IEEE in collaboration with, IEEE Software Defined Networks (IEEE SDN), and EIT Digital has announced a joint roadmap for a breakthrough collaboration model to boost 5G innovation during Berlin5Gweek on November 2, 2016, which followed the San Francisco launch in May 2016 of an international Open Testbed Community (OTC).
The two trillion dollar global telecom market is undergoing a radical transformation based on software defined networking and 5G development. This new environment demands new testing paradigms and the IEEE together with EIT Digital are stepping up to this challenge.
Included in the roadmap are:
- The Open Source Wiki Toolkit and Testbed, the world’s first and most complete open source testbed catalog that will serve the research community and industry to accelerate innovation and experimentation. It will be available as part of the IEEE Service Infrastructure with support from Fraunhofer FOKUS, several international operators and universities
- A demo of the first Open Federated Testbed portal (FTB portal) clustering testbeds supporting SDN testing, creating a single access gateway to several testbeds across the Atlantic
- The first phase for the creation of an Open Testing and Certification Collaboration Forum facilitated by both organizations with the support of select operators, manufacturers and innovators
The Open Testbed Community (OTC) is seen as a first step in this master plan. In the coming years, 5G will be built and put to use, enabling a rapid growth of IoT Digital Infrastructure with impact on Digital Cities, Digital Health, and Digital Industries, areas that are fundamental components of EIT Digital’s strategies for driving digital Innovation in Europe leading to positive societal impact and economic growth.
This collaboration has already resulted in the creation of a new ‘Wikipedia of Testbeds and Toolkits’ which is desirable to allow the sharing of test platforms, plans and/or results within the telecom ecosystem. This will improve resiliency, security and performance of next gen networks.
The workshop was part of the IEEE 5G Summit series, demonstrating the continued collaboration between IEEE and EIT Digital aimed at providing the community at large the support of two trusted third party organizations to the acceleration of 5G innovation around an open forum.