Another week, another acronym to throw into the ever-bubbling pot of alphabet soup that is the communications business!
This time it is SDRAN -- software-defined radio access networks -- or running basestation functions on a standard whitebox server. South Korean operator SK Telecom (Nasdaq: SKM), which is never shy about pushing the edge of mobile technology, ran a virtual LTE basestation -- with tech from Nokia Networks -- this month, a press release states.
One of the key benefits of using of using software for radio access networks is that it makes it easier to re-allocate resources for data spikes, or different types of services at the edge of the network. Concepts like self-optimizing networks (SON) have already started to introduce operators to the concept of managing resources on the RAN. (See MEC Congress: The Key Takeaways and Big Data Lights Up the SON.)
For all the latest news on 5G, visit the 5G site here on Light Reading.
You might also see different names used for SDRAN, such as SoftRAN or Cloud Radio. One thing is certain, however -- you're likely to see more of this terminology and technology as LTE advances further and 5G comes to market. (See Deutsche Telekom Opens 5G:haus.)
SK Telecom, meanwhile, is sticking to its 2020 commercial launch date for its 5G network.
— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading
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