Fast Net News - Jio/Radisys, Bharti/Tata, Nokia, NEC, Samsung look to O-RAN dominance

DC has a fantasy a few small companies with US connections - Mavenir, Altiostar, JMA - will dominate O-RAN. All have done good engineering work just to make O-RAN work. They made great progress on very small budgets.

But O-RAN is a high priority for some very large companies with major strategic advantages. The problems with O-RAN are extreme and will require major investment to solve. Tareq Amin, CTO of Rakuten in Japan, has the only O-RAN system in serious production. He had to spend "hundreds of millions" designing dedicated chips and still is having performance problems.

Samsung and Nokia are now deeply committed to O-RAN. More O-RAN contracts are going to the big vendors. Samsung is the primary supplier for the Vodafone contract, probably the largest in Europe. NEC is supplying 5G Massive MIMO radio units to Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, and Rakuten. It will provide system integration to the telcos buying the Rakuten systems,

Samsung spends $19 billion per year on research. Nokia spends over $4 billion. Tata, a software giant, spends over $3 billion. Mavenir spent $89 million on R&D in 2020, down from the prior year.

India likely will deploy more O-RAN than the US and Europe combined over the next few years. The Western carriers mostly see O-RAN as reaching volume in 2025-2029. The Indians, deploying 5G mostly as a new network, will go much faster.

Jio, a $200 billion company, is buying 5G gear from its Radisys subsidiary. It has over 400 million 4G customers to reach with 5G. Founder Mukesh Ambani is deeply committed to advancing the Indian economy. He can invest whatever it takes to make Jio a world leader in O-RAN. Radisys has a full orchestration suite and such other features as software-defined GPON.

Its great rival Bharti, also with 400 million customers, is working with software force Tata. Its leader, Sunil Bharti Mittal, was Chairman of key industry group GSMA. He has instant access to every telecom leader in the world and will generate sales as soon as the gear is ready.

Mavenir does have a fan in Orange/FT VP Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon, who tweeted about his network test

This is a how will future 5G networks look like: fully disagregated, fully cloudified, fully automated. Being able to manage a multi-vendor integration will be key. Thanks to our valuable partners @Mavenir @casasystems @HPE_FR @Xiaomi @DellTech

Orange is serious about O-RAN. VP Arnaud Vamparys has said, "Orange/FT will in the next few years require all new products it buys to be compliant with open RAN standards."

Vodafone UK selects Samsung for Europe’s first wide-scale commercial deployment of Open RAN powered by vRAN;

Samsung enters Europe with its latest 5G solutions

Samsung Electronics today announced that it has been selected as a leading Open RAN vendor for Vodafone, a major telecommunications company, to bring virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) to the United Kingdom (UK), as well as its latest 4G and 5G solutions, including its Massive MIMO and other radios.

For this collaboration, Samsung will supply its commercial vRAN solutions and O-RAN compliant radios, covering both low-band and mid-band spectrum. The company’s fully virtualized RAN is software-based and runs on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) servers, offering features and performance that are equivalent to traditional hardware-based equipment. Using a cloud-native and container-based architecture, Samsung’s vRAN enables more flexible deployments and efficiency in network management for mobile operators.

Among the key benefits of the revolutionary architecture is its automation capabilities, which simplify end-to-end network management. With Samsung’s vRAN, operators can quickly meet the evolving demands of new and existing services with minimal impact on deployment. Samsung will also deliver to Vodafone UK its market leading O-RAN compliant 5G radios, including the latest Massive MIMO radios.

“Vodafone is committed to leading the next wave of digital transformation across Europe, ensuring fast and reliable connectivity for all,” said Johan Wibergh, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone. “Open RAN, built on strong partnerships, is key to realizing this ambition. Samsung’s innovative solutions and expertise are part of the foundation that is creating this network of the future.”

This collaboration with Vodafone marks a first for Samsung, as the company brings its cloud native virtualized RAN technology to a leading operator’s network in Europe. As acknowledged by many in the industry, virtualized RAN and O-RAN technologies will be important to helping evolve network architectures to power the next generation of 5G applications and services. To this end, Samsung has been continuously leading in vRAN innovation, most recently showing the capability to support the multi-gigabit speeds of Massive MIMO radios on COTS servers (Link).

“We are proud that this collaboration with Vodafone—one of the premier carriers in the world—will be the first scaled deployment of our pioneering 5G technologies in Europe, including vRAN and O-RAN,” said Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “This is a major step forward, as more operators are transitioning into new RAN technologies to prioritize user experience and efficiency. We look forward to continue leading the way in 5G innovation to meet our customer’s highest standards of performance, functionality and reliability.”

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios, and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from fully virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.

Rakuten Mobile and NEC Partner to Promote Open RAN in Global Telecom Markets

Tokyo, May 18, 2021 – Rakuten Mobile, Inc. and NEC Corporation announced today the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote Open RAN (open radio access networks) in global mobile telecommunications markets.

In Japan, NEC is currently providing 5G radio units (5G RU) for Rakuten Mobile’s fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network. The two companies are also jointly developing Rakuten Mobile’s containerized*1 5G Stand Alone (SA) core network (5GC)*2. Under the MoU, Rakuten Mobile and NEC will expand upon their domestic collaboration to date to provide 5G and 4G Radios and engineering services for Open RAN systems aligned with O-RAN specifications*3 for global markets, and accelerate the global expansion of the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP).

Open RAN refers to radio access networks (RAN) where the interfaces and protocols between the RAN components are open and interoperable. This allows operators to select and combine the equipment to suit their needs and deploy networks without legacy vendor lock-in. As 5G services expand and diversify, both Rakuten Mobile and NEC are looking to promote Open RAN standards in the global market in order to further boost network scalability and the operational efficiency made possible by virtualization.

RCP, Rakuten Mobile’s fully virtualized and containerized cloud-native mobile network platform, allows telecom companies and enterprises around the world to deploy virtualized networks at high speed and low cost.

"Rakuten Mobile has successfully designed, launched and now operates a fully virtualized mobile network. This unique network architecture built on Open RAN standards continues to attract significant interest from operators, enterprises and governments around the world," commented Tareq Amin, Representative Director, Executive Vice President and CTO of Rakuten Mobile. "With NEC’s excellent level of technical expertise in radio and track record of providing our high quality 5G sub-6 RU, this collaboration will accelerate the global expansion of Rakuten Communications Platform and promote adoption of Open RAN in global markets."

"This MoU will empower both NEC and Rakuten Mobile to contribute in an even more comprehensive way to the opening and virtualization of cellular networks around the world," commented NEC Executive Vice President Atsuo Kawamura. "NEC is already providing Rakuten Mobile with BSS/OSS, 5G RU and 5G core solutions for its revolutionary fully virtualized cloud-native network. We hope to continue contributing to the expansion of the Rakuten Communications Platform as it rolls out around the globe."

By leveraging deep experience in construction and operation of a fully virtualized cloud-native mobile network and providing revolutionary services and expertise in Open RAN, Rakuten Mobile and NEC aim to provide high quality network technologies to customers around the world.

*1 In containers, the application execution environment is separated from other OS processes, allowing applications to be run using less computer resources than a virtualized environment.

*2 For more information about the collaborations between Rakuten Mobile and NEC to date, please see the following press releases:
new windowhttps://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/press/2020/0324_01/
new windowhttps://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/press/2020/0603_01/
*3 The O-RAN specifications are the Open RAN specifications for open and interoperable RAN defined by the O-RAN ALLIANCE. Rakuten Mobile joined the O-RAN ALLIANCE in August 2020, and in November 2020, Tareq Amin, Representative Director, Executive Vice President and CTO of Rakuten Mobile, was appointed as a member of the board of directors of the O-RAN ALLIANCE. For more information, please see the following press release: new windowhttps://corp.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/english/news/press/2020/1104_03/

Samsung and KT Launch First Commercial 5G SA Network in Korea
Korea on July 15, 2021Audio AUDIO Play/Stop Share Share open/close Print
Korea’s first commercial 5G Standalone (SA) service goes live, ushering in new wave of consumer experiences and business opportunities in the region
Samsung Electronics and KT Corporation (KT) today announced they have successfully launched Korea’s first commercial 5G SA network, turning on next-generation service in the country. This achievement follows the two companies’ recent collaboration on the deployment of Korea’s first 5G SA and Non-Standalone (NSA) common core in the operator’s commercial network.

Since then, Samsung and KT have been preparing for 5G SA launch through multiple tests and trials in KT’s major offices and in urban areas. Today’s deployment will help accelerate KT’s 5G vision to deliver socio-economic value and enhanced consumer experiences across Korea through the advancement of 5G.

“Our 5G SA service will be an important step in unlocking the full potential of 5G and it will bring new value to our customers,” said Youngsoo Seo, Senior Vice President and Director of Network Research Technology Unit, Network Group at KT. “As a digital platform company, KT will continue to make efforts to help drive Korea’s Digital New Deal and ensure our customers enjoy the best experiences and opportunities that 5G has to offer.”

Unlocking 5G’s Full Potential
The implementation of 5G SA networks opens up new business opportunities for service providers, enabling them to reduce time-to-service, and accelerate a new generation of use cases and opportunities for consumers and businesses.

For this commercial launch, Samsung provided KT its end-to-end 5G network solutions from Radio Access Network (RAN) to Core. KT facilitated a smooth transition to 5G SA by using Samsung’s 5G RAN and Core, which can support 5G SA and NSA simultaneously.

“Samsung is proud to play a leading role in placing Korea at the forefront of network technology innovation,” said Seungil Kim, Vice President and Head of Korea Business, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Our reliable and flexible 5G SA architecture, powered by our 5G RAN and Core, will enable KT to offer its users the next generation of enhanced use cases and mobile experiences. By introducing 5G SA services in Korea, we are taking a meaningful step in 5G journey, and look forward to delivering more transformative experiences to customers and businesses with KT.”

For more information on 5G SA, please refer to Samsung’s whitepaper: 5G Standalone Architecture

Samsung Achieves Industry First: Expands Virtualized RAN Capability to Support C-Band Massive MIMO Radio
Korea on June 8, 2021Audio AUDIO Play/Stop Share Share open/close Print
In additional milestone, Samsung’s Virtualized solution reaches the maximum 5G speeds on C-Band spectrum
Samsung Electronics today announced that its commercial 5G virtualized RAN(vRAN) now supports its latest C-Band Massive MIMO radios, a first for the industry and a key milestone in virtualization technology. Additionally, the company achieved a top 5G vRAN speed exceeding 1.5Gbps on C-Band spectrum. With these results – performed in a demonstration at Samsung’s lab in Korea – the company continues to expand the limits of vRAN performance from low-band support last year to mid-band today. Samsung is also currently conducting field trials using these products, and plans to commercialize the solution this year.

The demonstration leveraged E-UTRAN New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) technology combining 40MHz of 4G frequency and 100MHz of 5G frequency on the C-Band spectrum. Through the dual connectivity approach, Samsung achieved 2.25Gbps overall on a single user device. For the demonstration, Samsung used its latest virtualized RAN, C-Band 64T64R Massive MIMO radio, and cloud-native 5G Core. Samsung’s vRAN, which is already in use providing services on low-band spectrum in the U.S., proved its capability to support Massive MIMO radios through this achievement.

“By combining our true vRAN solution and powerful C-Band 64T64R Massive MIMO radio for the first time in the industry, Samsung achieved a significant breakthrough, increasing the throughput ten-fold, improving user experience and showing our leadership in virtualized technology,” said Junehee Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “This milestone is a result of Samsung’s ongoing efforts in 5G innovation, backed by global commercialization experience, and we aim to continue driving R&D efforts to help mobile operators deliver pioneering solutions.”

Samsung’s vRAN solution enables mobile operators to bring greater flexibility, scalability, and resource efficiency in network management with various spectrums in Time Division Duplex(TDD) and Frequency Division Duplex(FDD). Today’s solution is significant as it demonstrates how the company’s vRAN delivers performance parity with traditional hardware-based equipment, while covering spectrum from low-band to mid-band, and supporting both outdoor and indoor radio solutions for both carrier and private networks.

“Operators consistently tell us that RAN virtualization is a priority as they look to accelerate their 5G network and service deployments,” said Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence. “Samsung’s latest demonstrations will be well-received, signaling that 5G vRAN is a viable option, achieving performance on par with purpose-built hardware.”

Samsung recently announced its complete C-Band solutions portfolio, including macro and micro radios, indoor solutions, network optimization tools as well as C-Band Massive MIMO radio which has already been commercially shipped to the U.S. The company’s 5G vRAN solution was rolled out last year, delivering the industry’s first wide-scale commercialization of a fully virtualized 5G network solution.