Super Panel: Is Open Infrastructure the key to unlocking 5G potential for CSPs? Part 1

In the competitive race to be seen as leading the development and commercialisation of 5G, it seems like every telco and vendor is promoting a “5G First” of some kind. GSM successfully launched the telecoms industry into new and rewarding markets, and each subsequent ion technology generation has widened the reach and relevance of cellular. Whilst 3G was defined by mobile data, 4G was defined by smartphones, and 5G could well be defined by vertical markets, opening up whole new business areas – provided it can downplay and manage the hype, and only if all the required pieces are in play first.

And one of those pieces – and a very significant one at that – is so-called “open networking”. Yes, this encompasses open source software, white boxes and bare metal, but it also covers Open APIs and greater collaboration between ecosystem vendors. It’s also just as much about telcos opening up their thinking and approach to market; it’s a cultural and mindset change.

TelecomTV’s Super Panel brought together an expert group of industry executives to debate the concept of open networking and how it can be embraced by telcos and their vendor partners. We ask what are the key infrastructure elements required to support 5G, and how the idea of open networking and a broader ecosystem will help with the rollout of 5G networks? What does this new, more open, infrastructure need to look like for CSPs to be 5G ready by 2020, and is there a future for CSPs that do not transform their infrastructure for 5G?

Featuring:
Claus Pedersen, DCIG Telco Servers, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Mansoor Hanif, Advisory Board Member, UK5G
Caroline Chan, VP Network Platforms Group & GM 5G Infrastructure Division, Intel
Mustafa Ergen, Chief Technology Adviser, Turk Telekom
Jason Keane, Head of Digital BSS Platform, Ericsson
Guy Daniels, Director of Content, TelecomTV

Filmed at: Mobile World Congress Americas, 2018, Los Angeles