The O-RAN cooperation will be performed by exchanging the respective expertise and technologies between the parties
MWC, Barcelona. Vodafone and NTT Docomo have said they will work together to simplify open RAN testing and integration for network equipment vendors, with a view to harmonize the process and accelerate deployments across the whole operator market.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed at MWC, says the duo will cooperate to create common software instructions, as a series of test scripts, for vendors to test and integrate their open RAN products into carrier networks.
A uniform approach to open RAN testing will mean vendors can avoid repetition when dealing with multiple operators, they said; this will save time, resources, and investment, they said, and ensure they can deliver secure and robust open RAN designs in accordance with 3GPP and O-RAN Alliance guidelines.
Vodafone and NTT Docomo said they exchange expertise and technologies. The pair has also announced a plan to enhance the efficiency of RAN technologies, integration processes, and machine learning and automation techniques, with a view to lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) for operators. They will publish a joint whitepaper on the matter.
Johan Wibergh, chief technology officer at Vodafone, said: “The collective R&D power of Vodafone and Docomo will lower the entry barrier for many more companies across Europe and Asia wishing to build [open RAN] networks. Rather than fragmenting the industry, open RAN is bringing us together, across continents, to drive diversification of network equipment vendors and ensure greater systems integration.”
Naoki Tani, chief technology officer at NTT Docomo, said: “We look forward to combining Vodafone’s R&D and thought leadership in Open RAN system integration and DOCOMO’s experience in deploying a multi-vendor 5G Open RAN commercial service in Japan. Our collaboration will help to accelerate the broad commercial adoption of Open RAN and realize a vibrant RAN ecosystem for 5G and beyond.”
The two companies have also agreed to look to remotely connect their lab capabilities, which will complement their existing open RAN R&D centers in the U.K. and Japan. They said their labs are based on a distributed operating model, which is distinct from most centralized single-vendor approaches today; their hybrid lab will see them take charge of different elements of open RAN componentry.
Vodafone and NTT Docomo said they will explore other collaboration, too.
Last week, Vodafone and Orange reached an agreement to build an open RAN setup with RAN sharing in rural parts of Europe where they both have mobile networks. Their first commercial sites are planned for this year in rural Romania, near the city of Bucharest. Orange and Vodafone said they are working to select vendors for the initial build phase.
Their model will serve as a blueprint, they said, to extend 4G and 5G networks to rural communities across Europe.
