologymap
ofresourcesandcapabilities.Duringexposureand
abstraction,proprietaryfeaturesandtheinterfaces
tothemmustbehiddenandmappedto(formalor
informal)industrystandardsthatarehopefully
comingsoon.Modelingandabstractionofresources
andcapabilitiesarenecessaryprerequisitestobe
abletoselecttheappropriatelocationand
applicationdeploymentoptionsandflavors.
Orchestratingheterogeneousdistributedcloud
Based on a global view of the resources and
capabilities within the distributed environment,
anorchestrationsystem(OSSintelcoterminology)
typically takes care of designing and assigning
application workloads within the compute and
storage of the distributed environment. This
means that decisions regarding optimal workload
placement also should factor in the type of HW
components available at the sites related to the
requirements of the specific application SW.
Duetothepricingofandpowerconstraints
onexistingandupcomingHWaccelerators,
ingraphicsprocessingunits(GPUs)ortensor
processingunits(TPUs),whilelatency-sensitive
applicationsorlocationswithlimitedpowerbudgets
mayutilizefield-programmablegatearrays
(FPGAs).Thesetrendspointtoarapidlyincreasing
adoptionofacceleratorsinthenearfuture.
Thegrowingdemandformemorycapacityfrom
emergingdata-intensiveapplicationsmustbemetby
upcominggenerationsofmemory.Next-generation
memoriesaimtoblurthestrictdichotomybetween
classicalvolatileandpersistentstoragetechnologies–
offeringthecapacityandpersistencefeaturesof
storage,combinedwiththebyte-addressability
andaccessspeedsclosetotoday’srandom-access
memory(RAM)technologies.Suchpersistent
memory(PMEM)technologies[3]canbeused
eitheraslargeterabytescalevolatilememory,oras
storagewithbetterlatencyandbandwidthrelative
tosolid-statedisks.
3Dsilicondie-stackinghasfacilitatedthe
embeddingofcomputeunitsdirectlyinsidememory
andstoragefabrics,openingaparadigmofnear-
memoryprocessing[1],atechnologythatreduces
datatransferbetweencomputeandstorageand
improvesperformanceandenergyconsumption.
Finally,advancementsininterconnecttechnologies
willenablefasterspeeds,highercapacityandlower
latency/jittertosupportcommunicationbetweenthe
variousmemoryandprocessingresourceswithin
nodesaswellaswithinclusters.Thecachecoherency
propertiesofmoderninterconnecttechnologies,
suchasComputeExpressLink[4]andGen-Z,can
enabledirectaccesstoconfigurationregistersand
memoryregionsacrossthecomputeinfrastructure.
Thiswillsimplifytheprogrammabilityofaccelerators
andfacilitatefine-graineddatasharingamong
heterogeneousHW.
Supportingheterogeneoushardware
indistributedcloud
WhilethecombinationofheterogeneousHW
and distributed compute resources poses unique
challenges, there are mechanisms to address
each of them.
Virtualizationofspecializedhardware
The adoption of specialized HW in the cloud
enables multiple tenants to use the same HW
under the illusion that they are the sole user,
with no data leakage between them. The tenants
can request, utilize and release accelerators at any
time using application programming interfaces
(APIs). This arrangement requires an abstraction
layer that provides a mechanism to schedule jobs
to the specialized HW, monitor their resource
usage and dynamically scale resource allocations
to meet performance requirements. It is pertinent
to keep the overhead of this virtualization to a
minimum. While virtualization techniques for
common COTS HW (x86-based central
processing units (CPUs), dynamic RAM (DRAM),
block storage and so on) have matured well during
recent decades, corresponding virtualization
techniques for domain-specific accelerators are
largely still missing for production-grade systems.
Exposureofhardwarecapabilities
Current cloud architectures are largely agnostic
to the capabilities of specialized HW. For example,
all GPUs of a certain vendor are treated as
equivalent, regardless of their exact type or make.
To differentiate them, operators typically tag the
nodes equipped with different accelerators with
unique tags and the users request resources with
a specific tag. This model is very different to
general-purpose CPUs and can therefore lead to
complications when a user requires combinations
of accelerators.
Currentdeploymentspecificationsalsodonot
havegoodsupportforrequestingpartialallocation
ofaccelerators.Foracceleratorsthatcanbe
partitionedtoday,thedecompositionofasingle
Definition of key terms
Edge computing provides distributed computing and storage resources closer to the location where they
are needed/consumed.
Distributed cloud provides an execution environment for cloud application optimization across multiple
sites, including required connectivity in between, managed as one solution and perceived as such by the
applications.
Hardware accelerators are devices that provide several orders of magnitude more efficiency/
performance compared with software running on general purpose central processing units for selected
functions. Different hardware accelerators may be needed for acceleration of different functions.
Persistent memory is an emerging memory technology offering capacity and persistence features of
block-addressable storage, combined with the byte-addressability and access speeds close to today’s
random-access memory technologies. It is also referred to as storage-class memory.
Moore's law holds that the number of transistors in a densely integrated circuit doubles about every two
years, increasing the computational performance of applications without the need for software redesign.
Since 2010, however, physical constraints have made the reduction in transistor size increasingly difficult
and expensive.
THESETRENDSPOINTTOA
RAPIDLYINCREASINGADOPTION
OFACCELERATORS...
✱ THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING ✱
4 5MAY 12, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MAY 12, 2020
44 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 45
theyareexpectedtobescarceamongedge-cloud
sites,whichinturnwillrequiremechanismsto
employprioritizationandpreemptionofworkloads.
UnlikeconventionalITcloudenvironments,
distributedcloudallowsconsiderationsofremote
resourcesandcapabilities.
Moreover,telcoapplicationsandworkloads
hostedintelcocloudsmayrequiremuchstricter
ServiceLevelAgreements(SLAs)tobefulfilled.
Prioritizationandpreemptionfornewworkloads
mayonlybeaviableoptionifcapabilitiesor
resourcesarealreadytaken.However,itisimportant
tomigrateevictedworkloadseithertoanew
location,ortoanewSWandHWdeploymentoption
tominimizeservicedisruptionduringpreemption.
Managingincreasedcomplexity
Traditional automation techniques based on
human scripting and/or rule books cannot scale to
address the complexity of the heterogeneous
distributed cloud. We can already see a shift away
Whenaservicerequestarrives,theorchestration
servicedesignstheserviceinstancetopologyand
assignsresourcestoeachservicecomponent
instance(redarrows).Theseactionsarebasedon
theactualservicerequirements,theserviceaccess
pointsandthebusinessintent.
Opportunitiesandusecases
In terms of the opportunities in support of the
ongoing cloudification of telco networks, let us
consider the case of RAN. The functional split
of higher and lower layers of the RAN protocol
makes it possible to utilize Network Functions
Virtualization (NFV) and distributed compute
infrastructure to achieve ease of deployment and
management. The asynchronous functions in the
higher layer may be able to be run on COTS HW.
However,asetofspecializedHWwillberequired
tomeetthestringentperformancecriteriaoflower-
layerRANfunctions.Forinstance,thetime-
synchronousfunctionsinthemedium-access
controllayer,suchasscheduling,linkadaptation,
powercontrol,orinterferencecoordination,typically
requirehighdataratesontheirinterfacesthatscale
withthetraffic,signalbandwidthandnumberof
antennas.Thesecannotbeeasilymetwithcurrent
general-purposeprocessingcapabilities.
Likewise,decipheringfunctionsinthepacket
dataconvergenceprotocollayer,compression/
decompressionschemesoffronthaullinksand
channeldecodingandmodulationfunctionsinthe
physicallayerwouldallbenefitfromHW
acceleration.
Thesecurityrequirementsfordataflowsacross
thebackhaulfor4G/5GRANsmandatetheuseof
IPsecurityprotocols(IPsec).Byoffloadingencrypt/
decryptfunctionstospecializedHWsuchas
SmartNetworkInterfaceControllers(SmartNICs),
application-specificintegratedcircuits(ASICs)
orFPGAs,theprocessingoverheadassociatedwith
IPseccanbeminimized.Thisiscrucialtosupport
higherdataratesinthetransportnetwork.
Thenetworkdataanalyticsfunctionin5GCore
networkswouldbenefitfromGPUstoaccelerate
trainingofmachinelearning(ML)modelsonlive
networkdata.Theenhancementstointerconnects
(cachecoherency,forexample)makeiteasierforthe
variousacceleratorsandCPUstoworktogether.
Theinterconnectsalsoenablelowlatenciesand
highbandwidthswithinsitesandnodes.Thereis
increasingdemandonmemoryfromseveralcore
networkfunctions(user-databasefunctions,
forexample),bothfromascaleandalatency
perspective.ThescaleofPMEMcanbeintelligently
combinedwiththelowlatencyofdoubledatarate
memoriestoaddresstheserequirements.
Whiletheseopportunitiesarespecificto
telecommunicationproviders,therearealsoseveral
classesofthird-partyapplicationsthatwouldbenefit
fromdistributedcomputeandstoragecapabilities
withinthetelcoinfrastructure.Industry4.0includes
severalusecasesthatcouldutilizeHW-optimized
processing.Indoorpositioningtypicallyrequiresthe
processingofhigh-resolutionimagestoaccurately
determinethelocationofanobjectrelativetoothers
onafactoryfloor.Thisiscomputationallyintensive
andGPUs/FPGAsaretypicallyused.Likewise,
theapplicationofaugmentedreality(AR)/virtual
reality(VR)technologiesinsmartmanufacturing
forremoteassistance,trainingormaintenance
willrelysignificantlyonHWaccelerationand
edgecomputingtooptimizeperformanceand
reducelatencies.
Thegamingindustryisalsowitnessing
significanttechnologyshifts–specifically,remote
renderingandmixed-realitytechnologieswillhave
aprofoundimpactontheconsumerexperience.
Thesetechnologiesrelyonanunderlyingdistributed
cloudinfrastructurethathasHWacceleration
capabilitiesattheedgetooffloadtheprocessing
fromconsumerdevices,whilemaintainingstrict
latencybounds.
Furthermore,severalusecasesintheautomotive
industryinvolvestrictlatencyrequirementsthat
demandHWaccelerationintheformofGPUsand
FPGAsatremotesites.Examplesincludereal-time
objectdetectioninvideostreamsthatareprocessed
byeithervehiclesorroad-sideinfrastructure.
from human-guided automation to machine-
reasoning-based automation such as cognitive
artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
Specifically, a paradigm is emerging where the
human input to the cloud system will be limited
to specifying the desired business objectives
(intents). The cloud system then figures how best
to realize those objectives/intents.
Figure2presentsanexemplarydistributedcloud
scenariowithaccesssites,regionalandcentralDCs
andpublicclouds.Itisbasedontheassumptionthat
themanufacturingnetworkslice(red)includesboth
telco(xNF)andthird-partyworkloads(APP),
outofwhichoneAPPrequiresnetworkacceleration
(SmartNIC),whileanotherxNFdependsonPMEM.
Multiplenetworkslicesarecreatedbasedon
customerneed.Networkslicesdiffernotonlyintheir
servicecharacteristics,butareseparatedand
isolatedfromeachother.Aggregatedviewsof
HWacceleratorsperlocationarecollectedforthe
zero-touchorchestrationservice(grayarrows).
Figure 2 Integrated network slicing (telco) and third-party applications
Gaming
AR/VRB
E-MBB
Automotive
Network slices
Internet of
Things
Fixed access
Manufacturing
APP
SmartNICs
PMEM
HW capability
exposures
Access sites (edge cloud)
Central sites
Public clouds
Distributed sites
(edge/regional cloud) xNF: telco Virtual Network Function or
Cloud-native Network Function
APP: Third-party application
HW capability
control
Business
intent
Zero-touch orchestration
APP
APP
APP APP APP
APP
xNF
xNF
APP
xNF xNF
APP
xNF
xNF
xNF
xNF
xNF
✱ THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING ✱
6 7MAY 12, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MAY 12, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020
 Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Ericsson Technology Review: Digital connectivity marketplaces to enrich 5G an...
Ericsson Technology Review: Digital connectivity marketplaces to enrich 5G an...Ericsson Technology Review: Digital connectivity marketplaces to enrich 5G an...
Ericsson Technology Review: Digital connectivity marketplaces to enrich 5G an...Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 2, 2018
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 2, 2018Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 2, 2018
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 2, 2018Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: issue 1, 2020
Ericsson Technology Review: issue 1, 2020Ericsson Technology Review: issue 1, 2020
Ericsson Technology Review: issue 1, 2020Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT de...
Ericsson Technology Review: Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT de...Ericsson Technology Review: Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT de...
Ericsson Technology Review: Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT de...Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Technology trends 2018 - Five technology trends a...
Ericsson Technology Review: Technology trends 2018 - Five technology trends a...Ericsson Technology Review: Technology trends 2018 - Five technology trends a...
Ericsson Technology Review: Technology trends 2018 - Five technology trends a...Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...
Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...
Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G w...
Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G w...Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G w...
Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G w...Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Simplifying the 5G ecosystem by reducing architec...
Ericsson Technology Review: Simplifying the 5G ecosystem by reducing architec...Ericsson Technology Review: Simplifying the 5G ecosystem by reducing architec...
Ericsson Technology Review: Simplifying the 5G ecosystem by reducing architec...Ericsson
 
Critical Broadband Networks presentation slideshare
Critical Broadband Networks presentation slideshareCritical Broadband Networks presentation slideshare
Critical Broadband Networks presentation slideshareEricsson
 
Turn on 5G with Ericsson 5G Platform
Turn on 5G with Ericsson 5G PlatformTurn on 5G with Ericsson 5G Platform
Turn on 5G with Ericsson 5G PlatformEricsson
 
Ieee 5 g summit_ericsson_a
Ieee 5 g summit_ericsson_aIeee 5 g summit_ericsson_a
Ieee 5 g summit_ericsson_aMaria Boura
 
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2018
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2018Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2018
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2018Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economy
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economyEricsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economy
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economyEricsson
 
Ericsson 5G Radio Dot Infographic
Ericsson 5G Radio Dot InfographicEricsson 5G Radio Dot Infographic
Ericsson 5G Radio Dot InfographicEricsson
 
Ericsson technology trends-2021
Ericsson technology trends-2021Ericsson technology trends-2021
Ericsson technology trends-2021Thanh Nguyen
 
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Industrial automation enabled by robotics, machin...
Ericsson Technology Review: Industrial automation enabled by robotics, machin...Ericsson Technology Review: Industrial automation enabled by robotics, machin...
Ericsson Technology Review: Industrial automation enabled by robotics, machin...Ericsson
 
5 glimpses into our 5G future
5 glimpses into our 5G future5 glimpses into our 5G future
5 glimpses into our 5G futureEricsson
 
5G: made for innovation - presentation for University of Piraeus Msc students
5G: made for innovation - presentation for University of Piraeus Msc students5G: made for innovation - presentation for University of Piraeus Msc students
5G: made for innovation - presentation for University of Piraeus Msc studentsMaria Boura
 
Ericsson Microwave Outlook 2018
Ericsson Microwave Outlook 2018Ericsson Microwave Outlook 2018
Ericsson Microwave Outlook 2018Ericsson
 

Mais procurados (20)

Ericsson Technology Review: Digital connectivity marketplaces to enrich 5G an...
Ericsson Technology Review: Digital connectivity marketplaces to enrich 5G an...Ericsson Technology Review: Digital connectivity marketplaces to enrich 5G an...
Ericsson Technology Review: Digital connectivity marketplaces to enrich 5G an...
 
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 2, 2018
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 2, 2018Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 2, 2018
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 2, 2018
 
Ericsson Technology Review: issue 1, 2020
Ericsson Technology Review: issue 1, 2020Ericsson Technology Review: issue 1, 2020
Ericsson Technology Review: issue 1, 2020
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT de...
Ericsson Technology Review: Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT de...Ericsson Technology Review: Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT de...
Ericsson Technology Review: Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT de...
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Technology trends 2018 - Five technology trends a...
Ericsson Technology Review: Technology trends 2018 - Five technology trends a...Ericsson Technology Review: Technology trends 2018 - Five technology trends a...
Ericsson Technology Review: Technology trends 2018 - Five technology trends a...
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...
Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...
Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G w...
Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G w...Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G w...
Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G w...
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Simplifying the 5G ecosystem by reducing architec...
Ericsson Technology Review: Simplifying the 5G ecosystem by reducing architec...Ericsson Technology Review: Simplifying the 5G ecosystem by reducing architec...
Ericsson Technology Review: Simplifying the 5G ecosystem by reducing architec...
 
Critical Broadband Networks presentation slideshare
Critical Broadband Networks presentation slideshareCritical Broadband Networks presentation slideshare
Critical Broadband Networks presentation slideshare
 
Turn on 5G with Ericsson 5G Platform
Turn on 5G with Ericsson 5G PlatformTurn on 5G with Ericsson 5G Platform
Turn on 5G with Ericsson 5G Platform
 
Ieee 5 g summit_ericsson_a
Ieee 5 g summit_ericsson_aIeee 5 g summit_ericsson_a
Ieee 5 g summit_ericsson_a
 
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2018
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2018Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2018
Ericsson Technology Review - Issue 1, 2018
 
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economy
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economyEricsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economy
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economy
 
Ericsson 5G Radio Dot Infographic
Ericsson 5G Radio Dot InfographicEricsson 5G Radio Dot Infographic
Ericsson 5G Radio Dot Infographic
 
Ericsson technology trends-2021
Ericsson technology trends-2021Ericsson technology trends-2021
Ericsson technology trends-2021
 
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Industrial automation enabled by robotics, machin...
Ericsson Technology Review: Industrial automation enabled by robotics, machin...Ericsson Technology Review: Industrial automation enabled by robotics, machin...
Ericsson Technology Review: Industrial automation enabled by robotics, machin...
 
5 glimpses into our 5G future
5 glimpses into our 5G future5 glimpses into our 5G future
5 glimpses into our 5G future
 
5G: made for innovation - presentation for University of Piraeus Msc students
5G: made for innovation - presentation for University of Piraeus Msc students5G: made for innovation - presentation for University of Piraeus Msc students
5G: made for innovation - presentation for University of Piraeus Msc students
 
Ericsson Microwave Outlook 2018
Ericsson Microwave Outlook 2018Ericsson Microwave Outlook 2018
Ericsson Microwave Outlook 2018
 

Semelhante a Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020

The 10 Most Trusted Wireless Technology Service Providers, 2023.pdf
The 10 Most Trusted Wireless Technology Service Providers, 2023.pdfThe 10 Most Trusted Wireless Technology Service Providers, 2023.pdf
The 10 Most Trusted Wireless Technology Service Providers, 2023.pdfInsightsSuccess4
 
top Data-usecases-for-telcommunications.pdf
top Data-usecases-for-telcommunications.pdftop Data-usecases-for-telcommunications.pdf
top Data-usecases-for-telcommunications.pdfTarekHassan840678
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Spotlight on the Internet of Things
Ericsson Technology Review: Spotlight on the Internet of ThingsEricsson Technology Review: Spotlight on the Internet of Things
Ericsson Technology Review: Spotlight on the Internet of ThingsEricsson
 
Accelerate the internet of things in manufacturing lns research
Accelerate the internet of things in manufacturing   lns researchAccelerate the internet of things in manufacturing   lns research
Accelerate the internet of things in manufacturing lns researchRick Bouter
 
Future Proof Your Network Today To Support IOT Tomorrow
Future Proof Your Network Today To Support IOT TomorrowFuture Proof Your Network Today To Support IOT Tomorrow
Future Proof Your Network Today To Support IOT TomorrowTyrone Systems
 
E-Toll Payment Using Azure Cloud
E-Toll Payment Using Azure CloudE-Toll Payment Using Azure Cloud
E-Toll Payment Using Azure CloudIRJET Journal
 
Effect of Mixing and Compaction Temperatures on the Indirect Tensile Strength...
Effect of Mixing and Compaction Temperatures on the Indirect Tensile Strength...Effect of Mixing and Compaction Temperatures on the Indirect Tensile Strength...
Effect of Mixing and Compaction Temperatures on the Indirect Tensile Strength...IRJET Journal
 
Prédictions 2021, étude Deloitte
Prédictions 2021, étude DeloittePrédictions 2021, étude Deloitte
Prédictions 2021, étude DeloittePaperjam_redaction
 
Microsoft Telecommunications Newsletter | September 2021
Microsoft Telecommunications Newsletter | September 2021Microsoft Telecommunications Newsletter | September 2021
Microsoft Telecommunications Newsletter | September 2021Rick Lievano
 
Internet of Things (IoT): More than Smart “Things”
Internet of Things (IoT): More than Smart “Things”Internet of Things (IoT): More than Smart “Things”
Internet of Things (IoT): More than Smart “Things”Ahmed Banafa
 
The Ericsson Experiece at Mobile World Congress 2016
The Ericsson Experiece at Mobile World Congress 2016The Ericsson Experiece at Mobile World Congress 2016
The Ericsson Experiece at Mobile World Congress 2016Ericsson Latin America
 
InternetofSpace_SatelliteMagazine
InternetofSpace_SatelliteMagazineInternetofSpace_SatelliteMagazine
InternetofSpace_SatelliteMagazineNaro09
 
Ericsson Technology Review, issue #2, 2016
Ericsson Technology Review, issue #2, 2016Ericsson Technology Review, issue #2, 2016
Ericsson Technology Review, issue #2, 2016Ericsson
 
Whitepaper - Module 5 Final
Whitepaper - Module 5 FinalWhitepaper - Module 5 Final
Whitepaper - Module 5 Finalasmullen
 
IDC: Peplink Adds Resilience to IoT Networks
IDC: Peplink Adds Resilience to IoT NetworksIDC: Peplink Adds Resilience to IoT Networks
IDC: Peplink Adds Resilience to IoT NetworksEric Wong
 
TOP 10 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR TELCOS.pdf
TOP 10 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR TELCOS.pdfTOP 10 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR TELCOS.pdf
TOP 10 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR TELCOS.pdfLiveplex
 
Connecting Physical and Digital Worlds to Power the Industrial IoT
Connecting Physical and Digital Worlds to Power the Industrial IoTConnecting Physical and Digital Worlds to Power the Industrial IoT
Connecting Physical and Digital Worlds to Power the Industrial IoTCognizant
 
Telecommunications Industry Newsletter | February 2019
Telecommunications Industry Newsletter | February 2019Telecommunications Industry Newsletter | February 2019
Telecommunications Industry Newsletter | February 2019Rick Lievano
 

Semelhante a Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020 (20)

The 10 Most Trusted Wireless Technology Service Providers, 2023.pdf
The 10 Most Trusted Wireless Technology Service Providers, 2023.pdfThe 10 Most Trusted Wireless Technology Service Providers, 2023.pdf
The 10 Most Trusted Wireless Technology Service Providers, 2023.pdf
 
top Data-usecases-for-telcommunications.pdf
top Data-usecases-for-telcommunications.pdftop Data-usecases-for-telcommunications.pdf
top Data-usecases-for-telcommunications.pdf
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Spotlight on the Internet of Things
Ericsson Technology Review: Spotlight on the Internet of ThingsEricsson Technology Review: Spotlight on the Internet of Things
Ericsson Technology Review: Spotlight on the Internet of Things
 
Accelerate the internet of things in manufacturing lns research
Accelerate the internet of things in manufacturing   lns researchAccelerate the internet of things in manufacturing   lns research
Accelerate the internet of things in manufacturing lns research
 
Future Proof Your Network Today To Support IOT Tomorrow
Future Proof Your Network Today To Support IOT TomorrowFuture Proof Your Network Today To Support IOT Tomorrow
Future Proof Your Network Today To Support IOT Tomorrow
 
E-Toll Payment Using Azure Cloud
E-Toll Payment Using Azure CloudE-Toll Payment Using Azure Cloud
E-Toll Payment Using Azure Cloud
 
Effect of Mixing and Compaction Temperatures on the Indirect Tensile Strength...
Effect of Mixing and Compaction Temperatures on the Indirect Tensile Strength...Effect of Mixing and Compaction Temperatures on the Indirect Tensile Strength...
Effect of Mixing and Compaction Temperatures on the Indirect Tensile Strength...
 
Prédictions 2021, étude Deloitte
Prédictions 2021, étude DeloittePrédictions 2021, étude Deloitte
Prédictions 2021, étude Deloitte
 
Microsoft Telecommunications Newsletter | September 2021
Microsoft Telecommunications Newsletter | September 2021Microsoft Telecommunications Newsletter | September 2021
Microsoft Telecommunications Newsletter | September 2021
 
Internet of Things (IoT): More than Smart “Things”
Internet of Things (IoT): More than Smart “Things”Internet of Things (IoT): More than Smart “Things”
Internet of Things (IoT): More than Smart “Things”
 
The Ericsson Experiece at Mobile World Congress 2016
The Ericsson Experiece at Mobile World Congress 2016The Ericsson Experiece at Mobile World Congress 2016
The Ericsson Experiece at Mobile World Congress 2016
 
InternetofSpace_SatelliteMagazine
InternetofSpace_SatelliteMagazineInternetofSpace_SatelliteMagazine
InternetofSpace_SatelliteMagazine
 
Ericsson Technology Review, issue #2, 2016
Ericsson Technology Review, issue #2, 2016Ericsson Technology Review, issue #2, 2016
Ericsson Technology Review, issue #2, 2016
 
Whitepaper - Module 5 Final
Whitepaper - Module 5 FinalWhitepaper - Module 5 Final
Whitepaper - Module 5 Final
 
5G IoT Market.pdf
5G IoT Market.pdf5G IoT Market.pdf
5G IoT Market.pdf
 
IDC: Peplink Adds Resilience to IoT Networks
IDC: Peplink Adds Resilience to IoT NetworksIDC: Peplink Adds Resilience to IoT Networks
IDC: Peplink Adds Resilience to IoT Networks
 
TOP 10 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR TELCOS.pdf
TOP 10 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR TELCOS.pdfTOP 10 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR TELCOS.pdf
TOP 10 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR TELCOS.pdf
 
Connecting Physical and Digital Worlds to Power the Industrial IoT
Connecting Physical and Digital Worlds to Power the Industrial IoTConnecting Physical and Digital Worlds to Power the Industrial IoT
Connecting Physical and Digital Worlds to Power the Industrial IoT
 
Eitc Infrastructure outlook 2021
Eitc Infrastructure outlook 2021Eitc Infrastructure outlook 2021
Eitc Infrastructure outlook 2021
 
Telecommunications Industry Newsletter | February 2019
Telecommunications Industry Newsletter | February 2019Telecommunications Industry Newsletter | February 2019
Telecommunications Industry Newsletter | February 2019
 

Mais de Ericsson

Ericsson Technology Review: Integrated access and backhaul – a new type of wi...
Ericsson Technology Review: Integrated access and backhaul – a new type of wi...Ericsson Technology Review: Integrated access and backhaul – a new type of wi...
Ericsson Technology Review: Integrated access and backhaul – a new type of wi...Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...
Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...
Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Optimizing UICC modules for IoT applications
Ericsson Technology Review: Optimizing UICC modules for IoT applicationsEricsson Technology Review: Optimizing UICC modules for IoT applications
Ericsson Technology Review: Optimizing UICC modules for IoT applicationsEricsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G migration strategy from EPS to 5G system
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G migration strategy from EPS to 5G systemEricsson Technology Review: 5G migration strategy from EPS to 5G system
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G migration strategy from EPS to 5G systemEricsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystem
Ericsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystemEricsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystem
Ericsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystemEricsson
 
SD-WAN Orchestration
SD-WAN OrchestrationSD-WAN Orchestration
SD-WAN OrchestrationEricsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive state
Ericsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive stateEricsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive state
Ericsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive stateEricsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...
Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...
Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Distributed cloud - A key enabler of automotive a...
Ericsson Technology Review: Distributed cloud - A key enabler of automotive a...Ericsson Technology Review: Distributed cloud - A key enabler of automotive a...
Ericsson Technology Review: Distributed cloud - A key enabler of automotive a...Ericsson
 
Ericsson Technology Review: The advantages of combining 5G NR with LTE
Ericsson Technology Review: The advantages of combining 5G NR with LTEEricsson Technology Review: The advantages of combining 5G NR with LTE
Ericsson Technology Review: The advantages of combining 5G NR with LTEEricsson
 
Is your network ready for 5G?
Is your networkready for 5G?Is your networkready for 5G?
Is your network ready for 5G?Ericsson
 

Mais de Ericsson (11)

Ericsson Technology Review: Integrated access and backhaul – a new type of wi...
Ericsson Technology Review: Integrated access and backhaul – a new type of wi...Ericsson Technology Review: Integrated access and backhaul – a new type of wi...
Ericsson Technology Review: Integrated access and backhaul – a new type of wi...
 
Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...
Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...
Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Optimizing UICC modules for IoT applications
Ericsson Technology Review: Optimizing UICC modules for IoT applicationsEricsson Technology Review: Optimizing UICC modules for IoT applications
Ericsson Technology Review: Optimizing UICC modules for IoT applications
 
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G migration strategy from EPS to 5G system
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G migration strategy from EPS to 5G systemEricsson Technology Review: 5G migration strategy from EPS to 5G system
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G migration strategy from EPS to 5G system
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystem
Ericsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystemEricsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystem
Ericsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystem
 
SD-WAN Orchestration
SD-WAN OrchestrationSD-WAN Orchestration
SD-WAN Orchestration
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive state
Ericsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive stateEricsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive state
Ericsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive state
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...
Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...
Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...
 
Ericsson Technology Review: Distributed cloud - A key enabler of automotive a...
Ericsson Technology Review: Distributed cloud - A key enabler of automotive a...Ericsson Technology Review: Distributed cloud - A key enabler of automotive a...
Ericsson Technology Review: Distributed cloud - A key enabler of automotive a...
 
Ericsson Technology Review: The advantages of combining 5G NR with LTE
Ericsson Technology Review: The advantages of combining 5G NR with LTEEricsson Technology Review: The advantages of combining 5G NR with LTE
Ericsson Technology Review: The advantages of combining 5G NR with LTE
 
Is your network ready for 5G?
Is your networkready for 5G?Is your networkready for 5G?
Is your network ready for 5G?
 

Último

Nanopower In Semiconductor Industry.pdf
Nanopower  In Semiconductor Industry.pdfNanopower  In Semiconductor Industry.pdf
Nanopower In Semiconductor Industry.pdfPedro Manuel
 
9 Steps For Building Winning Founding Team
9 Steps For Building Winning Founding Team9 Steps For Building Winning Founding Team
9 Steps For Building Winning Founding TeamAdam Moalla
 
IaC & GitOps in a Nutshell - a FridayInANuthshell Episode.pdf
IaC & GitOps in a Nutshell - a FridayInANuthshell Episode.pdfIaC & GitOps in a Nutshell - a FridayInANuthshell Episode.pdf
IaC & GitOps in a Nutshell - a FridayInANuthshell Episode.pdfDaniel Santiago Silva Capera
 
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesAI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesMd Hossain Ali
 
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019IES VE
 
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a WebsiteCOMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Websitedgelyza
 
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond OntologiesLinked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond OntologiesDavid Newbury
 
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve Decarbonization
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve DecarbonizationUsing IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve Decarbonization
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve DecarbonizationIES VE
 
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™Adtran
 
Bird eye's view on Camunda open source ecosystem
Bird eye's view on Camunda open source ecosystemBird eye's view on Camunda open source ecosystem
Bird eye's view on Camunda open source ecosystemAsko Soukka
 
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxIntroduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxMatsuo Lab
 
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDEADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDELiveplex
 
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsIgniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsSafe Software
 
KubeConEU24-Monitoring Kubernetes and Cloud Spend with OpenCost
KubeConEU24-Monitoring Kubernetes and Cloud Spend with OpenCostKubeConEU24-Monitoring Kubernetes and Cloud Spend with OpenCost
KubeConEU24-Monitoring Kubernetes and Cloud Spend with OpenCostMatt Ray
 
Designing A Time bound resource download URL
Designing A Time bound resource download URLDesigning A Time bound resource download URL
Designing A Time bound resource download URLRuncy Oommen
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6DianaGray10
 
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1DianaGray10
 
NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 Workshop
NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 WorkshopNIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 Workshop
NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 WorkshopBachir Benyammi
 

Último (20)

Nanopower In Semiconductor Industry.pdf
Nanopower  In Semiconductor Industry.pdfNanopower  In Semiconductor Industry.pdf
Nanopower In Semiconductor Industry.pdf
 
9 Steps For Building Winning Founding Team
9 Steps For Building Winning Founding Team9 Steps For Building Winning Founding Team
9 Steps For Building Winning Founding Team
 
201610817 - edge part1
201610817 - edge part1201610817 - edge part1
201610817 - edge part1
 
IaC & GitOps in a Nutshell - a FridayInANuthshell Episode.pdf
IaC & GitOps in a Nutshell - a FridayInANuthshell Episode.pdfIaC & GitOps in a Nutshell - a FridayInANuthshell Episode.pdf
IaC & GitOps in a Nutshell - a FridayInANuthshell Episode.pdf
 
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just MinutesAI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
AI Fame Rush Review – Virtual Influencer Creation In Just Minutes
 
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019
IESVE Software for Florida Code Compliance Using ASHRAE 90.1-2019
 
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a WebsiteCOMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
COMPUTER 10 Lesson 8 - Building a Website
 
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond OntologiesLinked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
Linked Data in Production: Moving Beyond Ontologies
 
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve Decarbonization
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve DecarbonizationUsing IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve Decarbonization
Using IESVE for Loads, Sizing and Heat Pump Modeling to Achieve Decarbonization
 
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
Meet the new FSP 3000 M-Flex800™
 
Bird eye's view on Camunda open source ecosystem
Bird eye's view on Camunda open source ecosystemBird eye's view on Camunda open source ecosystem
Bird eye's view on Camunda open source ecosystem
 
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptxIntroduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
Introduction to Matsuo Laboratory (ENG).pptx
 
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDEADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
ADOPTING WEB 3 FOR YOUR BUSINESS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
 
20230104 - machine vision
20230104 - machine vision20230104 - machine vision
20230104 - machine vision
 
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration WorkflowsIgniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
Igniting Next Level Productivity with AI-Infused Data Integration Workflows
 
KubeConEU24-Monitoring Kubernetes and Cloud Spend with OpenCost
KubeConEU24-Monitoring Kubernetes and Cloud Spend with OpenCostKubeConEU24-Monitoring Kubernetes and Cloud Spend with OpenCost
KubeConEU24-Monitoring Kubernetes and Cloud Spend with OpenCost
 
Designing A Time bound resource download URL
Designing A Time bound resource download URLDesigning A Time bound resource download URL
Designing A Time bound resource download URL
 
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
UiPath Studio Web workshop series - Day 6
 
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
Secure your environment with UiPath and CyberArk technologies - Session 1
 
NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 Workshop
NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 WorkshopNIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 Workshop
NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 Workshop
 

Ericsson Technology Review: issue 2, 2020

  • 1. ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY C H A R T I N G T H E F U T U R E O F I N N O V A T I O N | V O L U M E 1 0 2 I 2 0 2 0 – 0 2 CTOTECHTRENDS CREATINGINTELLIGENT DIGITALINFRASTRUCTURE INTEGRATEDACCESS ANDBACKHAUL IN5GNRNETWORKS CRITICALIOT CONNECTIVITY FORINDUSTRY
  • 3. #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW 5 CONTENTS ✱ 08 5G BSS: EVOLVING BSS TO FIT THE 5G ECONOMY Managing complex IOT value chains and supporting new business models requires more sophisticated business support systems (BSS) than those that communication service providers have used in the past. 5G-evolved BSS enable smooth collaboration between connectivity providers, service creators, partners, suppliers and others. 20 OPTIMIZING UICC MODULES FOR IOT APPLICATIONS The ability to deliver low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) devices on a mass scale is at risk of being hampered by the high cost of the universal integrated circuit cards (UICC) currently required to provide connectivity. Until a less costly alternative becomes available, the IoT requires workarounds that either lower device cost or justify the price of UICCs by leveraging more of their capabilities. 40 THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING: HIGHLY DISTRIBUTED WITH HETEROGENEOUS HARDWARE Cloud computing is being shaped by the combination of the growing popularity of distributed solutions and increased reliance on heterogeneous hardware capabilities. As the role of distributed computing in cloud computing continues to expand, network operators, who have large, distributed systems already in place, have a golden opportunity to become major cloud players. 52 CRITICAL IOT CONNECTIVITY – IDEAL FOR TIME-CRITICAL INDUSTRIAL COMMUNICATIONS Critical IoT connectivity is ideal for a wide range of Internet of Things use cases across most industry verticals. Mobile network operators are uniquely positioned to address the time-critical communication needs of individual users, enterprises and public institutions by leveraging their existing assets and new technologies in a systematic fashion. 64 INTEGRATED ACCESS AND BACKHAUL – A NEW TYPE OF WIRELESS BACKHAUL IN 5G Integrated access and backhaul (IAB) is an advanced concept in 5G that shows significant promise in addressing the challenge of wireless backhaul of street sites. IAB has several advantages compared with other backhaul technologies, and if used properly, it could become an essential backhaul solution for 5G NR networks. FEATURE ARTICLE Future network trends: Creating intelligent digital infrastructure Thevisionofafullydigitalized,automatedandprogrammableworldofconnected humans, machines, things and places is well on its way to becoming a reality. Inhisannualtechnologytrendsarticle,ourCTOErikEkuddenexplainstheseven technology trends that are most relevant to the network platform’s evolution to become the platform for innovation to meet any societal or industrial need. 30 30 20 Customer and partner interaction BSS exposure layer Order capture and fulfillmentCatalog Charging Mediation BillingBilling Party management Intelligence management = Decoupling and integration 08 Gaming AR/VRB E-MBB Automotive Network slices Internet of Things Fixed access Manufacturing APP SmartNICs PMEM HW capability exposures Access sites (edge cloud) Central sites Public clouds Distributed sites (edge/regional cloud) xNF: telco Virtual Network Function or Cloud-native Network Function APP: Third-party application HW capability control Business intent Zero-touch orchestration APP APP APP APP APP APP xNF xNF APP xNF xNF APP xNF xNF xNF xNF xNF 40 52 64
  • 4. #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW 7ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 EDITORIAL ✱ Ericsson Technology Review brings you insights into some of the key emerging innovations that are shaping the future of ICT. Our aim is to encourage an open discussion about the potential, practicalities, and benefits of a wide range of technical developments, and provide insight into what the future has to offer. a d d r e s s Ericsson SE -164 83 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: +46 8 719 00 00 p u b l i s h i n g All material and articles are published on the Ericsson Technology Review website: www.ericsson.com/ericsson-technology-review p u b l i s h e r Erik Ekudden e d i t o r Tanis Bestland (Nordic Morning) e d i t o r i a l b o a r d Håkan Andersson, Magnus Buhrgard, Dan Fahrman, John Fornehed, Kjell Gustafsson, Jonas Högberg, Johan Lundsjö, Mats Norin, Håkan Olofsson, Patrik Roseen, Anders Rosengren, Robert Skog, Gunnar Thrysin and Sara Kullman f e at u r e a r t i c l e Future network trends: Creating intelligent digital infrastructure by Erik Ekudden a r t d i r e c t o r Liselotte Stjernberg (Nordic Morning) p r o j e c t m a n a g e r Susanna O’Grady (Nordic Morning) l ay o u t Liselotte Stjernberg (Nordic Morning) i l l u s t r at i o n s Jenny Andersén (Nordic Morning) s u b e d i t o r s Ian Nicholson (Nordic Morning) Paul Eade (Nordic Morning) i s s n : 0 0 1 4 - 0 17 1 Volume: 102, 2020 ■ the key role that connectivity plays in our daily lives has never been more obvious – not only for each of us as individuals but also for countless enterprises around the globe. Thankfully, despite the sudden, dramatic changes in our behavior in early 2020, networks all around the world have proven to be highly resilient. At Ericsson, we’re committed to ensuring that the network platform continues to improve its ability to meet the full range of societal needs as well as supporting enterprises to stay competitive in the long term. The ability to bridge distances and make it easier to efficiently meet needs in terms of resource utilization, collaboration, competence transfer, status verification, privacy protection, security and safety is of utmost importance. Greater agility and speed will be essential. My 2020 technology trends article, on page 30 of this issue of the magazine, explains my view of the ongoing evolution of the network platform in terms of the key needs that are driving its evolution and the emerging capabilities that will meet both those and other needs. The first three trends all relate to bridging the gap between physical reality and the digital realm – that is, delivering sensory experiences and utilizing digital representations to make the physical world fully programmable. The emerging capabilities that I have highlighted this year are non-limiting connectivity, pervasive network compute fabric, trustworthy infrastructure and cognitive networks. BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL REALITIES All seven of these trends serve as a cornerstone in the development of a common Ericsson vision of what future networks will provide, and what sort of technology evolution will be required to get there. This issue of the magazine also includes five additional articles highlighting some of our latest research in the areas of cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G advancements. The cloud computing article is particularly noteworthy, as it explains how we think network operators can best manage the complexity of future cloud deployments and overcome technical challenges. The first IoT article in this issue explains how critical IoT connectivity can be used to address time-critical needs in areas such as industrial control, mobility automation, remote control and real-time media, while the second one tackles the challenge that today’s universal integrated circuit cards (UICC) present to IoT growth. With regard to 5G advancements, our BSS article explores how 5G-evolved BSS can help communication service providers transform themselves from traditional network developers to service enablers and ultimately service creators. Another exciting 5G advancement that we present in this issue is integrated access and backhaul (IAB), an innovative concept that shows significant promise in addressing the challenge of wireless backhaul of street sites. We hope you enjoy this issue of our magazine and we’d be delighted if you share it with your colleagues and business partners. You can find both PDF and HTML versions of all the articles at: www.ericsson.com/ericsson-technology-review GREATERAGILITY ANDSPEEDWILLBE ESSENTIAL ✱ EDITORIAL ERIK EKUDDEN SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AND HEAD OF GROUP FUNCTION TECHNOLOGY
  • 5. 8 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 9 5G offers communication service providers an unprecedented opportunity to enhance their position in the value chain and tap into new revenue streams in a variety of industry verticals. A successful transition will require business support systems (BSS) that are evolved to fit the 5G economy. JAN FRIMAN, MICHAEL NILSSON, ELISABETH MUELLER The rapidly expanding Internet of Things (IoT) and all the new capabilities available in 5G have opened up a wealth of opportunities for communication service providers (CSPs) beyond their traditional markets, particularly in verticals such as automotive, health care, agriculture, energy and manufacturing. To monetize them, CSPs will need to meet the expectations of a broader range of stakeholders and be able to handle complex ecosystems. ■ One of the primary roles of business support systems (BSS) is to manage a CSP’s relationships with its stakeholders by keeping track of agreements, handling orders, generating reports, sending invoices and so on. In the past, these stakeholders were generally limited to consumers, resellers, partners and suppliers. In the 5G/IoT business context, though, more complex ecosystems are arising that BSS must evolve to support. To do so, the requirements of a larger, more diverse group of stakeholders must be taken into account, and mechanisms must be established to manage the relationships between them. Examplesofnewstakeholdergroupsthatneed tobeconsideredinthe5G/IoTbusinesscontext include: ❭ Enterprises and industry verticals that require solutions beyond telecoms ❭ New types of suppliers such as IoT device providers and suppliers of eSIM (embedded SIM) and related technologies ❭ Platform providers that specialize in specific IoT or edge clusters or groups of use cases such as massive and broadband IoT platforms, industrial IoT platforms and content data networks ❭ Integrators that specialize in specific verticals such as asset management, mission-critical services or automotive that combine capabilities from multiple stakeholders to address consumer needs. Networkdeveloper,serviceenabler orservicecreator? Lookingahead,thecapabilitiesthataCSPneeds initsBSSsolutionwilldependontheroleitplays –oraimstoplay–intheIoTecosystem.Figure1 illustratesthethreeroletypes:networkdeveloper, serviceenablerandservicecreator. Inthetraditionalnetworkdeveloperrole,aCSP actssolelyasacellularconnectivityproviderby offeringsolutionssuchasradio,corenetworkand communicationservices.Inthisrole,theCSP’s businessmodelsareconsumerfocused.Itsrolein theIoTecosystemislimited. Intheserviceenablerrole,theCSPextendsits servicesbyincorporatingadditionalcapabilities suchascloud/edgeandIoTenablementandshifts focustobusinesscustomersandindustryverticals. TheCSPbecomesaserviceenablerfor5Gandthe IoT,actingasasupplierofconnectivityandplatform services.Asaserviceenabler,theCSP’sbusiness 5G BSS: EvolvingBSS tofitthe 5Geconomy Figure 1 The evolving role of the CSP in the IoT ecosystem A) Network developer Customer Customer Customer CSP IoT provider IoT providerCSP SIM manufacturer SIM manufacturer Device manufacturer Device manufacturer Device manufacturerCSP CSP B) Service enabler C) Service creator ✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY ✱ 2 3MARCH 26, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 2020
  • 6. 10 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 1110 11 modelsareextendedtobusiness-customerfocused withrespectto5GIoT. Intheservicecreatorrole,theCSPtransitions frombeingaconnectivityandplatformproviderto creatingnewdigitalservicesandcollaborating beyondtelecomstoestablishdigitalvaluesystems. Asaservicecreator,theCSPpartnerswithsuppliers todelivernewservicesallthewayuptofullIoT solutions,takingontherolesofintegrator, distributororco-seller. BSSforallthreeCSProles TraditionalBSSsupporttheCSPinthenetwork developerrole,inwhichtheCSPchargesforvoice, textanddataservicesbasedonconsumptionor subscriptionlevel.Themainrequirementsfor theseBSSare: ❭ Customer management, traditional partner business (roaming partners), charging and billing, and finance modules ❭ Order capture and order execution for new telco subscriptions and/or add-on offerings ❭ Charging and balance/quota management in BSS, as well as mediation ❭ Interaction with operations support systems (OSS) for network provisioning. EvolvingBSStosupportaCSPinaserviceenabler rolerequiresashiftinfocustotheneedsof enterprisecustomersandIoTusecases.TheBSS mustbetransformedintoasystemthatisableto monetizeIoT/5Gplatformsandedgedeployments, whichrequiressignificantchangesinboththe functionalandnon-functionalspace.Inthenon- functionalspace,thismainlyinvolvesscalability telecoms,sothatpartnerscandeveloptailored applicationsanddeploythemontheoperator’s infrastructure. Finally,thenewbusinessmodelsavailableto CSPsasservicecreatorsrequirenewmonetization modelsforchargingandbilling.Forexample, multipartycharging,revenuesharingandprofit sharingallrequireextendedbillingand reconciliationfunctionality. BSSsolutionlevelsandkeycapabilities Table1organizesandsequenceskeyBSS capabilitiesbasedontechnicaldependenciesand/or levelofcomplexity.Onebyone,thesecapabilities –thatis,enablingtheBSStohandletrafficand alargenumberofdevicesatIoTscale. Intermsoffunctionality,theBSSenhancements requiredbyserviceenablersinclude: ❭ Automation of full life-cycle management for devices/IoT resources supported by flexible orchestration, including exposure of services for managing relationships with business customers ❭ Support for batch orchestration, flexible supply agreements and contracts for non-telco services with associated charging models ❭ Service exposure of network capabilities, so that IoT providers can bundle their offerings with connectivity and sell them on to their customers ❭ Service exposure of BSS and OSS capabilities to enable efficient ordering processes, especially with regard to the management of mass subscriptions. SupportingaCSPintheservicecreatorrole,where thefulllifecycleofpartnersmustbetakeninto account,requiresBSSwithfurtherfunctional extensions.Thestakeholderecosystemofservice creatorsissignificantlymorecomplex,asthe customerbasebroadenstoincludeverticalsandthe CSPstartsofferingfullsolutionsbeyondtelecoms. Asaresult,BSSforservicecreatorsmustinclude extensiveandflexiblepartnerrelationship management.Supplychainmanagementis especiallyimportant. Thecapacitytoexposenetworkcapabilityaswell asBSSandOSScapabilitiesiscriticallyimportantto aCSP’sabilitytodeliveronservicecreationbeyond Terms and abbreviations API – Application Programming Interface | BSS – Business Support Systems | CSP – Communication Service Provider | IoT – Internet of Things | ODA – Open Digital Architecture | OSS – Operations Support Systems | SBI – Service-Based Interface | SDK – Software Development Kit | SLA – Service Level Agreement BSS solution level Capabilities 5G enabled • 5Gservice-basedinterface(SBI)support(chargingfunction) • NetworkslicingsupportinBSSandOSS • Classicroamingpartners • Containerizationandmicroservices • Commontechnologystack IOT and edge monetization • IDmanagementandcorrelation • Life-cyclemanagementforIoTdevices • Businesscustomerand5G/IoTenterprisemanagement • Charginginmultilevelhierarchies • Supplyagreements • Flexibleorchestrationoforderingprocesses • Serviceexposurefordevicemanagement • OpenAPIexposure • Continuousintegration/continuousdelivery(CI/CD)forserviceexposure • Enterpriseself-care • Multipartychargingandbest-effortcharging • Privatenetworks • Platformpartnerships • Contractfornon-telcoservices(IoT/edgeenabled) • Chargingmodelsfornon-telcoservices • Multi-tenancy • Chargingandbillingonbehalfof • Location-awareservices • Blockchainforsmartcontracting • ServiceLevelAgreement(SLA)management Full 5G ecosystem • Partnerrelationshipmanagement • Partnercatalog • Partnerrevenuesharing • Reconciliationandsettlement • Flexiblebilling • Platformasaserviceanddistributedcloud • Edgeplatformservices • Multi-accessedgecomputing(MEC) • BSSasaservice • Continuousmonitoring • Artificialintelligenceandmachine-learningautomation • CI/CD Table 1 Key capabilities of the three BSS solution levels ✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY ✱ 4 5MARCH 26, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 2020
  • 7. 12 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 13 addontoeachother,continuouslyincreasingBSS maturityandtransformingtheBSSintoasystem capableofsupportingallthenewusecasesand businessmodelsthatcharacterizethe5G/IoT ecosystem. Thefirstevolutionstep–‘5Genabled’inTable1 –providessupportfornew5Gstandardsand concepts,whichenablesadrasticincreaseindata transmissionthroughputwhilemaintainingfocuson traditionalconsumers.Applyingcontainerization andacommontechnologystackwillassurethe scalabilityoftheBSSsolutiontomeettheincreased throughputdemandsofthenetwork. Atthenextsolutionlevel,IoTandedgemonetization, thefocusshiftstobusinesscustomers.Thesenew capabilitiesenabletheCSPtoprovideextended supportforenterpriseswhenitcomesto5GandIoT usecasesbycoveringIoTdevicemanagement, supportfornon-telcoservicechargingandmulti- partychargingaswellasIoTand/oredge-platform monetization.Inaddition,serviceexposureenables self-serviceforenterprisesalongwithapplication developmentfortheoptimizationofIoTdevices. Thenumberof5G/IoTusecasesthattheCSPisable tosupportincreasesdrasticallyatthisstage. Theadditionofpartnercapabilitiesatthefull 5GecosystemlevelallowstheCSPtoaddresstotally newcustomersegmentsbeyondtelecomsand provideindustry-specificsolutionstoverticals. ACSPcancreatenewservices(evendeliverBSS asaservice),andoffertheseservicesonamarketplace toreachnewsegmentsofbusinesscustomers. Themultitudeofpartnershipsrequiresupportfor newbusinessmodelsthatallowflexiblecharging, revenuesharingandbilling. 5GreferencearchitectureforBSS Fromahigh-levelarchitecturalviewpoint,BSSin the5G/IoTecosystemcloselyresembletraditional monitorthestateofthedevicethroughoutits lifecycleisnotsufficient.Forexample,contracts thatcoverlargeherdsofdevicesarelikelytobe basedonrecurringchargesperactivedevice. Inthesescenarios,theaggregatednumbersof devicesperstatebecomekeyparametersinthe calculationofcharges. ThecalculationofchargesrelatedtoIoTdevices isalsocomplicatedbythefactthatthestateofthe devicecaninfluencethechargedparty.Oneexample ofthischallengeisIoTdevicesthataremountedin vehiclesatafactory.Thefactorypersonnelwilllikely wanttotestthatthedeviceisworkingbefore shippingthevehicletothereseller.Theresellermay BSS,withsimilarinterfacestosurroundingsystems. TheBSSarchitectureinFigure2ispresentedinthe OpenDigitalArchitectureformat[1].Itisdivided intopartymanagement,corecommerce management,intelligencemanagement,production andengagementmanagement.Productionincludes thesouthboundapplicationprogramminginterface (API)layertothenetworkinfrastructure,IoT platforms,cloud/edgeandOSS,whileengagement managementincludesthenorthboundAPIlayerto customersandpartners. 5GandtheIoTplaceseveralchallenging requirementsonnewcapabilitiesintheBSS architecturethatarenotdirectlyvisibleatahigh level.Allfunctionalareasareaffectedbythe5G evolutionandareextendedtosupportthenew requirementsandpossibilities,mostnotablyinthe areasofmass-devicemanagement,deviceand resourcelife-cyclemanagement,subscription management,chargingmodelsfornon-telco servicesandmultipartycharging. IoT-scalemass-devicemanagement Thesheernumberofconnecteddevicesinthe5G/ IoTworldisamajorchallengeforBSStomanage. WhilecurrentBSSarchitecturesarescalable,they willbetoocostlyforIoTusecasesduetothelarge datafootprintandprocessingneedofeachdevice. Scalabilityaloneisnotenoughtohandlemassive amountsofdevices.Toaddressthis,5G-evolved BSSmusthaveapersistenceandmanagement modelthatislightweightenoughtoallowalarge numberofdevicestousethesamefootprintasone traditionaldevice.Thiscanbeaddressedusing conceptssuchasherding,whereeachindividual deviceonlyrequiresaminimaldatafootprint. Thebehaviorofeachindividualdeviceis determinedbytheherdconfiguration,whichis asinglespecificationperherd. Life-cyclemanagementof IoTdevicesandresources ManagingthelifecyclesofIoTdevicesand resourcesisanothersignificantchallengeforBSS.In manyemergingIoTapplications,theabilityto Figure 2 5G reference architecture for BSS Intelligence management Party management Production Southbound API Core commerce management Social media Mediation = Decoupling and integration Policies IoT Cloud/ edge OSS Comm. services EPC/ 5G Core Customers Business customers Developers Apps Engagement management Northbound API SCALABILITYALONEISNOT ENOUGHTOHANDLEMASSIVE AMOUNTSOFDEVICES ✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY ✱ 6 7MARCH 26, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 202012 13
  • 8. 14 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 15 thenwanttodemonstratetheservicethedevice providestoprospectivebuyers,beforeaconsumer ultimatelybuysthevehicleandstartsusingthe service.Ateachofthesestages,thechargedparty andchargingmodelmaybedifferentdependingon thestateofthedevice.Overcomingsuchchallenges requiresaBSSarchitecturethatcanprovideup-to- datestateinformationperindividualdeviceor resourceaswellasaggregatedinformationtothe rating,chargingandbillingfunctions. SubscriptionmanagementforIoTdevices Subscriptionmanagementisanotherareathatmust evolvetofitthenew5G/IoTbusinesscontext. TraditionalBSSarebuilttomanageconsumer subscriptions.Theyarenotcapableofhandlingthe massivenumberofdevicesinIoTusecasesinacost- efficientmanner.Subscriptionmanagementin 5G-evolvedBSSrequiresahighlevelofautomation andsolutionsthatreducetheprocessingfootprintto onboardandmanagedevices,servicesandproducts. OneeffectiveapproachistoexposeAPIsandtools thatallowpartnersorevenconsumerstoonboard andmanagedevices. Togainefficiencyandminimizemanagement, poolsofservicesandproductscanbelinkedtoherds ofdevices,insteadofapplyingindividualservicesto devicerelationships,whichisthecommonpractice inBSStoday.Theserviceinstanceslinkedtoherds arekepttoaminimalfootprintandthemajorityof theparametersneededforprocessingcanbekepton specificationlevel.Thischangewillenablemore efficientprocessinginBSSandreducethenumber ofscenariosthatrequiremassprovisioning. UnliketraditionalBSS,5G-evolvedBSSmustbe abletocaptureandcreatethenetworkchargingdata records(chargingfunction).Thistaskprovidesthe Multipartycharging WhiletraditionalBSSareabletohandleroaming partnersandwholesaleagreements,theyarenot equippedtohandlethedramaticincreasein differenttypesofpartneragreementsinthe5G/IoT ecosystem.Theabilitytohandleawidevarietyof partneragreementsandsupporttheonboardingof partnersandrelatedchargingmodelswillbecrucial toCSPs’abilitytomonetizeonexpectedIoTgrowth andavoidbecomingbit-pipewholesalers. Inthe5G/IoTecosystem,asingleeventthatBSS receivefromthe5Gcorenetworkcantriggera complexvaluechainthatrequiresmultiplepartiesto bechargedorsharerevenue.ACSPcannotrelyon traditionaltechniquestohandlethiscomplexity– doingsowouldmeanpostponingchargingor revenuesharedistributionuntilthebillrun. Todeliverup-to-dateinformationtotherelevant partners,theCSPneedsBSSthatcanprocessthe entirevaluechainassoonasanyactivityoccursthat impactsthem.Thisdoesnotmeanthateverything mustbeprocessedinrealtime,butratherthatevents mustbehandledinanonlineasynchronousprocess. Forexample,whenBSSgrantconsumerstherightto accessspecificservices,theeventisfollowedupbya post-sessionprocesstocalculateanddistributethe charges/revenuesharefortheinvolvedpartners. Asaresult,therelevantpartnershaveaccessto up-to-dateinformationwithinseconds,ratherthan attheendofthedayoratthebillrunastheywould intraditionalBSS. In5G-evolvedBSS,differenteventsforthesame servicecanhavedifferentchargeorrevenueshare distribution.One-timefees,recurringchargesor usagefeescanallhavedifferentdistributionrules andincludeoneormorepartners.Forexample,itis possibleforanoperatortochargeaone-timefee toaconsumerandkeepalloftherevenue,whilealso chargingarecurringfeetothesameconsumerand splittingthatrevenuewithapartnerthatprovides theconsumerdeviceonarentalbasis. DigitalBSSarchitecturefor5GandtheIoT Figure3showsthekeycomponentsofEricsson’s digitalBSSarchitecture.Thecolorschemeindicates therelationshipbetweenthecomponentsinthis architectureandthefunctionalODAarchitecture showninFigure2. BSSwithauniqueopportunitytodeterminewhich charging,balancemanagementandaggregation functionsmustbeperformed,andusethis knowledgetomonetizetheusageofthe5Gnetwork. Forinstance,theBSScanmonitorallowancesand balancesinrealtime,ifsorequiredbyapartner agreement,ordecidetopostponetheratingand balancemanagementtoanearreal-time asynchronousflow. AllowingtheBSStodecidetheimportanceand risklevelofeacheventbasedonagreements,Service LevelAgreements(SLAs)andoperatorbusiness rulesmakesitpossibletoaccommodatemultiple chargingmodelssimultaneously.Amongother things,thisapproachenablesreal-timemonitoring ofindividualdeviceherds,whileatthesametime providingpartnerratingsforoneormultiple involvedpartnersinacontinuous,nearreal-time, flowforindividualdevicesessions. Chargingmodelsfornon-telcoservices 5G-evolvedBSSmustalsosupportthemanagement andmonetizationofservicesthatarenottraditional telcoservices,suchasthosefortheIoTplatformor applicationhostingattheedge.Inthepast,BSS havetraditionallyreliedonawell-definedsetof parametersprovidedthroughstandardized protocols,butthisapproachwillnotbesufficient whenenteringthenon-telcoservicearena. Tomonetizeonnon-telcoservices,the5G-evolved BSSmusthavetheflexibilitytousepreviously unknownidentifiersandparameters,especially inthechargingandbillingsystems. Theusageofanon-telcoservicecanbemonetized usingsomethingassimpleasanetworkslice identifiertodeterminehowtoaggregateandcharge foraservice.Inotherinstances,amuchmore complexmodelmustbeused,involvingmultiple inputparametersforeacheventtodeterminewhich partyorpartiesshouldbechargedandwhich chargingmodelshouldbeapplied.Consequently, thechargingandbillingsolutionin5G-evolved BSSmustprovidetheflexibilitytomapandevaluate non-telcoidentifiersandotherparametersat configurationtime. Figure 3 Ericsson’s digital BSS implementation architecture Customer and partner interaction BSS exposure layer Order capture and fulfillmentCatalog Charging Mediation BillingBilling Party management Intelligence management = Decoupling and integration ONE EFFECTIVE APPROACH IS TO EXPOSE APIs AND TOOLS THAT ALLOW PARTNERS ... TO ONBOARD AND MANAGE DEVICES ✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY ✱ 8 9MARCH 26, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 202014 15
  • 9. 16 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 17 Thefront-endchannelsinthecustomerandpartner interactionlayerandtheBSSexposurelayerare deployedasamicroservicearchitecturetofacilitate businessagility,scalingandtheintroductionof customizedsolutionsasperoperatorneeds. Furtherdowninthestack,thearchitectureisbased onminiservices,primarilytooptimizefootprint, performanceandlatency. Table2mapsoutthe5GevolutionareasinBSS tothemainfunctionalblocksinourdigitalBSS BSS functional block 5G evolution areas Customer and partner interaction • Catalogdriven,omnichannel • B2CandB2Bdigitalfrontend:customer/partnerjourneys • B2CandB2BCPQ(configure,priceandquote),framecontracts • B2B2Xmarketplace BSS exposure layer •OpenAPIexposure • Looselycoupledprinciple • SDKtosupportAPIaggregation Catalog • Exposureforpartnerproductcreation • Enhancedbundlingwithpartnerproducts • Productmodelsfornetworkresources • Productmodelsforenterpriseproducts • Partnercatalog • Multi-deviceofferings Order capture and fulfillment • Ecosystemorchestration • Newbusinessmodelsupport Charging • Supportfornewchargingtriggerpoints • ManagecommunicationservicesatIoTscale • Charginglife-cyclemanagementasapartofmassIoTdevice andmasssubscriptionlife-cyclemanagement • Multipartycharging •Charginginhierarchies • Chargingonbehalfof • Non-telcoservicecharge Mediation • Calldetailrecordgenerationfor5G • OnlinemediationSBI->diameter Party management • ExtendedB2B(supplyagreements,non-telcocontracts) • Digitalpartnermanagement Intelligence management • SLAmanagement • Datalake Billing • Life-cyclemanagementasapartofmassIoTdeviceand masssubscriptionlife-cyclemanagement • Multipartybilling • Billingonbehalfof • Revenuesharing • IoTpartnersettlements Table 2 Prioritized 5G evolution areas in the main BSS functional blocks Further reading ❭ EricssonTechnologyReview,BSSandartificialintelligence–timetogonative,January2019,availableat: https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/ericsson-technology-review/articles/bss-and-artificial- intelligence-time-to-go-native ❭ Ericsson blog, Impacts of monetizing 5G and IoT on Digital BSS, October 29, 2019, Michael Fireman, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2019/10/impacts-of-monetizing-5g-and-iot-on-digital-bss ❭ Ericsson blog, Monetize 5G and IoT business models, October 7, 2019, Michael Fireman, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2019/10/monetize-5g-and-iot-business-models ❭ Ericsson, Telecom BSS, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/portfolio/digital-services/digital-bss ❭ Ericsson, Digital BSS, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/digital-services/offerings/digital-bss References 1. TMA, Open Digital Architecture Project, available at: https://www.tmforum.org/collaboration/open-digital- architecture-oda-project/ architecture.Containerization,microservicesanda commontechnologystackarecommontoallblocks. Conclusion The5Gnetworkevolutionpresentscommunication serviceproviderswiththeopportunitytotransform themselvesfromtraditionalnetworkdevelopersto serviceenablersfor5GandtheInternetof Things, andultimatelytoservicecreatorswiththeabilityto collaboratebeyondtelecomsandestablishlucrative digitalvaluesystems.Alongtheway,thisjourney opensupsubstantialnewrevenuestreamsin verticalssuchasindustrialautomation,security, healthcareandautomotive.Tosuccessfully capitalizeonthisopportunity,CSPsneedBSS thatareevolvedtomanagecomplexvaluechains andsupportnewbusinessmodels. 5G-evolvedBSSenablesmoothcollaboration betweenconnectivityproviders,servicecreators, partners,suppliersandothersthatresultsinthe efficientcreationofattractiveandcost-effective services.Optimizedinformationmodelsandahigh degreeofautomationarerequiredtohandlehuge numbersofdevicesthroughopeninterfaces. Deploymentinacloud-nativearchitectureensures flexibilityandscalability.Itisimportanttokeepthe businesslogic,interfacesandinformationmodels of5G-evolvedBSSflexible,sotheycanbeadjusted tosuitthevaluechainsandbusinessmodelsofthe differentindustryverticals. AtEricsson,wewillcontinuetoevolveourBSS offeringtosupportourcustomersontheirjourneys fromnetworkdeveloperstoserviceenablers,from serviceenablerstoservicecreatorsandbeyond. Aspartofthiswork,wearealsofirmlycommitted todrivingandcontributingtorelevantstandards intheBSSareaandparticipatinginopensource anddevelopercommunitiestopromoteopenness andinteroperability. CSPs NEED BSS THAT ARE EVOLVED TO MANAGE COMPLEX VALUE CHAINS ✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY ✱ 10 11MARCH 26, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 202016 17
  • 10. 18 ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 202018 ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 theauthOrs Jan Friman ◆ is an OSS/BSS expert in the architecture and technology team within Business Area Digital Services. Since joining Ericsson in 1997, he has held various OSS/BSS-related positions within the company’s R&D, system management and strategic product management organizations. Friman holds anM.Sc.incomputerscience from Linköping University, Sweden. Michael Nilsson ◆ is a BSS expert in the solution architecture team within Business Area Digital Services. Nilsson joined Ericsson in 1990 and has extensive experience from the telecommunications area in support and verification, radio, core and transmission network design and BSS product development. Since 2012, he has held the position of chief architect for next generation BSS development. Elisabeth Mueller ◆ is an expert in BSS end-to-end systems whose current work focuses on 5G/IoT BSS architecture. She joined Ericsson in 2006 when LHS in Frankfurt was acquired to complement the Ericsson BSS offerings with a billingsystem. Since then she has taken on many different roles within the company, including system design, system management and solution architecture in all BSS areas. Mueller holds an M.Sc. in mathematics from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, along with several patents in the BSS area. ✱ BSS IN THE 5G ECONOMY 12 ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MARCH 26, 2020
  • 11. 20 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 21 The UICCs used in all cellular devices today are complex and powerful minicomputers capable of much more than most Internet of Things (IoT) applications require. Until a simpler and less costly alternative becomes available, it makes sense to find ways to reduce the complexity of using them and use their excess capacity for additional value generation. BENEDEK KOVÁCS, ZSOLT VAJTA, ZSIGMOND PAP UICCs are used today to facilitate network connection in all 3GPP user equipment – mobile phones, IoT devices and so on. ■ The most important tasks of UICC modules – commonly referred to as SIM cards – in today’s mobile networks are to store network credentials and to run network security and access applications in a secure and trusted environment. In addition, they are also capable of storing a large amount of extra information and running multiple toolkit applications. A UICC’s own operating system provides a full Java environment. It can run dozens of Java-based applications in parallel and support powerful remote management operations. Backward-compatibilityisprovidedbyrunning anetworkserviceapplicationonUICCmodules, whichcanemulatethefilesystemforstoring necessarycredentialsandold-schoolsmartcard protocols,extendedwithfeaturessuchasenhanced security,extendedtelephoneregisterandoperator logoimage.TheinterfacebetweentheUICCmodule andtheuserequipment(devices)isstandardized, whichenablesoperatorstorunvalue-added applications,suchasmobilewalletormobilelottery, ontheUICCmodule. WhiletheadvancedfeaturesofUICCmodules continuetoprovideconsiderablevalueinmobile phoneapplications,mostofthemaresuperfluous inIoTapplications.Inlightofthis,theindustry isworkingtofindalesssophisticatedsolution thatismoreappropriateforapplicationsthat requiremassivenumbersofdevicesinprice- sensitiveenvironments.Industryalignmenton suchasolutionisexpectedtobeachallengingand time-consumingprocess,however,duetothefact thattheIoTareaisfragmentedintomanydifferent verticals,applicationareasandusecases. Ericssonisfullycommittedtosupportingthe long-term,industry-alignedsolution.Inthemeantime, however,itisvitaltofindworkaroundstoensure thatthecostofUICCsdoesnotstifleIoTgrowth. Whilethedefinitivesolutiontothequestionof whatshouldreplacetheUICCishardtopredict, twomid-termworkaroundsareclear:thecomplexity ofusingUICCsandleveragingtheirexcesscapacity togenerateadditionalvalue. ReducingthecomplexityofusingUICCs There are three main approaches to reducing the complexity of using UICCs in IoT applications: optimization, usage of 3GPP standardized certificate-based authentication, and virtualization. Optimization A typical operator profile on a 3GPP consumer mobile phone is up to tens of kilobytes; the average IoT sensor only requires 200-300 bytes. And of all the functionality that a UICC can provide, an IoT device only really needs the Universal Subscriber Identity Module application and the remote SIM provisioning (RSP) application, which allows remote provisioning of subscriber credentials (also known as operator profiles). Onegoodwaytosignificantlyreducethefootprint oftheUICCistooptimizetheoperatorprofileand thenecessarysoftwareenvironmentwithinthe UICCmodule.Doingsonotonlysavesstorageinthe devicebutalsoreducesenergyconsumptionduring over-the-airdownload.Furthersizereduction ofthedevicemaybeachievedwhentheUICCis completelyintegratedintothebasebandmodem orapplicationprocessor(integratedUICCor iUICC[2]).Thissimplifiedandintegratedsolution couldworkeffectivelyforusecasesthatrequire low-cost,simple,secureandlow-powerIoTdevices inhighvolumes. TheuseofaniUICCrequiresaneffective RSPprotocol[3,4]thatmakesitpossibleto changesubscriptioncredentials.CurrentRSP standardsaretoocomplexforiUICCsformany reasons,includingtheiruseofHTTPS OPTIMIZING UICCmodules forIoT applications Definition of key terms Identity describes the link between the identifier of an entity and the credentials that it uses to prove that it is the rightful owner of the identity. First used in Finland in 1991, the original subscriber identity module (SIM) was a smart card with a protected file system that stored cellular network parameters. It was designed to connect expensive user equipment – mobile phones – with expensive subscriptions to the cellular network. When it became clear that smart cards did not have the capacity to provide an adequate level of security in next-generation cellular networks, they were replaced with universal integrated circuit cards (UICCs) – minicomputers equipped with general microprocessors, memory and strong cryptographic co-processors [1]. ✱ UICC MODULES AND THE IoT UICC MODULES AND THE IoT ✱ 2 3APRIL 14, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ APRIL 14, 2020
  • 12. 22 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 23 (HypertextTransferProtocolSecure)andreliance onSMSsupport.HTTPSistypicallynotpartofthe protocolstackofconstrainedlow-powerIoTdevices. Instead,thesedevicesuseastackwithConstrained ApplicationProtocol(CoAP),DatagramTransport LayerSecurity(DTLS)andUserDatagram Protocol.Insomecases,theLightweightMachine- to-Machine(LwM2M)protocolisusedontopof CoAPfordeviceandapplicationdatamanagement. Theuseofonlyonestackkeepsthecostofthe devicedown. Ericssonproposesutilizingthesameprotocol stackforprofiledownloadandprofilemanagement asisusedfordeviceandapplicationdata management.Figure1illustrateshowtoachieve thisbyadaptingtheGSMAembedded-SIM solutionforconsumerdevicesforusewithIoT devices.Inthissolution,thelocalprofileassistant (LPA)issplitintotwoparts.Toreducedevice footprint,themainpartoftheLPA(includingthe useofHTTPS)ismovedfromthedevicetoadevice authentication has been performed. According to the 3GPP, authentication in private networks such as Industry 4.0 solutions may rely entirely on certificate-based solutions such as Extensible Authentication Protocol over Transport Layer Security. Without a UICC for securely storing and operating on secret long-term credentials for network access authentication, another secure environment with secure storage solution is needed. Forcertainapplicationsalowerlevelofsecurity mightbeaccepted.Thevalueofthedatathatthe IoTdeviceprovidesorhandles,inrelationtothe costoftheIoTdevice,determinestherequired securitylevelofthesecureenvironmentforprotecting networkaccessauthenticationcredentials.Inthe caseofaUICCbeingused,itdeterminesthe realizationoftheUICCfunctionality.Forsome low-costconstrainedIoTdevices,arealization usingahardware-isolation-basedtrustedexecution environmentmaybeacceptable.Asthereisno universalandperfectsolution,operatorsmust decidewhichsolutionismostsuitableforanygiven application.ItislikelythattheUICCsandeUICC- basedsolutionswillremainthetechnologyofchoice inpublicnetworksforthenextfewyears. Virtualization Virtualizing the UICC is yet another alternative that addresses the cost issue associated with UICC technology. One way to do this is to run a UICC environment in a virtual machine (or at least on a separated processor core) inside the application processor or the baseband modem. Another approach is to store the operator profiles in the security zone of the application processor, then download them to empty physical UICC hardware on demand. Thebiggestadvantagesofthesevirtualization solutionsisflexibilityandbetterutilizationof existinghardwareresources,whileatthesametime maintainingmanyoftheadvantagesofcurrent technology.Thesemethodsareparticularlyeffective whenanIoTdeviceneedstomanagemultiple operatorprofiles–acircumstancethatwillbecome increasinglycommon,accordingtoananalysis carriedoutbytheGSMA[5]. Thedisadvantagesofvirtualizationaresimilarto thoseofcertification-basedsolutions.Mostnotably, certificationisharderwhenatrustedenvironment isintegratedwiththerestofthedevicecompared withusinganisolatedUICCoreUICC. GeneratingadditionalvaluefromtheUICC Experience shows that it is significantly less expensive to limit a protected and certified manufacturing environment to a dedicated hardware module such as a UICC than to ensure that all the software running in the mobile equipmentcanbetrusted.Inlightofthis,webelieve thatcommunicationserviceproviderswillcontinue usingUICCmodulesforatleastthenext5-10years. During this period, it makes sense to exploit the potential of the UICCs to better support IoT applications by creating value-added services for operators and enterprises. Three examples of this are using the UICC as cryptographic storage, using it to run higher-layer protocolstacks, andusingitasasupervisoryentity. UsingtheUICCascryptographicstorage UICC modules were designed to serve as cryptographic storage and are used today mainly for the storage of security credentials for 3GPP connectivity. We propose, in accordance with GSMA IoT SAFE [1], that the UICC itself should also be used as a crypto-safe for the IoT platform, providing support to establish encrypted connection of the applications. orconnectivitymanagementserver.Thedevice managementprotocolstack(OpenMobileAlliance (OMA)LwM2M[1],forexample)handlesthe communicationbetweenthetwoLPAparts. Profileprotectionisstillend-to-endbetween theiUICC/embedded-UICC(eUICC)andthe provisioningserver(SubscriptionManager-Data Preparation–SM-DP+). Usageof3GPPstandardized certificate-basedauthentication Another way to reduce the need for a UICC is to use a network authentication mechanism different to the classical 3GPP Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA). The use of certificates is a classic solution used in the internet that may easily fit into the existing network architecture of an enterprise/service provider. In public 5G networks, authenticating with certificates is possible as a secondary authentication for a service using AKA, but only after primary network OPERATORSMUST DECIDEWHICHSOLUTION ISMOSTSUITABLEFOR ANYGIVENAPPLICATION Figure 1 Remote provisioning using IoT-optimized technology SIM alliance profile LPA split IoT platform HTTPS Internet Device owner/user LwM2M-based secure communication IoT device with cellular module Provisioning server (SM-DP+) Mobile network operator LPAprLPAdv ✱ UICC MODULES AND THE IoT UICC MODULES AND THE IoT ✱ 4 5APRIL 14, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ APRIL 14, 2020
  • 13. 24 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 25 AgenericIoTdevicehasmultipleidentitiesforuse inmultiplesecuritydomains.Everyidentityhasat leastoneidentifierandcredential,allofwhichmust bestoredsomewhere.Althoughtherearemultiple options,ahardwareelementthatispowerfulenough toplaytheroleoftherootoftrustisdefinitelyneeded. TheUICCisperfectforthisrole,asitisalreadyused asanidentityfor3GPPnetworks,storingInternational MobileSubscriberIdentity,intensifiedcharge- coupleddevice,Wi-FiandOMALwM2M[6] credentialsalongwithdozensofotheridentifiers. Thenecessarytrustedandcertifiedenvironment andinfrastructurearealreadyavailabletomanufacture themodule,downloadandupdateitscontentand carryoutremotemanagementaswell. Tocovereveryaspect,UICC-basedsolutions requirecooperationbetweentheUICCecosystem andtheIoTdevicesecuritysubsystem(ARMTrust Zone[7],forexample).IDandcredentialmanagement itselfisdevice-independent,whichsavesdevelopment costandincreasesthesecuritylevel.Additional advantagesofusingUICCasarootoftrustare: ❭ it has its own local processor ❭ it is usually equipped with powerful cryptographic co-processors ❭ it comes with a powerful, standardized remote management subsystem (RMS) ❭ it is handled through a separate logistics chain. The UICC can generate key-pairs and store private keys for multiple security domains effectively and securely. Effectiveness comes from its powerful cryptographic co-processors, while security is provided by the combination of the standardized RMS and the UICC’s ability to run cryptography processes inside the module. This means that the keys never leave the hardware and therefore they cannot be exposed to the application. Not only does this architecture provide security, it can also securely tie the 3GPP connectivity credentials and other IoT certificates to each other. Sincemodemfirmwareisaclosedenvironment, itisdifficulttoupgradeandtocustomizeitsprotocol stacks(extendingthemwithproprietaryadded values).Inaddition,asmallsecurityholeinthe protocolstackcanbeenoughforahackertotake controlofthewholemodem. Alternatively,thesehigher-layerprotocolstacks canbemovedtotheUICC.Figure2depictsablock diagramofadevice,wheretheOMALwM2M clientrunsontheUICCmoduleandusesanon-IP datadelivery(NIDD)protocolconnectiontosend informationtothedevicemanagementsystem. Runninghigher-levelprotocolsintheUICC modulecanimprovesecurityinseveralways. Forexample,itispossibletoruntheLwM2M stackoveraNIDDconnection[9]andeventoallow thiscodetoexecuteontheUICCmoduleinstead ofonthedeviceprocessor.Inthisscenario, command/controlisneverexposedonthe IPlayerbecauseitisrunninginthesignaling networkoftheoperator.Anadditionaladvantage ofthisapproachisthatitincreasesinteroperability. Thereisastandardizedwayofupgradingthe communicationstackintheUICC–itiseven possibletoinsertthecommunicationstackinto theoperatorprofile.Thisdoesnotcompletely solvecompatibilityandinterfacingproblems, butacertifiedoperatorcanhandletheseissues onahighersecurityleveltoprovidewider solutionmatching. InthesimplestIoTdevices,itmightevenbe possibletoruntheactualIoTapplicationonthe UICCmodule.Thiswouldopenforedge-computing solutionsinwhichsimpletasksareexecutedonthe device–datafilteringtoreducetheamountofdata beingsentovertheair,forexample.Securitycanalso beimprovedifthebinaryisstoredontheUICC insteadofonthedeviceapplicationprocessor. TherecentlyreleasedGSMAIoTSAFE[8]offers asolutionwheretheUICCisutilizedasarootof trustforIoTsecurity.Here,anappletontheUICC/ eUICCprovidescryptographicsupportandstorage ofcredentialsforestablishingsecurecommunication (forexample,usingDTLS)toanIoTservice.The existingUICCmanagementsystem(UICCOTA mechanism)isusedbytheoperatortoestablish trustedcredentialsbetweenthedeviceandtheIoT service.TheGSMAIoTSAFEdefinesanapplication programminginterfaceforinteroperabilitybetween SIMappletsfromdifferentoperators. UsingtheUICCtorun higher-layerprotocolstacks In addition to providing security and encryption functions, UICC modules could also serve as main application processors. Today, a low-cost, sensor-like IoT device usually has at least three processors on board: one is on the UICC module, another runs inside the baseband modem, and a third – the application processor itself (sometimes combined) – collects data and hosts higher level communication stacks such as LwM2M, CoAP or MQ Telemetry Transport. Shiftingthehigher-levelcommunicationstack fromtheapplicationprocessortotheUICC modulecanleadtocheaperhardwareandlower developmentcosts,aswellasprovidingaunique approachtointeroperability.Asaresult,some modemmanufacturershaveimplementedthese protocolsinsidethemodem,runningacomplete OMALwM2Mprotocolstackinthebasebandchip, forexample.Whilethismayfreeupanexternal applicationprocessorandspeedupdevice development,thissolutionisratherinflexible. Figure 2 IoT device with LwM2M client running on the UICC module, using NIDD Application Operator profile PSK IMEI BIP Sensor data IoT device UICC PSK NIDD/SMS/USSD NIDD/SMS /USSD Dev. ID SCEF Radio modem LwM2M client Device and data management (LwM2M server) SIMtoolkit EFFECTIVENESS COMESFROMITS POWER- FULCRYPTOGRAPHIC CO-PROCESSORS ✱ UICC MODULES AND THE IoT UICC MODULES AND THE IoT ✱ 6 7APRIL 14, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ APRIL 14, 2020
  • 14. 26 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 27 UsingtheUICCasasupervisoryentity Zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) is yet another possibility for better utilization of the UICC module. ZTP refers to the possibility of adding an identity to a device when required, with automatic setup of the working environment (requiring manual intervention). Aneffectiveautomaticprovisioningsystem requiresremoteprovisioningmanagement, keyandcredentialstorage,identitymappingof UICCmodulesandapplicationsaswellasstrong flexibilityincaseofoperatorprofiles,butallofthis isfarfromenough.ProvisioningofIoTdevicesisa complex,slowandcostlyprocedure.Althoughthere isajointefforttoextendmobilenetworkstosupport standardized,automaticdeviceandsubscription provisioning,itisataveryearlystage. Duringtheprovisioningprocedure,twoormore identitiesaregiventothedevice,whichentails thattheseidentifiersaredownloaded,anddifferent subsystemsareconfigured(mobilenetwork,device ThisiswhereaUICCapplicationcanhelpand supportanOTTZTPservice.AUICCmodulecan storesensitiveinformationfromdifferentsecurity domains.AsitworksclosetotheIoTdevice,itcando correctiveactionslocallyifthereisaproblemwith theconnectivity(attempttoactivateanotherprofile andconnecttoanotheroperator).Inaddition,itis scalingtogetherwiththeIoTdevices.Sincethis solutioniscompletelyunderthecontrolofthe operator,itcanbeindependentoftheapplication, therebyalsosavingdevelopmentcosts. Figure3showsanexampleofthissystem: acentralZTPservice,inconnectionwith multiple subsystemsandasupportapplication ontheUICCmodule. ThecentralZTPserviceworkingtogetherwith theZTPsupportapplicationontheUICCmodule canbeveryeffective.TheZTPserviceandtheZTP supportapplicationtogethercancoveralmost everyusecaseandsolvetheproblemstheIoTarea isstrugglingwithtoday. TheUICCapplicationcanbeusedtomonitor connectivityandfixissueslocally.Thiscanbe highlyeffectiveifcredentialsarestoredonthe UICCmoduleandiftheIoTprotocolstack isalsorunningontheUICCmodule. FornarrowbandIoT,thetraditionalprofile downloadsolutionandthemachine-to-machine SM-DPisineffective.Significantlybetterresults canbeachievedbyusingtheSM-DP+inanewway. Forexample,runningtheLPAproxyontheUICC modulemakesitpossibletousecompletelynew optionsfordeviceprovisioning. Conclusion The universal integrated circuit card (UICC) modules present in all 3GPP IoT devices today are costly and underutilized. managementsystem,datamanagementsystem, andsoon).Severalstandardizedtechnologiesexist tosupportthisprocessbut,unfortunately, theyarenotconnectedintoaworking,efficient, fullyautomatedandcooperativesystem. Themoststraightforwardwaytoconnect differentsubsystemsinaflexibleandprogrammable wayistorunacentralizedserviceaboveoratthe samelevelasthesesubsystems.ThisZTPservice isconnectedtothe3GPPnetwork(forinstance tosubscriberdatamanagement),totheSM-DP+ system(usuallyoperatedbytheUICCmodule vendororanindependentbootstrapoperator), tothedevicemanagementsystemandtothedata managementsystem.TheconnectiontotheIoT deviceitself,tothemanufactureroreventothe installerofthedevicecanalsobeestablished. Themainpurposeofthisserviceistodrivethe IoTdevicethroughthestepsofautomaticdevice provisioningfromtheverybeginning(orderingthe device)tothefinaldecommissioning. Althoughthisover-the-topservice(OTT) canspeeduptheprovisioningprocesssignificantly, ithassomedisadvantages.Itshouldnotstoresensitive data,butonlymanageitindirectly.Furthermore, ifthedevicehasnoconnectionatall,itcannot doanything.Scalingcouldalsobeaproblem. Figure 3 ZTP system with central ZTP service and UICC support Application IoT device ZTP support application Device vendor Data management Device management Enterprise CRM UICC vendor Mobile network operator Operator profile ZTP service AUICCMODULECAN STORESENSITIVE INFORMATION Terms and abbreviations AKA – Authentication and Key Agreement |BIP – Bearer Independent Protocol | CoAp – Constrained Application Protocol | DTLS – Datagram Transport Layer Security | eUICC – Embedded UICC (soldered to the device board) | HTTPS – Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure | IMEI – International Mobile Equipment Identity | IOT – Internet of Things | IUICC – Integrated UICC (integrated to a microchip) | LPA – Local Profile Assistant | LPAdv – LPA (device), interfacing to the UICC | LPApr – LPA (proxy), interacting with the device owner and SM-DP+ | LwM2M – Lightweight Machine-to-Machine | NIDD – Non-IP Data Delivery | OMA – Open Mobile Alliance | OTT – Over-the-Top | PSK – Pre-shared Keys | RMS – Remote Management Subsystem | RSP – Remote SIM Provisioning (protocol) | SCEF – Service Capability Exposure Functions | SM-DP – Subscription Manager–Data Preparation | UICC – Universal Integrated Circuit Card | USSD – Unstructured Supplementary Service Data | ZTP – Zero-Touch Provisioning ✱ UICC MODULES AND THE IoT UICC MODULES AND THE IoT ✱ 8 9APRIL 14, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ APRIL 14, 2020
  • 15. 28 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 29 Further reading ❭ Ericsson Technology Review, Key technology choices for optimal massive IoT devices, January 2019, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/ericsson-technology-review/articles/key- technology-choices-for-optimal-massive-iot-devices ❭ Ericsson, eSIM – Let’s talk business, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/digital-services/trending/esim ❭ Ericsson blog, Secure IoT identities, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2017/3/secure-iot-identities ❭ Ericsson blog, Secure brokering of digital identities, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2017/7/ secure-brokering-of-digital-identities References 1. Ericsson blog, Evolving SIM solutions for IoT, May 27, 2019, Smeets, B; Ståhl, P; Fornehed, J, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2019/5/evolving-sim-solutions-for-iot 2. UICC card HW specification for P5Cxxxx cards, available at: http://www.e-scan.com/smart-card/nxp.pdf 3. GSMA, RSP Technical Specification Version 2.1, February 27, 2017, available at: https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/SGP.22_v2.1.pdf 4. GSMA, Remote Provisioning Architecture for Embedded UICC Technical Specification Version 4.0, February 25, 2019, available at: https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/SGP.02-v4.0.pdf 5. GSMA Intelligence: The future of the SIM: potential market and technology implications for the mobile ecosystem, February 2017, Iacopino, P; Rogers, M, available at: https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/ research/?file=3f8f4057fdd7832b0b923cb051cb6e2c&download 6. OMA, Lightweight Machine to Machine Technical Specification: Core, July 10, 2018, available at: http://www.openmobilealliance.org/release/LightweightM2M/V1_1-20180710-A/OMA-TS-LightweightM2M_ Core-V1_1-20180710-A.pdf 7. ARM, ARM Security Technology, available at: http://infocenter.arm.com/help/topic/com.arm.doc.prd29- genc-009492c/PRD29-GENC-009492C_trustzone_security_whitepaper.pdf 8. GSMA, IoT SAFE, available at: https://www.gsma.com/iot/iot-safe/ 9. OMA, white paper, Lightweight M2M 1.1: Managing Non-IP Devices in Cellular IoT Networks, October 2018, Slovetskiy, S; Magadevan, P; Zhang, Y; Akhouri, S, available at: https://www.omaspecworks.org/wp- content/uploads/2018/10/Whitepaper-11.1.18.pdf theauthOrs Benedek Kovács ◆ joined Ericsson in 2005. Over the years since he has served as a system engineer, R&D site innovation manager (Budapest) and characteristics,performance management and reliability specialist in the development of the 4G VoLTE solution. Today he works on 5G networks and distributed cloud, as well as coordinating global engineering projects. Kovács holds an M.Sc. in information engineering and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary. Zsigmond Pap ◆ joined Ericsson in 2012. After working in the cloud native and 5G packet core areas as technical manager and system architect respectively, he moved into the IoT area. He specializes in low-level software development and he has participated in multiple hardware and firmware developments related to custom hardware solutions. He holds an M.Sc. in the area of hardware and embedded computers and a Ph.D. in information engineering fromtheBudapestUniversity of Technology and Economics in Hungary. Zsolt Vajta ◆ joined Ericsson in 2015 as a software developer focused on developing and maintaining modules to implement the link aggregation control protocol in the IP operating system. In 2018, he became involved in research on IoT device activation and zero-touch provisioning. As of early 2020, he has joined the packet core area as a product owner. He holds an M.Sc. in informatics and physics as well as a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from the University of Debrecen in Hungary. The authors would like to thank the following people for their contributions to this article: Gergely Seres, John Fornehed, Per Ståhl, Peter Mattsson, Bogdan Dragus, Robert Khello and Tony Uotila. The industry is looking for ways to replace them with a next-generation solution, but for the foreseeable future UICC modules are here to stay. While there are a few ways to reduce the complexity of using UICC modules and thereby reducing the cost of IoT devices, it is also possible to extend the application of UICC modules well beyond the cellular domain. For example, members of the existing UICC ecosystem can start exploiting UICC capabilities for storing IoT identities, executing IoT protocols, increasing security, providing end-to-end connectivity as a service, and/or supporting zero-touch provisioning. ✱ UICC MODULES AND THE IoT UICC MODULES AND THE IoT ✱ 10 11APRIL 14, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ APRIL 14, 2020
  • 16. ✱ CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 ✱ FUTURE NETWORK TRENDS CREATING INTELLIGENT DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE Allaroundtheworld,theunprecedented events of 2020 have brought into focus thecriticalrolethatdigitalinfrastructure plays in the functioning of virtually every aspect of contemporary society. More than ever before, communication technologies are providing innovative solutions to help address social, environmentalandeconomicchallenges by enhancing efficiency and enabling both intensified network usage and more well-informed decisions. Oneofthemostimportantfeaturesofdigital infrastructureistheabilitytobridgedistances andmakeiteasiertoefficientlymeetsocietal needsintermsofresourceutilization, collaboration,competencetransfer,status verification,privacyprotection,securityand safety.Thecommunicationsindustry supportsotherindustriesbyenablingthem todeliverdigitalproductsandservicessuch ashealthcare,education,finance,commerce, governanceandagriculture.Italsoplaysa vitalroleintacklingclimatechangebyhelping otherindustriesreduceemissionsand improveefficiency. Inlastyear’strendsarticle,Iintroduced theconceptofthenetworkplatformand explainedhowitservesasacatalystinthe developmentofanopenmarketplace thatisalwaysavailabletoanyconsumer ofthedigitalinfrastructure.Thenetwork platformformsthecoreofthedigital infrastructure,withtheabilitytoensure long-termcompetitivenessforenterprises andmeetthefullrangeofsocietalneedsas well.Itisatrustworthysolutionthat guaranteesresilience,privacy,reliability andsafetyforalltypesoforganizations– public,privateandeverythinginbetween. Italsohasthescale,costperformanceand qualityrequiredtosupportfutureinnovations. Asaresultofthesecharacteristics,itisthe mostsustainablesolutiontoaddressall futurecommunicationneeds. Futuretechnologieswillenableafully digitalized,automatedandprogrammable worldofconnectedhumans,machines, thingsandplaces.Allexperiencesand sensationswillbetransparentacrossthe boundariesofphysicalandvirtualrealities. Trafficinfuturenetworkswillbegenerated notonlybyhumancommunicationbutalso byconnected,intelligentmachinesand botsthatareembeddedwithartificial intelligence(AI).Astimegoeson,the percentageoftrafficgeneratedbyhumans willdropasthatoftrafficgeneratedby machinesandcomputervisionsystems– includingautonomousvehicles,drones andsurveillancesystems–rises. Themachinesandother‘things’that makeuptheInternetofThings(IoT)require evenmoresophisticatedcommunication thanhumansdo.Forexample,connected, intelligentmachinesmustbeableto interactdynamicallywiththenetwork. Sensordatawillbeusedtosupportthe developmentofpervasivecyber-physical systemsconsistingofphysicalobjects connectedtocollaborativedigitaltwins. Futurenetworkcapabilitieswillalsoinclude supportforthetransferofsensing modalitiessuchassensationsandsmell. Thenetworkplatformactsasaseamless universalconnectivityfabriccharacterized byitsalmostlimitlessscalabilityand affordability.Itiscapableofexposing capabilitiesbeyondcommunication services,suchasembeddedcomputeand storageaswellasadistributedintelligence thatsupportsuserswithinsightsand reasoning. Inthisarticle,Iwillexplaintheongoing evolutionofthenetworkplatforminterms ofthekeyneedsthataredrivingits evolution(trends1-3)andtheemerging capabilitiesthatwillmeetboththose andotherneeds(trends4-7). BY: ERIK EKUDDEN, CTO 30 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 31
  • 17. ✱ CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 ✱ TREND#1: ACOLLABORATIVE,AUTOMATED PHYSICALWORLD Asphysicalanddigitalrealitiesbecome increasinglyinterconnected,advanced cyber-physicalsystemshavebegunto emerge.Thesesystemsconsistofhumans, physicalobjects(machinesandotherthings), processes,networkingandcomputation, andtheinteractionsbetweenthemall. Theirprimarypurposeistoprovideindividuals, organizationsandenterpriseswithfull transparencytomonitorandcontrolassets andplaces,therebygeneratingmassive benefitsintermsofefficiency.Oneearly exampleofthisisthewaythatcyber-physical systemscanhelpplannersoptimizeenergy andmaterialsusage. Soon,therewillbehundredsofbillionsof connectedphysicalobjectswithembedded sensing,actuationandcomputing capabilities,whichcontinuouslygenerate informativedata.Thesensordatagenerated byphysicalobjectscanbeusedtocreate theirdigitaltwins.Collaborativedigital twinswillhavetheabilitytomanagethe interactionsbetweenthephysicalobjects theyrepresent. Digitalizingthephysicalenvironment inwhichthephysicalobjectsinteract requiressensordatafusion–thatis, usingdatafrommultiplesourcesto createanaccuratedigitalrepresentation ofthephysicalenvironment.Oneexample ofsensordatafusionisachievinghigh- precisionpositioningbycombining network-basedpositioningdatawith informationfromothersensorssuchas camerasandinertialmeasurementunits. Ultimately,thejointcommunication andsensinginfuturesystemswillmakeit possibletoleveragealltheinterconnected digitaltwinsanddigitalrepresentations oftheenvironmenttocreateacomplete digitalrepresentationofeverything. TREND#2: CONNECTED,INTELLIGENT MACHINES Machineswillbecomeincreasingly intelligentandautonomousastheir cognitiveabilitiescontinuetoexpand. Theirunderstandingoftheworldaround themwillcontinuetogrowintandemwith theirabilitytointeractwithothermachines aspartofacognitivesystemofsystems. Anintelligentmachineusessensorsto monitortheenvironmentandadjustits actionstoaccomplishspecifictasks inthefaceofuncertaintyandvariability. Thesemachinesincludethreemajor subsystems:sensors,actuatorsandcontrol. Examplesofintelligentmachinesinclude industrialrobots,speechrecognition/ voicesynthesisandself-guidedvehicles. Thecomplexityofcontrolandlogicskills makesexpertsystemscentralintherealm ofintelligentmachines. Trends 1-3: The key drivers of network platform evolution The three key drivers that are most significant to the evolution of the network platform are all related to bridging the gap between physical reality and the digital realm. Most notably, this involves delivering sensory experiences over networks and utilizing digital representations to make the physical world fully programmable. Thenetworkplatformwillprovide anautomatedenvironmentinwhich interconnected,intelligentmachines cancommunicate,includingsupportfor AI-to-AIcommunicationandautonomous systemssuchascommunicationamong self-drivingvehiclesandintelligent machinesinfactories. Intelligentmachineshavetheirownway ofperceivinginformation(data),whichis differentfromhowhumansperceiveit. Forexample,communicationamong intelligentmachinesrequiresnewtypesof videocompressionmechanisms,astoday’s videocodecsareoptimizedforhuman perception. Anotheraspecttoconsiderishow intelligentmachineswillinteractand communicatewitheachother.Toimprove thereliabilityandefficiencyofmachine- to-machinecommunication,machineswill needtounderstandthemeaningofthe communicationintermsofcapabilities, intentionsandneeds.Thiswillrequire semantics-drivencommunication. Cognitionisoneofthemostimportant capabilitiesofanintelligentmachine. Cognitivemachinesarecapableof self-learningfromtheirinteractionsand experienceswiththeirenvironment. Theygeneratehypothesesandreasoned arguments,makerecommendationsand takeactions.Theycanadaptandmake senseofcomplexityandhandle unpredictability.Thefuturenetworkwill empowercognitivemachinesbyproviding themwithnewnetworkfeaturesandservices suchassensing,high-precisionpositioning anddistributedcomputingcapabilities. TREND#3: THEINTERNETOFSENSES Theabilitytodelivermultisensoryexperiences overfuturenetworkswillmakeiteasierthan everbeforetotransferskillsovertheinternet. Itwillultimatelyleadtotheemergenceof theinternetofsenses,whichcombines visual,audio,hapticandothertechnologies toallowhumanbeingstohaveremote sensoryexperiences. Theinternetofsenseswillenable seamlessinteractionwithremotethings andmachines,makingitpossibletofully realizeusecasessuchasremotehealth checks,remoteoperationofmachinery, holographiccommunicationandvirtual reality(VR)vacations.Amongotherbenefits, theinternetofsensesisexpectedtohavea significantimpactintermsofsustainability, bydramaticallyreducingtheneedfortravel. Intheyearsahead,majorleapsforward areexpectedinsensorandactuator technologies,suchastheactuationof smellandhigh-qualitytouchsensation. Duringremoteoperations,theadvancesin hapticdeviceswillallowvirtualobjects tobeperceivedjustastherealobjects themselves.Holographiccommunication willbepossiblewithoutwearingextended realityglasses,dueto3Dlightfielddisplay technologies. Bodyaugmentationcapabilitieswillenable humanstobesmarter,strongerandmore capable.Otherexamplesarecontactlenses thatcandisplayaugmentedreality(AR) content,universaltranslatorearbuds thatallowforlanguage-independent communicationandexoskeletonsthat increasephysicalstrength.Eventually, brain-computerinterfaceswillenable communicationatthespeedofthought where,insteadofspeakingtomachines, humanswillmerelythinkinorderto directthem. Thenetworkplatformsupportsthe internetofsenseswithnovelnetwork enablerssuchasdistributedcompute,high- precisionpositioning,integratedsensing andapplicationprogramminginterfaces. Theseareneededtosupportbandwidth andlatencyreservation,networklatency reportingandnetworksliceprioritization. Ericssonhasdeployedadigitaltwin intheItalianportofLivorno(Leghorn). Asaresult,terminalportoperations willincreasinglybecomeamixture ofphysicalmachinery,robotics systems,automatedvehicles, human-operateddigitalplatforms andAI-basedsoftwaresystems. Allthosecomponents,servedby a5Gsolution,transformtheport environmentintoa‘playground’ inwhichtoexperiencethefuture ofanautomatedphysicalworld. Theport’sdigitaltwinmakesuse ofaplethoraofreal-timedata capturedbyconnectedobjectsat thephysicalport,includingsensors, camerasandvehicles.AnAIoperation managementsystemoperatesonthe digitalmodeltodeterminethe sequenceoflogisticstasksand activities.Feedbackfromthese processesprovidesliveupdates tothehumansupervisorsusing VRandtothedocks/quay operatorsthroughAR. Resultsindicatethatthereare about60directandindirectbenefits ofthesolution,includingimproved competitiveness,increasedsafety forpersonnel,sustainablegrowthof theportcity,improvedmanagement oflogisticsandapositive environmentalimpact. USE CASE DIGITAL TWIN IN THE PORT OF LIVORNO 32 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 33
  • 18. ✱ CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 ✱ TREND#4: OMNIPRESENTANDNON- LIMITINGCONNECTIVITY Theconceptofubiquitousradioaccessis evolvingtowardthevisionofafuturenetwork thatwilldelivernon-limitingperformance tosatisfytheneedsofhumans,thingsand machinesbyenhancingmultidimensional coverage,stellarcapacityandaugmenting capabilities. Accesscoverageeverywhere Furtherdensificationofnetworksisneeded toprovidehigh-speedcoverageeverywhere. Connectedairbornedevices,suchasdrones, requireaccessonaltitudesuptoseveral kilometers,makingitnecessarytohavea 3Dpointofviewincludingtheelevation aspecttoprovidecoverage.Thereisalso aneedtoensurehigh-performingindoor connectivitybyincreasingthenumberof indoorsmallcellsandfullyintegratingthem. Flexiblenetworktopologies anddeployments Networktopologiesanddeploymentswill needtobecomeincreasinglyflexibleto providecoverageeverywhereanddeliver extremeperformance.Onepossibilityisa multi-hop-basedradionetwork,wherea multitudeofnodescollaboratetoforward amessagetothereceiver.Thissolutionis particularlyinterestingforsmallercells oflimitedreach.Satellites,high-altitude platformsandairbornecellscanbe integratedintothenetworkasacomplement toextendcoverage.Furthercomponentsin aflexibletopologycanincludeconnected devicerelayandthepossibilityforad-hoc deploymentsofnetworks.Ultimately, distributedmassiveMIMO(multiple-input, multiple-output)solutionsmayleadtofully distributedconnectivity,wheremanyradio networknodessimultaneouslyserveauser, withoutfixed-cellborders. Accessforzero-energydevices Therapidlygrowingdemandforvast numbersofconnectedsensorsand actuatorshasmadeitnecessarytoinvent zero-energydevices.Thesewillbedeployed onceandwillcontinuouslyreportandact withouttheneedformaintenanceor externalcharging.Thesteppingstones alongthewayincludenarrowbandIoT enhancementsandmassivemachine typecommunicationfor5GNewRadio forlocalareanetworks(LANs)aswellas forwide-areausage. Extremeradioperformance Thenetworkwillutilizehigherfrequency bandstodeliverextremeperformance. Forexample,communicationsoverthe terahertzfrequencyband(above100GHz) havesomeattractiveproperties, includingterabit-per-secondlink capacitiesandminiaturetransceivers. Trends 4-7: Critical enablers of the future network platform The network platform is designed to deliver the kind of extreme performance required by applicationareassuchastheinternetofsensesandcommunicationamongintelligentmachines. It will also serve new types of devices with close-to-zero-cost and close-to-zero-energy implementations, which can be embedded into everything. Looking ahead, increasingly advanced technologies in four areas (trends 4-7) will expand the capabilities of the digital infrastructure through the network platform. Thedesignofterahertzelectronicsincludes verysmallantennaandradiofrequency (RF)elementsaswellashigh-performance oscillators. Fullduplexisanothercomponentthatcan, insomespecificscenarios,substantially increasethelinkcapacitycomparedwith halfduplex.Fullduplexismadepossibleby self-interferencesuppressioncircuits. Visiblelightwirelesscommunication, piggybackingonthewideadoptionofLED (light-emittingdiode)lighting,isanother potentialstepinthefrequencydomainto complementRFcommunications. Networkasasensor Higherfrequencieswillfurtherenhancethe spatialandtemporalresolutionoftheradio signal.Reflectionsofsuchradiosignalscan beusedtosensethesurroundings. Furthermore,highfrequencieshave distinctatmosphericandmaterial interactions,wheredifferentfrequencies aremoreorlesssusceptibletothingslike absorptioninwater,forexample.Thishas beenshowntobesufficienttoforecast weatherandairquality. Distanceinformationtoreflecting surfacescanbeidentifiedbyintegrating positioningandsensingcapabilities. Suchinformationcanbeusedtodetect obstaclesandspeedaswellastogenerate real-timelocalmaps. TREND#5: PERVASIVENETWORK COMPUTEFABRIC Asdistributedcomputeandstorage continuestoevolve,thelinesbetween thedevice,theedgeofthenetworkand thecloudwillbecomeincreasinglyblurred. Everythingcanbeviewedasasingle, unified,integratedexecutionenvironment fordistributedapplications,including bothnetworkfunctionsandthird-party applications.Inthenetworkcompute fabric,connectivity,computeandstorage willbeintegrated,interactingtoprovide maximumperformance,reliability, lowjitterandmillisecondlatencies fortheapplicationstheyserve. Ratherthanprocessingdatacentrally, inmanycasesitismoreefficientinterms ofbandwidthand/orlatencyconstraints tobringtheprocessingclosertowhere thedataisproduced,insightsareconsumed andactionsaretaken.Insomecases,local operationmayberequiredbyregulationsor preferredforprivacy,securityorresilience reasons. Asidefromtheapplications,thenetwork alsoprovidesacontinuousexecution environmentforaccessandcorefunctions. Itrunsonadistributedcloudinfrastructure withintegratedaccelerationfordata- intensivevirtualnetworkfunctionsand applications. Thefuturenetworkplatformgoes beyondtheuseofmicroservicesto implementnetworkfunctionsasserverless architectures.Theservermanagementand capacityplanningdecisionsarefully autonomousfromthedeveloperandthe networkoperator.Thenetworktakescare 34 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 35
  • 19. ✱ CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 ofthedeployment,scalingandallresources requiredtoensurethatthefunction deployedisalwaysavailableatanyscale. Upcomingnovelcomputingarchitectures includememory-centriccomputing,optical computing,nanocomputing,neuromorphic computingandevenquantumcomputing. Inthefuture,thesearchitectureswillenable continuedexponentialgrowthincompute capacityformostapplicationsrunningon thenetworkcomputefabric–animportant developmentastheendofMoore’slaw approaches. TREND#6: TRUSTWORTHY INFRASTRUCTURE Governmentsandenterprisesareadopting advancedtechnologiesforsecureassurance ofmission-andbusiness-criticalprocesses suchasfactoryautomation,remotecontrol ofassetsandmore.Thehighlytrustworthy networkplatformfulfillstherequirements ofeventhemostmission-andbusiness- criticalusecases.Itoffersafusionof connectivityandcomputecharacterizedby differentdimensionsofresilience,privacy, security,reliabilityandsafety.Itwillalso provideadaptableandverifiabledimensions oftrustworthinessinascalableandcost- efficientmanner. Ratherthanbeingdesignedpernode orforaparticularpartofthenetwork,the always-oncharacteristicsofthenetwork platformsuchasreliability,availabilityand resilienceriseuptocoverthecomplete network.Always-onmechanismsarebuilt intouserplane,controlplaneanddevice mobilitysolutions.Allpartsofthenetwork willbeaddressedincludingtransport nodesandtransportnetworks,network infrastructureandsitesolutions. Toprotectcommunicationanddata, secureidentitiesareutilizedatevery layerbetweenhumans,devicesand applicationsindifferentindustrysegments. Theseidentitiesaresecurelyanchored todevicesandnetworknodesbyroot- of-trustmechanisms. Networkplatformsolutionsutilize confidentialcomputingtoprotectidentities andtheirdataandestablishtrustamong networkcustomersandtheirassets, therebyalsoofferingassurancetousers andregulators.Thisrequiresautomated trustassessmentofallnetworkelements, things,machinesandapplications,aswell ascomputeandstorageresourcesby usingremoteattestationandAI. ResponsibleAIwillbringtrustworthy automatedprotectionandriskmanagement. AI-basedautomationprovidestheability toactonahighnumberofeventsaffecting thenetworkinfrastructureorthenetwork usage. TREND#7: COGNITIVENETWORK Inthevisionofzero-touchnetwork managementandoperations,networks aredeployedandoperatedwithminimum humanintervention,usingtrustworthy AItechnologies.Alloperationalprocesses andtasks,including,forexample,delivery, deployment,configuration,assurance andoptimization,willbeexecutedwith 100percentautomation. Thenetworkitselfwillcontinuously learnfromitsenvironmentobservations, interactionswithhumansandprevious experiences.Thecognitiveprocesses understandthecurrentnetworksituation, planforwantedoutcome,decideonwhat todoandactaccordingly.Theoutcome servesasaninputtolearnfromitsactions. Thecognitivenetworkwillbeableto optimizeitsexistingknowledge,buildon experienceandreasoninordertosolve newproblems. Thenetworkwillutilizeintent-based anddistributedintelligenceformultiple functions,includingoptimizationofthe radiointerface,automationofnetwork managementandorchestrationsuchas theoptimizationofparameters,handlingof alarmsandself-healing.AIalgorithmswill bedeployedandtrainedatdifferent networkdomains,forexample,in management,thecorenetworkandthe radionetwork.Physicallayeralgorithms, suchaslinkadaptation,handover,power controlanddynamicschedulingof resourcescanbeoptimizedwithAIagents. Networkmanagementwillbecomeless complexthroughintelligentclosed-loop automationwithsupportforhumansto interactwiththenetworkandmonitorits behaviors.Thenetworkoperatorexpresses theintentofadesirednetworkstateorgoal, andthenetworkinternallyresolvesthe detailedstepsnecessarytoachievethat intent.Networkknowledge,dataand actionsareshapedinsuchawaythatthe operatorinteractingwiththenetworkcan understandthem. Thecognitivenetworkwillbebasedon controldesign,usingbothmachine reasoningandmachinelearningtechniques thataredistributedandcapableofactingin realtime.Thenetworkisahighlydistributed systemwheremultipleAIagents,present acrossthenetwork,needtointerworkto optimizeoverallnetworkperformance. Localdecisionsneedtobecoordinated withmorecentralintent-baseddecisions. ThecentralAIagentneedstomakedecisions inrealtimebasedonbothlocalandglobal information.MultipledistributedAIagents sharedistributedinsightsthroughout thenetworkthroughfederatedlearning. Cognitivenetworkswillbeinherently trustworthy–thatis,reliable,safe, secure,fair,transparent,sustainable andresilient–bydesign. CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 ✱ 36 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 37
  • 20. ✱ CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 CTO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 2020 ✱ Thedigitalinfrastructureoffersendless possibilities to individuals, enterprises and governments across the globe, with its unique ability to bridge vast distances and enable powerful new solutions to a wide rangeofsocial, environmentalandeconomic challenges. Health care, education, finance, commerce, governance and agriculture are just a few of the sectors that stand to benefit from the massive efficiency gains that digital infrastructure can provide. Designedtocarryvitalmessages, commands,reasoning,insights,intelligence andallthesensoryinformationneededto supportthecontinuousevolutionofindustry andsociety,thenetworkplatformisdesigned tobethespinalcordofdigitalinfrastructure. Itisalsotheidealplatformforalltypesof innovation,withtheabilitytosupport interactionsthatempoweranintelligent, sustainableandconnectedworld. Themajoradvantageofthenetwork platformisthatitwillbeaccessible anywhere,always-onandwithguaranteed performance.Nomadicdistributed processingandstoragewillbeembedded intoittosupportadvancedapplications. Itwillbeinherentlyreliableandresilient, fulfillingalltherequirementsforsecure communication.Cognitiveoperations andmaintenanceofthenetworkandits serviceswilldeliverthemostcost-efficient andsustainablesolutiontomeetany andallcommunicationneeds. Withthisinmind,itisclearthatthemost importantfuturenetworktrendstowatchin 2020arethosethatrelatemostcloselyto thegrowthandexpansionofintelligent digitalinfrastructureonthenetworkplatform. Thefirstthreeoftheseventrendsthisyear arethekeydriversofnetworkplatform evolution–thecreationofacollaborative automatedphysicalworld,connected, intelligentmachinesandtheinternetof senses.Allthreehighlightthegrowingneed tobridgethegapbetweenphysicaland digitalrealities.Trends4-7areincreasingly advancedtechnologiesinfourareas– non-limitingconnectivity,pervasive networkcomputefabric,trustworthy infrastructureandcognitivenetworks. Breakthroughsinthesefourareaswillbe essentialtofullyenabletrends1-3and continuouslyexpandthecapabilitiesofthe digitalinfrastructurethroughthenetwork platformintheyearsanddecadesahead. ◆ As Group CTO, Erik Ekudden is responsible for setting the direction of technology leadership for the Ericsson Group. His experience of working with technology leadership globally influences thestrategicdecisionsandinvestmentsin,forexample,mobility,distributedcloud,artificialintelligence andtheInternetofThings.Thisbuildsonhisdecades-longcareerintechnologystrategiesandindustry activities.EkuddenjoinedEricssonin1993andhasheldvariousmanagementpositionsinthecompany, including Head of Technology Strategy, Chief Technology Officer Americas in Santa Clara (USA), and Head of Standardization and Industry. He is also a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the publisher of Ericsson Technology Review. ERIK EKUDDEN SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER AND HEAD OF GROUP FUNCTION TECHNOLOGY CONCLUSION The network platform is the spinal cord of intelligent digital infrastructure Furtherreading ❭ Ericsson blog, What do cyber-physical systems have in store for us?, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2019/12/ cyber-physical-systems-technology-trend ❭ Ericsson report, 10 Hot Consumer Trends 2030, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/consumerlab/ reports/10-hot-consumer-trends-2030 ❭ Ericsson blog, Driving business value in an open world, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2020/7/cto-driving-business- value-in-an-open-world ❭ Ericsson Technology Review, CTO Technology Trends 2019, available at: https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/ ericsson-technology-review/articles/technology-trends-2019 38 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 39
  • 21. 40 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 41 With a vastly distributed system (the telco network) already in place, the telecom industry has a significant advantage in the transition toward distributed cloud computing. To deliver best-in-class application performance, however, operators must also have the ability to fully leverage heterogeneous compute and storage capabilities. WOLFGANG JOHN, CHANDRAMOULI SARGOR, ROBERT SZABO, AHSAN JAVED AWAN, CHAKRI PADALA, EDVARD DRAKE, MARTIN JULIEN, MILJENKO OPSENICA The cloud is transforming, both in terms of the extent of distribution and in the diversity of compute and storage capabilities. On-premises and edge data centers (DCs) are emerging, and hardware (HW) accelerators are becoming integral components of formerly software-only services. ■ One of the main drivers into the age of virtualization and cloud was the promise of reducing costs by running all types of workloads on homogeneous, generic, commercial off-the- shelf (COTS) HW hosted in dedicated, centralized DCs. Over the years, however, as use cases have matured and new ones have continued to emerge, requirements on latency, energy efficiency, privacy and resiliency have become more stringent, while demand for massive data storage has increased. Tomeetperformance,costand/orlegal requirements,cloudresourcesaremovingtoward theedgeofthenetworktobridgethegapbetween resource-constraineddevicesanddistantbut powerfulcloudDCs.Meanwhile,traditionalCOTS HWisbeingaugmentedbyspecialized programmableHWresourcestosatisfythestrict performancerequirementsofcertainapplications andlimitedenergybudgetsofremotesites. Theresultisthatcloudcomputingresources arebecomingincreasinglyheterogeneous,while simultaneouslybeingwidelydistributedacross smallerDCsatmultiplelocations.Clouddeployments mustberethoughttoaddressthecomplexityand technicalchallengesthatresultfromthisprofound transformation. Inthecontextoftelecommunicationnetworks, thekeychallengesareinthefollowingareas: 1. Virtualization of specialized HW resources 2. Exposure of heterogeneous HW capabilities 3. HW-aware workload placement 4. Managing increased complexity. Getting all these pieces right will enable the future network platform to deliver optimal application performance by leveraging emerging HW innovation that is intelligently distributed throughout the network, while continuing to harvest the operational and business benefits of cloud computing models. Figure1positionsthefourkeychallengesin relationtotheorchestration/operationssupport systems(OSS)layer,theapplicationlayer,run-time andtheoperatingsystem/hypervisor.Thelowerpart ofthefigureprovidessomeexamplesofspecialized HWinatelcoenvironment,whichincludesdomain- specificaccelerators,next-generationmemoryand storage,andnovelinterconnecttechnologies. Computeandstoragetrends With the inevitable end of Moore’s Law [2], developers can no longer assume that rapidly increasing application resource demands will be addressed by the next generation of faster general-purpose chips. Instead, commodity HW is being augmented by a very heterogeneous set of specialized chipsets, referred to as domain-specific accelerators, that attempt to provide both cost and energy savings. Forinstance,data-intensiveapplicationscantake advantageofthemassivescopeforparallelization HIGHLY DISTRIBUTED WITH HETEROGENEOUS HARDWARE Thefutureof cloudcomputing Figure 1 Impact of the four key challenges on the stack (top) and heterogeneity of HW infrastructure (bottom) HW-aware workload placement Exposure of HW capabilities Virtualization of specialized HW Orchestration/OSS Application Run-time Operating system/hypervisor Distributed compute & storage HW • Memory pooling • Storage-class memories • GPUs/TPUs • FPGAs • Cache-coherent interconnects • High bandwidth interconnects • Cache-coherent interconnects • High bandwidth interconnects • Near-memory computing • PMEM • GPUs/ASICs • FPGAs and SmartNICs Distributed compute & storage HW Next-generation memory & storage Domain-specific accelerators Novel interconnect technologies Operating system/hypervisor Run-time User device Application Central Edge 5G UPF 5G gNB Managing increased complexity ✱ THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING ✱ 2 3MAY 12, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MAY 12, 2020
  • 22. 42 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 43 physicalacceleratorintomultiplevirtualaccelerators mustbedonemanually.Addressingtheseissues willrequireappropriateabstractionsandmodels ofspecializedHW,sothattheircapabilitiescanbe interpretedandincorporatedbyorchestration functions. Theneedforappropriatemodelswillbefurther amplifiedinthecaseofdistributedcomputeand storage.Here,theselectionoftheoptimalsite locationwilldependontheapplicationrequirements (boundedlatencyorthroughputconstraints,for example)andtheavailableresourcesandHW capabilitiesatthesites.Theprogrammingand orchestrationmodelsmustbeabletoselect appropriatesoftware(SW)options–SWonlyinthe caseofmoderaterequirements,forexample,orSW complementedwithHWaccelerationforstringent requirements. AsSWdeploymentoptionswithorwithoutHW accelerationmayhavesignificantlydifferent resourcefootprints,sitesmustexposetheirHW capabilitiestobeabletoconstructatopologymap ofresourcesandcapabilities.Duringexposureand abstraction,proprietaryfeaturesandtheinterfaces tothemmustbehiddenandmappedto(formalor informal)industrystandardsthatarehopefully comingsoon.Modelingandabstractionofresources andcapabilitiesarenecessaryprerequisitestobe abletoselecttheappropriatelocationand applicationdeploymentoptionsandflavors. Orchestratingheterogeneousdistributedcloud Based on a global view of the resources and capabilities within the distributed environment, anorchestrationsystem(OSSintelcoterminology) typically takes care of designing and assigning application workloads within the compute and storage of the distributed environment. This means that decisions regarding optimal workload placement also should factor in the type of HW components available at the sites related to the requirements of the specific application SW. Duetothepricingofandpowerconstraints onexistingandupcomingHWaccelerators, ingraphicsprocessingunits(GPUs)ortensor processingunits(TPUs),whilelatency-sensitive applicationsorlocationswithlimitedpowerbudgets mayutilizefield-programmablegatearrays (FPGAs).Thesetrendspointtoarapidlyincreasing adoptionofacceleratorsinthenearfuture. Thegrowingdemandformemorycapacityfrom emergingdata-intensiveapplicationsmustbemetby upcominggenerationsofmemory.Next-generation memoriesaimtoblurthestrictdichotomybetween classicalvolatileandpersistentstoragetechnologies– offeringthecapacityandpersistencefeaturesof storage,combinedwiththebyte-addressability andaccessspeedsclosetotoday’srandom-access memory(RAM)technologies.Suchpersistent memory(PMEM)technologies[3]canbeused eitheraslargeterabytescalevolatilememory,oras storagewithbetterlatencyandbandwidthrelative tosolid-statedisks. 3Dsilicondie-stackinghasfacilitatedthe embeddingofcomputeunitsdirectlyinsidememory andstoragefabrics,openingaparadigmofnear- memoryprocessing[1],atechnologythatreduces datatransferbetweencomputeandstorageand improvesperformanceandenergyconsumption. Finally,advancementsininterconnecttechnologies willenablefasterspeeds,highercapacityandlower latency/jittertosupportcommunicationbetweenthe variousmemoryandprocessingresourceswithin nodesaswellaswithinclusters.Thecachecoherency propertiesofmoderninterconnecttechnologies, suchasComputeExpressLink[4]andGen-Z,can enabledirectaccesstoconfigurationregistersand memoryregionsacrossthecomputeinfrastructure. Thiswillsimplifytheprogrammabilityofaccelerators andfacilitatefine-graineddatasharingamong heterogeneousHW. Supportingheterogeneoushardware indistributedcloud WhilethecombinationofheterogeneousHW and distributed compute resources poses unique challenges, there are mechanisms to address each of them. Virtualizationofspecializedhardware The adoption of specialized HW in the cloud enables multiple tenants to use the same HW under the illusion that they are the sole user, with no data leakage between them. The tenants can request, utilize and release accelerators at any time using application programming interfaces (APIs). This arrangement requires an abstraction layer that provides a mechanism to schedule jobs to the specialized HW, monitor their resource usage and dynamically scale resource allocations to meet performance requirements. It is pertinent to keep the overhead of this virtualization to a minimum. While virtualization techniques for common COTS HW (x86-based central processing units (CPUs), dynamic RAM (DRAM), block storage and so on) have matured well during recent decades, corresponding virtualization techniques for domain-specific accelerators are largely still missing for production-grade systems. Exposureofhardwarecapabilities Current cloud architectures are largely agnostic to the capabilities of specialized HW. For example, all GPUs of a certain vendor are treated as equivalent, regardless of their exact type or make. To differentiate them, operators typically tag the nodes equipped with different accelerators with unique tags and the users request resources with a specific tag. This model is very different to general-purpose CPUs and can therefore lead to complications when a user requires combinations of accelerators. Currentdeploymentspecificationsalsodonot havegoodsupportforrequestingpartialallocation ofaccelerators.Foracceleratorsthatcanbe partitionedtoday,thedecompositionofasingle Definition of key terms Edge computing provides distributed computing and storage resources closer to the location where they are needed/consumed. Distributed cloud provides an execution environment for cloud application optimization across multiple sites, including required connectivity in between, managed as one solution and perceived as such by the applications. Hardware accelerators are devices that provide several orders of magnitude more efficiency/ performance compared with software running on general purpose central processing units for selected functions. Different hardware accelerators may be needed for acceleration of different functions. Persistent memory is an emerging memory technology offering capacity and persistence features of block-addressable storage, combined with the byte-addressability and access speeds close to today’s random-access memory technologies. It is also referred to as storage-class memory. Moore's law holds that the number of transistors in a densely integrated circuit doubles about every two years, increasing the computational performance of applications without the need for software redesign. Since 2010, however, physical constraints have made the reduction in transistor size increasingly difficult and expensive. THESETRENDSPOINTTOA RAPIDLYINCREASINGADOPTION OFACCELERATORS... ✱ THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING ✱ 4 5MAY 12, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MAY 12, 2020
  • 23. 44 #02 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ #02 2020 45 theyareexpectedtobescarceamongedge-cloud sites,whichinturnwillrequiremechanismsto employprioritizationandpreemptionofworkloads. UnlikeconventionalITcloudenvironments, distributedcloudallowsconsiderationsofremote resourcesandcapabilities. Moreover,telcoapplicationsandworkloads hostedintelcocloudsmayrequiremuchstricter ServiceLevelAgreements(SLAs)tobefulfilled. Prioritizationandpreemptionfornewworkloads mayonlybeaviableoptionifcapabilitiesor resourcesarealreadytaken.However,itisimportant tomigrateevictedworkloadseithertoanew location,ortoanewSWandHWdeploymentoption tominimizeservicedisruptionduringpreemption. Managingincreasedcomplexity Traditional automation techniques based on human scripting and/or rule books cannot scale to address the complexity of the heterogeneous distributed cloud. We can already see a shift away Whenaservicerequestarrives,theorchestration servicedesignstheserviceinstancetopologyand assignsresourcestoeachservicecomponent instance(redarrows).Theseactionsarebasedon theactualservicerequirements,theserviceaccess pointsandthebusinessintent. Opportunitiesandusecases In terms of the opportunities in support of the ongoing cloudification of telco networks, let us consider the case of RAN. The functional split of higher and lower layers of the RAN protocol makes it possible to utilize Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and distributed compute infrastructure to achieve ease of deployment and management. The asynchronous functions in the higher layer may be able to be run on COTS HW. However,asetofspecializedHWwillberequired tomeetthestringentperformancecriteriaoflower- layerRANfunctions.Forinstance,thetime- synchronousfunctionsinthemedium-access controllayer,suchasscheduling,linkadaptation, powercontrol,orinterferencecoordination,typically requirehighdataratesontheirinterfacesthatscale withthetraffic,signalbandwidthandnumberof antennas.Thesecannotbeeasilymetwithcurrent general-purposeprocessingcapabilities. Likewise,decipheringfunctionsinthepacket dataconvergenceprotocollayer,compression/ decompressionschemesoffronthaullinksand channeldecodingandmodulationfunctionsinthe physicallayerwouldallbenefitfromHW acceleration. Thesecurityrequirementsfordataflowsacross thebackhaulfor4G/5GRANsmandatetheuseof IPsecurityprotocols(IPsec).Byoffloadingencrypt/ decryptfunctionstospecializedHWsuchas SmartNetworkInterfaceControllers(SmartNICs), application-specificintegratedcircuits(ASICs) orFPGAs,theprocessingoverheadassociatedwith IPseccanbeminimized.Thisiscrucialtosupport higherdataratesinthetransportnetwork. Thenetworkdataanalyticsfunctionin5GCore networkswouldbenefitfromGPUstoaccelerate trainingofmachinelearning(ML)modelsonlive networkdata.Theenhancementstointerconnects (cachecoherency,forexample)makeiteasierforthe variousacceleratorsandCPUstoworktogether. Theinterconnectsalsoenablelowlatenciesand highbandwidthswithinsitesandnodes.Thereis increasingdemandonmemoryfromseveralcore networkfunctions(user-databasefunctions, forexample),bothfromascaleandalatency perspective.ThescaleofPMEMcanbeintelligently combinedwiththelowlatencyofdoubledatarate memoriestoaddresstheserequirements. Whiletheseopportunitiesarespecificto telecommunicationproviders,therearealsoseveral classesofthird-partyapplicationsthatwouldbenefit fromdistributedcomputeandstoragecapabilities withinthetelcoinfrastructure.Industry4.0includes severalusecasesthatcouldutilizeHW-optimized processing.Indoorpositioningtypicallyrequiresthe processingofhigh-resolutionimagestoaccurately determinethelocationofanobjectrelativetoothers onafactoryfloor.Thisiscomputationallyintensive andGPUs/FPGAsaretypicallyused.Likewise, theapplicationofaugmentedreality(AR)/virtual reality(VR)technologiesinsmartmanufacturing forremoteassistance,trainingormaintenance willrelysignificantlyonHWaccelerationand edgecomputingtooptimizeperformanceand reducelatencies. Thegamingindustryisalsowitnessing significanttechnologyshifts–specifically,remote renderingandmixed-realitytechnologieswillhave aprofoundimpactontheconsumerexperience. Thesetechnologiesrelyonanunderlyingdistributed cloudinfrastructurethathasHWacceleration capabilitiesattheedgetooffloadtheprocessing fromconsumerdevices,whilemaintainingstrict latencybounds. Furthermore,severalusecasesintheautomotive industryinvolvestrictlatencyrequirementsthat demandHWaccelerationintheformofGPUsand FPGAsatremotesites.Examplesincludereal-time objectdetectioninvideostreamsthatareprocessed byeithervehiclesorroad-sideinfrastructure. from human-guided automation to machine- reasoning-based automation such as cognitive artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Specifically, a paradigm is emerging where the human input to the cloud system will be limited to specifying the desired business objectives (intents). The cloud system then figures how best to realize those objectives/intents. Figure2presentsanexemplarydistributedcloud scenariowithaccesssites,regionalandcentralDCs andpublicclouds.Itisbasedontheassumptionthat themanufacturingnetworkslice(red)includesboth telco(xNF)andthird-partyworkloads(APP), outofwhichoneAPPrequiresnetworkacceleration (SmartNIC),whileanotherxNFdependsonPMEM. Multiplenetworkslicesarecreatedbasedon customerneed.Networkslicesdiffernotonlyintheir servicecharacteristics,butareseparatedand isolatedfromeachother.Aggregatedviewsof HWacceleratorsperlocationarecollectedforthe zero-touchorchestrationservice(grayarrows). Figure 2 Integrated network slicing (telco) and third-party applications Gaming AR/VRB E-MBB Automotive Network slices Internet of Things Fixed access Manufacturing APP SmartNICs PMEM HW capability exposures Access sites (edge cloud) Central sites Public clouds Distributed sites (edge/regional cloud) xNF: telco Virtual Network Function or Cloud-native Network Function APP: Third-party application HW capability control Business intent Zero-touch orchestration APP APP APP APP APP APP xNF xNF APP xNF xNF APP xNF xNF xNF xNF xNF ✱ THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING THE FUTURE OF CLOUD COMPUTING ✱ 6 7MAY 12, 2020 ✱ ERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEWERICSSON TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ✱ MAY 12, 2020