240118aa

(Press Release)
2024.1.18
NTT Corporation
NTT & Nokia Demonstrate Dynamic Rerouting in Mobile Fronthaul

using IOWN All-Photonics Network (APN)
Achieved power reduction of operating base stations in wide areas using the IOWN
APN towards flexible RAN network operation
Tokyo –Jan. 18, 2024 – NTT Corporation (NTT) and Nokia Corporation (Nokia) demonstrated
that the IOWN All Photonics Network (APN)1 which is considered as an architecture for IOWN
Global Forum2, can be applied to the mobile fronthaul between the antenna unit (Radio Unit/RU)
and the control unit (Distributed Unit/DU) of a 5G RAN base station. In the demonstration, even
when the distance between RU and DU is about 25 km, the low delay transmission using IOWN
APN meets the standard regulation of mobile fronthaul, and it was confirmed that the RU and DU
of 5G operate normally. This achievement will contribute to reducing the number of DUs and their
power consumption by enabling long-distance transmission between RU and DU and wide-range
base station operation.
1. Background of the study

5G and 6G use higher frequency bands than 4G, and require many base stations to cover the
same area, which creates a problem of increase in the number of base stations and power
consumption.
Until now, we have dealt with this problem by separating the antenna equipment and the control
equipment of the base station and aggregating the DUs. The IOWN GF’s report states that the
distance between RU and DU is often less than 7 km, which means that a large number of RUs
that exist over a wide are cannot be sufficiently aggregated into a DU.
Conventionally, a fixed single mode optical fiber connection (dark fiber) has been used for the
mobile fronthaul between the RU and DU, but in this case, the RU is connected in single mode with
a specific DU, and in the event of a failure, service in the area covered by the RU is affected.
The IOWN APN enables dynamic re-routing between RUs and DUs. If a failure occurs between
an RU and a DU, the IOWN APN can bypass the failure, allowing the service to continue in the
area covered by the RU. There is currently a strict industry standard3 for mobile fronthaul with a
delay time of 160 μs or less4, and 5G RUs and DUs are designed to operate under this standard.
In this demonstration, we verified that 5G RU and DU can operate normally even if the distance
between RU and DU is extended by using IOWN APN.
Figure 1 Mobile Fronthaul and Delay Requirements
2. Overview of demonstration experiments

The IOWN APN connects the 5G RUs and DUs to verify that the 5G RUs and DUs work properly
for long-distance transmission, including data transfer. The verification was performed in
accordance with the IOWN Global Forum's PoC Reference5 for the IOWN for mobile network,
including the IOWN APN device configuration and transmission method. We also tested different
APN device sections (Between APN-T and APN-G, between APN-G and APN-I, etc.) for long-
distance transmission, assuming various APN device deployment.
2.1. Results of demonstration experiment
As a result of the demonstration experiments, it was confirmed that RU and DU operate normally
in an environment with a transmission distance of 25 km, that there is no impact on the
communication quality such as data transfer speed and loss rate6, and that the delay time is 133
μs.
We also confirmed in theory that, with the delay time of 133 μs, the maximum distance of long-
distance transmission is approximately 30 km7.
Figure 2 Structure and Results of Demonstration Experiment
2.2. Role of each company in the demonstration experiment

A mobile fronthaul demonstration experiment (Figure 2) using the IOWN APN was conducted as
follows:
■NTT: Conduct a demonstration experiment to provide a test environment that can confirm the
health and measure the quality of 5G mobile communications such as terminals, RU, and CU/DU.
■Nokia: Provide IOWN APN devices such as Flexible Bridge, APN-T, APN-G and APN-I for the
demonstration experiment.
3. Outlook
This demonstration showed that 5G RU and DU work correctly even if the distance between RU
and DU is extended by using IOWN APN.
In the future, we will simulate the failure between RU and DU, and work on a demonstration
experiment to see if stable mobile communication services can continue under those environments
by dynamically re-routing of the IOWN APN, with the aim of realizing a resilient network. In addition,
we will work on a demonstration experiment of a power-efficient mobile network by dynamically re-
routing between RUs and DUs using IOWN APN according to fluctuations in the number of users
and traffic volume during the day and at night.
“I believe this is a significant achievement proving the effectiveness of the IOWN Global Forum All
Photonics Network for the mobile fronthaul. The result clearly illustrates technical feasibilities for a
robust and flexible commercial mobile network with low power consumption. NTT will continue to
collaborate with Nokia and other IOWN Global Forum members to develop the next generation of
ICT infrastructures.” said Katsuhiko Kawazoe, Representative Member of the Board, Senior
Executive Vice President (CTO/ CIO/ CDO), NTT.
“Nokia is proud to contribute to the IOWN GF and we are looking forward to our continued journey
with NTT and other IOWN GF members. As an innovative and trusted global optical leader, Nokia
is deeply aware of the growing need for high-speed and low-latency connections because of the
virtualization of key mobile core components. This test showcases that our high-performance
optical solutions are designed to effectively address this need.” said James Watt, Vice President
and General Manager for the Optical Networks Division at Nokia.
1
IOWN Global Forum (IOWN GF):
A new industry forum that promotes the realization of a new communication platform consisting of
the All-Photonics Network, which includes silicon photonics, edge computing, and wireless
distributed computing, through the development of new technologies, frameworks, technical
specifications, and designs.
https://iowngf.org/
https://group.ntt/en/newsrelease/2019/10/31/191031a.html
2
IOWN APN (All Photonics Network):
The IOWN consists of three main components: the All-Photonics Network (APN), which introduces
photonics-based technology to everything from networks to terminals; the Digital Twin Computing,
which enables advanced and real-time interaction between objects and humans in cyberspace;
and the Cognitive Foundation, which efficiently deploys various ICT resources including them.
By introducing new optical technologies from the network to terminals and chips, APN achieves
ultra-low power consumption and ultra-high-speed processing, which has been difficult to achieve.
By assigning wavelengths to each function on a single optical fiber, we can provide multiple
functions that support our social infrastructure, such as information and communication functions,
and internet and sensing functions, without interfering with each other.
https://www.rd.ntt/e/iown/
3
3GPP (The 3rd Generation Partnership Project [3GPP TR 38.801], [3GPP TR 38.806], [3GPP TR
38.816] RAN For feature split option 7.
4
Fiber delay: 0~150 μs and packet delay variation (PDV): 0~ 10 μs for a total of 160 μs.
5
PoC Reference of IOWN for mobile network: As a result of the technical study in the mobile
network area in the IOWN Global Forum, the technical conditions for the demonstration experiment
are defined and published.
https://iowngf.org/wp-content/uploads/formidable/21/IOWN-GF-RD-
MFH_over_APN_PoC_Reference_1.0.pdf
6
We compared the APN configuration data with the conventional configuration data in which a
single mode connection was made between the RU and DU using optical dark fiber, and confirmed
that the values were the same.
7
With a delay time of 133 μs at the time of verification, it was possible to extend the 27 μs
spectroscopic fiber in contrast to the specified delay time of 160 μs. When the delay time of the
optical fiber was 5 μs/km, it was proven in theory that the optical fiber could be connected for a total
of about 5 km up to about 30 km.
About NTT
NTT contributes to a sustainable society through the power of innovation. We are a leading global
technology company providing services to consumers and business as a mobile operator,
infrastructure, networks, applications, and consulting provider. Our offerings include digital
business consulting, managed application services, workplace and cloud solutions, data center
and edge computing, all supported by our deep global industry expertise. We are over $97B in
revenue and 330,000 employees, with $3.6B in annual R&D investments. Our operations span
across 80+ countries and regions, allowing us to serve clients in over 190 of them. We serve over
75% of Fortune Global 100 companies, thousands of other enterprise and government clients
and millions of consumers.
Media contact
NTT
Public Relations
[email protected]

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(Press Release)

NTT & Nokia Demonstrate Dynamic Rerouting in Mobile Fronthaul

1. Background of the study

2. Overview of demonstration experiments

2.1. Results of demonstration experiment

Figure 2 Structure and Results of Demonstration Experiment

2.2. Role of each company in the demonstration experiment

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