
Enea claims to have created the first virtualised data schema to extend 5G Core to manage 4G network data.
The schema enables mobile operators to map 4G and 5G data models into a single customisable view from the 5G Core to the edge.
Roland Steiner, Senior Vice President for Telecoms at Enea, said:
“Data is at the heart of 5G and operators need genuine agility to maximise their potential. But network providers have struggled to manage 4G and 5G data on their own terms.
Our virtualised 5G core data management solution gives ownership of data back to operators so they can take back control of their data and their network.”
The schema was developed for Enea’s Stratum Network Data Layer, a telco-grade solution that enables new use cases such as edge computing, network slicing, and IoT while interworking seamlessly with 4G systems and the 5G Core.
Dimitris Mavrakis, Senior Research Director at ABI, commented:
“Enea’s Stratum comes at a pivotal moment for operators. Operators want to enter the enterprise market with 5G and use AI and ML to monetise a variety of use cases. Yet 4G/5G centralised data platforms have been a major pain point for operators with proprietary and centralised databases that did not scale.
A growing number of operators including AT&T, Telenor, Telefonica, Orange, and Vodafone have implemented significant upgrades to their data platform strategies.
More operators will deploy virtualised, distributed systems in line with their cloud-native strategies.”
5G separates data and functions through its Service Based Architecture (SBA) but 4G lack such standards—meaning that operators have previously been at the mercy of their infrastructure vendor.
The open standard virtual schema from Enea is based on 3GPP guidelines and eliminates vendor lock-in by unlocking the data path to manage and control both 5G and 4G data.
Sweden-based Enea made Telecom’s list of innovative companies to watch in 2021 list. We’re glad to see that inclusion is looking even more warranted after today’s industry-first announcement.

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