CeBIT 2017: Huawei releases Enterprise Wireless Communications 2.0

Enterprise Wireless Communications 2.0

At CeBIT 2017, which is being held in Hannover, Huawei released a next-generation wireless communications solution for enterprises ushering enterprise wireless communications into version 2.0. This solution, according to Huawei features integration of voice, video, intercom, monitoring, IoT, and other services into a single system, boasting industry-grade reliability and availability on both licensed and unlicensed bands. As enterprises around the world are expected to produce approximately 7 billion connections by 2020, this solution will, as stated by the company, accelerate the digital transformation of enterprises with its unparalleled advantages.

Limitations of Version 1.0
Spectra are the fundamental components for wireless communications and can be divided into licensed and unlicensed spectra. Many enterprises require privately owned networks but meet difficulties in acquiring sufficient spectra. Even industries that have a direct bearing on national economy and people’s lives (such as electric power and rail transport) can only acquire less than 10 MHz of private spectrum bands. However, enterprises’ digital transformation drives the demand for bandwidth as the communications extend from voice to data, video, IoT, industrial control, cloud, and many other diverse services. Unlicensed bands appear attractive to enterprises due to the support for unlicensed Industrial Scientific & Medical (ISM) bands on the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz totaling several hundred MHz of bandwidth. In version 1.0, unlicensed bands are mainly used by Wi-Fi, which struggles to satisfy enterprises’ requirements in terms of reliability, stability, and mobility. However, at the time there was an absence of better alternatives.

Enterprise Wireless Communications Embracing Version 2.0
“Now, obstacles no longer exist. Huawei will lead enterprise wireless communications into version 2.0,” claimed by Huawei at the conference. “3GPP is the world’s largest standard development institute for mobile communications and has a powerful industry chain. Under its coordination, mobile cellular communications has entered 4.5G and is evolving to 5G. Huawei applies 3GPP-compliant wireless communication technologies on both licensed and unlicensed bands to develop a 4.5G-based eLTE industry solution that supports both narrowband and broadband services. This solution inherits the reliability and integration advantages of cellular mobile communications while ensuring service availability by utilizing abundant unlicensed spectrum resources. Different types of services, including narrowband communications, broadband communications, people-to-people communications, people-to-thing communications, thing-to-thing communications, services with low-latency requirements, and services with a vast number of connections, are supported by the same system. This satisfies enterprises’ various communications demands (including production, operation, management, and office administration), expediting the digital transformation of enterprises.”

Reliability: How to guarantee reliability on unlicensed bands? This is a crucial requirement by enterprises directed towards wireless communications. Enterprise wireless communications 2.0 introduces cutting-edge interference detection and avoidance algorithms to the existing advanced cellular communication technologies. This allows for the optimised usage of wireless resources when a large number of users are accessing services. In addition, the inclusion of a device- and system-level redundancy mechanism can help ensure industry-grade reliability of 99.999%, enabling the stable, reliable, and smooth operation of the system.

Integration: In the past, enterprises deployed multiple networks based on different technologies to enable various types of communications services. These services include wireless voice, multimedia communications, wireless video surveillance, data collection from mass sensors, real-time dispatch, and remotely controlled robotics. The isolated networks are unable to share data, and network construction and maintenance are expensive. In the 4.5G and 5G era, there is a growing consensus to deploy one system to fulfill the task of completing the numerous communications requirements. Huawei’s enterprise wireless communications 2.0 solution uses 4.5G for enterprises to provide wireless broadband and Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) IoT services. One network transfers data, IoT, voice, positioning, and a multitude of other services, realizing full connection between people, between people and things, and between things.

The enterprise wireless communications 2.0 solution has been verified for commercial use in Shanghai’s Yangshan Port, one of the largest ports in the world. The conclusive verification result shows that the communications reliability reaches 99.999% and the operational efficiency of the port increases by 30%. The solution has also been verified in the electric power industry, with all the monitored automatic power distribution terminals providing online services. As these tests suggest, the solution can be applied in many scenarios. These scenarios include real-time data collection for power distribution automation, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) smart electricity meters, wireless video surveillance, urban train-to-ground wireless communications, data collection from mass sensors in smart cities, and many other applicable situations.

Large-Scale Commercialization of Enterprise Wireless Communications 2.0
The Enterprise Wireless Communications 2.0 solution will be globally available for purchase in July 2017. It is highly anticipated that this technology will be widely applied in electric power, energy, smart production parks, smart cities and will later then extend to all other industries. The solution will significantly change enterprises’ operation methods, boosting the digital transformation across all industries.

CeBIT 2017 is held at the Hannover Exhibition Center in Hannover, Germany, from March 20 to 24, 2017. The Huawei booth is located at C30 of Hall 2. For more details, please visit: http://e.huawei.com/topic/cebit2017-en/index.html

Edited By: Darryl Linington
Photography By: Darryl Linington
Contact: Darryl@techitout.co.za
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Editor of Tech IT Out. Former radio host of Cliffcentral.com. Former Editor of IT News Africa and ITF Gaming. All round techie, gamer and entrepreneur. For Editorial Enquiries Contact: Darryl@techitout.co.za or via +27788021400.