Virgin Media O2 UK Trials Secure Public and Private 5G Network

Broadband and mobile giant O2 (VMO2) has completed the first trials of their 5G DRIVE project, which is a consortium that is part-funded by the Government and aims to develop a secure Radio Access Network (RAN) connection capability for integrating private and public networks.

Private 5G networks can today be created to serve specific sites, such as busy ports or factories, while public networks are the sort that we all use when making calls or harnessing mobile broadband via our Smartphones. But often there’s a desire to connect these two together, which requires a shared ecosystem of hardware, software and standards for interoperability.

The ambition of 5G DRIVE (aka – Diversified oRAN Integration & Vendor Evaluation) is to provide a path for tier 2 RAN vendors to enter the market with their products and solutions. A key element of this is helping private networks integrate into Mobile Network Operators (MNO) networks. This is accomplished via the new SEPP N32 (c/f) roaming interface.

The first trials, completed in June 2022 at the wavemobile 5G test lab, have demonstrated a fair bit of progress. The team established an end-to-end test system, delivering carrier grade security to enterprise using tried and tested technologies. The next phase will see further trials to establish and test an ‘Ori’ containerised Core Network, a Cisco Cloud core as a service network, and further investigations into scaling aspects of private & public 5G roaming. The trials will culminate with several simulated corporate customers, with a 5G Private Network deployed using Multiple Access Edge Computing.

Dr David Owens, VMO2’s Head of Technical Trials, said:

“This is a significant first step in our mission to create new solutions that provide vendor agnostic integration capability, driving forward the secure connectivity for private networks, and helping to deliver on the promise of 5G “network of networks”. The ambition of the 5G DRIVE project is that it will provide a scalable solution, that doesn’t impact public networks and will deliver carrier grade security, something we are all incredibly excited about.”

All of this also feeds into the government’s target for 35% of the UK’s mobile network traffic to be carried over Open RAN platforms by 2030 (here). The O-RAN approach seeks to standardise the design and functionality of radio access hardware and software, thus also increasing the number of companies able to supply operators via vendor-neutral hardware and software-defined technology (the RAN side covers infrastructure, masts and antennae). This may also help to cut costs and removes the necessity to depend upon the largest suppliers of such kit (e.g. Nokia and Ericsson).