Heavy Reading's Gabriel Brown on open RAN and network slicing

Light Reading's Mike Dano and Heavy Reading's Gabriel Brown recap the first day of the 5G Transport & Networking Strategies symposium and discuss topics including network slicing and open RAN.

Brown starts off by pointing out that 5G is gaining steam in select markets across the world, and is poised for a broad deployment all over the globe. He explained that this will have significant repercussions for transport providers underpinning these rollouts, which ought to support dramatically more data.

Network slicing

Brown also touches on the topic of network slicing, and how it might impact 5G transport providers. Speakers at the event explained that network slicing could be an important 5G service in the future, but that networks will need to be designed end-to-end in order to support such slices.

Open RAN

Similarly, Brown said that open RAN technology is still in its infancy, but that there's enough momentum behind it now that 5G transport providers will need to prepare for what the open RAN trend will mean for their businesses.

Related links:

• Why Apple put 5G skin in the game
• 5G Ecosystem Digital Symposium
• Telecom Italia flags 4Gbit/s 5G with Ericsson, Qualcomm
• Carrier networks must integrate and automate to chase innovation

— Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading | @mikeddano