Verizon unveiled a portable network-as-a-service (NaaS) package that can power 5G and edge use cases for enterprise customers looking to tinker in their chosen surroundings.

Carlo Thompson, distinguished engineer for systems architecture at Verizon, told SDxCentral that the trailer-based, 10-foot-long Mobile OnSite NaaS is packed with Verizon technology, adding, “that’s kind of what we’re most impressed about.”

This includes a 5G standalone (SA) core that can run in close physical proximity to an edge application or service and tie into the carrier’s commercial 5G network; support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network; a private mobile edge compute (MEC) box to help run those edge applications; satellite connectivity for backhaul in case a wired or cellular connection is not available; and SD-WAN capabilities that can be used to manage internal and external traffic.

Thompson said the SD-WAN capabilities are especially important “because we can now put [service-level agreements] on the different backhaul choices and then based on which one has the best response that's the one that we pick to use for that use case or even based on customer demand.” That SD-WAN service also helps support security for traffic traversing the Mobile OnSite NaaS.

The equipment comes from Verizon’s existing vendor list.

Cellular connectivity from the platform is initially being run over Citizen Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum, which Thompson said provides the most flexibility. He explained that this band is not being used to support Verizon’s public 5G network, thus “we could deploy that without having to worry about interfering with the public network,” adding that the carrier is looking at ways to add its licensed spectrum assets.

Thompson explained that the concept for the Mobile OnSite NaaS builds on Verizon’s Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response (THOR) vehicle. This involves the ability to bring network connectivity to edge locations, or what Thompson described as “technology gaps.”

“Technology gaps are where something doesn't exist,” Thompson said. “We could have coverage but MEC is too far away. We could have MEC but we don't have enough spectrum because of capacity reasons in that area. Various different things that could impact the quality of service, and then we fix that by bringing the edge closer where applications live right next to the edge and then we get low latency and a lot better quality of use cases in a specific area.”

The platform’s unique mobility allows it to intersect with different vertical use-case scenarios. This includes public safety where it could be used to power security cameras at a concert or venue, though Thompson added that a “majority is going to be a [business-to-business]-type of scenario where someone is looking to have a specific service and guaranteed quality of service with that use case in different locations.”

The Mobile OnSite NaaS has been trialed at a Lockheed Martin facility in Colorado where it’s being used as a data and video testing platform. In this use case it can display key performance indicators of network operations.

Thompson also noted the portable NaaS can be used as a mobile iteration of Verizon’s Innovation Labs. The carrier has three of these Innovation Labs permanently in place in Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, where they provide customers with an integrated lab environment to develop and test new services.

These permanent labs do out-feature the mobile NaaS by also including access to a 5G nonstandalone (NSA) and IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) core, multiple RF shielded rooms and a full private 5G MEC portfolio for developers.

Thompson also added that Verizon has not yet publicly revealed how an enterprise or entity might procure access to the new mobile platform, but that it could be modeled after the Innovation Labs’ that uses a public facing website.

“We’re trying to figure out what the customer is looking for,” Thompson said. “Sometimes, based on the level of knowledge that we are getting with the customer, they may be better suited for a lab-as-a-service, fixed location, and in some cases they need a network at their office. [We can] then kind of triage it to what best fits the customer need.”