Critical infrastructure requires precise timing to operate. This reliance makes the infrastructure vulnerable to disruptions in timing that can be either intentional or unintentional. Intentional disruptions can be caused by GNSS jamming or spoofing or network attacks.. Unintentional disruptions are usually caused by equipment failures or acts of nature.
Back in April 2022, Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) hosted a webinar on this topic, a precursor to the Annual Workshop on Synchronization and Timing Systems (WSTS). The webinar featured top industry experts delivering insight into the latest techniques for adding resilience and robustness to timing infrastructure. It covered the most critical topics in timing resilience, including:
Redundancy
Holdover
Management
Monitoring
Alternative reference time sources
Examples address networks used for critical industry applications such as:
Power grids
Telecommunications
Finance systems
Broadcast/media
The video of the webinar as follows:
Experts participating in the webinar and their presentations are as follows:
I have been asked about the UE Assistance Information (UAI) RRC message a few times before. Generally I have always pointed people back to the LTE/5G specifications but here is a concise video that the telecoms technology training company Mpirical have shared recently:
If you want to dig further into details then please see the RRC specifications: 36.331 for LTE and 38.331 for 5G.
Over the years I have added quite a few short tutorials from Mpirical on this blog, do check them out below.
I have been meaning to share this video/presentation by Patrick Scannell for quite some time now. Pat Scannell is a technology and telecom industry consultant who is a world leader on 5G and the co-evolution of technology and cognition, specializing in innovation and commercialization of emerging technologies across a wide range of industries.
At the IEEE International Symposium on Digital Privacy and Social Media 2022, Pat gave a talk titled 'The Return of Magic: Technological Complexification'. The outline of the talk says:
Today’s tech is characterized by rapidly accelerating complexity, both in the densely layered technology itself but also in the increasingly hyper-specialized people who are needed to build it. But each person who builds it, and certainly most people who use tech, have a diminishing ability to understand how the whole of the techno-ecological niche we have created for ourselves (what I term ‘the return of magic’).
The case for this argument is outlined and then shows that the problems associated with this phenomenon are amplified by an inherent characteristic of a complex system - the lack of ability to know, understand, and predict system outcomes.
Against the broad scope of human history, the result of these forces could represent a reversal of a trend that started in the Enlightenment, but it also has very specific and actionable consequences on the day-to-day work of the tech industry and on Digital Privacy of our customers.
This talk aims to frame the problems, but in a constructive way that allows us to begin to build and adopt better technology, which could scaffold a better human experience.
The 3G4G Blog is our most popular blog, running for over 16 years with over 15.5 million views. With 2023 coming to an end, here are the top 10 most viewed posts from 2023 as well as top 5 most viewed videos. These posts/videos were not necessarily posted this year, so I have added the month and year each of them was posted.
5G Forum, South Korea organises Mobile Korea conference every year. Mobile Korea 2023 had two conferences within it, '6G Global', looking at 'Beyond Connectivity and New Possibilities', and '5G Vertical Summit', looking at 'Leading to Sustainable Society with 5G'.
I often complain about how organisations working in 6G often lack social networks skills, in this case, even the website is not very user friendly and doesn't contain a lot of details. Full marks for uploading the videos on YouTube though.
Anyway, here are the videos and presentations that were shared from the summit:
Opening + Keynote Session - Moderator : LEE, HyeonWoo, DanKook University
Standardization and Technical Trend for 6G, SungHyun CHOI, Samsung Research (video, presentation)
Session 1 : 6G Global Trend - Moderator : JaeHoon CHUNG, LG Electronics Inc.
Thoughts on standardization and Industry priorities to ensure timely market readiness for 6G, Sari NIELSEN, Nokia (video, presentation)
On the convergence route for 6G, Wen TONG, Huawei (video, presentation)
The Path from 5G to 6G: Vision and Technology, Edward G. TIEDMANN, Qualcomm Technologies (video, presentation)
Shaping 6G – Technology and Services, Bo HAGERMAN, Ericsson (video, presentation)
Government Session
Keynote : Korea's 6G R&D Promotion Strategy, KyeongRae CHO, Ministry of Science and ICT (video, presentation)
Session 2 : 6G Global Collaboration - Moderator : Juho LEE, Samsung Electronics
6G R&D and promotion in Japan, Kotaro KUWAZU, B5GPC (video, presentation)
Technology evolution toward beyond 5G and 6G, Charlie ZHANG, Samsung Research (video, presentation)
AI-Native RAN and Air Interface : Promises and Challenges, Balaji Raghothaman, Keysight (video, presentation)
Enabling 6G Research through Rapid Prototyping and TestLEE, SeYong, (NI) (video, presentation)
Global Collaborative R&D Activities for Advanced Radio Technologies, JaeHoon CHUNG, LG Electronics (video, presentation)
International research collaboration – key to a sustainable 6G road, Thomas HAUSTEIN, Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (video, presentation)
6G as Cellular Network 2.0: A Networked Computing Perspective, KyungHan LEE, Seoul National University (video, presentation)
Towards a Sustainable 6G, Marcos KATZ, University of Oulu (video, presentation)
Pannel Discussion : Roles of Public Domain in 6G R&D - Moderator : HyeonWoo LEE, DanKook University
6G R&D Direction and Introduction of IITP, SungHo CHOI, IITP (video, presentation)
NICT's role for Beyond 5G R&D, Iwao HOSAKO, NICT (video, presentation)
6G Smart Networks and Services JU: R&D for 6G in Europe, Alexandros KALOXYLOS, 6GIA (video, presentation)
Taiwan 6G Vision and R&D ActivitiesSHIEH, Shin-Lin, ITRI (video, presentation)
Session 3 : 6G Global Mega Project - Moderator: YoungJo KO, ETRI
Sub-THz band wireless transmission and access technology for 6G Tbps data rate, JuYong LEE, KAIST (video, presentation)
The post Shannon Era: Towards Semantic, Goal-Oriented and Reconfigurable Intelligent Environments aided 6G communications, Emilio CALVANESE STRINATI, CEA Leti (video, presentation)
Demonstration of 1.4 Tbits wireless transmission using OAM multiplexing technology in the sub-THz band, DooHwan LEE, NTT Corporation (video, presentation)
Latest 6G research progress in China, Zhiqin WANG, CAICT (video, presentation)
If there are no links in video/presentation than it hasn't been shared.
At the Brooklyn 6G Summit (B6GS) 2023, top tier economist Dr. Jeff Shen from BlackRock, presented a talk from the industry perspective of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and investment. Jeff Shen, PhD, Managing Director, is Co-CIO and Co-Head of Systematic Active Equity (SAE) at BlackRock. He is a member of the BlackRock Global Operating Committee, BlackRock Systematic (BSYS) Management Committee and the BlackRock Asian Middle Eastern & Allies Network (AMP) Executive Committee.
How are firms reacting to AI? From 'ICT Industry Trends in the coming decades' by Jeff Shen, BlackRock at #B6GS - I am guessing the peak of mobile mention was the peak 5G hype in 2015/16. Hopefully the industry is now much wiser and won't repeat the 6G hype. pic.twitter.com/xjEiDtmSUZ
In his talk he covered the history of how and where AI has been traditionally used and how the thinking around AI has changed over the last few decades. He then presented his view on if AI is just a fad or it's more than that. To illustrate the fact, he provided an example of how Generative AI market is expected to grow from $40 Billion in 2022 to $1.3 Trillion in 2032.
There are many challenges that AI faces that one should be aware of; namely regulation, cyber threats and ethical concerns. In the US, AI touches the entire economy, from legal to healthcare. In their quarterly reporting, firms are now discussing AI and the larger tech companies are not afraid to grow inorganically in order to get more exposure to the trend.
You can watch the whole of his talk embedded below, courtesy of IEEE Tv.
It's been a while since I wrote about the ETSI Security Conference, which was known as ETSI Security week once upon a time. This year, ETSI’s annual flagship event on Cyber Security took place face-to-face from 16 to 19 October 2023, in ETSI, Sophia Antipolis, France and gathered more than 200 people.
The event this year focused on Security Research and Global Security Standards in action The event also considered wider aspects such as Attracting the next generation of Cyber Security standardization professionals and supporting SMEs.
Session 4: Regulation, Data Protection and Privacy, Technical Aspects
Day 2:
Session 1: Zero Trust, Supply Chain & Open Source
Session 2: IoT & Certification
Session 3: Zero Trust, Supply Chain & Open Source
Session 4: Quantum Safe Cryptography Session
Day 3:
Session 1: Experiences of Attracting Next Generation of Engineers and Investing in Future
Session 2: IoT and Certification Session
Session 3: IoT & Mobile Certification
Session 4: 5G in the Wild - Part 1
Day 4:
Session 1: 5G in the Wild - Part 2
Session 2: 6G Futures
Session 3: Augmented Reality and AI
You can see the detailed agenda here. The presentations from the conference are available here.
The CyberSecurity Magazine interviewed Helen L. And Jane Wright discussing diversity and careers in Cybersecurity. Helen, from the National Cyber Security Centre, has worked in Security for over 20 years and is a mentor at the CyberFirst programme. CyberFirst intends to inspire and encourage students from all backgrounds to consider a career in cybersecurity. Jane Wright is a Cyber Security Engineer at QinetiQ and has been participating in the CyberFirst. The interview, along with a video, is available here.
Lorenzo Casaccia, Vice President of Technical Standards, IP Qualcomm Europe, Inc. has been with Qualcomm since 2000. During that time he's had a variety of roles related to wireless communication, including research and system design, regulatory aspects, product management, and technical standardization. He currently leads a team of engineers across three continents driving Qualcomm’s activities in 3GPP, the standards body designing technologies for 4G and 5G.
Couple of his well known articles on Qualcomm OnQ Blog on 'Counting 3GPP contributions' and 'ETSI SEP database manipulations' are available here and here respectively.
Fascinating & rather heretical presentation by @Qualcomm on the 6G Core workshop - suggesting that maybe a new architecture is needed that massively reduces role/complexity of the core
Is most slicing-skeptic I’ve seen from a big vendor
At the recent NIST/IEEE Future Networks 6G Core Networks Workshop he was able to bring in his experience to deliver a fantastic talk looking at how the mobile network architecture has diverged from the Data Networks (Internet) architecture and how this has limited innovation in the mobile networks.
He concludes by providing a solution on how to fix this network architecture in 6G by limiting any new services going in the control plane as well as ensuring over the time all services move to the user plane. The control plane will then stop being 'G' specific which will benefit the network innovation in the long term.
There is no provision to embed the video so please look at the top of the page here. Lorenzo's talk starts at 03:03:50. The Q&A session for the panel starts at 03:53:20 for anyone interested.
As discussed in our earlier post, the long-standing 2G cellular standard for rail communication, known as the Global System for Mobile Communications–Railway (GSM–R), remains in use across Europe, China, India, Africa, and Australia. However, software and hardware vendors predict that this early digital cellular technology will start to be phased out in 2025, as a new 5G-based system specifically for railway applications is expected to be introduced.
According to the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), GSM–R supports communication between train drivers and traffic control centres with features such as group communication, location-dependent addressing, priority levels, railway emergency calls, and shunting communication. This system enables data transmission between trains and control centres at speeds exceeding 300 mph.
Yet, GSM–R is beginning to show its age. While it is adequate for basic voice communication, its 4 MHz bandwidth, which supports multiple 200 KHz channels, limits its functionality. Downlink communications use the 876–880 MHz range, while the uplink operates at 921–925 MHz.
The maximum data transmission rate for GSM–R is just 9.6 kbit/s, making it unsuitable for real-time data communication. Its capabilities are essentially limited to sending SMS text messages, with little capacity for anything more advanced.
The Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), a 5G-based successor to GSM–R, will provide both voice and data services for railway communications. The FRMCS project is being led by the International Union of Railways (UIC) in collaboration with major rail infrastructure companies and telecom solution providers. It is set to be based on the 5G 3GPP standard, meaning it will not require a railway-specific cellular network technology.
FRMCS, which will use the standalone 5G NR specification, is expected to be finalised by the end of 2022. This new standard will operate on harmonised frequencies at 900 MHz and 1900 MHz to ensure interoperability for rail command and control systems as they transition from GSM–R to FRMCS.
Mobile network operators will also be able to offer 5G connectivity for train passengers, collaborating with railway companies to provide the high-bandwidth digital services needed to streamline modern train operations.
Currently, many rail operators offer Wi-Fi onboard or install repeaters to enhance mobile network coverage within carriages. However, these solutions can be costly to maintain and upgrade, and repeated signals can cause interference when train doors open. An alternative solution is for public mobile operators to provide passenger connectivity through their existing 5G networks, with additional 5G towers placed along major rail lines.
To improve 5G signal penetration, train windows can be fitted with special “5G-friendly” glass, which allows signals to pass through more easily (standard window glass is often coated to reduce solar radiation inside the carriage). This approach reduces the need for expensive Wi-Fi and repeater systems, enabling mobile operators to deliver high-speed broadband services to passengers more efficiently.
In their webinar last year, Wray Castle stated that FRMCS is not simply a replacement for GSM-R nor is it a single specific technology. In fact, UIC have stated that FRMCS is technology agnostic. The webinar discussed:
What is FRMCS and how does it differ from GSM-R?
How soon will railways be replacing GSM-R?
Is there a migration strategy?
Do we have sufficient radio spectrum?
What is the most probable technology that will be used?
The video of that is embedded below:
Wray Castle also conducts regular courses on this topic. Details here.
The second IEEE SA (Standards Association) Open RAN summit, hosted by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, took place on 9-10 Aug 2023. It covered the topics related to the standardization of Open RAN including O-RAN Alliance, 3GPP, IEEE, various deployment scenarios, testing and integration, Open RAN security, RAN slicing, and RAN optimization among others.
The videos of the presentations can be viewed on the summit page here or though the video playlist here.
The talk from Dr. Chih-Lin I, O-RAN Alliance TSC Co-Chair and CMCC Chief Scientist, Wireless Technologies on 'AI/ML impact, from 5.5G to 6G' is embedded below:
