Ingenieur Vol 73 ingenieur Jan-March 2018 | Page 34

INGENIEUR network capabilities and must have more dimensions. From 4G to 4.5G to 5G, multi-dimensional network capabilities must keep improving to support increasing service requirements. Second, network architecture will face challenges. Services and scenarios will become more diverse. For example, AR and VR services require more than Gigabit speeds and ultra-low latency, while smart metering requires only kbps speeds and has no special demands on latency. The requirements of these two services have a 1-million-fold difference, but must be supported on a single network. So networks must be flexible and agile enough to support diversity, and at the same time shorten time to market to help operators seize business opportunities. Another challenge will come from network management efficiency. Site numbers will increase and more spectrums will be released, which will result in increased  network complexity and operating expenditure (OPEX). TCO mainly increases due to OPEX rather than capital expenditure (CAPEX), so it’s important to introduce more technologies to reduce OPEX and reorganize the proportions of OPEX and CAPEX to achieve higher return on investment (ROI). To meet all these challenges, we expect future mobile networks to have the following features: ● ● First, it must provide powerful capabilities. As 5G is approaching, SingleRAN will evolve to enable 5G to provide much more powerful capabilities. ● ● Second, it must have flexible and agile network architecture, so new mobile cloud architecture should be introduced to meet these requirements. ● ● Third, networks must be efficiently managed to improve user experience and reduce OPEX, so we call for a more intelligent wireless network. Powerful Network Capability: 5G era SingleRAN 5G, cloudification, and intelligence are the most important elements of future mobile networks. In the 5G era, SingleRAN should have three major 6 32 VOL VOL 73 55 JANUARY-MARCH JUNE 2013 2018 capabilities: high capacity, seamless coverage, and low latency.  To know is easy, but to do is difficult. There are certain obstacles we have to overcome to achieve these capabilities. Boosting capacity Site capacity is highly dependent on