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5G will transform communications not only by offering greater capacity but also by enabling new services that providers can deploy across their networks quickly and simply. This faster time-to-market will intensify competition among leading service and application providers.
This shift stems from a fundamental change in how networks will be designed for the 5G era. Architectures and technologies such as SDN (software-defined networking), NFV (network function virtualization), MEC (mobile edge computing) and C-RAN (cloud RAN) already exist today, but mostly at limited scale. Deploying 5G will require a significant upgrade across mobile networks to support a smooth migration to these technologies, unlocking the benefits noted above.
An important element of this architectural shift is the wireless backhaul domain. 5G will demand virtualization of wireless backhaul. Network virtualization allows operators to substantially improve operational efficiency by making infrastructure and resource use more flexible and effective. It also enables rapid rollout of new services and technologies across network domains.
Virtualizing wireless backhaul supports two key aspects of network virtualization:
SDN integration
Wireless backhaul will integrate with end-to-end SDN and NFV infrastructures through open interfaces, enabling SDN applications to optimize network resources—such as spectrum and power—improve service availability with intelligent rerouting, and accelerate the deployment of services and technologies. These benefits apply within the wireless transmission domain and across multi-domain, multi-vendor environments, provided vendors adopt standard-based interfaces and interoperable applications.
One practical application that enhances operational efficiency in wireless transmission is adaptive power management: adjusting power consumption at each site in real time based on current traffic. Another is dynamic frequency allocation across the network according to capacity needs and changing conditions. Together, these approaches can deliver significant savings in spectrum usage and operating costs.
Cloud RAN support
Separating baseband processing units—by consolidating BBUs in centralized “BBU hotels” at data centers while distributing remote radio heads (RRHs)—offers substantial advantages to mobile operators. However, this model depends on an interface between the two elements that today is often inefficient, such as the I/Q streams carried over CPRI. To make Cloud RAN cost-effective, that interface must be transportable over wireless links as well as fiber.
This will be enabled by higher-capacity wireless fronthaul and migration to Ethernet-based fronthaul, both of which reduce the connectivity capacity required between BBUs and RRHs. Such improvements make adopting C-RAN more affordable and practical for operators.
By combining SDN integration and Cloud RAN support in the wireless backhaul, operators will gain the agility to introduce new services and technologies rapidly. Expect these capabilities to become central to mobile networks in the coming years, driving faster innovation, lower costs, and improved user experiences.