O2 Telefonica Launches First Commercial Open RAN Site in Germany With Samsung

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.

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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.”