Colt led consortium to deploy enterprise private 5G pilot in France

Colt Technology Services, Icade, ADVA, Airspan Networks, Athonet, Accedian and Tibco today announced the launch of a private 5G enterprise connectivity pilot. The incubation project is oneof the first to test end-to-end private 5G in real estate using disaggregated architecture.

The consortium will provide private 5G networks to the PB5 La Défense building in Paris, enabling the exploration of varied use cases for the co-working space environment managed by Imagin’Office, an Icade subsidiary. This field lab ecosystem will test 5G use cases, including creating immersive experiences for the future workplace for a variety of industries.

Coordinated by Colt, the pilot represents an important step for enterprise connectivity, understanding and unlocking the benefits of 5G for business verticals such as real estate, construction, retail and healthcare. Airspan, as the exclusive Open Radio Access Network (RAN) provider, will provide the radio units (RUs), 5G modems and software, key parts of its end-to-end Open RAN solutions portfolio. Athonet will provide its Griffone 5G-SA mobile core. ADVA will provide the underlying infrastructure components, including hosting of virtual functions. Accedian will provide performance monitoring and analytics solutions to assure the digital experience of the 5G service. To deliver the performance 5G promises requires synchronicity and cooperation across the end-to-end service, which all the members take seriously.

The benefits of 5G use cases in the PB5 Building in La Défense include:

• High-density connectivity for a heightened employee working experience and increased productivity;

• Simplified and accelerated private network deployment, with complete network management for service providers, including design, deployment and monitoring;

• Reliable high-performance thanks to Service Level Agreements (SLAs);

• Increased asset value for the building owner;

• An immersive experience to enrich the future of work within flexible work spaces.

Jaya Deshmukh, Colt’s Executive Vice President (EVP) of Strategy and Transformation, said: “Innovation is in Colt’s DNA. Investigating the value 5G technology can bring to enterprises, this pilot will also pave the way for new innovations in Colt’s On Demand connectivity services, network edge and business vertical propositions such as smart office and smart manufacturing. It’s through driving projects such as this that we can enable enterprises to transform and thrive in tomorrow’s connected society digitally.”

Richard Piasentin, Chief Strategy Officer at Accedian said: “5G-enabled services require deterministic performance, and to assure the high-speed performance and low latency of these applications, every layer, from Layer 2 all the way to Layer 7, needs to be accurately measured. Managing a complex distributed 5G network isn’t difficult when you have complete and detailed visibility across the physical, virtual, and cloud infrastructures. We’re excited to be part of this innovative pilot and showcase the many benefits of 5G with an end-to-end performance monitoring solution. Skylight Sensors collect real-time performance data across the private 5G networks and combine them into a single pane of glass in Skylight Performance Analytics to give the detailed visibility needed to meet customers’ expectations and strict SLAs. You need to measure network and application performance in microseconds levels in order to give millisecond performance analytics.”

Giuseppe Bernini, Vice President of Sales, Europe, Airspan, said: “This is a significant milestone for 5G standalone technology in Paris. “As a leader in 5G and Open RAN solutions, Airspan is working closely with other industry leaders, including our consortium partners on this important project, to enhance the ecosystem. This private 5G network pilot leveraging our 5G and Open RAN expertise, software and hardware will help many enterprises develop and validate 5G use cases that will drive innovation.”

Mike Heffner, GM, Edge Cloud, ADVA said: “5G holds enormous potential for enterprises. It will help them transform their IT processes and seize new operational efficiencies. By working with Colt and our other partners, we’re showcasing what’s possible with open, secure and flexible 5G enterprise connectivity. Our Ensemble Connector is a key enabler here and forms the foundation of the NFV infrastructure (NFVi). Combined with our FSP 150 for fronthaul connectivity and synchronization, this network will make a huge difference to the PB5 La Défense campus. What’s more, by using our O-RAN lab to test the complete end-to-end solution, there will be no hidden surprises.”

Aline Loiseau, Managing Director of Athonet France, said: “Athonet is pleased to support the pilot with our next generation 5G-SA platform. The Athonet 5G-SA allows any IT professional to deploy and manage a private 5G-network with Wi-Fi like simplicity. It allows service providers like Colt to make the most sophisticated mobile operator technology consumable by enterprises like Icade and demonstrates why Athonet is the world’s most used private mobile core.”

Fréderic Le Guyader, CEO of Tibco Telecoms, said: “We are very pleased to participate in the development of a unique ecosystem in France and more generally in Europe. This commitment is part of our strategic plan and aims to strengthen our “connectivity” offers. Within this consortium, Tibco is contributing with its expertise in the installation, maintenance and operation of the 5G network to guarantee users a high quality, fast and secure network. This deployment of a private 5G network represents for Tibco the opportunity to test new use cases with the installation of robotics, tele-presence, energy management…. Based on this experience, we will be able to offer our customers proven solutions tomorrow.”
CT Bureau