The Open RAN DAS system has been deployed at The University of Texas Moody Center and the Austin Convention Center
Verizon has deployed the first Open RAN (O-RAN) based Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) systems with multiple vendor interoperability in its network at The University of Texas Moody Center and the Austin Convention Center.
Open RAN, a model in where multi-vendor radio systems comprise centralized, distributed and radio units are made interoperable, is quickly becoming mainstream. It promises to introduce new competition and innovation into the RAN ecosystem, leading to more deployment flexibility, faster innovation and better services for the end user.
Verizon has long said that virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) is a precursor for Open RAN, and its strategy has certainly reflected this approach. In 2019, the carrier said it had virtualized its core network with a cloud-native, containerized architecture, and in 2020, it successfully fully virtualized baseband functions. And then this February, it announced that is has deployed more than 130,000 O-RAN capable radios.
“The massive evolution of our network over the past few years including our move to a cloud-based architecture, widespread virtualization and our aggressive adoption of O-RAN standards and capabilities has enabled us to show O-RAN interoperability success in a commercial environment,” said Adam Koeppe, senior vice pesident of Verizon’s technology planning, in a press statement.
The O-RAN systems use a Samsung vDU with an O-RAN interface to a Commscope DAS, demonstrating the feasibility of using equipment from different vendors within a single network. “Not only does this commercial deployment mark a major step towards larger-scale, multi-vendor deployments using O-RAN, but it materially impacts the cost of power, space and cooling by eliminating unnecessary RF equipment, and improves reliability,” the carrier said.
