Ireland-based core network vendor Druid Software has announced a go-to-market deal on private 5G with system integrator Siticom. The Germany-based firm has an agreement with US-based Airspan Networks on 5G open radio access network (RAN) hardware. It appears the pair are Siticom’s preferred choice for private 5G core and RAN infrastructure in Germany.
Druid Software said Siticom (stylised, siticom) will provide its Raemis 5G SA core solution for its “latest projects”. Siticom has been active among system integrators in the German market, where the 3.7-3.8 GHz ‘vertical’ spectrum has been made available for industry to licence airwards for their own mobile networks.
German regulator BNetzA has so far approved 123-odd spectrum licenses to local enterprises for private LTE and 5G campus networks. Siticom has deployed private 5G at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) in Germany, in partnership with Airspan. Druid’s Raemis software was part of the bargain, too, it is understood.
Druid Software said Siticom “has already” combined Druid’s RAEMIS platform with Airspan’s RAN offer. Tadhg Kenny, senior vice president of strategic partnerships at the Irish outfit, commented: “Druid and siticom are ideally positioned to guide businesses through the complexities of deploying 5G networks.”
It said in a statement: “Siticom has a first-class record as an independent system integrator, combining consultation, design and architecture to transform telecommunications networks and infrastructure. [Its] team is trained to the highest level, providing genuine expertise in many areas of IT Infrastructure including 5G networks.”
Christian Freund, director of 5G Solutions at Siticom, remarked: “Private 5G networks empower enterprises to modernise and improve, allowing them to finally implement their own high performing wireless networks.”
Meanwhile, Druid Software has announced it is collaborating with the University of Colorado on “interoperability testing” to put LTE into space, as part of “behind-the-scenes” work in service of NASA’s stated plan, from late 2020, to have a communications system on the Moon by late 2022. Druid’s Raemis platform is being used for LTE and 5G testing.
The Simon Fraser University (SFU) in British Columbia is also involved in the project, running the Canadian component of the so-called ‘exploration wireless communications’ (ExWC) testbed. “ExWC will enable scientists to build the technology standards that will get cellular networks on the moon and beyond,” said Druid Software.
Stephen Braham, head of the SFU PolyLAB for advanced collaborative networking, said: “These technologies will work in space the exact same way you and I use them on Earth now. We are very excited to see these missions use these networks on the surfaces of other worlds in our solar system.”
There was little more in the way of detail. A statement said: “The challenges of putting a communications network on the moon are considerable…. Druid thrives on challenges and we like to partner up with other businesses and entities to make mobile communications better and easier in difficult and often remote circumstances.
“So, putting a network on the moon is well within our territory. We also share NASA’s vision of deploying mobile networks on other planets in the solar system in the future but, as they say, first things first.”
