The trial builds on a 2024 milestone, when Samsung completed an end-to-end vRAN call in a lab environment using Intel’s Xeon 6 system-on-chip
In sum – what to know:
Closer to commercial reality – Samsung said the milestone moves cloud-native RAN demonstrates that single-server, software-driven architectures can meet carrier-grade performance, efficiency, and AI-readiness requirements.
Lower costs, energy – Consolidating RAN and network functions onto fewer, more powerful servers could lower costs and energy use for operators, while accelerating the shift toward AI-enabled networks and longer-term 6G readiness.
Samsung Electronics said it has completed what it described as the industry’s first commercial call using its virtualized RAN (vRAN) software running on Intel’s Xeon 6700P-B processors on a Tier 1 U.S. operator’s live network.
The trial builds on a 2024 milestone, when Samsung completed an end-to-end vRAN call in a lab environment using Intel’s Xeon 6 system-on-chip. By moving from lab validation to live commercial network conditions, the latest demonstration marks a key step for operators evaluating cloud-native RAN architectures.
The commercial call was conducted on a single commercial off-the-shelf server from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, running Samsung’s cloud-native vRAN software on a Wind River cloud platform. Samsung said the configuration demonstrates how multiple RAN and network functions can be consolidated onto fewer, more powerful servers as operators transition toward software-defined and AI-enabled networks.
Virtualized RAN is an architecture that separates traditional radio access network software from proprietary hardware, running it instead on general-purpose, cloud-native servers. For operators, vRAN enables greater flexibility and cost efficiency by allowing network functions — such as baseband processing — to be virtualized, scaled and automated across software stacks rather than locked into specialized equipment.
This shift promises easier integration with cloud frameworks, more efficient use of compute resources, and the potential for faster rollouts of new features, including AI-driven optimization and support for future 5G and 6G services. Operators also see vRAN as a way to reduce vendor lock-in, simplify upgrades and lower total cost of ownership by consolidating network workloads on common platforms rather than dedicated hardware.
According to Samsung, its single-server approach allows operators to run functions such as radio access, mobile core, transport and security workloads on one platform, reducing site complexity while improving energy efficiency. The company positioned the architecture as a pathway to supporting AI workloads alongside RAN processing and as a foundation for future 6G networks.
“This breakthrough… confirms the real-world readiness of this latest technology under live network conditions,” said June Moon, executive vice president and head of R&D for Samsung’s Networks Business. “We are not only deploying more sustainable, cost-effective networks, but also laying the foundation to fully utilize AI capabilities more easily and prepare for 6G with our end-to-end software-driven network solutions.”
Samsung’s vRAN implementation uses Intel’s Xeon 6 SoC with up to 72 cores, Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions and Intel vRAN Boost, which Intel said delivers improvements in AI processing capability, memory bandwidth and energy efficiency compared with previous processor generations.
Analyst Daryl Schoolar of Recon Analytics said the demonstration signals a shift from theoretical performance claims to deployable innovation. “By demonstrating multiple network functions running on next-generation processing technology, Samsung is showing what future networks look like — more cloud-native, more scalable and significantly more efficient,” he said.
Samsung said it continues to work with ecosystem partners, including Intel, HPE, and Wind River, as operators worldwide evaluate vRAN, Open RAN, and AI-driven architectures as part of longer-term 5G evolution and early 6G planning.
vRAN wins for Samsung
Samsung did not disclose which operator participated in the commercial call. However, Verizon is a notable longtime vRAN partner for Samsung. The U.S. operator was the first carrier to deploy the vendor’s vRAN solutions in January 2021. At the time, Verizon announced it had rolled out Samsung’s vRAN as part of a major expansion of its nationwide 5G Ultra Wideband network. The operator later used Samsung’s 64T/64R massive MIMO radios in conjunction with its vRAN during its C-Band deployment in 2022 to support mid-band coverage and capacity.
More recently, Samsung completed the first 4G and 5G calls on a virtualized RAN and Open RAN network in southwestern France with Orange France. Vodafone has also selected Samsung as a primary partner for deploying Open RAN and vRAN across Germany and other European markets, a project involving “thousands of sites” over the next five years. The companies say the effort will rank among the largest Open RAN deployments in Europe.
