Decoding 5G Jargon!
We come across a number of new terminologies while discussing 5G technology. We need to understand what they imply. We discuss a few of them.
MIMO: multiple-input / multiple-output (MIMO) antenna schemes, enabling spatial multiplexing and maximizing the reuse of scarce bandwidth. With massive MIMO beamforming, it becomes possible to move the network forward from the traditional point-to-multipoint paradigm to a real-time adaptive point-to-point link, with the base station tracking the user and steering its signal to them. Improved antenna gain overcomes path loss, enabling higher data rates per hertz compared with an isotropic signal at the same power. Typical massive MIMO designs will range from tens to hundreds of antennas, beamforming in azimuth and elevation.
Virtualization is the process of creating a virtual version of a computer system. This allows multiple operating systems and applications to run on the same physical hardware. A virtual machine is a digital copy of a physical machine.
With Virtualization of 5G core and baseband subsystems and deployed along with Open RAN, the cost of 5G networks for operators has been sharply brought down. The operator is not tied to any one 5G vendor and is able to deploy commercially available off-the-shelf servers and take support from Platform as a service, Software as a service, and Infrastructure as a service, from cloud service operators.
Talking of cloud service, Cloud-native operation of 5G is a new approach to building and running 5G networks that takes advantage of the benefits of cloud computing. Cloud-native 5G networks are built using microservices, which are small, self-contained pieces of code that can be easily developed, deployed, and scaled. This makes cloud-native 5G networks more agile and responsive to changes in demand.
Cloud-native is the software approach of building, deploying, and managing modern applications in cloud computing environments. Cloud-native apps are built to be scalable, flexible, and upgraded without service interruptions.
Cloud-native 5G networks also benefit from the scalability and elasticity of the cloud. This means that they can be easily scaled up or down to meet changing demand. In addition, cloud-native 5G networks are more secure than traditional 5G networks. This is because they are built on a distributed architecture, which makes it more difficult for attackers to target. Thus, cloud-native operation of 5G offers a number of benefits, including agility, scalability, elasticity, and security. These benefits make cloud-native 5G networks a more attractive option for telecom operators and service providers.
Orchestration in 5G is the process of automating the management and configuration of 5G networks. This includes Deploying, Provisioning, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting of networks. Orchestration is a key enabler for the successful delivery of 5G services. By automating the management and configuration of 5G networks, operators can improve the efficiency, agility, cost-effectiveness, and customer satisfaction of their networks. This also includes disaster recovery, and security aspects for orchestrated management. By automating the management and configuration of virtualized systems, organizations can improve the efficiency, agility, cost-effectiveness, and customer satisfaction of their virtualization environments.
A hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine monitor or VMM, is software that creates and runs virtual machines (VMs). A hypervisor allows one host computer to support multiple guest VMs by virtually sharing its resources, such as memory and processing.
A container is a software code package containing an application’s code, related configurations and libraries, and other dependencies required for the App to run. Containerization makes your applications portable so that the same code can run on any device.
A container image is a ready-to-run software package containing everything needed to run an application: the code and any runtime it requires, application and system libraries, and default values for any essential settings. Containers allow applications to be more rapidly deployed, patched, or scaled.
Kubernetes automates operational tasks of container management and includes built-in commands for deploying applications, rolling out changes to your applications, scaling your applications up and down to fit changing needs, monitoring your applications, and more—making it easier to manage applications.
Docker is an open source project that facilitates deployment of applications inside of software containers. Its basic functionality is enabled by resource isolation features of the Linux kernel, but it provides a user-friendly API on top of it.
