CONNEXUS
The Nexus for Mobile + Fixed Convergence
01. Introduction
A New Era of Connectivity
con·ver·gence
noun
the process of harmonizing, unifying
The broadband industry stands on the precipice of a new era. Although network convergence has been occurring for well over a decade, we now have the foundational technologies to begin merging mobile and broadband networks. Enabling convergence benefits both operators and end-users.
Connexus and Convergence
Connexus is a multi-faceted collaborative initiative designed to facilitate industry alignment around network convergence so that we can start transforming concepts into practical everyday uses. To realize the vision of a truly connected future, Connexus is crucial to facilitate industry alignment.
With convergence, it will be possible to dynamically signal the converged core so that connectivity can be tailored automatically per user, per device, or even per application. This is customized experience excellence.
02. Convergence
What is Convergence?
Network convergence is the process of unifying disparate access technologies to deliver seamless and ubiquitous connectivity. One of the most important reasons for convergence is the need to meet future demand for a faster, better, and more seamless connected experiences in a way that makes the most business sense. Many broadband operators already provide wireline and wireless services, including Wi-Fi and cellular, so they’re naturally positioned to take this next step.
The convergence of networks is necessary to meet future demands for:
Seamless User Experiences
New Services
Economic Efficiencies
03. Innovation
How to Achieve Convergence
Broadband and mobile networks consist of many layers—for example, core, transport, access, applications, security, policy, and operations. Because these layers can vary from one operator to the next, there’s no “one–size-fits-all” convergence solution. With the launch of the Connexus initiative, we’re aiming to create a common toolkit of technologies that can be applied to each network layer to achieve three basic types of convergence:
Network Convergence
Application Convergence
Security Convergence
Convergence is accomplished through a common toolkit of techniques and specifications that the ecosystem can draw upon. This toolkit is designed to accommodate convergence at each network layer.
The long-term vision for fixed mobile convergence is to deliver ubiquitous wired-wireless connectivity to our customers anywhere and on any device, delivered on cable’s high-capacity and low-latency networks. This means that customers will carry their services, policies and identity with them wherever they go.
04. Technology
Technological Building Blocks
Many networking trends have made it possible for us to get where we are today. Recent developments in network disaggregation, cloudification, open interfaces, automation, APIs and edge computing have paved the road for convergence in both wireless and wireline networks, making it much easier to merge common functions.
Here at CableLabs, we’ve been preparing for this moment for years by spearheading solutions that we knew would eventually support the vision of a truly network-agnostic future. Today, we consider these solutions to represent technological building blocks of convergence:
05. Together
A Collaborative Ecosystem
CableLabs is a catalyst for new network and broadband technologies. We are the nexus for collaboration across the industry, bringing crucial new technologies to over half a billion customers around the globe. This makes us a natural unifier as convergence requires immense cooperation and communication to realize a harmonized network that works for everyone. Here are some of the convergence collaborative efforts:
The Mobile Convergence Committee (MCC)
An operator-led group whose main objective is to drive a convergence strategy which differentiates the industry.
The MCC will focus on:
- Requirement definitions
- Architecture development
- Proof of concepts
The Convergence Council (CC)
An advisory board composed of a broad range of experts and thought leaders representing multiple aspects of connectivity. The focus is on identifying convergence use cases that will inspire development, as well as solutions and business models that could unlock opportunities.
A Collaborative Lab
The lab is designed to support convergence in collaboration with operators, vendors, and other innovators to experiment, test, and develop converged fixed and mobile networks. The lab was created to:
- Develop and test next-generation network capabilities across multiple layers
- Conduct interoperability development across a broad range of technologies
- Provide network and edge computing infrastructure to develop and test new services, applications, and security on a converged architecture
A Broader Ecosystem
Engagement from the full ecosystem is crucial for successful convergence:
06. Next
Inventing the Future
Convergence will enable a new wave of innovations that will fundamentally change the way we live, work, learn and play. From smart cities to mixed reality to nanosurgery, convergence involves thinking about what the future might look like, figuring out how we get there, and what we need to make it work.
One of the methods CableLabs uses to visualize that future is our Near Future videos. Although there are aspects of this future vision that may still be a ways off, the ability to be always connected—to always have the connection you need—without thinking about it, may not be as far away as you might think. Check out the video “Diverse Thinkers Wanted”.
07. Resources
Technical Resources
White Paper
A Comparative Introduction to 4G and 5G Authentication
White Paper
Cable: 5G Wireless Enabler
White Paper
DOCSIS Technologies for Mobile Backhaul
Technical Report
5G Wireless Wireline Converged Core Architecture Technical Report
Specification
Low Latency Mobile Xhaul over DOCSIS Technology
Technical Paper
Evolved MVNO Architectures for Converged Wireless Deployments
The Road to Wireline-Wireless Convergence
The industry has been talking about convergence for a long time. What’s exciting about this CableLabs initiative is that the foundational technologies now exist for us to make this real, and the focus on the customer experience is the right guiding principle.
The advantages of convergent networks is clear, and the strong benefit to our customers is equally clear. We will simplify the consumption of new services, regardless of the underlying infrastructure. With the adoption of the ‘Network as a Platform’ approach, we make the underlying networks invisible to our customers.
With Xfinity Mobile, Comcast has taken its leading connectivity experience outside the home and given our customers the ability to access the Internet from anywhere. As we look toward a future with more integrated experiences across all of our services, we’re excited to work with CableLabs toward the virtualization and convergence that will help make that a reality.
We believe that bringing together a common vision and strategy in wireless, cable infrastructure and—most important—customer experience is critical to moving the industry forward. As members of CableLabs, we’re very pleased to participate in the Mobile Convergence Committee to help simplify converged solutions and bring new experiences to customers.
Cable access digitization and transition to cloud is a ripe environment for bandwidth-rich solutions. Intelligence and convergence will enable myriad end-to-end services and a seamless user experience.
Cable providers will play a critical role in the era of 5G and the edge. Convergence is essential for ensuring consistent service and persistent connectivity.
The time for convergence is now, as we can leverage key building blocks like virtualization, network disaggregation, open interfaces and multi-access edge computing, automation, along with artificial intelligence and machine learning, to manage network complexities.
The future of convergence and mobile access networks will be to lean forward toward virtualized and disaggregated platforms. These platforms will be flexible and maximize user and enterprise experience. This will create great opportunities between cable operators and mobile operators to cooperate in many ways in the 5G era. Leveraging transport platforms and utilizing common technologies are strong opportunities for greater cooperation between different types of operators that minimize the total cost of ownership."
