Show Notes
With the rapid push to 5G, operators are looking for fast, scalable ways to deploy while also having the flexibility and agility to manage services and optimize their networks. There are two ways that operators achieve this flexibility: using a virtual Radio Access Network (vRAN) and embracing O-RAN standards.
vRAN gives MNOs greater network management and service agility and better deployment flexibility using pooled, centralized software-driven network functions operating on standardized commercially available hardware. Samsung’s cloud-native vRAN was the first in the industry to deliver to the market the virtualized Distributed Unit (vDU) and virtualized Centralized Unit (vCU) that run on general-purpose processors. Samsung’s cloud-native vRAN supports single band, dual-band, and Massive MIMO radios. Since Samsung started developing vRAN in 2016, it has become the industry leader in the fully virtualized 5G cloud-native vRAN market. Samsung is the only major vendor to have vRAN commercial deployments with Tier One operators on multiple continents and to provide a commercial vRAN solution that supports both Samsung and 3rd party Massive MIMO radios.
Open RAN is a choice for network operators who want more flexibility and agility in their network. As a member of the Open RAN Alliance, Samsung is committed to virtualized and fully interoperable networks. Samsung believes that Open RAN starts with opening the fronthaul and fully disaggregating the baseband with vRAN. Beyond the production of O-RAN compliant solutions and integration and interface work done in traditional RAN, Samsung’s cloud-native vRAN is O-RAN compliant and integrated with other vendors’ radios.
Earlier this year, Samsung won two GLOMO Awards for its fully virtualized 5G RAN solution, an indication that the industry recognizes the importance of vRAN and the virtualization of the network. Watch and listen to this Networks Tech Talk episode to learn more about what vRAN and Open RAN mean for operators, Samsung’s views on them, and Samsung’s leadership in both technologies.
More from Networks TechTalk with Samsung
Wireless networks are going through a paradigm shift with the emergence of Open RAN. This new approach to architecting a multi-vendor network fosters innovation, agility, and cost efficiency in deploying and operating 5G networks. More importantly, it serves users better and faster than ever. However, there are mixed opinions in the industry and varied approaches to materializing the vision of Open RAN.
Fixed Wireless Access, or FWA, has emerged as a powerful enabler in the mobile landscape and is one method being used to fulfill the growing user demand for data. FWA is another offering to provide high-speed internet access to homes, businesses, and remote areas without relying on traditional wired connections like fiber or cable lines for the ‘last mile’ of connectivity. The demand for FWA itself among broadband users is growing with analyst firms expecting FWA users to reach 14-18 million in 2027 in the United States.
With much of the world standing on the brink of mainstream 5G usage, operators are looking for ways to extract maximum value from their network investments – essentially trying to figure out how to monetize 5G. Operators have spent the past few years on things like spectrum, working to increase base stations needed for sufficient coverage and capacity, and implementing new software tools that allow for autonomous networks and faster delivery of services and upgrades. Providers are now starting to take advantage of the high-speed, low-latency, and connectivity capacities that 5G brings to the market.
5G is the first wireless technology designed to be energy efficient and sustainable with an industry target of 90% improvement in spectral efficiency compared to 4G. This improvement, in large part, also requires energy efficiency in the equipment. Operators and vendors have devised several features to accomplish this goal including increasing spectrum bands supported in a single radio and Massive MIMO antenna capacity, beamforming, and an increasing the use of high-band frequencies. Samsung works to ensure our product experience at every step contributes to a sustainable world with eco-conscious technology and innovation. Samsung is a pioneer in vRAN, being the first to bring vRAN to market with software driven network functions to make networks more flexible and reduce processing and transmit power. Samsung is also helping to address energy efficiency with Power Amplifiers equipped with a Bias Control, dynamic download MIMO transmit paths, and with its low power, energy saving system-on-a-chip (SoC). With global mobile data traffic rates continuing to rise and applications requiring low-latency proliferating, networks will continue to densify, and the number of cell sites grow exponentially. Despite this, telecommunications industry is committed to finding ways to bring down the amount of power used and lowering our carbon footprint to run our networks. We are all excited to see the power saving techniques and features we’ve discussed today continue to advance around the globe. Watch and listen to this Networks Tech Talk episode to learn more about how Samsung and the telecommunications industry are investing in energy saving innovations and technologies.
Virtual Radio Access Networks, or vRAN, are the future of the radio access side of mobile operators’ networks. vRAN is software that runs on off-the-shelf servers rather than the proprietary, dedicated hardware that mobile network providers have been running for decades.