NSN Extends Its Liquid Concepts To Core

Nokia Siemens has announced a flexible core network approach, which it claims could boost a base station's capacity by 10%. The vendor's Liquid Net technology allows wireless networks to adjust automatically to changes in data demand, by allocating spare capacity automatically on an as-required basis.

Focal Points:

• According to Phil Twist, head of marketing at NSN's network systems division: "The network is aware of the traffic running over it and can adapt to it. It can adapt minute by minute." He told TelecomsEurope that Liquid Net was compatible with operator's current infrastructure, and does not require investment in new RANs, though it could be pre-integrated into NSN systems in future.
• The new approach adapts some concepts used in NSN's Liquid Radio design for the access network, which will appear in commercial equipment from next year. With Liquid Net, that deconstructed view of the network, and flexible deployment of resources on an on-demand basis, is extended to the mobile core and the backhaul.
• Like Liquid Radio, which centralizes baseband processing and divides resource between radios as needed, the elements of Liquid Net also decouple key processes. Liquid Core is an ATCA platform, which runs core functions such as gateways and optimizes content delivery and caching. Liquid Transport brings multilayer optimization and flexible control to the backhaul.

Editor’s Note: This is an example of how virtualization is being implemented in specific network components such as radio, core, broadband, optics, multi-layer and control. While a lot of the real capabilities are mired in the marketing hype, the real impact is in automating network resource management components.