Huawei released its "X-Haul" 5G-oriented mobile bearer solution for providing flexible access capabilities, implementing agile network operations based on a cloud architecture, enabling end-to-end network slicing, and supporting smooth evolution from 4G bearer networks to 5G bearer networks.
Huawei said its solution addresses the three major 5G application scenarios defined by 3GPP: enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), and ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (uRLLC). Each of these scenarios impose high requirements on bearer network bandwidth, latency, connections, and O&M.
The Huawei X-Haul offers full fronthaul and backhaul coverage, supporting IP, microwave, and OTN access technologies.
For backhaul scenarios in areas that have a high population density, Huawei is offering a 50GE/100GE adaptive network slicing router, which provides seamless 100GE compatibility even when providing 50GE base station access. Huawei is also offering a 5G-ready microwave solution, where smooth capacity upgrades are supported through the use of a same frequency band or inter-frequency band Carrier Aggregation (CA) technology, which enables any-media 10GE to site. For fronthaul scenarios, Huawei is offering a 100G Full-outdoor WDM device, which is deployed at the same site as the base station to save optical cable resources.
Huawei X-Haul introduces a cloud-based architecture, with centralized orchestration through the Network Cloud Engine for various network media such as IP, optical and microwave. The device plane introduces Segment Routing, EVPN and OSP-TE protocols, simplifying bearer device control plane protocols and unifying the service model to implement the whole automated management life cycle of the bearer network. This improves the efficiency of network-wide O&M tenfold.
Huawei X-Haul uses the Flexible Ethernet (FlexE) to implement end-to-end network slicing and help operators accelerate new service innovation. FlexE can divide a single physical Ethernet port into multiple Ethernet flexible hard pipes based on timeslot scheduling, implementing service statistical multiplexing in the same slice while without services affecting each other in different slices. Through the Network Cloud Engine, end-to-end coordination between FlexE-based network slices and wireless and core networks is achieved, with support for the flexible slice creation, on-demand bandwidth adjustment, on-demand service-level agreement (SLA) assurance and rapid fault location for each network slice. This enables one network to serve multiple purposes, maximizing backhaul network value.
Huawei X-Haul also introduces highly cost-effective 50GE technology at the access layer, which reduces CAPEX by 30%, while enabling smooth future upgrade to 100GE based on FlexE. At the aggregation and core layers, which use the IP + optical two-layer architecture, the IP layer supports 200GE/400GE interfaces, and the optical layer implements one-hop transmission of wavelengths. Single-wavelength bandwidth can be expanded on demand to 200G/400G. This enables 4G-to-5G bearer network evolution, which will maximize operator investment.
"The 5G era is approaching, and the shape that service modes will take is not yet certain. The Huawei X-Haul solution fully supports 4G/5G bearing, so as to effectively support operators' new service development and expand the business blueprint. In the future, Huawei will continue to promote joint innovation with operators in the 5G field around the world, and join hands with upstream and downstream industry partners to promote the sustainable development of the 5G industry," stated Jeffrey Gao, president of Huawei Router & Carrier Ethernet Product Line.
http://www.huawei.com
See also Project 5G-Xhaul
http://www.5g-xhaul-project.eu
