Technology innovations place increasing demands on infrastructure. One such example is 5G, which looks likely to dominate headlines in the industry for some time. But while the arrival of 5G heralds numerous benefits, it also creates challenges for telcos who need to ensure their underlying infrastructure can cope with the new requirements. Andrew Donoghue, Director of EMEA Analyst Relations, at Vertiv, tells us why prefabricated modulardata centres could be one solution.
One of the claims for 5G is that it will enable you to download an HD movie in about 10 seconds. With that in mind, the arrival of 5G itself could be likened to the launch of a Hollywood blockbuster. Hype and anticipation are at fever pitch; 5G consistently steals the show at Mobile World Congress events and generates daily headlines that some movie moguls can only dream of.
For telcos, the 5G opportunity is palpable but, just like producing a blockbuster, also fraught with logistical and financial challenges including the need to invest in new technology. Famously, George Lucas’s Industrial, Light and Magic special effects unit had to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in models and computer-controlled cameras for the original Star Wars film before they could even film a single shot.
Similarly, delivering the 5G box-office telcos expect won’t happen without an overhaul of underlying infrastructure. While this may seem a daunting and expensive prospect, there are emerging technologies that can help that process.
The 5G opportunity for telcos
Unlike earlier upgrades of mobile networks, 5G delivers a major step change in connectivity. It will underpin new use cases that help create a more connected world. These include smart security, where 5G will allow high-definition image and facial recognition to identify potential criminals in real-time, empowering security teams to take preventative action. 5G will also power data-heavy augmented reality services from enhanced gaming to medical image visualisation and virtual training for high-risk job roles such as oil rig maintenance.
This wide range of 5G use cases provides the telco industry with an opportunity to stake a claim in the new wireless value chain. However, to truly understand the scale of the opportunity, it’s important to understand the complex set of challenges faced by telcos. Revenues are flattening as consumers demand more data at a static cost. At the same time, core services such as voice, messaging and video calls are being eroded by ‘over the top’ players such as Facebook, Apple and Google.
To prevent the industry being reduced to a commoditised, low-profit pipeline, investment in 5G use cases outlined above are essential. For example, telcos can position themselves as the backbone of industrial IoT, using 5G to link sensors to back-end services such as analytics. Similarly, network operators could play a critical role in smart city infrastructure, empowering self-regulating operations such as intelligent traffic control.
However, upgrading the network for 5G presents a significant challenge. In fact, industry analyst company 451 Research believes that ‘5G will be the most impactful and difficult network upgrade ever faced by the telecom industry; it is part of the complex ‘Digital Transformation’ movement encompassing IT/network convergence and radical changes in how software is created and deployed. Those that can thrive in this period of change will create a new class of telecom operator with value-creation capabilities that far exceed anything we’ve seen in the past 100 years.’
So how will prefabricated modular (PFM) data centres help?
To enable the promise of 5G, densification of the network is critical. Cell towers will need to be shifted into smaller, more densely populated units. At the same time, telcos may need to build micro data centres close to cell towers – bringing together Edge Computing and 5G to power the new generation of 5G services.
However, building data centres is obviously a complex and costly endeavour. This is where PFM comes into play, offering a disruptive approach to data centre construction. Rather than conventional – or stick builds – which rely on on-site construction, PFM involves assembling modules of data centre infrastructure in factories and then shipping them to the site. This means that they can be built fast, to the exact specifications required by telcos looking to get ahead in the 5G race.
Sadly, misconceptions about PFM data centres exist, with some believing that the technology is unproven or that it hasn’t evolved from early designs.
However, PFM data centres offer a multitude of benefits. As Daniel Bizo, Principal Analyst 451 Research, recently states: “PFM methodology is becoming the preferred way to expand and build new data centre capacity, turnkey or critical subsystems. Underpinned by industrial processes, it has distinct advantages in terms of quality control, installation speed and build consistency.”
The advances of a PFM approach include:
- Speed and cost: Using repeatable designs enables simplicity, resulting in an efficient, automated and low-risk design process for PFM data centres. This means the time for commissioning a data centre is cut to just a few days instead of weeks or months. The pre-engineered design also provides greater cost-certainty for customers by reducing the likelihood of additional on-site modifications.
- Quality control: With PFM data centres the potential for quality issues is reduced as complex mechanical and electrical integration can be pre-tested and optimised in a factory environment. Additionally, all systems, from cooling to data centre infrastructure management (DCIM), are configured in concert, resulting in a tightly integrated facility that can meet the highest standards of availability and efficiency
- Flexibility: Edge data centre deployments to support 5G use cases can vary, from city facilities to single, hardened-racks next to 5G masts on a building rooftop. Creating a bespoke, stick build for each of these will be near impossible. However, PFM data centres can be custom designed to match the geography, climate, technology profile, IT applications and business objectives of a project while taking advantage of the speed and economy of modular design and pre-fabrication.
When it comes to capitalising on the 5G opportunity, just like Hollywood studios, telcos will need a mix of ambition, smart planning and an investment in cutting edge-technology to bring vision to reality and enjoy the kind of box-office success that they hope for.
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