Intelligent Data Centres Issue 15 | Page 46

FEATURE use of scarce fibre infrastructure in the metro, regional and long-haul networks. By using this approach, networks can manage significant demands of bandwidth with low latency with greater reliability. Edge Data Centres will be the key to enabling new next-generation applications such as connected cars and Virtual Reality partially driven by 5G deployments. Preparing 5G performance In order to adapt to the increasing volumes of data, EDCs must also consider how they will grow and evolve with the needs of the network. To support various use cases and 5G applications, EDCs can be tailored to support unique requirements based on the location, bandwidth demands, latency requirements and the environment in which they are in. They can be of various sizes and can be designed to suit harsh conditions and various temperatures in different environments such as remote areas or even conflict zones. Sufficient power, effective monitoring and cooling features are integral to its performance to support the growth and scale of 5G deployments. Available in different sizes and forms such as boxes and containers, EDCs can be integrated and placed in various places such as next to cell towers which provides a direct gateway for businesses to rent local processing power and storage for increased performance such as lower latency and higher availability of required services. Without an effective design, downtime of a data centre can be costly to operators, as well as posing potentially critical implications to the end-user applications of the involved business it serves. For example, mining companies, factory automation environments and communication at an airport. Therefore, it is imperative that EDCs are designed with resilience and efficiency in mind to support the high demanding environment it serves. Reaching 5G potential Currently, the industry is in its early stages of adoption of deploying Edge Data Centres. However, interest in Andreas Sila, Market Manager Data Centre at HUBER+SUHNER Edge Computing is growing rapidly as businesses slowly start to realise the potential of Edge Computing. HUBER+SUHNER is seeing increasing numbers of requests to support the development of EDCs with effective fibre management solutions between the different active equipment and optical switching to allow for remote reconfiguration of the optical layer. This provides redundancy for the fibre network and can be used to remotely commission new services. A third consideration is the question of how to get large chunks of bandwidth to the EDC at an affordable price. For this, either a rugged WDM solution for multiple 10G or a simple 100G service will usually be enough for an EDC. Understanding the environment, the use cases and the bandwidth demands are key elements which HUBER+SUHNER considers to support the implementation of EDCs. Each EDC is created to be robust and resilient in all environments and should be remotely reconfigured for seamless connectivity. With the future set to see even more EDCs designed and deployed, people will experience the full possibilities of 5G as the industry invests in the infrastructure to deliver on the full potential of 5G. Many critical applications will rely on the performance, scalability and reliability of EDCs such as autonomous cars and healthcare systems or completely digitalised factories which is why it is vital to invest in high-quality EDCs for today and beyond. ◊ 46 Issue 15 www.intelligentdatacentres.com