Sterlite Technologies Unveils ‘All-in’ 5G Solutions at MWC 2022
Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL), one of the leading integrators of digital networks and manufacturer of optical fiber cables in India has unveiled its 5G solutions for private 5G networks at the Mobile World Conference (MWC), 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. These 5G solutions will be deployed in private spaces where real-time connectivity and communication is crucial.
STL’s ‘All-in’ Solutions to Provide End-to-End 5G Connectivity
STL is calling its new offerings ‘All-in’ 5G Solutions, which means that they will comprise a combination of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) networks, network deployment, wireless, and software solutions. STL also claimed that these solutions will operate across multiple spectrum bands within the 5G spectrum. The 5G solutions showcased by STL at Mobile World Conference, 2022 are below:
STL’s 5G Optical Networking Solutions – Cables and Termination
STL’s ‘All-in’ 5G solutions will include high density, collapsible Optical Fibre Ribbon Cable, Celesta. Celesta will be used as an alternative to the traditional loose-tube optical fibre cables and flat-ribbon cables. This cable can have up to 6,912 optical fibres.
The company will also be deploying its bend-resistant Stellar Optical Fibre, which is the world’s first universal A2 optical fibre according to STL. Stellar A2 fibre cable is compatible with existing optical fibre cables and can be used to deploy high-density optical fibre networks.
STL’s Optical Interconnector Kits to be used include STL’s Opto Bolt and Opto Blaze, which offer optical fibre termination and distribution solutions.
STL’s LEAD 360° Approach for 5G Network Deployment
Sterlite Technologies seeks to extend optical fibre deployment beyond the backbone networks. The company is targeting hyperscale optical fibre deployment through its LEAD 360° approach. Hyperscale deployment of OFC means deploying them in a way that makes the network scalable to the point of supporting thousands of servers at a time.
According to STL, its LEAD 360° approach shall target in-building, intracity, and intercity optical fiber connectivity.
STL’s Wireless Solutions for 5G
5G uses substantially higher frequencies (28-39 GHz) than 4G (0.7-2.5 GHz). Such high-frequency waves are poor for long-distance transmission because of their low penetration. Therefore, more number of towers are needed to transmit the signal. This would increase the cost of setting up 5G infrastructure for Radio Access Network (RAN) connectivity.
STL has come up with two kinds of radios to address this situation – Garuda and Firebird. Garuda is a smart 5G Indoor small cell which can support 30 concurrent devices at a time. Firebird was launched by STL at the MWC 2022. It is an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) based wide-coverage radio for RAN connectivity.
Mr Chris Rice, CEO, Access Solutions, STL, said on the launch: “Firebird is a critical addition to our line of open networking programmable access solutions for 5G-ready networks. Built on industry-standard open interfaces, Firebird allows seamless integration with compliant O-RAN vendor RAN (CU/DU) products, to enable quick deployment and ensure proper wide-area 5G coverage. It is a key step towards delivering on our purpose to transform billions of lives with digital networks”.
Sterlite Technologies’ dWiFi Software and upcoming 5G Component Marketplace
Sterlite Technologies announced that the company shall also be launching an online Enterprise Marketplace, which will be a telco-focused integrated marketplace. It will be used to bridge customers, partners and service providers.
Digital WiFi, or dWiFi is another software component of STL’s 5G solution. dWiFi has an app-based architecture, and is easily customisable for better WiFi utilisation and enhanced user experience.
About Sterlite Technologies Limited: Sterlite Technologies Limited is a Mumbai-headquartered company that provides transmission solutions for telcos and power industries. It specialises in optical fibre cables, hyper-scale network design and deployment, and network software. The company has 636 patents, and is active in more than 150 countries.
