After over a decade of 4G connectivity, leaders in
global telecoms are now racing to roll out the fifth generation of broadband
cellular technology and meet today’s twin challenges of increased network
activity and bandwidth demands. The pressure to upgrade has only become greater
due to the pandemic, which shifted the global workforce from the office to the
home, and in doing so greatly increased the number of digital touchpoints. This
is according to Jacob Chacko, Regional Director – Middle East, Saudi &
South Africa at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company.
Research conducted by Markets & Markets[i] indicates that the enterprise 5G market is expected
to grow from $2.1 billion in 2021 to $10.9 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 31.8%.
In the short term, the task at hand for service providers involves enabling IoT
communications, fixed wireless access, edge analytics and enhanced mobile
broadband. To achieve this, service providers will have to lean on existing
technologies. SD-WAN is one of the key technologies that has the potential to
aid service providers in their delivery of a higher quality of network experience
to meet ever-increasing user expectations.
5G: Untapped potential
The advent of edge computing will serve to enable the influx of IoT
devices. However, as connectivity increases, so too does the amount of data
that must be processed, both in real-time and close to the source.
Facilitating huge volumes of data at high speeds is a key function and
much promised benefit of 5G. Yet despite providing higher bandwidth to
operations, 5G is limited in range. It is expected that 5G networks will be powered
by hundreds of thousands of small cells. However, the denser the network of
cells, the more difficult they become to manage, operate and maintain,
therefore the crux of the issue becomes not only the optimisation of these
networks, but also the automation.
SD-WAN: The enabler
Connection and integration across the relevant compute edges is integral
to any 5G operation. SD-WAN platforms can help service providers by allowing
for automation and aiding in the optimisation of traffic and management of 5G
cells. Unlike a traditional router-centric WAN architecture, a Software-Defined
Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) is designed to support applications in on-premises
data centres, public or private clouds, and SaaS services, such as Microsoft
365, Dropbox and Workday. At its core, an SD-WAN is a virtual WAN architecture
that aims to securely connect users to applications. It achieves this by
enabling organisations to leverage a combination of transport services, such as
MLPS, LTE, and broadband internet services.
As digital transformation tightens its grip on
industry, many enterprises are making use of the cloud and subscribing to
software-as-a-service (Saas), rendering the traditional WAN increasingly less
fit for purpose. SD-WAN identifies applications and provides intelligent
routing, with each class of application receiving the appropriate Quality of
Service (QoS) and security policy enforcement. “This quality is vital in the
enablement of 5G. Through SD-WAN’s ability to incorporate machine learning, it
enables networks to adapt to varying circumstances,” says Warren Gordon,
ARUBA/HPE Business Unit Manager at Duxbury Networking, local distributors of
ARUBA/HPE technology.
Ensuring high quality user experience for 5G is paramount, therefore it
is vital that service providers evaluate SD-WAN vendors on the following:
·
Granular,
intelligent application-driven routing. The ability to automatically prioritise traffic based on
bandwidth should be a key area of concern. Lower bandwidth traffic should be
routed to other available transport such as LTE or broadband, allowing for
high-bandwidth traffic like video streaming to be routed through a 5G cell.
·
Centralised
management.
Facilitating the management, maintenance, and operation of edges and 5G cells
by intelligently rerouting traffic during provisions and upgrades. When
enterprises deploy new applications or when a security policy change is
necessary, a business-driven SD-WAN enables these changes to be delivered in
minutes, while simultaneously minimising the opportunity for human error.
·
Machine
learning. Automation
is key. It is vital that any SD-WAN vendor guarantees that their network can
adapt to varying conditions in real-time and provide optimal routing to the
edges and 5G cells.
·
Security
integration with business-intent networking. Cybersecurity is an ever-present issue. By directing
traffic to the right security services and enabling application-driven security
policies enforced from a centralised position, service providers will not have
to compromise on either cost or performance.
·
Virtual
WAN overlays. Quality
of service is hugely important, and network resources must be flexible, and
optimised. 5G networks depend on network slicing, whereby each slice receives a
unique set of resources. By using both technologies in combination, service
providers can steer critical traffic to the 5G network where it can be isolated
to a particular slice depending on its specific requirements.
As
5G and edge computing adoption increases, so too will the demands of users.
Service providers must be ready to provide an ever-present and high performing
network. The initial success of 5G deployment will demand a network that has
automation and security at the centre of its operation, like the one offered by
SD-WAN.