Corning and Intel announced on October 21 they formed a strategic collaboration “to accelerate the availability of 5G in buildings.” The companies explained they will work together to deliver a virtual platform for Corning’s 5G network solutions, which will be powered by Intel Xeon scalable processors and Intel FlexRAN reference software architecture.
“This co-innovation effort will create a streamlined path for mobile network operators and enterprise building owners to deploy 5G solutions that meet the performance demands of their customers and enable faster adoption of 5G applications, with the ability to scale from large to small venues and enterprises,” the companies said when announcing their collaboration.
Michelle Engarto, vice president of wireless product line management for Corning Optical Communications, commented, “5G will enable dramatic advances in the way people work and companies create value. Capturing the benefits will require flexible and scalable infrastructure that can evolve and adapt as fast as software-based applications. Fiber offers effectively unlimited bandwidth and is protocol-agnostic. Virtualization converts a traditional hardware challenge into a software-based solution. By combining fiber and virtualization, Corning and Intel will demonstrate the ultimate in flexibility and scalability for in-building 5G infrastructure.”
“Our collaboration with Corning will help ensure the 5G revolution does not stop at the building door,” added Cristina Rodriguez, vice president and general manager of wireless access networks division, data center group, at Intel.
The collaboration combines Corning’s wireless connectivity portfolio and Intel technologies including Xeon scalable processors, Intel FlexRAN 5G and 4G reference software, Intel FPGA programmable acceleration card N3000 (pictured), and 10/25/40G Intel Ethernet 700 series network adapters.
“This Intel-based foundation for next-generation virtualized radio access networks will enable customers to reap the full benefits of 5G-based platforms for ultra-reliable low latency, enhanced mobile bandwidth, and massive machine-to-machine communication both inside and outside their buildings,” Intel’s Rodriguez concluded.
