Multi-RAT enhanced Private Wireless Networks with Intent-Based Network Management Automation

Private wireless networks have become essential enablers for network use cases in enterprises. Emerging enterprise applications push private networks to be more complex in terms of operation and management. However, current private network managers are contending with the challenge of finding a strategy for a network solution that adequately fulfils the service Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the growing innovative applications, which are increasingly uplink hungry. They also confront the need to optimise the management of networks without the cost implications associated with hiring onsite experts. In addressing these two key challenges, we demonstrate a multi-connectivity framework that utilises multi-radio access technologies, namely 5GNR, WiFi-6, and LiFi, to enhance private 5G network capacity with intent-based network automation in a museum. Our framework employs MP-TCP link aggregation strategy that combines multiple network connections to ensure a minimum throughput capacity to meet the maximum uplink requirement for a smart tourism pilot use case.

As a management enabler, we simplify network service deployment by using an intent-based platform with a Natural Language Processing (NLP) interface. Integrating multi-connectivity and intent-based networking in a private 5G network provides significant advantages for advancing future-generation wireless private networks in research and innovation.