Trend
Communications and network trends for year 2023
By Spirent Communications technical team
5G and telecommunications This year, 2023, communication service providers (CSPs) will continue expanding 5G mid-band macro coverage, with some operators also beginning to focus on densification, including using small cells and massive MIMO arrays. CSPs will also gradually adopt 5G SA, but will continue to face challenges associated with the complexity of multi- vendor and cloud-native 5G SA environments, performance issues, security risks and migration trade-offs to ensure performance. As new 5G subscriptions displace 4G/LTE, average
revenues per user for most CPSs will remain flat. To increase those revenues, they’ll start focusing on gaming, Voice over New Radio (VoNR) and fixed wireless access as a broadband alternative, especially in rural areas. We will also see early efforts in enterprise edge offerings in ultra- high-definition video monitoring combined with artificial intelligence. 5G’s lower latencies, enhanced power efficiency, IIoT
radio features and other capabilities will ease applications in robotic automation, massive IoT deployments, and others. Industrial 5G will start appearing towards the end of 2023, as the first wave of 3GPP Release 16-enabled network equipment and devices enter the market. Significant momentum is now growing around satellite-
to-phone services, largely driven by a new generation of modems (such as from Qualcomm) that support non- terrestrial network connectivity. These modems will begin to appear in end devices this year, and Apple’s recent announcement of satellite-based emergency messaging for the iPhone 14 has created great interest. Expectations are for a growing number of license applications, testing and early trials, with commercial launches starting in 2024. It’s worth noting that satellite-based support for more
advanced services like mobile broadband comes with significant technical and regulatory challenges around spectrum alignment, 3GPP Release 17 support, handset compatibility and technology performance, especially around large signalling and interference delays from orbit. This year will also see increased 5G/Wi-Fi convergence.
Last year there was increased activity in testing and validating Wi-Fi 6, with growing uptake by enterprises due to its superior capabilities over previous Wi-Fi generations in terms of bandwidth, speed, control and quality. Wi-Fi 6 is an easy choice for enterprises since it is compatible with existing equipment.
04 February 2023
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
Network security For the last few years, vendors and analysts have been advocating an updated network security model for a world seeing more employees working from home or anywhere (WFH/WFA). This model, sometimes called Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), enables more secure and flexible network connectivity by combining SD-WAN with cloud- based security services. SASE solutions steadily grew in numbers last year, as SD-WAN and security vendors developed a new generation of cloud-based security offerings. Now that those offerings are mature, 2023 will be the year SASE becomes the dominant model for enterprise networks. Often combined with SASE, Zero Trust authentication
models will see significant growth in 2023. Zero Trust adds new layers of context and granularity to authentication, and locks down access by default unless the right conditions are met. While this is not a new model, it is particularly well suited to environments that can’t be protected by a traditional enterprise security perimeter. As enterprises continue bringing workers back into the office this year, and find themselves managing a more diverse mix of on-campus, WFH and WFA working, Zero Trust solutions will see significant growth.
Sustainability There will be growing attention to and investment in sustainability in 2023. 2022 saw increased focus on energy management and sustainability targets, especially toward 5G radio networks, with new capabilities for energy efficiency, new cooling techniques and use of renewables. There was also heightened focus on lab R&D environments and data centres where automation was shown to reduce energy use by about 40% through a combination of powering down not- in-use equipment, more efficient resource use and real-estate consolidation. This year will see more CSPs and network equipment
vendors invest in accurately metering and measuring emissions. Specifically, they will focus on finding ways to meter indirect “Scope 3” emissions generated by assets within an organisation’s value chain, yet not under its control. This will become a more urgent priority for CSPs pursuing densification of their 5G networks, who will look to get ahead here, before governments and regulatory agencies mandate their actions.
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