Samsung Electronics has been chosen by Japanese telecommunications operator KDDI to provide 4G and 5G O-RAN-compliant virtualised Radio Access Network (vRAN) solutions for Open RAN deployment in Japan. This partnership, set to expand starting in 2025, aims to leverage a fully disaggregated and software-based architecture to enhance energy efficiency, performance, and automation in KDDI's network, the official release said.
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Partnership Overview
The collaboration will include Samsung's vRAN 3.0 and O-RAN-compliant radios supporting low and mid-bands, including advanced Massive MIMO radios and third-party radio integration support. It also offers key features of the Samsung CognitiV Networks Operations Suite (NOS), a solution that automates the lifecycle management of large-scale vRAN buildouts.
Collaborative Efforts with Key Players
The deployment will be carried out in close collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (servers), Intel (processors), and Red Hat (cloud platform), Samsung said.
"KDDI has been focused on identifying and preparing for next-generation networks, and we have been conducting numerous technical verification and feasibility studies on Open RAN with industry-leading companies like Samsung," said Kazuyuki Yoshimura, Chief Technology Officer of KDDI. "Today's announcement represents KDDI's dedication to bringing innovative technologies to Japan."
"Together with KDDI, we are thrilled to take this significant step and strengthen our presence in Japan," said Junehee Lee, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales and Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.
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KDDI - Samsung Collaboration
According to the official release, KDDI and Samsung have been collaborating on vRAN and Open RAN since 2021, including launching what the companies claim is the world's first commercial 5G Standalone Open RAN site in the Greater Tokyo area and launching commercial Open RAN sites in Osaka. Samsung first unveiled its fully virtualised 5G RAN in 2020.
