Innovation Leads 5G Vertical Applications to Go From Supporting System to Core Operation

Since the commercial launch of 5G, the application of 5G in vertical industries has developed rapidly, and multiple application cases with commercial feasibility have been incubated. According to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, more than 7900 5G 2B private networks had been built in China by September 2022, and the effect of 5G empowerment has gradually appeared in many industries such as manufacturing, ports, mines and power grid. The value of 5G networks will be better reflected as 5G vertical applications gradually shift from supporting system to core operation and enable use cases that are crucial for industrial core production process. During this transformation, the 5G private network will also face some new challenges:

• Split of cloud, network and applications: Traditionally, enterprises need to purchase cloud, network and applications from different suppliers when launching new services. This leads to high costs, time-consuming and laborious on-site integration, and unclear fault location responsibilities.
• Difficult performance guarantee: The traditional public network adopts best-effort policy, because services on this network have a great tolerance to delay and jitter. However, the private network for core operation is sensitive to delay and jitter, and there is a big gap for deterministic capability between network supply and service demand.
• Complex O&M: The private network in the early stage adopted the same O&M procedure as the public network. For customers in vertical industries such as steel, manufacturing and ports, operating such a network is technically challenging. From the product perspective, a private network can be divided into RAN, core, and transmission network. From the operation perspective, a private network roll-out needs planning, construction, maintenance, and optimization. At each stage, expertise is required for each product category, and industrial customers usually do not have such resources.

If not addressed, these problems will hinder the in-depth development of 5G vertical applications. Through the practice of several projects, ZTE has proposed three core capabilities that 5G private network must have when entering the core operation: integration of cloud, network and applications, deterministic assurance, and simplified O&M (Fig. 1).

• Integration of cloud, network and applications: End customers need a one-stop solution that can solve real problems for the core operation and improve the efficiency. There is an overwhelming trend to integrate cloud, network and applications.
• Deterministic assurance: The private network for the core operation needs to provide deterministic service assurance, including ultra low delay/jitter and zero packet loss.
• Simplified O&M: A simplified O&M solution is needed to lower the barriers of 5G private network operation, which minimizes network management workload of on-site staff, including all-in-one management, lightweight deployment and service oriented O&M.

Integration of Cloud, Network and Applications: Providing One-Stop Solution

Applications are key to digital transformation of verticals. Cloudification is the current trend to achieve flexible, convenient, and low-cost deployment of various industrial applications. Cloud, network and applications are all required for 5G vertical empowerment. To this end, ZTE has customized a series of products that integrate cloud, network and applications, providing one-stop solution for industrial customers.

On the terminal side, ZTE has launched its 5G SmartEdge gateway and 5G multi-service emulator (MSE) tester. The SmartEdge gateway is equipped with abundant industrial interfaces that can be connected to various industrial devices on the operational environment, and also has built-in computing power that provides a basic computing platform for various applications such as video coding and programmable logic controller (PLC). The 5G MSE tester can simulate signals from various field applications, and is very helpful for service verification during network commissioning.

On the network edge side, ZTE has released NodeEngine, the industry's first base station-based computing engine. By inserting computing boards into the BBU cabinet, a regular base station can be quickly upgraded to NodeEngine that enables local traffic offloading and industrial application deployment. The NodeEngine solution integrates the functionalities of network and computing and provides a platform for deployment of various applications. ZTE has also launched customized product solutions for special industry scenarios, such as nomadic base station solutions for temporary coverage and explosion-protected base station solution for explosive hazardous environment.

On the data center, ZTE has rolled out iCube and a variety of lightweight i5GC solutions. iCube integrates the functionalities of cloud, network, applications and maintenance to meet customer needs for 4G/5G connection and edge computing, and has become an ideal private network solution for enterprise campuses.

Based on its products and solutions that combine cloud and network, ZTE has created a ubiquitous computing environment for industrial customers to flexibly support on-demand deployment of various applications, such as PLC, data collection, video transcoding and distribution, and machine vision. To better serve the digital transformation of enterprises, ZTE has also launched the "Digital Nebula" one-stop solution (Fig. 2). Based on the cloud-network integration infrastructure, Digital Nebula provides an overall digital solution for enterprises with unified architecture and standardized capabilities via building-block components. Through the digital base platform, Digital Nebula achieves standard southbound connections and personalized northbound services, eliminating the pain points of traditional industrial digitization. Moreover, the one-stop development tool can provide an integrated environment for both development and maintenance, which helps enterprises improve development efficiency, reduce difficulties and facilitate agile innovation.

5G Precise RAN Solution: Providing Deterministic Assurance for Core Operational Applications

To provide deterministic assurance for core operational applications, ZTE has launched 5G precise RAN solution that enhances network performance in latency, jitter, reliability, and network-application coordination.

• Ultra-low latency: A lot of use cases for the core operation require ultra-low latency. For example, coordination between two automated guided vehicles (AGVs) needs to know each other's status information accurately with minimum latency. To guarantee low latency for target scenarios, eMBB or URLLC technologies such as intelligent pre-scheduling, DS frame structure and mini-slot need to be implemented to enhance network capabilities. In addition, based on network edge intelligence, services are dynamically identified and scheduled to meet different QoS requirements.
• Ultra-low jitter: Deterministic latency is needed to support the accuracy of cloud PLC. TSN-related technologies such as TSN traffic shaping and gating control at the edge of the network can be introduced to achieve microsecond-level jitter.
• Ultra-high reliability: The remote control of iron and steel metallurgy requires a reliability of up to 99.999%. However, wireless links are naturally uncertain due to signal fluctuation and interference. To improve the reliability of data transmission, frame replication and elimination for reliability (FRER) can be adopted, with one wireless link operating in band A and the other in band B.
• Network-application coordination: Video surveillance in ports or steel factories often encounters the scenario where cameras are densely deployed in limited space. The concurrent I-frames of multiple cameras can cause traffic peak that exceeds network capacity. Considering commercial feasibility, a network should not be planned according to its peak traffic. ZTE has developed I-frame collision avoidance solution that can adjust the I-frame time sequence of cameras to reduce burst peak traffic, thus guaranteeing the quality of video services.

Simplified O&M: Lowering Barriers of Applying 5G Private Network

To lower the barriers of applying 5G private network in vertical sectors, ZTE has also developed a series of features that enable extremely simplified operation and maintenance, including all-in-one management, lightweight deployment, and service oriented O&M.

• All-in-one management: The O&M system for private network supports RAN, core, cloud, fixed network and transport network simultaneously, providing end-to-end professional management for all network elements (NEs), including unified topology, alarm, performance, resource, and log management. This increases operational efficiency and helps with quick troubleshooting.
• Lightweight deployment: A lightweight, low-cost, plug-and-play approach is preferred for private network. All devices, NEs, and O&M products can be put into service with just one click on site, thus helping enterprise customers quickly complete 5G network provisioning with minimal expertise.
• Service-oriented O&M: Network O&M is targeted for enterprise customers. All configuration and management tasks are service oriented and have user-friendly interfaces. The end-to-end service status can be presented in a visual manner, and any service abnormality can be automatically identified.

The procedure for 5G applications to enter the core operation is still in its infancy. ZTE, together with CSPs and industry partners, has made successful explorations in various vertical sectors, such as mining, steel, manufacturing and ports. ZTE has worked with China Mobile to help Zhejiang Hotel Star Co., Ltd. (Hotel Star for short) build the first fully intelligent carton manufacturing factory in China, verifying seven 5G use cases including cloud AGVs, data collection, intelligent storage, electronic fence, transport vehicles, and production billboards. These use cases of 5G private network adopt ZTE's unique NodeEngine solution that provides not only 5G services but also a common platform for selected applications, offering Hotel Star an one-stop solution for high-quality connections, rich capabilities and characteristic services. ZTE has partnered with China Telecom to implement cloud PLC at ZTE's Nanjing Binjiang manufacturing base. Cloud PLC applications can be flexibly deployed on NodeEngine or SmartEdge gateways to achieve integration of 5G and industrial control networks. ZTE has also cooperated with China Unicom to build a 5G network in Baosteel that enables remote control of a robotic arm to finish the painting work. ZTE will work with industry partners to explore more use cases of 5G private network for the core operation, promote mature use cases, and maximize the value to the industry.