손장우 (Harrison J. Son)   넷매니아즈 | (주)엔앰씨컨팅그룹 대표이사   son@netmanias.com

 

올해 4월에 넷매니아즈에서 "IP 네트워크 최강자인 Cisco가 이동통신 장비시장도 접수할 것인가?" 글을 포스팅했었지요. 이 글에서 - 유선 네트워크 최강자인 시스코가 Ericsson, Nokia, Alcatel, Huawei, 삼성의 시장인 이동통신 기지국 시장에 침투/접수하려는 의도가 나타나고 있고 신생 RAN 벤더인 Altiostar에 대한 투자(5백억원)가 이에 대한 힌트이다 - 라는 분석을 했었습니다.

또 Cisco 입장에서는 새로운 시장에 들어갈 때, 그 시장에서 기존 강자 대비 차별화된 무기를 제시할 것이고 그 것이 패킷 기반 프론트홀 (예, CRPI over Ethernet)일 것이라 조심스레 예상했었습니다.

이로부터 그리 긴 시간이 지나지 않아 이틀전인 20일에 Altiostar가 드디어 Ethernet 기반 C-RAN 솔루션을 출시(첨부3 참조)했네요. BBU와 RRH를 분리하여 C-RAN을 구축하는 것은 기존 C-RAN과 동일한 데, 이 두 장비간 인터페이스가 CPRI가 아닌 Ethernet인 것이 확인되었습니다. CPRI over Ethernet이 아니고 그냥 Ethernet입니다. 첨부 2의 Altiostar 그림을 보면 L2의 일부와 MAC과 PHY가 RRH로 내려갔네요. PHY가 내려가 CPRI 인터페이스는 RAN에서 없어졌습니다. 이 기술에 대해서는 그 동안 여러 진영 (알카텔, 등)에서 언급을 해 왔었는 데, 상용 솔루션 출시는 처음으로 보입니다.

RAN이 C-RAN으로 진화하는 것은 트렌드이고 이 때 발생하는 아픔인 BBU와 RRH간의 대용량 대역폭 요구도 맞고 Altiostar는 이를 Ethernet 인터페이스를 갖는 RAN 장비로 풀었군요. 기존 RAN 벤더들도 이에 대한 대응/대책이 있어야 하겠네요.

Altiostar는 여전히 스텔스 모드에 있는 회사이고 관련 기술에 대해서는 여전히 함구하고 있습니다. 넷매니아즈에서는 더 파악되는 상황이 있으면 추가 포스팅하도록 하겠습니다. 

[첨부1] Altiostar 홈페이지내 그림

watch on vimeo를 클릭하시면 Altiostar Ethernet Fronthaul 솔루션 소개 영상이 보입니다.

[첨부2] Altiostar 특허 문서내 그림

[첨부3] Altiostar 11월 20일 보도 자료

Altiostar Launches Cloud-Based LTE Radio Solution with Ethernet Fronthaul

Intelligent eNodeB Enhances User Experience and Drives Down Total Cost of Ownership

TEWKSBURY, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Altiostar unveiled its complete portfolio of carrier-grade, cloud-based, software-intensive radio access network (C-RAN) solution with Ethernet fronthaul that is designed to improve the quality of experience, enhance spectral efficiency, and significantly reduce Total Cost of Ownership of LTE access networks. This is a first-ever solution that does not require expensive and hard-to-deploy dark fiber or wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM), and instead can be deployed using readily-available standard Ethernet links.

Today’s dynamic mobile environment is experiencing explosive growth in mobile data consumption driven by the unprecedented spread of smartphones and data-intensive applications with billions of subscribers worldwide. In addition, the Internet of Things and growth in machine-to-machine data traffic are challenging operators to rapidly expand their access networks in order to keep pace with demand.

The projected rate of data consumption will far outpace the operators’ ability to economically deploy coverage and capacity solutions with today’s approach. It is also clear that, to handle future mobile traffic growth and to improve quality of experience, operators will have to deploy a C-RAN with intelligent eNodeBs that are capable of supporting LTE-Advanced features and provide scalable, on-demand compute, memory, and I/O bandwidth.

“To build such networks, today’s base station architecture relies on expensive and hard-to-deploy fiber or WDM,” said Ashraf M. Dahod, President and CEO of Altiostar. “However, we have eliminated the need for fiber or WDM by designing an architecture that uses standard Ethernet to build the cloud RAN. Consequently, our solution enables rapid addition of coverage and capacity with a combination of macro and micro networks, while driving down the total cost of ownership.”

Altiostar’s Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) C-RAN solution includes macro and micro cellular eNodeBs. The solution consists of intelligent Remote Radio Head (iRRH) and intelligent virtualized Base Band Unit (vBBU) running as Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) that are implemented on Common Off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware and carrier-grade OpenStack and Linux software platforms. The iRRHs are connected to the vBBU on standard Ethernet over any available medium, including LoS and NLoS Microwave, mmWave, Carrier Ethernet, FTTx, and fiber or WDM, if available. This solution allows operators to build high-density clusters of up to 1,440 macro and micro radio heads, resulting in significantly improved network performance and reduced capital expenditure and operating expenses, such as power, rent, and personnel costs.

Altiostar’s solution also offers integrated Application Intelligence features that analyze and adapt user traffic to real-time radio conditions to improve the utilization of the valuable radio bandwidth and to enhance user’s Quality of Experience. These features include TCP traffic optimization to eliminate radio channel bandwidth wastage; application-aware scheduling for differentiated flow treatment based on application type; optimization of video traffic with radio-aware content adaptation; radio-channel-aware content caching and streaming; backhaul optimization with intelligent offload and reduction in TCP retransmissions caused by fluctuating radio conditions. These value-added features are tightly integrated into the scheduler to maximize the benefits.

“Major RAN vendors have been talking about C-RAN and even vRAN for some time now, but none have gone as far as Altiostar has in creating an entire portfolio that is designed to maximize the advantages of these architectures on a large scale. Altiostar’s potentially disruptive approach could impact networks in multiple ways, from deployment and transport economics to network efficiency and optimization. And the credibility of the company’s founding team, combined with the power of its partnership with investor Cisco, make this company a serious contender to watch.” stated Edward Gubbins, Senior Analyst at Current Analysis.

Altiostar has received funding from its founders, as well as from Cisco Systems and Excelestar Ventures.

Altiostar is the mobile telecommunication industry’s first provider of NFV C-RAN with Ethernet fronthaul, for software-intensive LTE radio access node (eNodeB). Altiostar is led by industry veterans who understand the mobile network operators’ requirements for expanding their LTE networks quickly and efficiently, in the most feature-rich and cost-effective way.