Mobile core network start-up Core Network Dynamics (CND) today (1 November) announced it has joined the MulteFire Alliance, which aims to broaden the LTE ecosystem by enabling complete mobile networks to be deployed in the unlicensed spectrum.
CND is committed to support MulteFire in OpenEPC, its complete multi-access core network in software that runs on commercial off-the-shelf hardware.
According to a report by RAN Research, the wireless forecasting arm of Rethink Technology Research, the rise of shared and unlicensed spectrum and protocols like MulteFire will lead to a dramatic expansion of the mobile ecosystem beyond traditional cellular operators in the area of enterprise small cells.
Caroline Gabriel, director of research at Rethink Technology Research, expects the share of enterprise small cell installations to rise from seven per cent in 2014 to account for 14.8 million units by 2022 - nearly half of all deployments. “MulteFire will allow new challengers to enter the market and launch lower-cost services more quickly than traditional operators, including ‘network in a box’ offerings using virtualised cores from the likes of Core Network Dynamics,” said Gabriel.
“Building a complete eco-system, including virtualised core networks from members such as CND, is vital for the commercial success of MulteFire technology,” said Mazen Chmaytelli, president of the MulteFire Alliance and senior director business development, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We’re pleased to welcome CND to the Alliance as our newest member and look forward to working together on enabling companies to deploy MulteFire.”
“MulteFire will ignite the private LTE market over the next few years, enabling explosive growth beyond the mobile operators’ monopoly,” said Carsten Brinkschulte, CEO of Core Network Dynamics. “I believe MulteFire’s LTE credentials gives it the edge over Wi-Fi as it is arguably more reliable and scalable and also offers multi-access points and carrier grade security. Our vision is to merge the core network with the radio, embedding OpenEPC in small cells interconnected with a dynamic mesh, providing a distributed self-organising private LTE network for the enterprise and public safety markets,” Brinkschulte added.
