BROWSING: Network Function Virtualization (NFV)

As service providers move towards 5G in order to realize improved service, operational agility, and greater revenue potential, there is a technology evolution in infrastructure to shift from monolithic, vertically integrated solutions to disaggregated models based on virtualization and the cloud for distributed networks....

The demo featured a commercial end-to-end Open Fronthaul interface based on O-RAN specifications In October, the O-RAN Alliance conducted its second Global O-RAN Alliance plugfest, an event that boasts the goal of testing and demonstrating “the growing maturity of the O-RAN ecosystem.” This week, Altiostar...

Japanese operator Rakuten Mobile, a unit of e-commerce giant Rakuten, expects its 4G network to cover 96% of the population in Japan by summer 2021, the company said in a statement. The operator said that the base station development rate is expected to increase from...

  A Recap – the Ubiquitous Edge Platform This is the second of two blog posts that explore the concept of a ubiquitous multi-access edge computing (MEC) platform that universally addresses edge computing needs, from customer premises to regional telco data centers. If you haven’t yet...

  Intel has signed a partnership with U.S. operator Dish Nework to supply virtualized RAN (vRAN) equipment for a standalone 5G deployment, the chipmaker said in a release. As part of the deal, Intel’s 5G infrastructure technology will create the foundation for Dish’s greenfield 5G network. The...

  Japanese operator Rakuten Mobile has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Telecom Company (STC) with the aim of collaborating in the field of innovation and strategic mobile technology. Under the terms of the deal, the two companies will explore future opportunities to collaborate...

  New Japanese market entrant Rakuten Mobile, which is a subsidiary of e-commerce giant Rakuten, is seeing a high level of interest by multiple governments around the world for the adoption of the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP), said Tareq Amin, representative director, EVP and CTO...

  Japanese operator Rakuten Mobile, a unit of e-commerce giant Rakuten, has announced the availability of its commercial 5G service in certain areas across six prefectures of the country. The service, initially offered via Non-Stand Alone (NSA) 5G architecture, is already available in parts of Tokyo,...

  Tech and business services company Tech Mahindra and Japanese mobile operator Rakuten Mobile have reached an agreement in which the former has been appointed as a preferred partner for global go-to-market opportunities for the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP). Under the agreement, Tech Mahindra will provide...

  Korean carrier SK Telecom and compatriot company Samsung Electronics announced that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Intel for cooperation in the commercialization of an evolved 5G network functions virtualization platform. Under the terms of the agreement, the...

5G Telco Cloud Platform follows VMware/Intel partnership on RAN virtualization Operators have for years invested in virtualization of network functions, starting with the evolved packet core and now moving out to the radio access network. Most current 5G deployments are non-standalone meaning a 5G component...

  New Japanese market entrant Rakuten Mobile, a subsidiary of e-commerce giant Rakuten, expects to cover all the country’s population with its mobile service in 2021. During an earnings call, Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani said that the company previously targeted full coverage in Japan by...

In previous blogs in this “Who Disaggregated My RAN? series, we have looked at the benefits of a disaggregated Open RAN, including the growth of an ecosystem to support the deployment of an Open RAN. We have also looked at how these disaggregated solutions...

Telecommunication networks are becoming more and more essential every day and, in the process, gaining new opportunities. These opportunities will drive new business growth and create exciting areas for revenue generation. However, as with all opportunities, challenges exist and for communication service providers (CSPs),...

5G transformation extends beyond the network--there has to be a shift in the workforce 5G is touted as the connectivity fabric that will fundamentally reshape our collective future. Consumers will benefit from ubiquitous, high-quality connectivity capable of serving up applications that were previously impossible. Enterprises...

Service providers are launching new services faster than ever before and upgrading networks to fit the new 5G ecosystem. As they streamline offerings and build out advanced use cases, they’re getting help from an unexpected source: network function virtualization (NFV). While many operators have completed...

  Japanese telco Rakuten Mobile is collaborating with Singaporean carrier TPG Telecom on a 5G technology partnership program to trial OpenRAN solutions in Singapore, the former said in a release. Rakuten Mobile had launched what it claimed to be the world’s first end-to-end fully virtualized, cloud-native...

  ADLINK helps enterprises unlock IoT value with time and cost efficiencies Right now sorting boxes onto the appropriate pallet as these goods move through a supply chain is a time-consuming, error-prone manual process. But it doesn’t have to be. During the recent PACK Expo in...

The evolution to 5G will see an unprecedented increase in network complexity - from new uses cases to different service classes, network function virtualization and large volumes of data. Today’s complex networks are designed to being operated by humans and their complexity is expected...

Mavenir announces availability of 4G/5G open RAN solution This week Richardson, Texas-based vendor Mavenir announced the "launch and availability" of a 4G- and 5G-compatible virtualized radio access network solution based on open interfaces developed by the O-RAN Alliance, a cross-industry group of carriers, vendors and...

Report: Carriers will follow traditional DAS approach to large venues; open RAN a big opportunity for enterprise connectivity This is by no means new information but worth repeating: Carriers almost exclusively invest in in-building wireless systems for large venues like stadiums and transit hubs. For...

Network slicing. Major reductions in capex and opex. A better customer experience. These are all goals of NFV and SDN innovation but progress is slow and the need increasingly pressing. Here we explore how operators cloudify their networks—while maintaining quality and control through the transition—to...

MobiledgeX early access program coming to the US in October Deutsche Telekom-backed edge computing company MobiledgeX says it has 13 network operator customers and is expanding its early access program into Asia this month, with North America to follow in October. “Momentum around edge computing trials...

How does edge computing fit into a broader telco cloud strategy? The telco cloud conversation has been ongoing for some time as communications service providers look to build networks that provide the agility and dynamic service delivery generally associated with web scale players. But, as...