Just in time for India’s imminent kick-off of 5G deployments, Mavenir has announced a series of made-in-India Open RAN radios supporting 2G through 5G.
The company’s OpenBeam portfolio support includes options for massive MIMO, millimeter-wave spectrum and multi-band remote radio heads, with availability “across all frequency bands” and the ability to be used for public or enterprise, rural or urban setting, according to Mavenir. The vendor also touted the equipment’s low power consumption, low wind load and modular design.
Amid a global trend toward countries seeking to boost their own positions in 5G technology and general position in supply chains, India has emphasized the need for its 5G deployments to rely on India-made equipment and supporting technology. Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung all have a presence in the country as well as existing deals and trials with Indian operators.
“Our manufacturing partner network is very well positioned for the sustainable and rapid scaling of Open RAN volumes and made in India requirements. With these new production sites coming online, we have reached another important milestone in our strategy to expand and evolve the Open RAN ecosystem,” said Ramnik Kamo, Mavenir EVP, CIO and CPO.
Mavenir plans to showcase the radios at the upcoming India Mobile Congress, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to officially announce the launch of 5G services in the country on October 1. Reliance Industries’ chairman Mukesh Ambani, Bharti Airtel’s head Sunil Mittal and Vodafone Idea India’s head Ravinder Takkar will be on stage with Modi for the official launch of 5G in the country, according to published reports. India expects nationwide 5G coverage to be achieved within two years.
Meanwhile, stateside, Mavenir has received testing permission from the Federal Communications Commission related to its development of millimeter-wave radios. In its FCC filing, the company noted that while it integrates radio equipment from other OEMs to work with its Open RAN software, it is also working on its own radios in bands where there isn’t a suitable third-party option.
“To this end Mavenir is developing our own [emphasis Mavenir’s] n258 band millimeter 5G radio. This radio will be offered for sale to cellular operators in the USA, as well as other operators in other parts of the world,” the company said. It plans to install, test and develop the radio using an outdoor mast at its offices in Richardson, Texas, using both midband LTE spectrum as an anchor and mmWave spectrum at 24-26.5 GHz.
