Many vendors and operators are already starting to prepare for 5G, even if the standards have not yet been agreed. That is because most expect the road to 5G to be a continuous process, with the radio change being just one step, and often a late one. Before that, dense small cell HetNets, virtualization and IoT networks will be some of the steps towards 5G.
If your organization is trying to make sense of all these options, or already putting together your roadmap to 5G, Small Cell Forum’s 5G Workshop, led by new chair David Orloff of AT&T, will be an essential event to attend.
Path to 5G workshop
Monday October 31, 1:30 – 3:30 pm ET, Dallas
With small cells at the heart of pre-5G programs, the Forum has a major role to play to ensure that the migration path is smooth for its members. In particular, it can play a powerful part in avoiding fragmentation, which is one of the biggest risks to 5G achieving its aims in full.
Proprietary and pre-standard efforts, and closed-doors partnerships, threaten the creation of a unified platform which is commercially accessible to all. With the support of its members, the Forum can help avoid that outcome. It has always been committed to open architectures and transparent, inclusive processes, and these are even more important as 5G approaches.
This will be a key theme of the workshop, because the Forum can only fight successfully for unified platforms if it has input and consensus among the whole variety of its membership. This event will be the occasion to hear ideas and early experiences from some members, while making sure your own voice is heard.
In pursuing its new work programs and its 5G roadmap, the Forum will seek the views and input of as many stakeholders as possible. This will ensure that the program is fully aligned to the key priorities for the industry – interoperability and consistency in HetNet and small cell platforms, both for current HetNet deployments and for the 5G future.
The input into 5G requirements from the workshop will be fed directly into the detailed plans for the two Forum work items for 2016-17. These are Deploying Hyperdense Networks and Enabling Digitized Enterprise, and in both cases, it will be important to align their work with 5G requirements.
Key areas of discussion will be:
- Understanding service and customer requirements for 5G
- Understanding the relationship between 5G and small cells; and what special 5G small cells will involve
- Aligning and driving Small Cell Forum working group actions towards 5G
The importance of this issue is highlighted by the wide range of high level contributors from operators and vendors with a deep engagement in the small cell and the 5G processes (link to program). We urge you to join us in Dallas and have your say on how 5G will look, and how it should shape the Forum’s agenda.