Telecom Infra Project streamlines its OpenRAN efforts

The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) is streamlining its OpenRAN and OpenRAN 5G NR Project Groups into an overarching OpenRAN Project Group under a revised charter.

The new Project Group will be chaired by Vodafone and T-Mobile USA, and different work streams will be co-led by BT, China Unicom, Ooredoo, Smartfren, TPG, Intel and Vodafone Idea.

Various new subgroups have also been formed:

• RU: Defining Radio Unit (RU) whitebox hardware (HW) platforms for 4G/5G
• DU/CU: Defining Distributed Unit (DU) & Centralized Unit (CU) whitebox HW for 4G/5G
• RAN Intelligence & Automation (RIA): Productization of AI/ML Use Cases for Massive MIMO (MaMIMO), e.g., beam optimization, Radio Resource Management (RRM) and Self Organizing Network (SON)

Segment subgroups: Focused on integrated RAN solutions for specific network use cases to improve deployment business cases:

• Outdoor: Addressing coverage and capacity requirements, performance and features for outdoor macro base stations
• Indoor: Defining requirements, performance and features for indoor 5G NR small cells

“We are excited to lead this transition towards flexible and open RAN with a richer ecosystem. Vodafone has been expanding OpenRAN footprint via ongoing pilot deployments in Europe and Africa. The streamlined OpenRAN structure is a significant opportunity to drive scale and support vendors to more quickly deliver products to the market. We look forward to the Project Group delivering harmonised requirements and proven commercial solutions to support our network deployment objectives,” stated Andy Dunkin, Senior Manager Mobile Access Centre of Excellence at Vodafone Group Networks and TIP Technical Committee delegate.

https://telecominfraproject.com/

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Mavenir acquires ip.access for OpenRAN radio expertise

 Mavenir has acquired ip.access Ltd, a leading 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G-ready small cell solutions provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.

ip.access, which is based in Cambridge, UK, has two primary lines of business; commercial communications networks deployed with service providers, and private networks deployed with system integrators for critical infrastructures, security and surveillance. The product line includes a family of plug-and-play cellular access points (APs) for small, medium and large indoor or outdoor deployments.

Mavenir said the acquisition extends its leadership in OpenRAN radio on three fronts:

• Communication Service Providers: Adding 2G and 3G capabilities to the OpenRAN portfolio
• Enterprise: Adding a full suite of enterprise radio solutions for Mavenir’s Private Network offerings, including OnGo/CBRS certified solutions
• Nontraditional Networks: Leveraging market leading software defined vRAN solutions for Aviation, Maritime, Rural and Remote networks with next generation solutions in the air, on land and at sea.

“Operators are looking to transform their 2G/3G networks as they migrate to 4G and 5G,” said Pardeep Kohli, President and CEO, Mavenir. “We expect to provide a seamless, multi radio access technology single RAN offering for those operators that allows them to have the benefits of advanced radio solutions across all layers.”

Nick Johnson, Founder and CTO of ip.access added, “CBRS/OnGo in the US and shared spectrum initiatives in Europe are but a few of the potential opportunities. It’s not just consumer services anymore, but industrial private networks, professional closed group networks for financial, healthcare, leisure and hospitality, among many others. We look forward to applying our long experience in private networks to complement Mavenir’s existing portfolio in serving this hugely expanded customer base.”

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Vodafone kicks off OpenRAN trials

Vodafone Group has initiated trials of OpenRAN in the UK and may extend to more of its markets on the continent.

Vodafone has also initiated OpenRAN trials in the DRC and Mozambique – which have largely rural communities and are near the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index – to make mobile calls and to access data.  The trial sites across the three countries will provide 2G, 3G and 4G services, with 5G possible over OpenRAN in the future.

Vodafone has already undertaken lab trials of OpenRAN with Vodacom South Africa, and in Turkey has deployed the technology to deliver 2G and 4G services to customers in both urban and rural parts of the country.

Vodafone is working with a number of new vendors supplying OpenRAN technology including US companies, Parallel Wireless and Mavenir, and UK-based Lime Microsystems for Open CrowdCell.

Nick Read, CEO, Vodafone Group said: “We are pleased with trials of OpenRAN and are ready to fast track it into Europe as we seek to actively expand our vendor ecosystem. OpenRAN improves the network economics enabling us to reach more people in rural communities and that supports our goal to build digital societies in which no-one is left behind.”

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