NEC has announced the joint development of RAN Intelligent Controllers (RIC) with NTT DOCOMO in support of intelligent Radio Access Networks (RAN).
The two companies are aiming to reduce RAN operational costs, improve performance, and reduce power consumption through the use of RIC. Equipment conforming to O-RAN Fronthaul Interface Specifications enables interoperability with different vendors' products as well as the deployment of an optimal and flexible network that meets the needs of various use cases and network technology requirements. Furthermore, the introduction of RIC utilizing AI allows more sophisticated and efficient control of networks.
Both companies plan to initiate joint development of RIC mainly aimed at reducing the operating costs of RAN, such as automating base station settings. As a next step, the companies will improve the performance of RAN through measures that include reducing the power consumption of network equipment by automatically and autonomously optimizing radio resources.In the future, the RIC control cycle will be advanced from slow control to fast control, and from the base station unit level to a user-based level of control. At the same time, optimization will be performed in conjunction with the control of different elements, such as radio resources and computing resources. Moreover, the companies aim to create new value by optimizing network characteristics, such as ultra-high-speed, large-capacity, ultra-low latency, high reliability, and multiple simultaneous connections to realize a variety of services through upgraded networks.
NEC's subsidiary, Netcracker, provides an Open RAN Domain Orchestration solution aligned with the O-RAN Alliance Service Management and Orchestration framework, including RIC functionality developed by Netcracker.
Since 2018, NEC and DOCOMO have been working jointly to verify and test Open RAN technologies and promote their use.
