Virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) is a dynamic part of the mobile network transformation today, with more operators discovering the many benefits gained from virtualization.

Unlike prior generations of networks, virtualized networks foster an open ecosystem, where there is far less dependency on dedicated hardware or specific company products. With virtualization, operators have more freedom to select the best-fit hardware and software for their targeted services and use cases. In turn, the nature of collaboration in a diverse ecosystem facilitates innovation towards next-generation networks, fueled by the collective efforts of new and existing players.

An open vRAN approach incorporates various technologies using open interfaces—ranging from vRAN software and radios to Cloud-as-a-Service (CaaS) and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) servers. But with various companies delivering their respective virtualization technologies and expertise, it’s imperative that the industry has a collaborative and cohesive ecosystem.

The key to achieving a solid ecosystem foundation is through pre-integration of partner solutions, which validates the interoperability of software and hardware, and drives the development of enhanced features that will optimize and automate next-gen networks. This collaboration enables mobile operators to implement wide-scale commercial networks in the most flexible way.

Facilitating the Ecosystem: Empowering Best-in-Class vRAN and Open RAN

Samsung has taken a leadership role in curating the ecosystem of partners to help develop, validate and deliver an open vRAN solution serving operator needs. It does so by understanding top operator priorities, including reducing complexity, boosting service offerings, and creating flexible networks. The ecosystem is comprised of leading companies delivering key technologies, including:

Samsung has performed interoperability tests with these companies’ solutions, enabling their reliability and performance in mobile networks as part of an ecosystem. These interoperability tests help vendors prepare solutions for commercial deployments—and help align solution roadmaps from multiple vendors. This fosters a fully-interoperable and end-to-end vRAN approach.

For instance, a Tier 1 operator in the US, which uses Samsung’s vRAN and radios in nearly half its 5G network, relies on Samsung and its ecosystem partners to operate their network at peak efficiency. In this deployment, Samsung, Wind River and Red Hat conducted pre-integration testing and validation on Intel’s hardware that addressed delivery of networks at scale, as well as the operational needs required to ensure release coordination. HPE Servers support Wind River’s CaaS platform for Samsung’s virtual Distributed Unit (vDU) software. At this point, vRAN is proven at scale, and with our partner Wind River, we are tracking ahead of progress having jointly deployed over 10,000 vRAN cell sites and rapidly pushing towards the goal of 20,000 sites by 2025.

Additionally, Samsung and its partners are supporting a top wireless operator in their buildout of a 5G cloud-based open RAN network using vRAN. Dell Servers use VMware Telco Cloud Platform RAN to support Samsung’s virtual Distributed Unit (vDU) software, while Samsung’s virtual Centralized Unit (vCU) software is running on AWS. The partners completed various tests for this deployment, combining software-defined, open interfaces, and scalable virtualization—running on Intel servers with a cloud-native architecture with multilayer automation and service assurance that accelerates site deployments. This combination is a step toward full network programmability and automation with deep end-to-end network insights, advancing the vision of networking-on-demand for dynamic 5G applications.

By integrating best-in-class software and hardware within its ecosystem, Samsung can leverage its fully virtualized RAN to help global operators take advantage of the latest technologies and services. These technologies help them unlock the strategic value of open vRAN by simplifying deployments, software upgrades and new service activations. Included in Samsung’s industry-leading open RAN portfolio are solutions incorporating optimized baseband silicon from Marvell, proven in established 5G networks.