Four major trends in the development of global information infrastructure: CDN will have more intelligent elements

With the emergence of a new round of scientific and technological revolution with information technology as the core, the Internet is increasingly becoming a leading force in innovation-driven development, and information infrastructure has become the cornerstone of a new round of scientific and technological revolution. Countries around the world have actively introduced policies to support high-speed broadband, accelerated the exploration and layout of space networks, increased support for universal services, and promoted the continuous evolution of network facilities to a new generation of information infrastructure. Overall, the current global information infrastructure is accelerating towards high speed, wide popularity, full coverage, and intelligence, and its strategic position is becoming increasingly prominent.

Trend 1: They have stepped up efforts to build information infrastructure and deployed high-speed broadband networks ahead of time.

In terms of fixed access broadband networks, gigabit broadband has become a new focus of competition among major countries. As of July 2016, the number of gigabit networks deployed by global telecom and cable operators has reached 350, and 164 gigabit network deployments have been announced or are already under construction. US operator AT&T has deployed gigabit fiber in 20 major US cities and plans to expand ultra-high-speed broadband to 100 cities. The European Union announced that it will comprehensively adjust telecommunications rules to ensure that people have access to (ultra) high-speed Internet connections. In its Digital Strategy 2025, Germany clearly stated that it plans to invest 100 billion euros to build a fully covered gigabit fiber network.

Figure 1. Top 5 Gigabit Network Deployments in the World

Data source: Consulting firm Viavi Solutions

In terms of mobile access broadband networks, 4G is accelerating its evolution to LTE-A and 5G research and development is accelerating. Currently, LTE-A and LTE-A Pro have become important technical means for global operators to expand network capacity for the development of mobile Internet. More than one-third of operators around the world have begun to invest in the deployment of LTE-Advanced systems. Currently, there are 147 LTE-A (Pro) commercial networks in 69 countries around the world, and the deployment of 192 LTE-A (Pro) networks is underway in 84 countries. The global development of technologies and standards for 5G has accelerated, and 2016 has become the first year of 5G standards. Currently, the industry and national and regional standard organizations are working closely to accelerate the development of 5G standards according to the ITU schedule.

Figure 2: Global LTE-A Commercial Index, 2014-2016

Data source: GSA

In terms of backbone transmission networks, the world has entered the 100G era. Currently, 100G backbone transmission has been widely recognized and rapidly deployed on a large scale. Advanced operators are competing to upgrade core and backbone networks from 10G/40G to 100G. The dawn of beyond 100G technology has emerged, and 400G is accelerating the process from laboratory to live network testing and even large-scale commercial use. 400G is expected to achieve large-scale commercial deployment in 2018.

Figure 3: Development of the global backbone network

Trend 2: Continuously improve the universal service mechanism and strive to make broadband infrastructure cover all citizens.

First, the scope of universal service has been expanded. The scope of telecommunications universal service has gradually expanded from telephone services to broadband services. The latest data released by the ITU shows that more than 50 countries have included broadband in their universal service definitions or universal access definitions.

Second, the universal service technology is diversified. Various access technologies such as WTTx (wireless broadband to the home), satellite, microwave transmission and floating platforms are widely used to achieve universal broadband service in rural and remote areas. For example, Saudi Arabia has developed 3 million users in three years through the construction of WTTx, basically achieving universal home broadband service; Brazilian telecommunications company Telebras uses hot air balloons to bring the Internet to remote areas of the country.

Third, the implementation mechanism of universal service is differentiated. In order to solve the problem of broadband construction in rural and remote areas, countries are actively building and improving the broadband universal service mechanism, and taking various measures such as telecommunications universal fund, PPP model, spectrum auction, government special funds, etc. to flexibly promote it in accordance with their national conditions. For example, the United States is dominated by the telecommunications universal service fund, and the FCC has established four universal service fund projects. In 2016, the White House proposed the "Connect Everything" plan to provide high-speed broadband to another 20 million low-income Americans; Germany is implementing a new spectrum policy. When auctioning the 800MHz digital dividend frequency band, it requires the winning operator to give priority to covering 90% of the population in 13 vacant white areas before using 800MHz networking in urban areas.

Situation 3: Continue to enhance space infrastructure and international network expansion capabilities, and build a global coverage, air-space-ground integrated network.

The global coverage, integrated space-air-ground network has become a major infrastructure for the national economy and national security of major countries with its strategic, basic, driving and irreplaceable significance. On the one hand, the global coverage and interconnected network has become one of the important driving forces of economic globalization, giving full play to the global radiation effect and driving role of information infrastructure and sharing the fruits of the prosperity of Internet applications. The United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea and other countries are leading the world in the construction of international submarine cables and the layout of POP points; developing countries have started from the interconnection of basic networks through strategies such as the "Belt and Road Initiative" and gradually established international information channels with coordinated development of international submarine cables and cross-border terrestrial optical cables. On the other hand, space information resources have become an important strategic resource for various countries. The construction of an integrated space-air-ground network has a far-reaching impact on the national economy and national defense security, and major countries have accelerated construction and deployment. The United States, Europe and other major countries and large Internet companies have strengthened the research and development of space technologies such as satellites, floating platforms, and drones, promoted the deployment of high-throughput broadband satellites and mobile broadband satellites, and created a seamless coverage and integrated global network.

Situation 4: Accelerate the improvement of the intelligence level of network infrastructure and application infrastructure, and promote the evolution of network facilities to a new generation of comprehensive information infrastructure.

First, operators are actively exploring the intelligent transformation of network architecture based on SDN/NFV technology. At present, mainstream operators around the world have started the transformation of basic networks centered on cloud services, and have realized the supply-side reform of network capabilities for cloud-network collaboration based on technologies such as SDN/NFV. As early as 2013, AT&T formulated a huge network plan "Domain 2.0", hoping to achieve SDN network share of 75% by 2020; Deutsche Telekom leads the digital transformation of operators, and through the implementation of the pan-net plan, a more centralized all-IP system is established; my country's three basic operating companies have also successively launched network intelligent reconstruction strategies.

Second, application infrastructure has become an important new infrastructure. Application infrastructure such as cloud data centers, content distribution networks, and IoT perception are becoming increasingly intelligent and widely penetrated into various fields of the national economy, promoting economic transformation and development, and becoming an important new infrastructure. Through cloud technology, Amazon has achieved flexible expansion and dynamic scheduling of network and storage capabilities, greatly improving the efficiency of resource use; in terms of CDN, through the integration of new technologies such as big data, it has more intelligent elements, and CDN platform nodes can intelligently push content based on business hotspot predictions and user distribution; in terms of industrial Internet, through CPS, a criss-crossing intelligent network is built, with computing, communication, refinement, remote coordination and autonomy functions, realizing the deep integration of the virtual network world and the real physical world.

At present, while profoundly changing the direction and trajectory of network infrastructure development, information infrastructure also plays a more prominent strategic, fundamental and leading role in the transformation and development of the economy and society. my country should firmly grasp the latest development trend of global information infrastructure, coordinate deployment around the construction goals of the "13th Five-Year Plan" and "Network Power", and accelerate the construction of a new generation of information infrastructure.

About the Author

Jin Xiaxia: Master of Management from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, currently an engineer at the Policy and Economic Research Institute of China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. Her main research areas are information infrastructure (broadband), Internet, and Internet investment and financing. She is deeply involved in the drafting of the "Broadband China" Strategy and Implementation Plan, the "Broadband China" special action, and a series of supporting work such as speed increase and fee reduction.