NEC Corporation and Mavenir are claiming a deployment milestone they call Virtual Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN)-based Massive Multiple Input, Multi Output (mMIMO) technology, an experimental 5G standalone (SA) system from Orange France. Running on the network using an open. Fronthaul interface.
Technology companies believe the O-RAN Alliance to provide interoperability between radios and Virtualized Distributed Units (VDUs) over Open Fronthaul Interface Open RAN to simplify multi-vendor network deployment and eliminate supplier lock-in Ability is the key.
The technologies are deployed at the Orange Garden campus in Chatillon, near Paris, and are part of Project Pico – an expansion of Orange’s cloud-based and fully automated experimental 5G SA network, which was unveiled in 2021.
Noting that it is moving towards a “zero touch network” and aims to differentiate its services through the quality of the experience it provides to its customers, what the global operator said at the time was Europe’s Announced the launch of the first 5G Standalone (SA). The network, which will act as a blueprint for the next generation of more efficient and agile infrastructure.
The pilot network project is slated to run over a period of two years and include several hundred users, and is considered an important step in realizing Orange’s vision of the network’s future.
Underlining its commitment to Open RAN technology, the pilot network will be 100% software-enabled, and is data and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, fully automated and cloud-native.
Orange believes that by implementing and operating this network, it will enable itself to better understand how these technologies coexist and impact the network lifecycle.
Deployment Mavenir’s cloud-native Open Virtualized Radio Access Network (OpenVRAN) software being used on Orange’s cloud infrastructure, with NEC’s 32T32R MMIMO Active Antenna Unit (AAU) intended to have higher capacity and enhanced coverage .
Mavenir and NEC’s successful Open RAN deployment of mMIMO on Orange’s Innovation 5G SA Experimental Network is a major step towards Open RAN deployment, and reflects Orange’s commitment to developing multi-vendor open RAN solutions with innovative partners . Arnaud Vampires, Senior Vice President of Radio Access Networks and Microwaves in Orange.
“Our Open RAN Integration Center, which is open to our partners around the world, contributes to the development of a strong Open RAN ecosystem in Europe.”
“Deploying 5G SA MMIMO is an important milestone in developing Open RAN and transitioning from virtualized to cloudified networks,” said Hubert de Pesquidoux, executive president of Mavenir. “We are very proud of our continued collaboration with Orange, NEC and other companies that are proving the potential of a multi-vendor, cloud-native, standards-based approach.”
NEC’s General Manager of 5G Strategy and Business, Naohisa Matsuda, said: “The latest deployment of Open RAN mMIMO in Europe is another milestone for Open RAN, and one that requires close collaboration and tight integration between multiple vendors. This synergy is exactly what OpenRAN needs to successfully deliver on its promise of a truly open multi-vendor ecosystem.
“Forward-thinking mobile operators such as Orange are demonstrating the potential of Open RAN MMIMO. This is the right time for the mobile industry to follow the blueprint set by industry-leading operators to usher in the new era of Open RAN-powered connectivity.
