ORAN

Solution Engineering
based Approach

October 2020

1 © Nokia 2020

Nokia internal use

 ORAN Drivers & Challenges
ORAN / vRAN
Drivers and challenges
ONAP/MANO
Key drivers of CSP:s
A1
O1 • Open interfaces could provide flexibility in supplier selection for RF and BB.
RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) • Stimulate innovation by reducing supplier lock-in.
• Decoupling HW from SW
E2 • Network slicing optimized architecture in vRAN
• Low latency at far edge, eMBB at aggregated edge
CU-CP (E1) CU-UP gNB
X2/Xn • Automation through cloud native SW
F1 F1

Distributed
Challenges to CSP:s
unit (DU)
• “Re-integration” of BTS: inter-operability, performance assurance, feature and roadmap
eCPRI7-2x (“front-haul”) alignment, lifecycle management, etc.
• Co-existence with legacy 2G/3G/4G networks, even legacy 5G.
Radio unit
DU+RU • Availability of fiber and cost-efficient solutions for front-hauling and mid-hauling to
(RU)
make full use of separation of RU, DU and CU
VRAN 2.0 vRAN 1.0
vCU + vDU + RU vCU + (CU+DU)
CU: Centralized Unit, for non-real-time sensitive L2 processing and L3 processing
CP and UP: Control Plane, a.k.a. “signaling”, and User Plane, a.k.a. “payload”
DU: Distributed Unit, for L1 processing and real-time-sensitive L2 processing
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 O-RAN: Significance for Nokia/GS
Risk & Opportunities
O-RAN challenges for operators: O-RAN considerations for GS:

Automation
Share of wallet*

Services
Certification • Multi-vendor integrations
• System integration & Interop testing
Distribution

xAPPs • Distributed accountability • Open source distribution and CI/CD

Automation
Services
• Network performance degradation • xApps & Network Programmability
Support
Services
• Complex operation and maintenance • Zero touch and Cloud operations
Support
Support • Fiber & Time to market
-40% CAPEX • Certification service
Network O-RAN challenges for services vendors:
-20% CAPEX Integrator
Node Integrator • Misc: Edge Cloud, Digital Twin, Data
RAN RAN SW Modeling
System Interop • Decline of attached services
RAN SW Testing
• Cloud native automation
RAN HW
RAN HW
• Cloud and SW Competence
dRAN vRAN O-RAN
* The bar chart representation is for illustrative purposes and not mapped to actual spend estimates
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 ORAN Drivers & Challenges
Operators view on automation
Up to 40 % of opex savings expected with automation
Not surprisingly, operators are tight-lipped about the magnitude of the cost-
efficiencies they are achieving with automation. AT&T is one that has been open
about its targets. Its chief financial officer has stated that, once 75% of its network
operations have been virtualized (expected by 2020) it will have achieved opex
savings of between 40% and 50%.
Network Automation
Tareq Amin, now CTO at Rakuten, claims
Fabio Piccini of Wind Tre 35% opex reductions (in-situ) compared to
anticipates opex reductions traditional operators by using software
in the range of 30-40% equipment in the RAN.
within three or four years. GSMA Intelligence
Network Automation

Kuisch also thinks a 40% reduction in opex is achievable

from automation within three years, but only if the operator
Site bring up in 23 has the courage “to put complete trust in the software” and
minutes from power redeploy people. “This,” he says, “is a matter of faith. If
on has been achieved you do this, reaching that 40% target is possible.
(edge cloud infra) Eric Kuisch, Former Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Deutschland.
Learnings from customer Network Automation
project

4 © 2019 Nokia NetworkAutomation- MIT Technology Review Insights, 2019

GSMA Intelligence - MWC19 Barcelona:beyond the headlines, March 2019
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 ORAN xDomain Collaboration
ORAN xDomain – Horizontal ,Vertical Integration et al
MN Collaboration NSW Collaboration

Example:
O-RAN with Core
O-RAN eCPRI
Network
Classical RAN open open

Example:
Core
O-RAN with O-RAN eCPRI vDU F1 vCU Network
vRAN2 open open open

Application
O-RAN vRAN / Cloud RAN
vDU, vCU
• “Horizontal openness” Front- Mid-haul
MANO • “Vertical openness”
• Open interfaces between / other • Targets the separation of
haul Virtualization/Container
network elements allowing F1 baseband hardware and
E2, O1,
eCPRI (vRAN)
for multi-vendor X2 OpenStack software
• can be applied to Classical • does not require multi-
RAN and vRAN Hardware vendor
DataCenter x86

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 Services Play Nokia ORAN Approach
Nokia ORAN Approach | Solution Engineering based
Left-shift -Engineer solution artefacts & reuse many times in lifecycle services

ORAN Solution
Engineering ORAN Lifecycle services

Design Integrate Support Operate Optimize DR

Acceptance: Blueprint, Artefacts and performance

Horizontal Vertical AN
Integration Integration &
Materials
(RIC-CU-DU-RU Edge/Clouds management
O
Data build RA
Solution level Performance Site location: Site capacity and N
validation testing & load testing RAN & commissioni
Edge BoM
ng &
creation,
integration
Configuration Std and custom ordering
sets base xApps and Site acceptance
tracking
Automated Manual
MOPs/scripts for MOPs for lifecycle Site and
lifecycle Site design Site materials & equipment
logistics installation

Project specific Fault isolation Alarm correlation OR

artefacts 3P Logistics MV Configuration
Edge/Far-edge sites MV CU-DU-RU AN
Generic Edge build Building and
SW Upgrade CI Testing
blueprint Edge/Far-edge sites installation of BBU xApps
Alarm correlation
additional sites
artefacts
MV CU-DU-RU eCPRI
Spare parts RRH
F1
vDU vCU

Artefacts and content

Digital Platforms, AVA analytics, DigiMOPs

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ORAN Solution Engineering | Introduction
RAN Disaggregation

Antenna
Proprietary design and tightly-coupled functions
ORAN is applicable to “all-G”
Classical BTS
2G, 3G, 4G, 5G….
Core Network

Antenna
BTS functions are split across “open
interfaces” (referred to as “split options”) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
defined by 3GPP

RRC
High Low High Low High Low
Core Network PDCP RF
RLC RLC MAC MAC PHY PHY
Data

Antenna
Implement the Disaggregated Functions as separate
products
Centralized Unit (O-CU) Distributed Unit (O-DU) Radio Unit (O-RU)
RRC
High
Midhaul Low High Low High
Fronthaul Low
Core Network Backhaul PDCP
RLC RLC MAC MAC PHY PHY
RF
Data

7 Example “Split Option”

 ORAN Solution Engineering | RAN Disaggregation
Impact and Implications

O-RUs may be CORE SITE EDGE SITE CELL SITE

procured from
multiple vendors
Low Latency

Antenna
Application
Distributed
UPF
O-CU/O-DU may be RAN (D-RAN)
procured from Backhaul FH
Core Network O-CU O-DU O-RU
different vendor(s)
than O-RU vendor(s)
Enganced
MBB

Antenna
Multiple Application

Architecture options Centralized

UPF
CU
Distributed Backhaul Midhaul FH
Core Network O-CU O-DU O-RU
DU
User Plane Functions
(UPF) may be
deployed/located IoT
flexibly based on Application

Antenna
latency requirements UPF
Centralized RAN
(C-RAN)
Backhaul Fronthaul
Core Network O-CU O-DU O-RU
Cloudification at
Edge and Cell Sites
allows resource
pooling
8
 For the sake of brevity not all components are shown

ORAN Solution Engineering | Key Components

xBG Products & Services

Product Product Services

Service, Management and Orchestration (SMO)

O-RU HW+SW MN GS AI/ML

Service Orchestration
Automation
Frameworks
Data Lake
(Analytics)
O-DU SW MN GS
Non-RT RIC
NMS NFVO VNFM
O-CU SW MN GS

Antenna
O-DU/O-SU MN GS FM, PM
VNF Deployment

Bare Metal HW Classical BTS

(AirScale)
gNB BBU
(O-DU + O-CU) O-RU
O-Cloud HW MN GS xApp xApp xApp
AirScale System
(AirFrame) Module
Near-RT RIC
O-Cloud SW NSW NSW
(CBIS/NCS) O-Cloud SW
RIC exposes RAN

Antenna
functions to xApps

NMS NSW NSW O-Cloud HW xApps execute Use Cases

“Cloud BTS”

VNFM (CBAM) NSW NSW O-CU O-DU O-RU

O-Cloud SW
NFVO (CBND) NSW NSW
Core Network O-Cloud HW
Near-RT RIC MN GS

9
Nokia ORAN Solution Engineering work packages offerings
Work package based on extreme automation and digitization

1. 2. 3. 4.
Architecture and Performance (KPI, Program CI/CD and DevOps
Solution Design SLA) Management, NPI (Multi domain and
(including Technical (New Product Multi vendor *)
Support) Introduction)

5. 6. 7. 8.
HW and SW Digitization Deploy (HW, SW, Multi Vendor
Services, Framework (Tools Logistics, Energy etc) Integration
Update/upgrade and DigiMoP) & Network (Horizontal
Operations Integration)

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 Services Play ORAN E2E Integration
ORAN Deployment and Delivery | E2E Integration Methodology
Nokia Blueprint – Advanced Configuration (Network Slicing)
E2E Integration Methodology (Solution Engineering – Digi MOP and below artefacts)

E2E Role (MN, GS, NSW, ION) – Test Strategy, Test Planning and Test Governance + MOP

Vertical Integration Horizontal Integration E2E Use-Case Integration

DO Center External API
OSS

A NAC NRO • Macro Domain

NetAct NADCM SO gateway
P C
I ‒ vRAN1.0/vRAN2.0 scenarios
NetAct

OSS
G xApps • Edge Domain
xApps RIC

VNF/CNF
MANO

a CBND NSP
t DU ‒ Edge related Scenarios
CU
e CBAM Nuage

MANO
w RU NSP CBND Interface (ORAN) -
a
y Nuage • vRAN 1.0: RU <-> DU: eCPRI ; DU <-> CU: F1; CU<->RIC:
E2; RIC<->MANO: A1
• vRAN 2.0: RU+DU<->CU: F1; CU<->RIC:E2; RIC<->MANO:
A1
NFVI/HW

Virtualization layer (CBIS/NCS)

xApps

VNF/CNF
vDU Data Model –
CU
Hardware (AF, HPE) • NF Data model :
RIC
RU • NF Interface level Data Model :
• Golden Parameter :

Goal – Goal – Goal –

• VNF (DU, CU, RIC, xApps, NADCM, MANO) • VNF(ex: DU)-VNF (ex: CU) interface integration • E2E Use-Case Validation
running with NFVI • Interface flow verification • Acceptance against criteria
• VNF running with MANO • OSS, API Integration

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 Services Play ORAN E2E Integration
ORAN Deployment and Delivery | E2E Integration Methodology
Nokia Blueprint Variation – 3rd Party RU and Nokia solution
E2E Integration Methodology (Solution Engineering)
PI Role (Multi vendor : N//, RU – 3rd party (Altiostar etc) – Test Strategy, Test Planning and Test Governance

Vertical Integration Horizontal Integration E2E Use-Case Integration

A EMS NetAct NADCM NAC • Macro Domain

External API gateway
P
I ‒ vRAN1.0/vRAN2.0 scenarios
VNF EMS
G NetAct • Edge Domain
MV VNF

M
a CBND

VNF/CNF
xApps

OSS
t xApps RIC NAC ‒ Edge related Scenarios
SDN MEC
e
w RU vDU vCU CBAM Interface (ORAN) -
a
• vRAN 1.0: RU <-> DU: eCPRI ; DU <-> CU: F1; CU<->RIC:

VNF/CNF
y
vDU E2; RIC<->MANO: A1
xApps
• vRAN 2.0: RU+DU<->CU: F1; CU<->RIC:E2; RIC<->MANO:
A1
MV NFVI/HW

RIC vCU
Virtualization
Virtualization layer Data Model –
VNF/CNF

layer

• NF Data model :
Hardware RU vDU • NF Interface level Data Model :
Hardware
• Golden Parameter :

Goal – Goal – Goal –

• VNF (vDU,vCU, RIC, xApps, NADCM, MANO) • VNF-VNF interface integration • E2E Use-Case Validation
running with NFVI • Interface flow verification • Acceptance against criteria
• VNF running with MANO
• Vertical and horizontal certification
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 working document ORAN Tools
ORAN Deployment and Delivery | Tools Components
CU+DU ( BB/ System - Airscale
O-RAN with Core
O-RAN eCPRI Network
Classical RAN Radio
open open

O-RAN with Core

Radio O-RAN eCPRI vDU F1 vCU Network
vRAN2 open open open

Services / Configuration Fault Performance Case Handling &

Design
Process Management Management Management Emergency

Coverage / Quality / Change Requests Alarms / Tickets KPIs / Counters Tickets / Node Logs
CIQ / GPL Parameters /
Input Capacity - Criteria
Features

Alarm Dashboard Reports at Customizable

Site Location ( RAN / Edge ) Site Config Aggregation levels L1/L2/L3 / F1/E2/A1
Output Change XML E2E Ticket Management
Site Capacity Files ( SCF ) Message Analysis
system
Eg: NPM Huawei for 5G

Includes Tools for On field support during Installation / Near Real time analysis , Geo Location , Cognitive TSS Services
Integration – Deploy Services Services, Smart diagnostic tools – NCS / OMS
Digitization
Automation Digital Platforms, AVA, DigiMOPs
Eco System

Note : Tools need to be redesigned to meet MV /ORAN Product and SW specifications ( Configurations / Performance / Alarms )
RAN Multi Vendor Scenario
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Nokia ORAN Solution Engineering Benefits
Shortened Deployment and Delivery life cycle time from weeks to hours
Weeks

Design

Installation
Classical Delivery Model

Hours
~60%
Configuration Faster

Solution Engineering based

Management Design

Installation
Fault Management
Configuration Management

Model
~30%
Performance Economical Fault Management
Management
Automatic
Performance Management
Semi-automatic
Case Handling &
Emergency Case Handling & Emergency Manual

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Cost optimization levers addressing the key dimensions impacting Nokia
competitiveness for ORAN
Lever Description Target and/or Impact

• Further develop and use Solution Engineering concept • >90% penetration in

integration, migration and
a Automation • Increase automation tool penetration and continously improve automation level for onboarding
automation penetrated activities

• Increase level of remotization (GDC) in bigger cost items like Horizontal Integration, • >90% in VNF onboarding and
VNF onboarding and Program Management (altogether representing 70-80% of total Staging effort
b Remotization Services Cost) • >70% on integrations and
migrations effort

• Standardizing Central staging with E2E architecture and acceptance test for the first • >90% service cost reduction in
site in multi-DC/country project, then copy to the rest with lower cost Horizontal and Vertical
c Serviceability integration
• Vertical and Horizontal integration (30-40% of total Services Cost), applying Zero
Touch framework
• GS level Delivery model and Nokia level Delivery model, eliminating overlaps • <10% of total cost of Services
Lean organizational xBU/xBG in Project/Program Management, Technical Support and Cloud Operations for Project/Program
d Management and Governance
model
costs

15 © 2020 Nokia
 ORAN Key Trends
ORAN Key Trends | Operators driving ORAN and vRAN (advanced & greenfield)
Domain Lead customers
Operability and Serviceability
• ONAP/O-RAN Management (A1,O1)
Take-away
• OSS interoperability initiative (OSSii)
• Traction in RIC on some
lead accounts, to be
RIC near-RT
• O-RAN E2 control interface developed
• More and more operators
Dual Connectivity (X2/Xn) considering making Open
• 3GPP X2 & Xn
fronthaul mandatory
All in Cloud 5G • Open X2 limited traction
• 3GPP F1 & E1 CU interfaces
• HW/SW separation • Open F1 for mmWave
RAP
4G Cloud RAN • Open E1 not receiving
interest
Open Fronthaul • CMCC not focused on open
• O-RAN eCPRI interface interfaces but northbound
APIs, ONAP and White
Open F1 (mmWave RAP) box SC commoditization
• 3GPP F1 + Flat OAM

White Box Hardware

• Open SW Small Cells

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 ORAN Vendor Ecosystem
ORAN Vendor Ecosystem
Lead customers

17 © 2020 Nokia Source : ABI Research

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 ORAN Vendor Ecosystem - India
ORAN Vendor Ecosystem planned for India

Lead customers
System Integrators

vRAN Software Suppliers

RU Hardware & Software

Suppliers

CU & DU Hardware
Suppliers

Secure Virtualization
Platform Suppliers

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ORAN Collaboration and Enablement

Markets to identify
GS champions for Extensive enablement Enablement plan: Training
Enablement

ORAN Solution for GS champions on courses, GRTS sessions,

enablement ORAN solutioning Online courses etc

P12’2020 P3’2021 P6’2021

GS champions driving
ORAN opportunities
Engagement

with minimalistic support

Global handholding
from global
support for market
Global leading champions to drive
engagement on ORAN engagement
selected opportunities

19 © 2020 Nokia
20 ©©
Nokia
Nokia
2020
2020
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