Guavus unveils open NWDAF implementation for 5G

5G-IQ contains a compact streaming analytics engine that’s up to 31 times faster than typical open source alternatives, the company claims

AI and analytics firm Guavus has developed a 5G analytics product which it says will allow mobile operators to more easily manage next generation networks at scale.

Dubbed 5G-IQ NWDAF, the tool enables telcos to use streaming analytics and machine learning to drive service orchestration and network automation.

“5G network rollouts will dominate mobile operator spending this decade, and the delivery of 5G products that enable operators to scale these networks will be a strategic focus for Guavus,” CEO Alexander Shevchenko said.

5G-IQ will be demonstrated at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month, deployed in AWS cloud.

Stronger network, better streaming

Guavus was founded in 2006 to develop analytics tools for some of the world's largest communications service providers, and was acquired by French industrial conglomerate Thales in 2017.

The company’s latest offering is a complete implementation of 3GPP’s Network Data Analytics function (NWDAF) standard. 5G-IQ is described as completely vendor-neutral, built to interoperate with all 3GPP-standard components in a 5G system.

“At full scale, 5G networks will bring a whole new level of complexity compared to today’s 4G/LTE networks, utilizing advanced new radio technologies operating in multiple spectrum bands to deliver a new generation of gigabit-speed, low-latency, ultra-reliable services, encompassing a vastly greater number of user devices and smart machines,” Yesmean Luk, telco cloud practice lead at STL Partners, said.

“The 3GPP NWDAF standard will be essential to standardize operational data, which will enable operators to deliver the machine intelligence needed to power network automation in these complex operational environments.”