Samsung vRAN Delivers Flexibility at Scale
To meet the exponential demands for connectivity and data, operators are looking for solutions that are flexible enough to meet these constantly changing needs while delivering the reliability and performance customers rely on. Virtualized Radio Access Networks (vRAN) are software-centric networks that are more flexible, configurable and manageable than traditional RANs that rely on unique, interconnected hardware solutions.
Running on commercial servers and cloud services, Samsung vRAN provides interoperability with multiple RAN hardware and software solutions using vendor-agnostic commercial platforms. Using this approach, operators can configure each network element and deploy across a multi-vendor environment both quickly and reliably.
Virtualization is key
5G is a technology intended to deliver a much broader set of capabilities than is currently available using existing wireless networks. But deploying 5G networks and features relies on flexible network infrastructure that can be rapidly configured and deployed. Interoperability across a wide variety of radios, frequency bands and bandwidths requires agility that cannot be achieved with existing hardware centric architecture. A fully virtualized approach enables more flexible deployments and network management efficiencies for mobile operators, helping them meet the demands of deploying new and existing services.
Operators require network resources that can be continuously optimized and readily configured with existing infrastructure and management resources. Existing technologies will co-exist with 5G for the foreseeable future, necessitating an approach that seamlessly integrates physical and virtual resources while ensuring reliability and security. Network design and integration must be completed with that expectation. A flexible vRAN that is integrated and interoperable with existing network elements and systems ensures reliability.
Customer demands for capacity are constantly changing and operators must be responsive. With a vRAN solution, operators can choose how they expand and allocate capacity.
A software-driven vRAN solution enables operators to more easily design, configure and manage a reliable, unified network at scale. As the network expands, vRAN capacity is easily augmented in the cloud without expensive and time-consuming hardware replacement and recertification.
Samsung’s vRAN: Automated, flexible, optimized and reliable
Operators utilize network elements and functions from multiple vendors across a variety of physical and virtual platforms to build and expand their networks. This diversity is necessary for many reasons; however, the end result is a multi-vendor environment that is difficult to configure and operate. Open interfaces based on the standards are helping operators to make mobile networks more interoperable, yet interoperability alone does not deliver an optimal solution.
Samsung maintains its technical leadership by delivering commercial carrier-grade 5G vRAN capacity and reliability to Tier 1 operators in the U.S., U.K. and Japan. Samsung delivers a reliable and flexible vRAN solution to integrate and support all network functions while running on a wide variety of off-the-shelf computing resources.
After multiple technical breakthroughs of virtualized RAN solution, Samsung has delivered its 5G vRAN for a large-scale commercial network service in the U.S. since December 2020, providing reliable mobile services to millions of users. Currently, Samsung is the first and only vendor providing a commercial vRAN solution that supports Massive MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) radios from Samsung and third-party providers.
- Lab Test (Jun. 2021) - Combining the Samsung true vRAN solution and powerful C-band 64T64R Massive MIMO radio, Samsung was first to increase throughput ten-fold, improving user experience and demonstrating Samsung leadership in virtualized technology
- Commercial deployment (Jan. 2022) – Samsung was the world’s first to commercialize 5G 64T64R Massive MIMO radio on 5G vRAN in Verizon’s commercial network
- Performance – Samsung achieved 2.25Gbps DL speed on a single user device using its latest vRAN, C-band 64T64R Massive MIMO radios and cloud-native 5G Core. Approaching theoretical speed for MMU and Sub-6Ghz, equivalent to traditional RAN equipment
Samsung’s Open RAN powered by vRAN
Samsung’s commercially proven network solutions range from traditional RAN to virtualized RAN to Open RAN—supporting operators’ 5G path of choice. To advance virtualization and openness, Samsung’s 5G vRAN splits the baseband functions into a fully disaggregated virtualized Distributed Unit (vDU) and virtualized Central Unit (vCU). The key to this disaggregated architecture is that the RAN software is separated from customized hardware and runs on commercial off-the-shelf servers. Samsung’s vRAN also supports O-RAN specifications, “opening up” interfaces between baseband unit and radios, allowing integration from different vendors.
Samsung’s vRAN solution fully disaggregates the hardware and software in the baseband, and can support the open fronthaul interface. The company’s O-RAN compliant 5G vRAN solutions are deployed commercially in Japan and U.K. networks, offering seamless integration with other vendor’s radios.
As a pioneer and leader in vRAN technology, Samsung has brought together various companies for collaboration in a vRAN ecosystem. Samsung has a large number of real partnerships across the industry doing real world vRAN deployments. Partnerships with technology pioneers include providers of chipsets, cloud platforms and servers (COTS servers, OS/CaaS).
This is an effort to drive multiparty collaboration and innovation for the advancement of software-based networks. With this ecosystem, the parties continue to advance vRAN towards a more scalable, flexible network that delivers carrier-grade performance, management and reliability.
Backed by its commercial track record of vRAN deployments at a wide-scale in North America, Europe and Asia, Samsung’s fully virtualized 5G RAN was recognized as the ‘supreme champion’ with the ‘CTO’s Choice Award’ and ‘Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough’ at MWC 2022. As CTO Choice is the highest recognition at the prestigious industry awards and a top honor in the global telco industry, Samsung’s 5G vRAN was chosen among the six winners in the Best Mobile (Network) Technology category—selected by a panel of industry experts comprised of 21 CTOs from leading mobile network operators around the globe.