ETSI gives European operators new F5G spec for fifth generation of fixed networks

Virtual could become a reality

Required reading on future of augmented, virtual and ETSI reality

ETSI’s 5th Generation Fixed Network group (F5G ISG) has just released its new specification, ETSI GS F5G 003, reports Vanilla Plus.

The F5G Technology Landscape specification examines technical requirements, existing standards and imagines 10 different use cases in the home, enterprise or industry.

The ETSI GS F5G 003 use cases include PON (passive optical network) on-premises and passive optical LAN. In the hypothetical PON it examines, the system connects end devices such as HDTV, HD surveillance cameras and VR/AR helmets and creates a higher data rate, better coordination and latency than current Ethernet and Wi-Fi mesh.

The high-quality-private-line use case speculates on the use of optical transport networks (OTN) for governments, large companies, financial and medical institutions who need a variety of conditions to be met. The scenario involves guaranteed bandwidth, low latency, five-nines availability, a totally secured network, access to cloud services and intelligent operation and maintenance of their connectivity. PON offers high quality but cheap private lines for SMEs and offers higher performance, lower cost, better industrial adaptation and easier operation for the industrial customers, says the report.

Less latency, no more wait and see 

As an integrated fixed network, F5G can hypothetically support broadband and multiple access aggregation over PON (MAAP), varying its services to multiple types of customers on the same network and guarantee the SLA for each service. 

Other use cases describe remote attestation digitised ODN/FTTX. Telemetry-driven performance monitoring in intelligent access network can sustain high bandwidth and latency sensitive services such as augmented and virtual realities and online gaming to end users. This means network operators can monitor traffic variation by the second and re-configure the network accordingly. 

In the Cloud Virtual Reality use case the network has to support cloud-based virtual reality gaming and video.

This new cornerstone in F5G work is the basis for future F5G standards on architecture, end to end management, security and all the aspects related to specific applications of fibre optic borne broadband, claims says Luca Pesando, chair of ETSI F5G ISG.

“Fibre and fibre-based optical networks are the key technical enablers of our society’s green and digital transitions,” said Pesando.