Evaluating greenfield, brownfield, and bluefield deployments in Radio Access Networks (RAN)

Who doesn’t love the song “What a Wonderful World”? It transports us to a place where the sky is a reassuring shade of blue, with clouds of white dotting the horizon. I am reminded of this timeless song (and hopefully you will be, too) when I talk about bluefield deployments.  I first heard of the bluefield concept when I read a blog about it by IDG Connect a few years ago.  Bluefield, as I’ll go into below, is a great tie-in to our Cloud RAN story and related technology.

So, what is it, exactly? This new way of approaching network evolution is unlike brownfield deployments, where we expand the capacity of an existing network, or greenfield, where we deploy net new sites. Bluefield rollouts represent a fertile middle ground – introducing new technology into an existing network.

The bluefield way of thinking enables CSPs considering an introduction of Cloud RAN to capture the benefits of what they already have in place and add on new, cloud-based technologies. It’s not an overlay. Bluefield sites incorporate cloud elements into existing networks. This enables CSPs to fully tap into their network footprint and reap additional incremental rewards.  

The best of two network architectures

CSPs can introduce a virtualized radio access network (vRAN) solution across all deployment scenarios – including existing footprints such as the numerous sites using our Ericsson Radio System portfolio. Driving this is Ericsson Cloud Link, which enables value-add network technologies such as Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, and Carrier Aggregation, to operate across platforms.

When compared with a pure overlay, CSPs will achieve higher performance in combined footprints, along with the advantage of adding mid-band and Massive MIMO support in Ericsson Cloud RAN. These latest enhancements mean they can seamlessly evolve towards cloud-native technologies and open network architectures, to meet the demand for more deployment flexibility.

Leverage millions of 5G-ready radios already in the field

In summary, bluefield deployments represent an exciting new way of thinking about network deployments. They offer CSPs the opportunity to achieve the highest performance in a combined footprint, and that footprint may include the millions of 5G-ready Ericsson Radio System  radios already in the field globally. It also means that timing of a potential Cloud RAN introduction becomes less pressing as the coordinated combination with leading Ericsson RAN Compute portfolio will remain attractive over time.

It might be time to rethink the planning and deploying of mobile networks. Think of it like remodeling or renovating a house. Should you knock down a perfectly good home and start again when the foundations are solid, and it is enjoyed by the whole family? Of course not. You invest in the latest solutions available to you to make it the best home on the street.

If you’re considering deploying Cloud RAN for mid-band, consider ways to maximize the outcome of the effort you put in. The end goal should be that you don’t need to do an overlay to introduce virtualized solutions.

I’m very confident about the future of Ericsson Cloud RAN and the incredible opportunities it presents. Not only that, I am certain that the flexibility and scalability that bluefield deployments will bring to 5G networks will make the RAN world even more wonderful.

Visit Ericsson Cloud RAN page

Read More

Ericsson Cloud RAN portfolio

Tech Unveiled: Exploring new centralized RAN and fronthaul opportunities5G RAN

IDG Connect Blog: What's the difference between greenfield, brownfield & bluefield technology?