ADVA Optical Networking is playing a key role in the Convergence of Fixed and Mobile Broadband Access/Aggregation Networks (COMBO) project, which is an initiative funded by the European Commission to develop technology vital to the success of 5G. The project also focuses on integrating network functionality to enhance security, simplicity and user experience.
The COMBO project, which has 16 partner organizations, including operators, equipment suppliers and research centers, is pursuing a new network architecture based on the concept of next-generation point-of-presence (NG-PoP), which enables network components to be hosted centrally or at the edge for optimum efficiency.
“Fixed-mobile convergence is essential to 5G and therefore underpins the growth of the European digital economy. That’s why so many major vendors, operators and research institutes from seven European countries have joined forces to create and evaluate the technology,” commented Achim Autenrieth, director, advanced technology, ADVA Optical Networking. “The 5G network will have to cope with a vast increase in traffic to accommodate users as well as an enormous range of connected objects. It will also have to be agile to handle an increasingly diverse range of services. That’s why it’s essential not only to integrate Wi-Fi, wireless and fiber access infrastructure, but also to create functional convergence. The new automated system of universal user authentication that ADVA Optical Networking has been working to integrate will bring simplicity, enhanced security and a massive increase in coverage.”
