German telecommunications service provider O2 Telefonica (Telefonica Germany) announced the launch of its first virtualised RAN (vRAN) and Open RAN commercial site in Germany in partnership with Samsung Electronics. The site is now operating in Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria, providing 4G and 5G services to customers, Telefonica Germany said on Thursday.
Also Read: Telefonica to Test vRAN and Open RAN in Germany With Samsung
Commercial Site Launch
According to the official release, this is the first time that Samsung's 5G vRAN solution is being used in a commercial network in Germany. In the coming months, both technology partners will expand the vRAN and Open RAN network to seven additional sites in the region, aiming to further extend the Open RAN footprint.
As reported by TelecomTalk, this launch builds on the joint initiative announced in October 2023, where both companies agreed to develop a roadmap for testing vRAN and Open RAN technologies. Following extensive trials, O2 Telefonica said it is now progressing from lab to field with the launch of the first commercial site.
The companies have successfully switched on this first commercial site just three months after the initial shipment of 4G and 5G solutions, the official release said.
Also Read: O2 Telefonica Germany, Ericsson Implement Europe’s First Cloud RAN for 5G
Technological Advancements
Commenting on the commercial launch, O2 Telefonica said, "We are taking another big step in our Open RAN journey. Together with Samsung, we are utilizing the latest Open RAN technologies in our mobile network. On the way to the network of the future, we are integrating new network solutions to provide our customers with outstanding connectivity. Open RAN is a building block that can help us to automate our network, deploy new updates faster, and use network components more flexibly."
Future Expansion Plans
For the initial deployments, Samsung's 4G and 5G vRAN 3.0 solution and O-RAN compliant radios supporting low- and mid-bands (700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1.8 GHz 2.1 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 3.6 GHz), including 64T64R Massive MIMO radios are used. In the next step, the companies will introduce O-RAN-compliant Samsung's intelligent network automation solutions to control lifecycle management — from deployment and operation to maintenance.
Also Read: KDDI Starts Deployment of 5G Open vRAN Sites in Japan
Open RAN and vRAN Technologies
O2 Telefonica says it is building an efficient and future-proof network using Open RAN and vRAN technologies. Open RAN enables greater flexibility in the mobile network based on an open interface, where operators can combine network components from different providers and integrate them into their network. Software-centric vRAN helps the adoption of a cloud-native architecture, allowing network operators to better automate functions, introduce new technologies, and services to their networks quickly and efficiently.
