MWC WIRE: IoT eSIMs, IoT security, demos, pacts and more

MWC shanghai
Image credit: ASTRI

Action this week at MWC Shanghai 2018: DoCoMo and China Mobile launch eSIM solution for IoT gear; GSMA gets at least 15 cellcos to adopt IoT security guidelines; hardware acceleration and coupling for C-RAN; ASTRI and partners demo 5G, NB-IoT, V2X and 8K; China Unicom and Huawei in 5G pact; Nokia, China Telecom and Intel demo VR gaming; and Ericsson and MediaTek collaborate on NB-IoT device ecosystem.

DoCoMo and China Mobile launch eSIM solution for IoT gear

China Mobile and NTT DoCoMo announced that on July 2 they will launch an eSIM solution to enable cross-vendor SIM profile switching from DoCoMo to China Mobile.

This solution allows DoCoMo customers from Japan with IoT equipment in China to switch the mobile numbers (profiles) of their IoT equipment from DoCoMo to China Mobile even with different SIM vendors adopted by the two operators, thus eliminating the need to replace physical SIM cards.

Up until now, different mobile operators were required to use the same vendor to overwrite eSIM profiles when switching between their mobile networks. The new GSMA 3.1 specifications adopted by this eSIM solution, however, allow the overwriting of eSIM information of operators who use different SIM vendors, making this the world’s first multi-vendor eSIM system. Read more …

DoCoMo also said it will launch its global IoT solution “Globiot” on July 2 to provide global connectivity and related operational support and consulting to Japanese enterprises with global IoT operations on July 2. Globiot will provide global connectivity via local SIM/eSIM or roaming, as well as advise customers on appropriate business models. It will also provide support with operation and maintenance and advise customers about relevant IoT regulations and necessary certifications overseas. Read more …

GSMA gets at least 15 cellcos to adopt IoT security guidelines

The GSMA announced that AT&T, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, KDDI, LG Uplus, Orange, Telefónica, Telenor Group, Telia, Turkcell, Vodafone Group and Zainhave have committed to adopt and implement the GSMA’s IoT security guidelines.

The guidelines outline best practice and recommendations for IoT security for the entire IoT ecosystem and set out a comprehensive security assessment scheme to help ensure IoT services are protected against IoT security risks. Read more …

In related news, the GSMA issued reports saying that Greater China will dominate the global industrial IoT market, China needs better pro-5G investment policies, and Asia Pacific is on track to become the world’s largest 5G region by 2025. Read more …

China Mobile and partners demo hardware acceleration and coupling for C-RAN

Lenovo, China Mobile, Xilinx, Napatech, and Radisys jointly demonstrated what they say is the industry’s first cloud-RAN solution that supports heterogeneous acceleration hardware and full decoupling of software and hardware.

In February, China Mobile, jointly with several global operators, initiated the O-RAN Alliance to build upon the C-RAN concept with “embedded intelligence, open interfaces, open-source white-box design”. NFV virtualization platforms require the use of acceleration hardware to further improve performance, optimize energy efficiency, and cut costs. However, current acceleration solutions have many issues, including customized-function designs and non-unified interfaces, resulting in great difficulties to decouple software and hardware. China Mobile has pushed for accelerators enabled with programmable hardware and unified interfaces.

The joint demo uses the Lenovo ThinkCloud Accelerator solution, including Lenovo ThinkCloud NFVI carrier- grade cloud platform software, x86 servers and switches. Lenovo ThinkCloud NFVI can automatically adapt and support acceleration hardware from different vendors and of different types. By abstracting and virtualizing the acceleration hardware, ThinkCloud NFVI provides a unified API to VNF applications, reducing the complexity of application development and porting, as well as enabling full decoupling of application software and acceleration hardware. Read more …

ASTRI and partners demo 5G, NB-IoT, V2X and 8K

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) says it is collaborating with Fu Huake Precision Industry, Fujian Sunnada Network Technology, Rohde & Schwarz, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise to showcase a series of latest 5G, NB-IoT and V2X technologies at MWC Shanghai 2018.

Demos include: 8K + 5G video streaming on ASTRI’s 5G C-RAN, NB-IoT base station, NB-IoT chip IP platform for terminals and sensor nodes, 5G core and edge, and connected vehicles technologies such as a V2X networking system with AI-enabled traffic management, based on 5G Edge computing and V2X technologies. Read more …

China Unicom and Huawei in 5G pact

China Unicom and Huawei have signed a 5G strategic partnership agreement at MWC Shanghai 2018 under which they will focus on cooperation in end-to-end 5G technical verification, cooperation with vertical industry partners, building of the 5G ecosystem, and 5G service incubation and promotion.

Huawei and China Unicom have also published a whitepaper on 5G-oriented digital evolution of indoor coverage. The white paper analyzes opportunities and challenges facing indoor network deployment in the 5G era, and explores how to scientifically build indoor 4G networks and ensure they can efficiently evolve toward 5G in the future. It also outlines drivers and sets out targets and key technical elements for indoor 5G network evolution. Read more …

Nokia, China Telecom and Intel demo VR gaming

Nokia, China Telecom and Intel are conducting a demonstration of virtual reality gaming at MWC Shanghai 2018 to show how a high-performance cloud with embedded intelligence will enable the delivery of services with extremely low-latency to the mass market.

The demo will use the Nokia AirScale Cloud RAN and Edge Data Center cloud platform to showcase virtual reality gaming over a cloud-based end-to-end network also utilizing Intel Xeon scalable processors. Read more …

Ericsson and MediaTek collaborate on NB-IoT device ecosystem

Ericsson and MediaTek have announced a collaborative effort to extend the commercial ecosystem for NB-IoT devices.

At the Ericsson booth at MWC Shanghai, Ericsson and MediaTek demonstrated end to end integration of NB-IoT use cases with commercial end devices that are based on 3GPP Release 13. The demo cases includes security guaranteed smart NB-IoT door-locker, NB-IoT based wearable health band and safety watch for kids.

The two companies plan to further cooperate to test technology enhancements based on 3GPP Release 14, such as enhanced data transmission features, which improve throughput data rates up to 4 times the speed of R13.

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