Tag: mec

  • Singtel and Intel Launch 5G MEC Incubator for Sustainable Enterprise Digitalization

    Singtel and Intel Launch 5G MEC Incubator for Sustainable Enterprise Digitalization

    Singtel has announced a strategic partnership with Intel to establish a 5G multi-access edge compute (MEC) incubator to unlock the potential of 5G connectivity and high-performance computing at the edge. This jointly established, next-generation 5G MEC incubator enables enterprises to develop new 5G use cases and advance the development of innovation applications across verticals.

    The incubator will be supported by Singtel’s Paragon, a one-stop orchestration platform for 5G edge computing and cloud services, and powered by Intel’s 4th Gen Xeon Scalable processors and Intel Data Center GPU, to enable enterprises to plan for 5G adoption in advance.

    Having reached nationwide 5G standalone coverage in Singapore recently, Bill Chang, chief executive officer, Group Enterprise and Regional Data Centre Business, Singtel, noted in his opening address that the latest collaboration with Intel marks an important milestone in the telco’s journey as a digital enabler for enterprises to transform with 5G.

    “Singtel’s 5G network and Paragon MEC platform are transforming operations in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, smart logistics, healthcare, retail, transportation and urban planning,” said CEO Chang . “With Intel, we’re collectively bringing together our best-of-breed knowledge, expertise, assets and ecosystem to help address business needs, improve operational efficiencies, unlock new opportunities and advance in a 5G world.”

    The alliance will focus on developing the application and ISV ecosystems to deliver transformational enterprise and consumer use cases like high-definition content delivery, cloud gaming, video analytics, virtual-augmented-mixed reality and metaverse.

    Christoph Schell, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Intel, stated, “As enterprises navigate a significant digital transformation, technologies like 5G, edge, artificial intelligence and cloud play a key role in helping to deliver new use cases. Our collaboration with Singtel will help accelerate use of these technologies to solve real business challenges by utilising our unique combination of hardware and software spanning Xeon, GPUs, Smart Edge, OpenVINO and more, and also a broad portfolio of ecosystem innovations.”

    Through Singtel and Intel’s strong global ecosystem, enterprises can tap into expertise in connectivity, compute infrastructure, devices, applications and servers to power 5G use cases, including ready-to-deploy applications for rapid trials and pilots for R&D.

    Enterprises can expect always-on connectivity with high-performing applications that deliver lower latency and greater resilience to meet new business requirements. With this partnership, 5G MEC can be adopted more readily, reliably and affordably. Another key benefit is sustainable digitalization for enterprises, as Intel extends its expertise in CPU power and sustainable technology to provide sustainable technology from cloud to edge to help enterprises optimize power usage.

    As 5G continues to disrupt industries, Chang noted that growing 5G innovations with an ecosystem of partners “allows enterprises that scale 5G innovations built on the platform to gain a much larger market access through Singtel’s group of telcos in the region.”

  • ZTE launches i5GC to support private 5G networks for vertical industries

    ZTE launches i5GC to support private 5G networks for vertical industries

    The solution introduces 5G capabilities such as large bandwidth, low latency, high reliability and multiple connections into various industries, and integrates technologies such as AI, IoT, cloud computing, big data and MEC to enable the digitalisation of whole industries and build fully-connected intelligent private 5G networks for vertical industries.

    At present, public 5GC is oriented to consumer applications, so it cannot meet industry users’ ultra-high requirements for security, latency, reliability, network control rights, energy consumption and usage environment. ZTE i5GC addresses this by deeply integrating and optimising 5GC functions. It uses 2U general servers to achieve the integration of multiple network functions (NF) and a plug-and-play one-stop deployment mode to achieve minimal space, minimal energy consumption and minimal operation and maintenance (O&M).

    This solution provides non-professional industry users with rapid and accurate 5G network access deployment and excellent service experience. In addition, ZTE i5GC can be flexibly customised according to a user’s diversified requirements for security, traffic processing and autonomy, and provide different function combinations and deployment forms for different scenarios. For instance, the user plane function (UPF) is deployed to the edge, traffic is forwarded nearby, and user data is locally managed. In addition, ZTE i5GC employs a 3GPP service-based architecture (SBA) to seamlessly interconnect with a 5G public network. It can integrate third-party multi-access edge-computing (MEC) applications through open interfaces to achieve flexible expansion and rapid iteration of edge applications, so as to explore and breed 5G killer applications in the vertical field.

    Towards the construction of business-grade 5G networks, ZTE has implemented in-depth 5G applications for use in vertical fields such as mines, medical treatments and ports. For example, for a 5G smart mine project, ZTE uses i5GC to deploy a complete set of 5G networks underground, meeting the mine’s compact space and explosion-proofing requirements, and achieving full coverage from key 5G networks. ZTE i5GC will continue to focus on industry projects, promote the understanding of industry requirements, work with enterprises and operators to build a 5G application ecosystem, help expand the ‘blue ocean market’ opportunity for 5G for business, and drive 5G large-scale commercial use and value monetisation.

  • SK Telecom builds 5G mobile edge computing open platform

    SK Telecom builds 5G mobile edge computing open platform

    SK Telecom unveiled its mobile edge computing (MEC) open platform, which it says can enhance response times in 5G data communications. The operator plans to open up its MEC platform to enterprise customers to enable them to offer new services.

    MEC, which will be used in 5G networks to deliver ultra-low latency data, enables operators to cut down on latency by installing tiny data centers at 5G base stations. SK Telecom says MEC can cut latency by 60%. Applications such as AR/VR services, cloud gaming services, autonomous driving and fleet management, and real-time live broadcasting will all make use of MEC in 5G networks.

    “By opening up the ‘5G Mobile Edge Computing Platform’, SK Telecom will secure the basis for expanding the MEC-related ecosystem and accelerating the release of 5G services,” said Park Jin-hyo, CTO of SK Telecom, in a statement. “SK Telecom will join hands with diverse companies throughout the globe to boost the adoption of MEC-based services.”

    SK Telecom is releasing an API that enterprise customers can use to develop MEC-based 5G services. The company is betting enterprise customers can use the platform to improve efficiency and QoE by reducing latency in communications. A smart factory, for example, can use the MEC platform and a 5G network to increase response time of manufacturing robots.

    At Mobile World Congress this year, the operator teamed up with MobiledgeX to demo a MEC-based industrial AR service. SK Telecom is also working with the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), the Facebook-backed tech initiative, to build out an ecosystem for MEC developers.

    SK Telecom also successfully conducted a 4G-5G network dual connectivity test with Samsung, using Samsung’s E-UTRAN New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) tech, which is based on the 3GPP 5G NR standard.

    The test checked network device interoperability using dual connectivity technology on 4G and 5G networks using Samsung’s Galaxy S10 5G smartphone and its virtual core (vCore) product that supports 4G and 5G simultaneously. The companies were able to achieve data rates of 2.65 Gbps on a 5G smartphone, with 1.5 Gbps coming from 5G using 3.5-GHz frequency and 1.15 Gbps coming from LTE using 1.8-GHz, 2.1-GHz, and 2.6-GHz frequencies.

    SK Telecom says the technology can be used to improve transmission data speed by 80% by leveraging the 4G and 5G dual connectivity.