TIPの最新ホワイトボックスプロジェクトがルーターとワイヤレスバックホールを組み合わせたもの

プロジェクトグループは、マイクロ波技術とルーター技術を複数の周波数チャンネルに対応した単一の機器に組み合わせることによって、増大する帯域幅のニーズに対応しようとしています。A new project group recently announced by the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) seeks to address operators’ growing bandwidth needs by combining router and microwave technology into a single white box appliance capable of multiple frequency channels. The OpenBox Microwave project group — co-chaired by Norman Yeoh of Axiata and Farhan Siddiqui of Facebook and backed by partners Deutsche Telekom, TIM Brazil, Aviat Networks, SIAE Microelectronics, and Commscope — aims to develop a multi-frequency band white box system to simplify deployments, improve traffic quality, and conserve power as bandwidth demands continue to grow with the ongoing march of the 5G rollout. It also combines optical and wireless functionalities for SDN capabilities. According to Siddiqui, the problem with existing microwave technology is that it requires higher throughput and more frequency channels — especially in urban areas — to meet growing bandwidth demand. “For example, as operators densify their networks and upgrade 4G to 5G.” “Today you need to install more hardware to get higher throughput, which is time consuming to install and requires dedicated resources every time a capacity increase is required,” he wrote in an email to SDxCentral. “This group is aiming to help solve this challenge by combining the router and microwave hardware into one solution.” In addition to addressing the challenges faced by network operators when upgrading microwave backhaul infrastructure, the technology also has the potential to reduce costs, speed deployments, and reduce complexity. For example, combining microwave and router appliances helps to reduce power consumption, said Siddiqui. This is beneficial not only from an operational cost standpoint but in rural areas where power capacity may be limited. The technology also stands to reduce network operators’ real estate footprint. “Most service providers rely on structures owned by other parties to place their equipment,” Siddiqui said. “In many markets, placing this equipment requires extensive real estate processes.” He explained by combining multiple frequency bands into one chassis, the network operators would eliminate the need for multiple antennas and chassis on a structure as they expand their microwave backhaul. “This will be especially important as today service providers must install two antennas and at least more than one radio to meet 4G and 5G requirements,” he said. The OpenBox Microwave project group is TIP’s latest in a string of new projects launched this year. In February, TIP launched two others tackling OpenRAN 5G and WiFi. While there is no timeline for the development of the new microwave technology outlined by TIP, Siddiqui said that the group is working to define product requirements and use cases before moving on to developing technical specifications later this year. TIP expects to present an update on the microwave project later this year at the TIP Summit in Amsterdam Nov. 13-14.