Friday, September 9, 2022

Keysight and IBM target Open RAN in Europe

Keysight Technologies and IBM signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to pursue open radio access network (RAN) deployments in Europe.

IBM endeavors to use Keysight Open Radio Architect (KORA) solutions in the company’s Open RAN center of excellence (CoE), established in 2021, to help mobile operators drive innovation to meet the standards defined by the O-RAN ALLIANCE. IBM intends to integrate Keysight’s software-centric open RAN test, measurement and emulation tools with IBM’s Cloud Pak for Network Automation, an AI-powered telco cloud platform that enables the automation of network operations.

Based in Madrid, Spain, IBM’s CoE enables communications service providers (CSPs) to deploy IBM solutions in their laboratory environments or live networks to support private and industrial applications. IBM’s CoE aims to advance digital transformation in the telco industry and is supported by IBM Consulting.

“Keysight’s collaboration with IBM will help enable mobile operators to speed deployments of digital transformation tools that are critical in supporting industrial competitiveness in Europe,” said Kalyan Sundhar, vice president and general manager for Keysight’s wireless network access business. “The integration of Keysight’s open RAN test solutions with IBM’s Cloud Pak for Network Automation will help service providers in automating applications that are critical to delivering a wide range of connectivity services.”