5G networking is an evolving and broad concept, encompassing seamless fixed-mobile convergence with Gb/s connectivity speeds over an intelligent infrastructure. Integrating such diverse technologies into a single architecture with recent network programmability trends presents key technology challenges, while making issues such as security, energy efficiency, and scalability ever more critical. CHARISMA (Converged Heterogeneous Advanced 5G Cloud-RAN Architecture for Intelligent and Secure Media Access) project objective is the development of an open access, converged 5G network, via virtualized slicing of network resources to different service providers (SPs), with network intelligence distributed out towards end-users over a self-similar hierarchical architecture. Such an approach offers a means to achieve important 5G key performance indicators (KPIs) related to low latency, high and scalable bandwidths, energy efficiency and virtualized security (v-security). CHARISMA’s ambitious approach for low latency and enhanced security builds upon present and future high-capacity developments that are currently being mooted for 5G deployment, such as 60 GHz/E-band, CPRI-over-Ethernet, cloud-RAN, distributed intelligence across the back-, front- and perimetric-haul, ad-hoc mobile device interconnects, content delivery networks (CDN), mobile distributed caching (MDC) and improved energy efficiency. In particular, CHARISMA has been designed to emphasise 3 specific important functionalities that are also considered to be key to many important vertical sectors and the provisioning of their supporting 5G services. These 3 functionalities are to be a low-latency network, featuring security and open access (multi-tenancy) operation.
CHARISMA is looking to have an impact on the telecommunication market, which is a highly competitive environment that will suffer a drastic transformation with the implementation of 5G, leading to growth and impact not just on the telecom sector but also creating new business opportunities.Traditional network functionalities will be moved from the Central Exchange (CE) to other parts of the network. Virtualization will be present in most of the network elements. NFV will enable to use common hardware with ease of deployment, scalability and reduced costs to achieve required network elements functionalities. Additionally, NFV combined with SDN, will lead to a reduction of CAPEX and OPEX, and will optimize the operations and reduce the time to market for new actors. A new eco-system with new players alongside the traditional ones will arise. A huge amount of CAPEX will not be necessary in order to enter the market and most of the costs will be OPEX related. In this sense, Open Access is an essential feature of CHARISMA ecosystem as it opens the market to multiple operators who will control their set of virtual resources by the appropriate interfaces.
CHARISMA characteristics will lead also to the creation of new business innovation by involving vertical sectors such as Health, Factories of the Future, Energy, Automotive etc. that require low latency, high security and open access. For example, low latency will lead to new applications that require almost real time control and information flow (remote surgery, ITS/collision avoidance); Security will lead to new use cases regarding Factories of the Future such as internet based manufacturing and will lead closer towards Industry 4.0.; Open access provides the basis for multi-tenancy. The different topics that will be researched regarding the business perspectives of CHARISMA among others include: new tariff and pricing models, charging mechanisms, demand forecasting for services. Finally, a detailed techno-economic analysis of the CHARISMA solution will be performed and guidelines will be extracted.
