5G Core Market Trends

Key Emerging Trends in the 5G Core Market

The 5G Core signifies a substantial technological transformation, introducing novel technologies into mobile core networks. It embraces a service-based architecture (SBA) and relies on container-based cloud-native network functions, leveraging microservices and Kubernetes, as well as bare-metal cloud infrastructure. This shift demands more efficient network operations with automation and orchestration tools, including continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), service development, and network administration.

The deployment of the 5G Core and 5G RAN alone is insufficient; a comprehensive re-engineering of the network and organization is crucial. The journey toward becoming a 5G market leader involves incremental steps, allowing businesses to realize clear benefits along the way. Traditional approaches by communications service providers (CSPs), centered on monolithic virtualized network functions (VNFs), are inadequate for the dynamic nature of the 5G core network. A cloud-native strategy employing web-scale, containerized network functions (CNFs) that are decomposed into microservices and open-source is essential. As the number of 5G use cases multiplies, CSPs must transition to a cloud-native 5G core to swiftly deploy a vast array of services or risk losing market share. Adopting a cloud-native architecture, mirroring the practices of leading cloud service providers, offers web-scale benefits, including independent and fast deployments, programmability, elasticity, and minimized interdependencies among services.

The migration to a cloud-native 5G core is imperative to fully realize the potential of 5G. The 3GPP standard for 5G Core, featuring a service-based architecture for cloud-native deployment, diverges significantly from its 4G predecessor, sidelining the evolved packet core. This new architecture unlocks novel use cases and opportunities for innovation in areas such as ultra-low latency and mission-critical networks. Examples include connecting manufacturing robots, offloading AI-enhanced video analytics from branch offices to network edge points, and enabling smart cities, homes, buildings, 3D video, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), industry automation, autonomous vehicles, and more. The 5G promise is fully realized through the migration to a cloud-native 5G core, unlocking unprecedented possibilities for diverse applications and services.