KDDI, Samsung Electronics and Fujitsu announced that the companies have turned on the world's first commercial 5G Standalone Open RAN site powered by virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN in Kawasaki, Kanagawa.
For the deployment of this first site, KDDI used O-RAN compliant solutions, including Samsung's 5G virtualized CU (vCU) and virtualized DU (vDU) as well as Fujitsu's radio units (MMU: Massive MIMO Units).
Virtualization and O-RAN technology replaces dedicated hardware with software elements that can run on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) servers. This brings flexibility and agility to KDDI's network, allowing the operator to offer enhanced mobile services to its users. Additionally, this architecture will deliver reliability, while accelerating deployment of Open RAN throughout Japan, including in rural areas.
Beginning with this site, in 2022, KDDI, along with Samsung and Fujitsu, will deploy this Open RAN in some parts of Japan and continue its deployment and development, embracing openness and virtualization in KDDI's commercial network.
5G technology powers new applications and use cases, such as XR, real-time services in the manufacturing sector (collection of sensor data, remote operation and factory automation) and connected services in the transportation sector (automated vehicles and traffic management). While the number of connected devices and mobile data traffic consumption is exponentially growing, due to the increase in usage, it is more important to build a network infrastructure quickly and cost-effectively.
Characteristics of this site While traditional RAN uses hardware-based equipment, this Open RAN site leverages fully-virtualized RAN software, provided by Samsung, that runs on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) servers. Furthermore, by pursuing an open network approach between radio units and baseband unit, KDDI used Samsung's baseband and Fujitsu's Massive MIMO Units, which are connected with an open interface.
Kazuyuki Yoshimura, Chief Technology Officer, KDDI
Together with Samsung and Fujitsu, we are excited to successfully develop and turn on the world's first commercial 5G SA Open RAN site powered by vRAN. Taking a big step, we look forward to continue leading network innovation and advancing our network capabilities, towards our vision of delivering cutting-edge 5G services to our customers.
Woojune Kim, EVP, Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics
Leveraging our industry-leading 5G capabilities, we are excited to mark another milestone with KDDI and Fujitsu. Samsung stands out for its leadership in 5G vRAN and Open RAN with wide-scale commercial deployment experiences across the globe.
