According to Vodafone and Mavenir, the news represents a significant milestone in the move away from physical infrastructure to a digital cloud-based environment
Vodafone UK and virtualized RAN software specialist Mavenir are claiming the first successful data and Voice over LTE (VoLTE) call across a containerized 4G small cell Open RAN solution. Achieved in a lab environment, the results are the product of a previously announced partnership between the companies, in which the pair are using Open RAN systems to expand in-building 4G coverage for medium- and large-sized enterprise facilities.
Vodafone began working on a containerized indoor enterprise connectivity solution in January 2021. The plug-and-play small cell solution uses radio hardware from Sercomm and software from Mavenir (Open RAN), and will initially provide 4G coverage “in every corner of the office.” Dell Technologies, NEC, Samsung, Wind River, Capgemini Engineering and Keysight Technologies are among the other partners Vodafone has selected as part of its larger Open RAN efforts.
According to Mavenir, “Containerization provides greater flexibility for customers, but also significant benefits in terms of speed and cost of deployment.
More specifically, containerized apps can be spun up and spun down almost instantaneously based on demand and resources, and so they can work dynamically, at whatever scale the business needs, across multiple server clusters and data centers. Further, containerized apps can also be continuously optimized and changed throughout their lifecycle.
Open RAN technology, continued Mavenir, “separates software from hardware, meaning more flexibility for mobile operators and customers.”
“Cloud Native and Open Solutions are becoming the new reality of the mobile world, and these include Radio Access and its containerized implementation,” commented Stefano Cantarelli, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Mavenir. “Open vRAN is a very flexible architecture that can serve any type of segment and Mavenir is really pleased to work with Vodafone in the enterprise business and achieved another first together. It is an opportunity to show that automated and AI controlled systems will simplify life to business and industry.”
Vodafone and Mavenir view this latest demonstration as a significant milestone in the move away from physical infrastructure to a digital cloud-based environment. Before initiating trials with selected customers, the companies said they will first finalize the packaging and automation of the solution.
“Open RAN is opening doors to simplified and intuitive connectivity solutions. For our wider network deployment strategy, Open RAN is enabling us to work with a wider pool of suppliers and to avoid vendor lock-in scenarios that might prevent us from taking advantage of the latest innovations. The same could be said for enterprise connectivity solutions,” said Andrea Dona, chief network officer, Vodafone UK. “From the moment Open RAN is deployed in an office environment, customers are no-longer locked into a single upgrade path. Working alongside Vodafone, customers can be more flexible in how connectivity solutions are adapted and upgraded as demands evolve in the future.”
