A society where everything is sensing, connected, and intelligent is on the horizon. Huawei's Global Industry Vision (GIV) forecasts that the global ICT industry will enter the "+Intelligence" era by 2025, in which ubiquitous, efficient, and intelligent connections will fuel the rapid development of the entire ICT industry and lead the global community towards the future intelligent world.
In 2025, the majority of enterprise business processes will be reconfigured around digital technology. All IT solutions will be cloud-based, and more than 85% of enterprise applications will run in the cloud. The worldwide penetration rate of home broadband will reach 75%, with Gbit/s access available to 30% households. Around 100 million households will have access to 1 Gbit/s mobile broadband. This will mark the beginning of the ultra-broadband era. By 2025, there will be 40 billion smart devices worldwide, up 470% when compared with 2015. Smart devices will grow to become a key component of digital life. In 2025, the amount of data generated and stored globally per year will reach 180 zettabytes, a twentyfold increase relative to 2015. Machines will take over the majority of data processing work and provide key insight for intelligence-based decisions.
The value of connectivity will be amplified infinitely. The core business scenarios of B2B, B2C, and B2H telecom operators will derive more business opportunities. As a strategic partner of global telecom operators, Huawei always follows the strategy of "enabling more connections, bigger pipes, and digitalization" and is dedicated to helping operators achieve business success. At Ultra-Broadband Forum 2017 recently held in Hangzhou, David Wang, President of Products & Solutions at Huawei, launched the All-Intelligent Network. By building intelligent, simple, and superfast ultra-broadband networks, Huawei aims to help operators address future challenges brought by business uncertainties, and achieve new growth in the B2B, B2C, and B2H segments.
Using the All-Intelligent Network to Help Operators Address Future Business Uncertainties
The uncertainties of the digital world need an intelligent network. "Intelligence" is an effective way to resolve the lack of agile infrastructure network operation systems, difficult O&M, and availability of only a small number of security features for protection. Intelligence arises from simplicity, and simplicity accelerates the integration of intelligence into networks. Huawei’s All-Intelligent Network focuses on three key features: intelligence, simplicity, and superfast.
Intelligence means intelligent business operations and network O&M. There are three steps to build intelligent networks: from automatic to adaptive, and then ultimately to autonomous. In this context, 'automatic' means the ability to automatically provision services and automate network deployment and maintenance. By integrating network managers and controllers, the All-Intelligent Network connects new SDN networks and traditional networks. This will enable one-click services and end-to-end automatic service provisioning. 'Adaptive' is built on intelligent analyzers on top of automation, to collect real-time network data and perceive network status. The All-Intelligent Network is able to automatically generate and optimize policies based on service and network SLAs, enabling networks to evolve from open-loop configuration to closed-loop optimization. 'Autonomous' is the enhancement of analyzers by introducing AI and machine learning algorithms to enable network self-learning. Networks will evolve, from following programmed, static policies to learning dynamic policies on their own, thus achieving network autonomy.
The second feature is simplicity. The All-Intelligent Network optimizes traditionally siloed architecture by leveraging IT concepts and technologies. It decouples networks into two layers – an elastic and reliable transport layer, and a flexible and agile service layer. The architecture gets simplified, where network resources are adjusted fast and flexibly. By using a unified protocol, networking, which used to run on multiple IP protocols, becomes more standardized, and a unified service configuration model will be created to reduce the difficulty of O&M and configuration. The number of layers from OTN to CO is also reduced to enable one-hop access between any two nodes, helping operators reduce network latency, improve service experience, and flatten network topology.
The third feature is superfast. The definition of ultra-broadband is renewed to encompass ultra-low latency, ultra-high bandwidth, and massive connections. Latency is reduced from 30 ms to 5 ms, allowing new services such as IoT, data center interconnect, enterprise cloud applications, and cloud VR. With ultra-high bandwidth, it is not just about higher bandwidth, but also a smaller footprint and lower power consumption. Future UBB networks also need to enable the connection of the predicted massive number of things that are envisioned.
Helping Operators Provide Agile B2B Leased Line Services with a Better Experience
The All-Intelligent Network can accelerate the enterprise WAN to cloud process and help enterprises implement digital transformation. Huawei will work with operators to build agile B2B leased line services with better experience and enable operators to increase their leased line services. Huawei Rotating CEO Eric Xu emphasized that "Huawei is committed to working with operators to build compelling leased line services for the B2B segment, to navigate the challenges and to seize the opportunities from increasing adoption of cloud services." Huawei will develop B2B leased line services with operators by focusing on the following five aspects:
- Providing a cloud-based leased line solution that enables operators to meet the demand for cloud services.
- Helping operators tap into their strengths in cloud-network synergy and provide integrated solutions that combine leased line connectivity with cloud services offered by operators themselves, jointly with partners, or via resale from third-party cloud service providers.
- Helping operators enhance their competitive edge by cloudifying their networks to provide agile, on-demand leased line services that meet the evolving needs of different enterprises.
- Working with operators to expand their B2B connectivity services for enterprise campuses, for which they can provide LAN, Wi-Fi, and managed services.
- Helping operators breathe new life into their leased line business by delivering a compelling experience throughout the customer journey, from product discovery to purchase and use.
In the field of B2B leased line services, Huawei has been actively collaborating with leading global operators. In the field of WAN to Cloud, Huawei has jointly innovated with operators to release convergent cloud-and-network services. In the field of transforming traditional leased line networks, Huawei has helped operators introduce SDN to OTN, IP RAN, and other networks, and deployed leased lines for financial and health care sectors. In the field of exploring B2B boundaries, Huawei has made significant progress in the areas of smart hotels and cloud-based campus management.
Providing "Quality Broadband" to Build a New Ecosystem in the Broadband Industry
The All-Intelligent Network helps operators significantly improve user experience, implement value-oriented network construction, and build quality broadband. Ryan Ding, Executive Director and President of the Carrier Business Group of Huawei, said "Quality Broadband will break through the experience bottleneck that plagues broadband development and help operators to provide a better experience to meet the needs of individuals, households, enterprises, and the future intelligent world. In addition, it increases the efficiency of broadband investment and shortens its payback period, helping operators achieve sustainable development." Huawei believes that quality broadband is possible only when experience-driven operations and value-driven network deployment are realized. These two initiatives can help operators build differentiated competitive strengths and achieve business success.
For experience-driven operations, Huawei believes the first goal must be to build a visualized, manageable, and operable home network, and improve the connection experience by improving Wi-Fi access quality at home. Experiences with broadband services such as video, VR, gaming, and leased lines also need to be improved. The focus of operators should shift from building pipes to building platforms to establish their unique broadband service models. Huawei also suggests operators improve their end-to-end process when facing end users and improve user experience and satisfaction. Approaching this from multiple dimensions, such as business, network assurance, and services, will make broadband services more competitive.
For value-driven network deployment, Huawei thinks it is key for operators to focus on return on investment (ROI) and achieve precise investment, network deployment, and operations to shorten the payback period. Specifically, operators can adopt big data technologies to achieve precise investment and planning, targeting high-value regions and users. For the last mile, operators can use any medium such as optical fiber, copper, and wireless to increase broadband speeds while achieving the optimal total cost of ownership (TCO). For the backhaul, operators can take several measures, such as fixed-mobile synergy, infrastructure sharing, and creation of industry alliances, to share benefits and fully collaborate with other industries. In addition, operators can introduce a lightweight operation support system, a home pass map, and other solutions for quicker broadband service provisioning, a higher rate of user broadband installation, and a shorter payback period.
With its extensive broadband deployment experience around the world, Huawei has built a multi-dimensional support system that includes business consulting, network planning, operation consulting, and unique products and solutions to help global operators build quality broadband. For example, Huawei has helped operators significantly improve video service experience and rapidly grow their video user base. In emerging countries, Huawei has helped operators achieve precise investment in FTTH and efficient network deployment, greatly shortening the payback period.
Entering the 5G Era to make the Internet of Everything Possible
The All-Intelligent Network will support multi-service bearer requirements in the 5G era and enable Internet of everything. David Wang, Huawei's President of Products & Solutions, said, "Requirements on 5G bearer networks come from four angles: ultra-large bandwidth at a 10-fold increase rate, end-to-end ultra-low latency of 5 ms, efficient network construction in multiple scenarios, and network slicing. With the All-Intelligent Network, Huawei proposes using the X-Haul 5G bearer solution to meet future 5G bearer requirements." X-Haul has the following four features:
- To support diverse 5G access methods, Huawei X-Haul provides an overall solution with full fronthaul and backhaul coverage, implementing flexible access in all scenarios. Flexible networking is implemented through the IP, microwave, and OTN access technologies, enabling unified fronthaul and backhaul bearing whether or not optical cables are used.
- Huawei X-Haul introduces a cloud-based architecture that enables agile operations on 5G bearer networks.
- Huawei X-Haul uses the Flex Ethernet (FlexE) technology to implement end-to-end network slicing and help operators accelerate new service innovation.
- Huawei X-Haul supports future-oriented evolution through the flexible expansion and upgrade of existing networks.
Huawei is dedicated to providing innovative 5G bearer solutions, and working together with industry partners to promote the standardization of 5G bearer-related, including network slicing, low latency, network expansibility, high-precision clock, 50GE/200GE/400GE, and millimeter wave, etc. To date, Huawei has signed a 5G strategic cooperation framework agreement with more than 30 mainstream operators around the world and has carried out joint innovation with more than 20 operators around the world to promote commercial deployment of 5G.
