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NGMN Alliance pushes for 5G work programme

June 25, 2015

The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance announces the launch of a comprehensive work-programme highlighting its commitment to guide the industry, based on global end-to-end requirements for 5G.

Earlier this year, the NGMN Alliance published its highly recognised 5G White Paper providing consolidated 5G operator requirements. In its June Forum and Board meetings, NGMN has now launched a 5G-focused work-programme that will build on and further evolve the White Paper guidelines with the intention to support the standardisation and subsequent availability of 5G for 2020 and beyond.

The NGMN Partners – world-wide leading Operators, Vendors and Research Institutes – agreed on the main 5G NGMN work-items for the coming months:
–  Business Principles: Business models, operator capabilities, vertical industry services
–  Requirements & Architecture: Technical requirements, architecture guidelines, SDO input
–  Spectrum: Spectrum position for WRC-15, 5G spectrum requirements and evaluation
–  IPR: Standard Essential Patent (SEP) declaration and assessment, 5G patent pool
The NGMN Partners have committed a significant number of experts to contribute to the different teams of the work-programme. Key tasks of those teams will be: the development of 5G requirements and design principles, the analysis of potential 5G solutions, and the assessment of future use-cases and business models. The outcome of the work will be shared and discussed with all relevant industry-organisations, SDOs and research groups.

“The NGMN 5G White Paper provided essential input for the work of the main industry bodies”, said Peter Meissner, CEO of the NGMN Alliance. “Together with our global partners from industry and research, we will now implement a 5G work-programme ensuring that future solutions will meet our ambitious targets.”
In particular, the NGMN work items will aim to reach the following objectives and will comprise the following activities:
Business Principles
The mission of the Business Principles Group is to ensure that 5G will be architected and underpinned by solid business principles. The activity will focus on the identification and prioritisation of future operator capabilities to be made available to partners in order to enhance the customer proposition. Another key aspect will be the interaction with vertical industry representatives to assess the market potential and also the complexity and cost drivers of related 5G solutions.
Requirements & Architecture
The Requirements & Architecture project aims to provide timely guidance on 5G solutions to all relevant industry stakeholders. The project work streams will define technical requirements for enhanced mobile broadband services, vertical industries and 5G security. Additionally it will consider end-to-end architecture design principles and recommendations for the management and orchestration of 5G networks. The results will be delivered to all major SDOs, to the ITU and other 5G related organisations.
Spectrum
The objective of the Spectrum work will be to ensure continuous contributions to international fora and groups regarding NGMN spectrum requirements, in order to ensure the allocation of sufficient spectrum for future 5G services. In 2015, the team will develop and provide an NGMN spectrum perspective for WRC-15.  Leading up to WRC-19, evaluations and studies on new frequency ranges and bands for 5G will be carried out and requirements based on this activity will be delivered in an NGMN 5G Spectrum White Paper.
IPR
The IPR team will engage with relevant industry partners to develop implementation plans for the 5G IPR recommendations outlined in the NGMN 5G White Paper. Hence, the activity aims to improve 5G Standard Essential Patent (SEP) declarations, which are already in use, and to establish independent 5G SEP assessments. Furthermore, NGMN recommends to explore and to establish an appropriate 5G patent pool framework. In addition the IPR team will also address the emerging need for software licensing in the mobile industry and, in particular, as regards Open Source.

 

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