Fujitsu expands its Smart xHaul for 5G transport

Fujitsu Network Communications is expanding its Smart xHaul transport solution for 5G transport networks in collaboration with HFR Networks and Volta Networks.

The solution enables 5G transport networks to leverage legacy 4G Centralized Radio Access Network (C-RAN) fiber transport and cell sites using an open, disaggregated, pay-as-you-go architecture.

“Expansion of the Smart xHaul transport solution in partnership with a broad ecosystem is yet another demonstration of Fujitsu’s commitment to advancing open 5G architecture. Fujitsu is a member of several industry organizations working to develop open networks, including active participation in the O-RAN Alliance,” said Paul Havala, head of the optical business unit for Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc. “Our disaggregated architecture solutions offer a more flexible approach to network evolution for greater performance and cost efficiency with minimal risk when aggregating and transporting 5G services.”

The Fujitsu Smart xHaul solution consists of several key elements:

Intelligent Fronthaul -- now includes new intelligent fronthaul platforms for centralized and cloud-based RAN architectures leveraging next-generation Packet RAN access technology by HFR Networks. The M6424 Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) aggregation and transport switch series supports interfaces for CPRI, eCPRI and Ethernet services. This temperature-hardened, one rack unit solution supports 24x multi-rate client ports at up to 25G operation for 4G, 5G and Ethernet service coexistence, along with 4x 100GbE network ports offering multiple topologies. With high-precision timing, TSN offers synchronization to the cell site remote radio, while maintaining low latency variation for aggregated 4G and 5G traffic by preempting Ethernet and Internet services. In addition, the M6424-R O-RAN compliant Fronthaul Gateway platform includes a PHY-LOW networking interface that significantly improves bandwidth efficiency and enables multi-vendor interoperability between legacy and new base station equipment.  With this solution, a 5G overlay is not needed on existing 4G transport networks, helping to reduce total costs and speed time to market of lucrative new 5G services.

Disaggregated Cloud Control Plane -- a cloud-based control plane architecture provided by Volta Networks is integral to the new Smart xHaul solution. The virtual routing engine in the cloud combined with agent software on the 1FINITY S100 Switch platform, enables service providers to realize full routing capabilities optimized to their specific application without the limitations and excessive cost structures of legacy, monolithic routers and transport elements. Disaggregating the control and user planes allow scale out via linear resource scaling versus scaling up to a limit with integrated control and user planes. As a result, the solution provides pay-as-you-go efficient scaling to address initial migration from 4G to 5G, as well as diverse 5G multiservice operation using network slicing, for greater intelligence, scalability and cost-efficiency without network overlays.

Network Slicing -- Fujitsu enables network slicing operation via its 1FINITY S100 transport switches for midhaul and backhaul transport, providing enhanced network slicing and cloud control segment routing to reduce operational complexity, increase scalability and deliver better infrastructure utilization versus traditional routers.