ASCII.jp Rakuten Mobile, Cisco's SRV6 and Routed Optical Networking 5G base enhancement

With the promotion of 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), the world's first complete virtualization cloud native mobile network "Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP)" is established as the efforts of domestic mobile communication operators become active.Rakuten Mobile has introduced Cisco Systems solutions to enhance the market competitiveness in 5G business use and launched a full -fledged network.

"When I revealed RCP's concept at Cisco Headquarters in 2018, everyone had a crisp face."Rakuten Mobile CEO, Vice President and CTO CTO, looks back on that time.The key to responding to corporate needs with 5G business use is virtualization of the entire platform, including core networks.By virtualization, an open and flat network infrastructure with excellent expandability and elasticity is realized.

Vice President and CTO of Rakuten Mobile and CTO and Vice President Rakuten Group CTO CTO CTO Tarek Amin

Rakuten Mobile announced on June 25, 2021, Cisco's Segment Routing Overing IPv6 (SRV6) solution and Cisco Routed Optical Networking.

SRV6 is a segment routing technology on the IPv6 network.The router / node is defined as a segment as a segment, and the state information is written to the header of the packet so that it can be transferred while selecting an efficient route in the segment.Furthermore, this header can add function information.For example, if a network licining is added as a function, it will be possible to overlook and provide services for each request such as "large -capacity communication" and "many simultaneous connections".Moreover, it is possible to integrate it to IPv6, allowing comprehensive management from IoT to mobile terminals and data centers servers.

Rakuten Mobile has developed about 50 regional data centers, over 4200 edge -rosions, mainly based on the Central Data Center, in order to support the wireless access network such as base stations in view of private 5G and open RAN.

"With this sense of scale, it is possible to build a cloud native completely virtualized IPv6 -compatible architecture because we have partnerships with Cisco," Amin says.In particular, it is hoped that a flat network that eliminates complexity will be completed, and the operation efficiency will increase.

Cisco Routed Optical Networking that changes the economy of communication infrastructure

Another Cisco Routed Optical Networking is a concept proposed by Cisco that combines IP and the optical transmission network.

"Currently, more than 3 billion people can use the Internet in the world, or have not been able to secure enough communication. One of the causes is the profitability of telecommunications carriers. In general, communication equipment is expensive.As a result, if you are a densely populated area such as urban areas with many users, you can expect profit even if you develop communication infrastructure, but there is no population depopulated area, so it does not lead to infrastructure.We have been working on somehow we can manage the cost. "Cisco's Jonathan Davidson explains the background of the concept.

Cisco Mass Scale Infrastructure Group EVP and GM GM Jonathan Davidson (Jonathan Davidson)

So Cisco started a drastic reform of the Internet architecture.

"The architecture on the Internet has not changed for more than 30 years. Very complicated, siloized technology is divided into multiple layers and connected. For example, an electric signal between the IP network and the light network.In order to interact with the optical path signal, you must connect the IP routing, OTN (optical transport network), and optical (ROADM) hierarchy. Cisco Roumed OpticalThat's the idea of Networking "(Davidson)

In order to respond to this, Cisco designed a placable integrated SDN transport.By directly implementing in the router, the middle devices that were required so far can be removed at a stretch, and multiple networks can be integrated into common infrastructure.This reduced Capex up to 35 %, OPEX reduced by 57 %, and TCO can be reduced by up to 46 %, saying that "the economy of the Internet will be greatly changed," Davidson stated.

Eliminate complexity from the internet architecture

According to the realization of Cisco Routed Optical Networking, Capex, OPEX, and TCO can be significantly reduced.

Another thing that Cisco worked on was the development of a network silicon architecture.The company announced the Networking Silicon Architecture "SILICON ONE" in 2019.The IP routing specialized programmable programmable, which corresponds to speed and capacity in the 5G era, has evolved into a networking chip that supports the WEB scale switching market this year.

"70 % of the 70 % of mobile communication operators network capital investment is related to wireless communication. Dedicated hardware has a large budget for generations. Everyone doubts that it is such a thing.I didn't come. "Amin of Rakuten Mobile pointed out that it must remove existing concepts to realize a 5G core network that separates hardware and software and virtually secure interoperability.The company hopes that 5G will be a paradigm shift in the mobile telecommunications industry where the culture that continues to innovate with speed and agility is not yet rooted.

By introducing both Cisco solutions, Amin evaluates that "the existing IP network will be raised into a world -class 5G network platform, giving you the confidence to fulfill what you want to do."

For Cisco, which is strong in the enterprise IT area, Davidson said, "If a company lays a private 5G, I think that in most cases it will be through a mobile telecommunications carrier. In that sense, we will cooperate with businesses such as Rakuten Mobile.What you can do is significant. "