OpenRAN and the Path Towards Mobile Network Modernization
Fri, 19 Mar 2021 15:50:29, atika, [category: openran-community]
What is TIP?
TIP stands for Telecom Infra Project. It is a global community of companies supported by MNOs and organizations working together to accelerate the development and deployment of technology solutions that deliver the high-quality connectivity the demand of the world now and in the decades later on. TIP Lab Office located in Bandung.
Inside TIP there are 650 organizations all over the world as service providers such as MNOs, ISPs, and MSOs. For technology partners, TIP has Parallel Wireless. In system integrators, it is a big company that provides services to collaborate and to create solutions and the network. TIP linked municipalities, enterprises, and internet companies to become TIP’s stakeholders.
The first initiative came from the government. TIP initiative is in line with the government aspiration and will provide a benefit to local industry and community. Indonesia’s president mentioned that we need to improve our human resource development, infrastructure construction, cut through the red tape, prioritize investments that create jobs, and economic transformation those all require technology like an enabler to grow the economy, and this initiative is aligned with the TIP initiative.
Those TIP Program offerings are very aligned with the government’s aspirations. Indonesia is a nation in Southeast Asia provided lab by TIP and supported to spread to split the development in the Southeast Asia region so TIP has collaborated with Telkom University to arrange deployment later on the Southeast Asia region. TIP was launched by the Ministry of Indonesia on December 17th, 2020.
Collaboration on OpenRAN
Industry collaboration to improve connectivity in Indonesia and drive economic growth. The Telecom Infra Project, Telkom University, and mobile network operators launch TIP Community Lab. The first stage of a comprehensive plan is to significantly improve connectivity in Indonesia by developing, testing, and deploying new technology. Telkom University is one of the reputable Indonesian universities that became the first TIP Community Lab in South East Asia. The first area of TIP’s interest is the Radio Access Network (RAN), where MNOs will start testing and validating TIP community built OpenRAN solutions. OpenRAN could be the alternative to make infrastructure more affordable.
Mobile Operators in Indonesia have successfully trial 5G with eMBB, uRLLC, mMTC use cases since 2017 and starting to do network modernization, OpenRAN, fiberization, and others as a readiness to deploy a 5G network. 5G trials have occurred since 2017 until now followed by several companies are Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata, SmartFren, and 3 (Three). Last year Telkom Group Fixed the 5G satellite service coexistence test in a 3.5 GHz band then the DSS trial coming soon by XL. It is not an easy path so it has through so many challenges and also TIP is still developing the regulation and collaborating with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics to develop to change the regulation in handling the 5G network in Indonesia. To modernize the old network which has been deployed in all of Indonesia region TIP do several steps as shown in the figure below.
The TIP Process
TIP is a catalyst so TIP trying to accommodate the idea from the community, it can be from anywhere such as student, Start-up, small company, OEM, etc. then TIP put common requirement or other requirements for the deployment of the network or the idea and then TIP build it and test it in TIP’s Lab then release and also deploy so that is the whole part of TIP’s daily work.
Overall Program Plan 2021-2024
TIP has a program plan commencing from 2020 until 2024. In 2024 TIP has several plans that are workshop/Bootcamp, TEAC event, TIP CL new use case, TIP Demo, and TIP Event. TIP will step by step improve the Indonesian community. To deal with the threats of OpenRAN technology very well and providing human resource capability. TIP hopes that at the deployment step it will be very easy for the whole stakeholder.
Program Mapping VS Ecosystem Player
TIP focusing on developing both supply and demand ecosystems that led to sustainability and maximal socio-economic impact. As we know that TIP has so many programs that will be created on the initiative. TIP basically connects the dots between supply and demand. The supply will have some TIP’s Start-up and the demand is to provide several demonstrations and inside TIP will have the TIP Learning, TIP Event, and TIP Lab.
Stakeholder’s Role
To work together with industry alliance to run and support the program effectively, Industry alliance i.e., TIP, GSMA, Government/Government’s agency, Internet Company, ATSI, MNOs, Local OEM/SI, Universities/School, etc.
Stakeholder and Action Plan
The benefit for this collaboration is TIP collaborating with so many entities in South East Asia from the government project GSMA, Kominfo, Bakti, University, etc. GSMA and TIP initiate a 5 pillars action plan- based on enabling policy, clear demand from operators, and a broad supply ecosystem.
Potensial Partnership and Collaboration
TIP engaged some organizations to have collaboration including collaboration to do some network research, software research, and also a solution in OpenRAN, and later on, with the Ministry of Communication, TIP invited to analyze or define the policy and management of the network in Indonesia and engaging the Start-up then creating a business model to develop OpenRAN.
TIP is working with the ministry and trying to provide a penetration network for the Indonesian people, this is very important to make Indonesia’s Economic growth. For international engagement TIP engaged Start-up Network Orchestration in Singapore and Bangladesh that wants to develop Network Orchestration services using TIP Lab at Telkom University. Then there are 2 operators from the Philippines who want to do testing at TIP Lab at Telkom University also. The TIP will add a large RF Chamber facility to support this agenda. TIP also has initiation of support for Engineer Delivery of New System Integrators (Core and RAN) from PT. Alita Praya Mitra, Indonesia and KCC Tech, Canada.
Start-up Development
As the starting point now TIP have several Start-up which already engaged then they are trying to start to develop or deploy their equipment to the TIP network from the figure above we can see there is Smash system Online management Trash, this is like the trash management system they have IoT technology and they want to embed the IoT into the network.
