As 5G deployment continues to evolve, SCF’s 5G FAPI and nFAPI specifications are helping equipment vendors and software providers support different product architectures and deployment models. The specifications are widely used across the small cell industry and continue to develop as new use cases emerge.

Ganesh Shenbagaraman, Head of Standards, Regulatory Affairs and Ecosystems at Radisys, is Work Item Lead for SCF’s nFAPI specifications and a contributor to the 5G FAPI suite. In this role, Ganesh brings experience from software implementations supporting small cell deployments around the world, helping ensure the specifications continue to reflect practical deployment requirements.

Q&A with Ganesh Shenbagaraman

How would you describe the current focus of the 5G nFAPI Work Item?

“The specifications continue to evolve through regular releases. The current nFAPI release is mainly focused on corrections, updates and alignment with the latest FAPI specification.

“FAPI and nFAPI are a pair of specifications that work together. From an SCF perspective, we want to make sure implementers across the wider 5G community have the choice of implementing either FAPI or nFAPI, depending on their business case or product architecture.”

Why is this work important for the industry?

“We’re seeing FAPI and nFAPI being applied across an increasingly broad range of 5G small cell deployments. That ranges from the continuing evolution from 4G to 5G through to newer use cases, including 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks and satellite communications.

“As those deployment scenarios continue to emerge, the specifications need to evolve with them.”

How does Radisys’ experience contribute to the work item?

“Radisys has been enabling small cell products from 3G through to 4G, 5G and now more advanced 5G implementations. We work closely with small cell platform manufacturers, hardware providers and system-on-chip vendors, helping partners bring products to market.

“Our software has supported deployments across Japan, other parts of Asia, Europe and North America, and we are also working with customers in Latin America.

“We implement the latest specifications, but we can also bring feedback from laboratory testing and real deployments back into SCF. That helps identify improvements that can be made to future releases.”

What do you value most about being part of SCF?

“SCF is a very collaborative environment. Different companies may bring different viewpoints, but we are able to discuss them constructively and reach consensus.

“The Forum also does more than develop specifications. It communicates the impact of its work through white papers and webinars, helping the wider industry understand how the specifications can be applied.

“The Disaggregated RAN Transport Study (DARTs) tool is another good example. It gives the industry a practical way to calculate transport requirements. We’ve used it within Radisys, and I know from conversations at industry events that others have done so too.”

What do you see as the next priorities for the 5G FAPI working group?

“SCF has shown that it can respond quickly as new requirements emerge. We have already seen that with work relating to 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks and satellite communications.

“As the industry moves from advanced 5G towards the early stages of 6G, we are beginning to look at how those developments will influence the specifications we produce and how we can contribute to wider industry discussions.”

SCF’s perspective 

Prabhakar Chitrapu, Chair of Small Cell Forum commented:

“Ganesh combines detailed technical expertise with practical experience from commercial deployments around the world. His leadership of the 5G nFAPI work item helps ensure SCF’s specifications continue to evolve in line with industry requirements, while his collaborative approach reflects the way SCF works to build consensus across the ecosystem.”