BARCELONA -- MWC 2018 -- The first 5G specification defining a next-generation core will come out in June, Affirmed's chief architect tells Light Reading.

"June of this year is the initial freeze of the 5G NR Core," Affirmed Networks Inc. 's Ron Parker told us Monday. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) started the study work on the core specification in 2016. (See Defining NG Core for 5G Networks.)

One of the main differences coming in this specification is that all of the inter-component communication will be done in HTTP. The 3GPP is mandating that all external APIs are done this way, which changes the way that carriers -- and third parties -- develop services for the 5G network. Of course, the operators will have control of how many APIs they publish to third parties.

Affirmed will be updating its own 5G core software when the spec arrives. "We'll be rolling out in the fall," says Angela Whiteford, VP of product marketing and management at Affirmed.

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading