Mastering the Route
to Disaggregation

Leading in open, disaggregated, virtualised and cloud native solutions

NGMN Work Programme

“Operators must start preparing now for future-proof models: open, flexible, and ready for new partners and technologies.”

Laurent Leboucher, Orange, Chairman of the NGMN Alliance Board

Cloud Native Solutions

Project Lead

Project Co-Lead

Objectives

Identifying AI-enabled service requirements and benefits, and their potential impact on 6G network architecture evolution.

  • Architecture Study: Agentic core vs. traditional 5G-SA: assessing the architectural change for AI ready network.

  • Network for AI and AI for Network: association between AI and end-to-end network infrastructure.

  • Impact of AI traffic on Network – AI traffic models considering end to end traffic including overall traffic

Network Automation 

Project Leads

Objectives

This Project provides simplified architecture options and migration options for 6G.

  • Architecture Study: Agentic core vs. traditional 5G-SA: assessing the architectural change for AI ready network.

  • Network for AI and AI for Network: association between AI and end-to-end network infrastructure.

  • Impact of AI traffic on Network – AI traffic models considering end to end traffic including overall traffic.

Route to Disaggregation Videos

Publications

Operating Disaggregated Networks

Operating Models - An Introduction

June 2025

A harmonised global 6G standard is essential to ensure a smooth industry evolution, address societal needs, and support a healthy ecosystem. The rollout of 6G should avoid mandatory hardware replacement, instead focusing on software upgrades within existing frequency bands. New hardware should only be introduced where new frequencies make it necessary. Any new technologies must demonstrate clear benefits within a techno-economic framework, with a strong emphasis on spectrum and energy efficiency.

CLOUD NATIVE MANIFESTO
An Operator View

September 2023

On our journey to highly flexible, sustainable, and resilient networks for the future, we believe in applying the following cloud native principles to all layers of network infrastructure, applications, and services*:

1. Decoupled infrastructure and application lifecycles over vertical monoliths;

2. ‘API first’ over manual provisioning of network resources;

3. Declarative and intent-based automation over imperative workflows;

4. GitOps** principles over traditional network operations practices;

5. Unified Kubernetes (or the like) resource consumption patterns over domain-specific resource controllers;

6. Unified Kubernetes (or the like) closed-loop reconciliation patterns over vendorspecific element management practices; and

7. Interoperability by well-defined certification processes over vendor-specific optimisation.

Cloud_Native-Manifesto-1-1061x1500

ODiN - Operating Disaggregated Networks

October 2022

“ODiN – Operating Disaggregated Networks v2.0”, provides a detailed breakdown on how disaggregation impacts an operator’s organisation and processes. The publication covers RAN, core and transport disaggregation and outlines how planning, deployment, service provision, optimisation and maintenance processes will be impacted. In addition, the publication highlights the impact on processes of cloudification and the need to move towards the use of greater network automation whilst embracing DevSecOps. The opportunities, challenges and the impact on network testing are also explained. Developed by the NGMN Alliance’s Partners – operators, vendors, system integrators, and research institutes –, the new publication builds on “ODiN – Operating Disaggregated Networks v1.0” from October 2021, which outlined the opportunities and challenges of network disaggregation.

Events

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