Description
Covid19 and its associated measures have been a mixed bag for telcos. On one hand, telcos and NF vendors will get adversely affected by the most unprecedented global recession witnessed in close to a century; the crisis presents several opportunities for telcos. Work-from-home (WFH) will lead to a demand for quality telecommunication infrastructure at the retail customer level – something that 5G networks are best placed to offer. This is just one of the many examples in which telecom and 5G will contribute to the changing world.
Highlights
Insight Research therefore forecasts that the drop in market size for VNFs and CNFs will be moderate when compared to the setback faced by the global economy at large.
CNFs will outpace VNFs comprehensively during 2020-2025. While the shock of 2020 will curb spending for about 18 months, the industry will quickly bounce back powered by the growing 5G installations. 5G can be considered to be the most potent brand ambassador for CNFs due to its bent on cloud-native technologies. Unsurprisingly, CNFs will come to occupy more than 19 percent of the overall Core and RAN market (virtualized and containerized); an unthinkable prospect a few years ago.
Scope
Chapter 1 is the Executive Summary
Chapter 2 compares and contrasts the origins, morphologies and features of the principal actors in this report – CNFs and VNFs.
Chapter 3 places VNFs and CNFs in the realms of the network functions covered in the report – the core and RAN.
Chapter 4 highlights, analyses and chronicles the CNF and VNF-related initiatives of the most important stakeholders – the telcos
Chapter 5 identifies and categorises the vendors or solution providers; and analyses their initiatives in the context of the network functions covered.
Chapter 6 covers the quantitative forecasts in providing ringside as well as inside views of the VNF and CNF markets for the core and RAN by breaking them along morphology, geographical region, deployment methodology, hosting mode, end-user and application criteria.
Table of Contents
1 Executive Summary
1.1 The CNF-VNF Rivalry
1.2 The Umbilical Cord Between CNFs and VNFs
1.3 Why will CNFs Outpace VNFs?
1.4 Cautionary Note for CNFs
1.5 Report Organization and Market Forecast Taxonomy
2 VNFs and CNFs
2.1 VNF -The Original
2.1.1 History and Progression
2.1.2 NFV architecture
2.1.2.1 VNFi/NFVi
2.1.2.2 VNFs
2.1.2.3 MANO
2.2 CNF – The Inheritor
2.2.1 What are Containers?
2.2.2 Microservices
2.2.3 Container Morphology
2.2.3.1 Provisioning and Run-time Management Block
2.2.3.1.1 Docker Engine
2.2.3.2 Orchestration Block
2.2.3.2.1 Kubernetes
2.2.3.3 Application Deployment Block
2.2.4 Container Deployment Methodologies
2.2.4.1 Virtual Machine (VM)
2.2.4.2 Bare Metal
2.2.4.3 Cloud or Container as-a-Service (CaaS)
2.2.5 Stateful and Stateless Containers
2.2.6 CNCF and CNFs
2.3 Contrasting CNF and VNFs
2.4 Advantage CNF
2.4.1 Freedom from Hypervisors
2.4.2 File-level Resource Management
2.4.3 Portability
2.4.4 Microservices-powered Scalability and Granularity
2.4.5 Quick Operationalization
2.4.6 Quick Orchestration with a Caveat
2.4.7 Containers and 5G
2.5 Advantage VNFs .. and PNFs
2.5.1 Familiarity with VMs
2.5.2 Telco Demands
2.5.3 Latency
2.5.4 Security
2.5.5 Flexibility
2.5.6 Hardware Enhancements
2.5.7 Co-existence with PNFs and VNFs
2.6 Blending CNF with NFV
2.6.1 NFVi and CNF
2.6.2 MANO and CNF
2.6.2.1 ONAP and CNFs
2.6.2.1.1 ONAP4K8S
2.6.2.2 OSM and CNFs
3 VNFs and CNFs of the Core and the RAN
3.1 The Core and its Evolution
3.2 Contours of EPC
3.2.1 SAE and the Flat Architecture
3.2.2 Decoupling of Planes
3.2.3 NAS
3.2.4 Blocks in the EPC
3.2.4.1 SGW
3.2.4.2 PGW
3.2.4.3 ePDG
3.2.4.4 TWAG
3.2.4.5 MME
3.2.4.6 HSS
3.2.4.7 Other optional elements
3.3 The 5G Core (5GC)
3.4 The Core VNF and CNF Dynamic
3.4.1 Prelude – Mounting Challenges for the Core
3.4.2 The Remedy
3.4.3 The Mechanics
3.4.4 The Challenges
3.5 The Core – Vendor Approaches
3.5.1 VNF/vEPC
3.5.2 CNF
3.6 The RAN and its Evolution
3.6.1 Closer Look at E-UTRAN
3.6.2 5G- NR, NSA and SA
3.6.3 MEC
3.7 The Progression of the RAN to the vRAN
3.7.1 The Fronthaul Conundrum
3.7.2 The Rigid CPRI
3.7.3 DAS – The Low-Hanging Fruit
3.8 RAN Virtualization – A Story of Alliances
3.8.1 xRAN Forum and ORAN Alliance
3.8.1.1 Architecture and Approach to RAN Layer Split
3.8.2 Open vRAN
3.8.2.1 Architecture and Approach to RAN Layer Split
3.8.3 Telecom Infra Project (TIP) OpenRAN
3.8.3.1 Architecture and Approach to RAN Layer Split
3.8.4 Vendor Approaches to Protocol Stack Split
3.8.5 Cloud-native RAN
4 Telco Profiles
4.1 The Time-Lag in Containerization of The Core and The RAN
4.1.1 Core – CNF and VNF Trends
4.1.2 RAN – CNF and VNF Trends
4.1.3 Salient Observations and Inferences
4.2 Telco profiles
4.3 Airtel
4.3.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.4 AT&T
4.4.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.5 BT
4.5.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.6 China Mobile
4.6.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.7 China Telecom
4.7.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.8 China Unicom
4.8.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.9 Deutsche Telekom
4.9.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.1 Etisalat
4.10.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.11 Jio
4.11.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.12 KDDI
4.12.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.13 KT
4.13.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.14 LG Uplus
4.14.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.15 Lifecell Ukraine
4.15.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.16 M1 Singapore
4.16.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.17 NTT DoCoMo
4.17.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.18 Ooredoo
4.18.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.19 Optus (Singtel Optus)
4.19.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.2 Orange
4.20.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.21 Rakuten
4.21.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.22 Saudi Telecom (STC)
4.22.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.23 Singtel
4.23.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.24 SK Telecom
4.24.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.25 Softbank
4.25.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.26 Sprint Corporation
4.26.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.27 Swisscom
4.27.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.28 T-Mobile
4.28.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.29 TIM/Telecom Italia
4.29.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.3 Telenor
4.30.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.31 Telefonica
4.31.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.32 Telia
4.32.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.33 Telkom Indonesia
4.33.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.34 Telstra
4.34.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.35 Turk Telecom
4.35.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.36 Turkcell
4.36.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.37 Veon VimpelCom
4.37.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.38 Verizon
4.38.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
4.39 Vodafone
4.39.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5 Solution Provider Profiles
5.1 Organization Categories
5.1.1 Telecommunications Domain Experts
5.1.2 DAS Specialists
5.1.3 Equipment Vendors
5.1.4 Independent Software Vendors (ISV)
5.1.5 Semiconductor Specialists
5.1.6 Hardware, OS and Firmware Specialists
5.1.7 Niche Solution Developers
5.2 The RAN Product Development Momentum
5.3 The Maturing of Core VNFs and CNFs
5.4 Mergers and Funding Related Developments
5.5 Company Profiles
5.6 6WIND
5.6.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.6.1.1 6WINDGate
5.7 Affirmed Networks
5.7.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.7.1.1 vEPC
5.7.1.2 Virtual Slice Selection Function (vSSF)
5.7.1.3 UnityCloud
5.8 Airspan
5.8.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.8.1.1 Air5G OpenRange
5.8.1.2 Other Developments
5.9 Altiostar
5.9.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.9.1.1 Altiostar – vRAN
5.9.1.2 Other Developments
5.1 Amarisoft
5.10.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.10.1.1 LTE and 5G NR software
5.10.1.2 Other Developments
5.11 ASOCS
5.11.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.11.1.1 Cyrus 2.0
5.11.1.2 Cyrus
5.11.1.3 Other Developments
5.12 Athonet
5.12.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.12.1.1 Connectivity Platform
5.13 Baicells
5.13.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.13.1.1 vEPC/LTE Core
5.13.1.2 Other Developments
5.14 Cirrus Core Networks (CCN)
5.14.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.14.1.1 vEPC
5.14.1.2 vIMS
5.15 Cisco Systems
5.15.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.15.1.1 Ultra-Packet Core
5.15.1.2 Network Convergence System 540 Fronthaul Routers
5.15.1.3 Other Developments
5.16 Cobham Wireless
5.16.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.16.1.1 idDAS
5.17 Commscope
5.17.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.17.1.1 OneCell Controller
5.17.1.2 Other Developments
5.18 Dali Wireless
5.18.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.18.1.1 Dali – Matrix vFI
5.18.1.2 Other Developments
5.19 Dell EMC
5.19.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.19.1.1 Open Networking Switches
5.19.1.2 Other Developments
5.2 Enea
5.20.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.20.1.1 Unified Data Manager
5.20.1.2 Other Developments
5.21 Ericsson
5.21.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.21.1.1 Cloud Native Application (CNA)
5.21.1.2 vRAN
5.21.1.3 Ericsson – Cloud Packet Core
5.21.1.4 Cloud-native NFVi
5.21.1.5 Other Developments
5.22 Huawei
5.22.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.22.1.1 CloudEPC
5.22.1.2 5G Core
5.22.1.3 Other Initiatives
5.23 Intel
5.23.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.23.1.1 RAN
5.23.1.2 Other Developments
5.24 JMA Wireless
5.24.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.24.1.1 XRAN Adaptive Baseband Software
5.24.1.2 Other Developments
5.25 Mavenir
5.25.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.25.1.1 Cloud Native IMS
5.25.1.2 5G Core
5.25.1.3 vEPC
5.25.1.4 4G/5G OpenRAN
5.25.1.5 vRAN
5.25.1.6 Other Developments
5.26 Metaswitch
5.26.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.26.1.1 Clearwater IMS Core
5.26.1.2 Other Developments
5.27 NEC/Netcracker
5.27.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.27.1.1 Cloud RAN (C-RAN)
5.27.1.2 NEC – vEPC
5.27.1.3 Other Developments
5.28 Nokia
5.28.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.28.1.1 Nokia – Cloud Packet Core
5.28.1.1.1 CMM
5.28.1.1.2 CMG
5.28.1.2 Nokia – AirScale
5.28.1.3 Telecom Application Server
5.28.1.4 Other Developments
5.29 Oracle
5.29.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.29.1.1 Assorted Core NFs
5.3 Parallel Wireless
5.30.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.30.1.1 OpenRAN Hardware Ecosystem
5.31 Phluido
5.31.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.31.1.1 Phluido – vRAN Layer-1
5.31.1.2 Radio-as-a-Service (RaaS)
5.31.1.3 Other Developments
5.32 Quortus
5.32.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.32.1.1 ECX Core
5.32.1.2 Other Developments
5.33 Radisys
5.33.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.33.1.1 MobilityEngine
5.33.1.2 MediaEngine
5.33.1.3 Other Developments
5.34 Red Hat
5.34.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.34.1.1 OpenShift Container Platform
5.34.1.2 Ansible
5.34.1.3 Other Developments
5.35 Samsung
5.35.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.35.1.1 Samsung 5G Core
5.35.1.2 AdaptiV
5.35.1.3 Other Developments
5.36 Telrad Networks
5.36.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.36.1.1 BreezeWAY
5.37 VMware
5.37.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.37.1.1 NSX
5.37.1.2 X-Factor
5.37.1.3 Other Developments
5.38 Wind River
5.38.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.38.1.1 Titanium Cloud Product Portfolio
5.38.1.2 Kubernetes
5.39 ZTE
5.39.1 Core/RAN CNF and VNF Initiatives
5.39.1.1 Cloud Common Core
5.39.1.2 vEPC
5.39.1.3 TECS
5.39.1.4 Other Developments
6 Quantitative Forecasts
6.1 Research Methodology
6.2 Forecast Taxonomy
6.3 Overview of the Combined Market
6.4 Foreword
6.4.1 CNF/Container Morphology
6.4.2 CNF Deployment Methodology
6.4.3 Geographical Market
6.4.4 End-user
6.5 Analysis of the Core VNF and CNF Market
6.5.1 vEPC
6.5.2 EPC CNF
6.6 Analysis of the RAN Market
6.6.1 vRAN
6.6.2 RAN CNF
7 Glossary and AcronymsÂ