#Spain #Barcelona #Net5.5G #WBBA #Smart Broadband

Accelerating Global Deployment of Net5.5G

At the MWC Barcelona 2025, the World Broadband Association (WBBA) held a significant industry summit under the theme "Smarter Broadband: Investment, Innovation, Intelligence." During this event, WBBA unveiled a new white paper titled the Net5.5G Best Practices and Deployment Guide, aimed at hastening the global commercial rollout of Net5.5G technology, marking a hopeful turning point in the advent of the smart era.

The white paper illustrates the widespread adoption of Net5.5G, indicating a growing consensus among stakeholders regarding its significance as the next-generation network infrastructure. This follows the WBBA's previous publication in June 2024, which detailed the architectural designs, best practices, deployment guidelines, and proof of concept results critical for network evolution to 5.5G and beyond.

The white paper released at the summit emphasizes that Net5.5G is being rapidly recognized across five continents, highlighting key developments crucial for the technology’s advancement. It provides 15 global case studies encompassing operators, businesses, governments, and sectors, thus serving as a beacon for establishing next-generation networks and accelerating global commercial adoption.

For instance, in Europe, Swisscom has leveraged Net5.5G to offer businesses high-quality, differentiated services that are more flexible and reliable. Meanwhile, Zain KSA, an operator in Saudi Arabia, has utilized Net5.5G to upgrade its connections to 400GE, simplifying their network connectivity. In Africa, Airtel in Nigeria has employed Net5.5G to enhance network performance and reduce operational costs, while in the Asia-Pacific region, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison in Indonesia adopted the technology to shorten time-to-market and seize new business opportunities.

The white paper further delineates four new scenarios critical to meeting the demands of the smart age, including computing connectivity, intelligent connectivity, data connectivity, and airspace connectivity. It recommends four foundational technologies for Net5.5G that include ultra-broadband connections, enhanced IPv6 capabilities, autonomous driving networks, and integrated security protections. With the help of AI routers at the network layer, Net5.5G is optimizing the creation of high-quality 10GE campus networks, high-capacity smart transport networks, and highly efficient data center networks. These advancements are designed to help operators reduce costs, increase revenue, and enhance efficiency, thereby unlocking new business opportunities.

Additionally, the document details the notable successes of the WBBA's Net5.5G Pioneer Program, which since its launch in November 2024 has resulted in the emergence of 18 visionary pioneers, 2 regional pioneers, and 18 business pioneers, demonstrating stable progress on a global scale. This program aims to ensure advancements in Net5.5G standards, upgrade regional network infrastructures, and facilitate the sharing of global best practices. By 2027, the program anticipates achieving 100 visionary pioneers, 100 regional pioneers, and 100 business pioneers, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that Net5.5G networks benefit mainstream operators and businesses worldwide.

Concluding the white paper, WBBA calls on more industry organizations, standard-setting bodies, governmental institutions, operators, businesses, and device vendors to strengthen cooperation and collaboratively promote Net5.5G innovations in technical standards, policies, and commercial practices. The publication serves as a solid foundation for accelerating the commercial deployment of Net5.5G and fostering the prosperity of the industry ecosystem. As the smart era approaches, Net5.5G is poised to empower customers to capitalize on digital transformation opportunities and achieve greater business success. For further details, the complete white paper can be downloaded from the WBBA website.