Radio-Neutral Networks are Coming

Access networks that are “radio neutral” are coming, argues Adlane Fellah, WiFi360 managing director. Some might go further and suggest that “access neutral” networks also might develop, where a new end-to-end platform is created.

In that view, fifth generation mobile networks are actually more than a change of radio interface, but a re-architecting of the core networks as well, resulting in a more-virtualized platform.

Software defined networks,  network virtualization, self-optimizing networks (SON), flexible approaches to spectrum licensing, bonding of licensed and unlicensed spectrum, shared spectrum all will help create

“The result will be a flexible, radio-neutral 5G environment in which a whole new generation of business models will be able to thrive in unlicensed as well as licensed spectrum, building on a long history of innovation in the Wi-Fi community,” argues Fellah.