Why residential gateways are essential for Wireless Wireline Convergence

Why residential gateways are essential for Wireless Wireline Convergence

David Woolley – Network Engineering and Planning Senior Lead at Telstra and Project Leader for OB-5WWC at Broadband Forum

Manuel Paul – Senior Expert Technology and Innovation at Deutsche Telekom AG, and Vice President, Project Leader for OB-5WWC at Broadband Forum.

Wireless Wireline Convergence (WWC) has become a staple Work Area for the Broadband Forum since first being introduced in 2017 as part of a joint workshop and following years of extensive specification work carried out in partnership with 3GPP. Momentum has continued with the Forum recently launching its new Open Broadband – WWC Reference Implementation for 5G-RG (OB-5WWC) project to bring the full benefits of the 5G ecosystem to fixed-line services and offer a full end-to-end solution to operators. The growing importance of WWC was further emphasized at a hosted expert workshop this time held at the Broadband World Forum during Q4.

The session featured speakers from industry leading companies including; Nokia, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, Juniper Networks and Ericsson. It focused on the increasing importance of WWC, its use cases, deployment scenario examples and the future of the Broadband Forum’s Industry Standards Work Plan, which continues to shape the crucial Work Areas essential for the acceleration of industry standards, broadband innovation, and ecosystem development.

Why WWC is essential for 5G network growth

The demand for 5G network migration is being driven by the ongoing transformation of both wireless and wireline. At the same time the increased cloudification of data, as well as the need for control user separation (CUPS), is driving up demand for single-core network optimization. Successfully deploying 5G WWC will enable more integrated functions in applications and services, leading to improved offerings and increased monetization for operators.

Is 5G-RG key to unlocking the full WWC benefits?

Without a 5G Residential Gateway (5G-RG), the full benefits of 5G for wireline will not be realized. By leveraging the potential of Residential Gateway mobility and autonomy, the door to a full 5G ecosystem is unlocked. Fundamentally, a 5G-RG is multi-access capable of multiple sessions and PDU session types.

Driven by its mobile DNA, 5G-RG will enable capabilities that can facilitate wireless and wireline transformation. This includes persistent management and session processes, genuine multi-access functionality of ATSSS (Access Traffic Steering, Switching, Splitting) and USIM authentication for improved device security. The 5G-RG can steer traffic between access technologies based on performance metrics, such as latency and throughput, therefore preventing session failure before it can even occur.

Most critically, the 5G-RG focuses on fundamental Quality of Service (QoS), meaning that it prioritizes entry point into fixed or mobile connections, providing operators with increased reliability and accessibility. Another key benefit is the ability to leverage reputable third-party applications for interacting with the 5G network, allowing for further exposure within the 5G-RG. As operators start to focus more on customer and industry satisfaction, providing the flexibility required to push capabilities further has never been as crucial. As a hybrid access solution that utilizes all benefits of 5G and WWC work, it provides operators with a significantly lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Driving 5G convergence 

Every day, users rely on stable connections in their homes, whether this be for service use, entertainment, or work. The necessity for home broadband has increased throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, and this has led to network operators pledging for increased reliability and widespread access. By utilizing a new generation multi-access 5G-RG, overall QoS can be enhanced significantly.

There are many use cases in which 5G-RG technology provides an optimal experience, an example of this is home use, most notably for gaming sessions, when redundancy, bandwidth and high-throughput is significantly maximized by system capabilities. The gateway can also enable multi-pathing, which can be unlocked with ATSSS, and this allows operators the convenience of not having to manage multiple sessions simultaneously, due to built-in convergence.

An example of WWC transforming daily operations is its functionality for the Residential Gateway Security Zone. As security becomes increasingly essential due to the ever evolving sophistication of cyber threats, a 5G-RG in conjunction with the 5G core has the capability to support a separate and secure session for device assurance and management. In providing this, security is considerably enhanced by non-routable IP range services, session limiting and controlled access to the security zone network. Not only can WWC with a 5G Residential Gateway enable enhanced services and functionality, but it can also provide increased security for users in gaming, working and everyday use, offering the most multi-functional service in the 5G market.

If you would like to learn more about the Broadband Forum’s work on Wireless Wireline Convergence, catch up on its ‘5G Wireless – Wireline Convergence Work Overview Webinar’ here. In addition, for any interested parties (including non-Broadband Forum members) that wish to be part of the OB-5WWC project, please sign the project participation agreement online here.