US-based in-building cellular connectivity provider SOLiD has combined with Israeli edge-cloud and private cellular software company ASOCS to deliver an Open RAN solution for private 5G and industrial IoT networks in the developing Industry 4.0 sector. Their solution, targeted at private 5G deployments in the 3.55-3.7 GHz CBRS band in the U.S., is compliant with latest Open RAN specifications from the O-RAN Alliance (O-RAN), they said.
The new combi-solution comprises an O-RAN-compatible radio unit (O-RU) from SOLiD and equivalent distributed and centralised units (O-DU and O-CU) from ASOCS, plus real-time positioning software from the latter (in the shape of its Hermes NGP platform). SOLiD’s O-RU hardware complies with O-RAN fronthaul specifications, supporting 4G LTE and 5G New Radio (NR) in standalone (SA) or non-standalone (NSA) architecture.
It works with various virtual or physical baseband products via an evolved Common Public Radio Interface (eCPRI) interface; SOLiD’s fronthaul multiplexer (MUX) eliminates the need for dedicated bandwidth for each RU, it said, enabling “more economical use of the CBRS spectrum”. The joint-solution has also been certified by the OnGo Alliance, the industry consortium promoting the shared CBRS band in the US for private and neutral host networking.
A statement said it will enable “rapid deployment of scalable private 5G campus networks with intelligent real-time positioning” to support “mission-critical Industry 4.0 use cases, such as manufacturing automation, predictive maintenance, real-time asset tracking, and occupational health and safety”. The pair have completed “multiple interoperability tests”, they said.
Niv Zimmerman, vice president of solutions at ASOCS, said: “With the power of AI, the ASOCS software-as-a-service solution enables a cloud-based private 5G network with real-time indoor [and] outdoor positioning intelligence to connect data-driven Industry 4.0 edge applications with high accuracy and low latency. [Our joint product is a] comprehensive solution for deploying private 5G and IIoT networks in a scalable model.”
Yong Hoon Kang, chief technology officer at SOLiD Americas, said: “SOLiD is at the forefront of… changing how mobile network operators, system integrators, and manufacturers build tomorrow’s network. The… combination of the SOLiD CBRS O-RAN Radio Unit and ASOCS software unleashes 5G to enable fast, turnkey deployment of robust and secure private in-building networks that transform the business environment.”
