Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1192126
January/February/March 2020 I 17 Note: This article shares the same title with a presentation by Dr. Konstantinos Stavropoulos at the European Conference on Networks and Communications (EuCNC), 2019. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: Konstantinos Stavropoulos, Ph.D. develops and executes the strategy for EXFO's mobile network (access, core, end-to-end) monitoring and optimization solu- tions, which include intelligent software platforms and expert professional services. His main areas of focus are 5G, 4G evolution, network virtualization, transformation, analytics, and automation. In addition to EXFO's 5G solutions and market positioning, he actively contributes to the promotion of EXFO's solutions for automated operations and optical fiber monitoring. Konstantinos has been focusing on mobile networks for more than 20 years through academic and professional roles. His experience covers diverse areas from antenna array systems research and mobile network planning and optimization consul- tancy to the development, management, and marketing of innovative software solutions. These solutions have supported automated planning/optimization, customer experience geolocation, device interoperability and acceptance testing, service assurance for physical/virtual networks, centralized and automated operations, and big data analytics. Konstantinos holds a doctorate in electrical and electronic engineering from Imperial College, London and has presented at dozens of conferences and webinars. He has authored several articles, blogs and white papers on mobile networks. Dr. Stavropoulos can be reached at konstantinos.stavropoulos@exfo.com. REFERENCES: 1. "Evolution from LTE to 5G: Global Market Status Report," Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), August 2019. 2. "5G White Paper," Next Generation Mobile Networks, 2015. And what about FiberG? Is the 6G discussion rele- vant? If 6G represents a radical step change from 5G and its evolution, the requirements on the underlying fiber infrastructure will be radically different too. In this case, upgrades would not only be necessary, but mandatory. If 6G turns out to be a 5G+ standard or if 6G is never launched, the required fiber network enhancements may only be incremental and, therefore, more manageable. Either way, optical fiber should be regarded as a vital part of the 5G/6G otherwise-labeled future mobile/con- verged network infrastructure. Fiber has an essential role to play for 5G and beyond. CONCLUSION Optical fiber can support the 5G requirements for ultra- high throughput/capacity, ultra-low latency, and ultra- high reliability. In fact, fiber is needed to realize the benefits of concepts/technologies that are key 5G pillars, including C-RAN, NFV, SDN, MEC, SBA, and the cloud. As an indispensable part of the 5G architecture, the performance of the underlying fiber infrastructure will directly affect the experience of 5G. In other words, any fiber issues will be interpreted as 5G issues and will impact interesting and even mission-critical use cases. Therefore, it is crucial to address the investment focus, regulation, standardization, and performance-related fiber challenges and to increase automation in fiber network deployment and operation. Besides its rising importance for services and applica- tions that are not 5G-specific, optical fiber is essential for 5G and future mobile/converged networks. This is indeed the dawn of the fiber generation. It is the dawn of FiberG. The 5G concept of end-to-end network slicing emphasizes the need for a better end-to-end approach to deploying and operating networks. This end-to-end approach will inevitably incorporate the crucial 5G fiber infrastructure.