Realising the potential of 5G for MNOs – NGMN Alliance 5G White Paper 2

NGMN 5G White Paper 2

Ask Javan Erfanian of Bell Canada and the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance (NGMN) whether they are happy with the progress of 5G and the answer is ‘very’.

The NGMN Alliance has just produced its 5G White Paper Number 2 which, says Erfanian, is a real milestone in the 5G journey. The first 5G White Paper, published back in 2015, looked at the vision of 5G and where it might take us. Now, 5G White Paper Number 2 has real use cases and a much clearer view of the ecosystem that will deliver the benefits and value. As such, it can pinpoint the requirements that will catapult 5G and next-generation mobile networks into the heart of the 5G value proposition.

It covers many critical areas and concentrates on the requirements for smart regulation, co-operation across the ecosystem and the roles of telcos, research houses, OEMs and other partners that will make 5G a success.

One of the obvious conclusions is, that the industry must avoid fragmentation by adopting global standards with open, interoperable interfaces and application programming interfaces, thereby delivering the promise of agility and scalability.

Erfanian sees a vast number of diverse use cases for 5G and the underlying (cloud-native, edge computing, network slicing) technologies provide the building blocks to leverage the possibilities. From healthcare to transport and mining, the opportunities are solid and growing. Engagement with Verticals is identified and highlighted to fully realise the NGMN’s 5G vision.

And, importantly, Erfanian sees mobile network operators in a very strong position to take advantage of 5G. Indeed, the indications are that mobile operators are taking the lead in this next phase, working with a range of different partners to address the opportunities, which are broad and getting broader.

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