Road to 5G: China Mobile Taps VIAVI to Enable Innovative T&M Capabilities for 5G Rollout

VIAVI Solutions is partnering with China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC) to introduce 5G service in China by the end of 2019.

VIAVI is a preferred vendor of China Mobile, supporting their specific technologies and aggressive roadmap with advanced test solutions. VIAVI will provide test and measurement hardware and software for China Mobile and several equipment manufacturers to support development of Slicing Packet Network (SPN) with FlexE interface, the technology the carrier is positioning for 5G transport.

Based on extensive analysis of 5G transport network requirements, CMCC has determined that Slicing Packet Network (SPN) is an optimal technology to support next-generation architecture, bandwidth, traffic model, network slicing, latency and time synchronization. Flexible Ethernet or FlexE is used in conjunction with SPN to create smaller Ethernet channels from a larger one, or vice versa, to guarantee quality of service (QoS) and isolation between slices at the transport layer. CMCC has requested that the ITU undertake standardization of SPN. VIAVI is committing to support CMCC by delivering an SPN test platform, establishing a common foundation for network equipment manufacturers, chip developers and transceiver vendors to validate products based on this technology.

In January 2018, Madam Yang Zhiqiang, Deputy General Manager of China Mobile Research Institute (CMRI) welcomed Oleg Khaykin, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Tom Fawcett, Vice President and General Manager, Lab & Production Business Unit, VIAVI Solutions, to her offices for strategic meetings on 5G planning. The CMRI is a technical organization within the CMCC group and is responsible for new technology research, standardization, and qualification of infrastructure equipment—including testing protocols.

“VIAVI has been honored to collaborate with China Mobile on analyzing 5G network scenarios and proposing technology strategy,” said Khaykin. “In order to realize China Mobile’s vision of introducing 5G service by the end of 2019, principal technologies including SPN for transport must be standardized by the ITU-T. We have advanced our test technology to meet this objective, and our solutions are ready to support the China Mobile ecosystem of partners to deliver interoperable network infrastructure.”