The overall theme for this year’s event Intelligent Connectivity and encompasses many of the latest emerging technology disruptions across Industry 4.0, 5G, AI, Digital Trust, Wellness and Identity as well as Immersive Content and Connectivity. Anyone seeing that list will realise MWC has moved well beyond a Mobile Communications / Telecommunications event to cover those technologies and suppliers that we come across in our everyday lives.
Overall Themes
As you might expect, 5G and intelligence are prominent everywhere. What’s new is that we are now seeing handsets labelled as 5G ready almost universally powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855 Mobile Platform. What’s different is the emergence of foldable and dual screen handsets, some of which are in a thin form factor which could quite happily fit in a pocket – the fold or hing devices being along the long edge of the device when folded rather than the short edge that used to be the face with traditional flip phones. I suspect this form factor will see the slowing of the ever growing size in mobile devices.
At the HPE Booth
When we think about 5G, IoT, AI and similar there are a number of common requirements. To generate the greatest impact on society ad people’s lives, information has to be shared across organisational boundaries. This isn’t about big government watching, but about making everyone’s lives easier and better. To do so requires new approaches, the breakdown of traditional silos and community collaboration and partnerships. The massive growth in data content and its analysis means everything has to be done in smarter fashion than we do today. Steps to get there may be small or great big leaps but it’s good to see some of the enabling approaches demonstrated on the HPE booth. With over 30 separate show-cases it’s impossible to highlight them all, so I will just highlight a few as a taster.
Shared data environment – Many core network functions within a 5G network are responsible for managing customer data and with the evolution towards cloud based architectures HPE is demonstrated both core network functions that address traditional and new generation architectural principles, whilst also helping Service Providers embrace Service based Architectural principles.
Device Entitlement and Identitity – As we all move towards having multiple intelligent devices and the desire to take our individual persona across tablets, laptops, phones, watches & wearables and apply those technolgoies into both a personal and business context, we need capability that supports into networks and across devices. This is where HPE’s Device Entitlement Gateway helps – already deployed across 30 Communications Service Providers around the globe and supporting a range of devices from multiple suppliers.
Edge to Core to Cloud - Demonstrating innovations to open the edge of the network and partnerships with TechM and Samsung for MEC (Multi-Access Edge Computing) and vRAN (virtual Radio Access Network) along with HPE’s new Edgeline EL8000 Converged Edge System which provides data centre grade computing performance in a platform that is both reduced and ruggedized to be placed in environments that have a wider range of environmental conditions than experienced within the centre. Coupled with this were demonstrations of where HPE have helped customers with very different edge computing demands, from Mercedes Petronas F1 and the need to truly connect the Cloud with an edge that moves from one location to another around the world on a weekly basis, to the extreme egde associated with a super computer in space in the Mission to Mars.
Take Aways
It is interesting to see that even the President of the USA is tweeting about 5G, and worryingly 6G!
Overall, it’s been an excellent but tiring few days seeing many friends and colleagues from across the world. I look forward to my legs and feet getting back to normal but also thankful that my trip home looks like I will avoid seeing snow in Spain and blizzards trying to get home in the UK. Now back to the office to help our customers adopt some of these technologies and leverage the capabilities of dynamic IT services at the edge of the network.
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Chris Dando
Chief Technologist, CME Industry
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
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ChrisDando
Applying Information Technologies to help clients in the Communications, Media and Entertainment industries solve new and existing business challenges
