Telefonica and NEC are to stage live pilots of OpenRAN technology with a view to operating 800 sites in four markets, including the UK, by 2022.
Open RAN is a vendor-neutral approach with standardised designs that allow a variety of firms to supply hardware and software rather than the highly integrated cell site products traditionally offered by major manufacturers.
The hope is that OpenRAN can increase innovation, reduce costs, and reduce dependency on the ‘big three’ of Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia.
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NEC and O2 (which Telefonica merged with Virgin Media earlier this year) have previously staged trials in the UK, while Telefonica has also tested OpenRAN in Brazil, Germany and the UK.
It was also one of several major European telcos to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate the deployment of the technology across the continent.
These latest pilots will see NEC serve as the prime systems integrator for multi-vendor OpenRAN equipment in the same four countries. The system comprises NEC’s own massive MIMO (mMIMO) radio units (RU) with advanced beamforming and software and hardware from other partners.
NEC’s Global Open RAN Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the UK will lead the integration and validation of the multi-vendor ecosystem and the two companies will also test a range of OpenRAN technology and use cases at Telefonica’s Technology and Automation Lab in Madrid.
The use cases include AI-driven Radio Intelligent Controllers (RIC) for RAN optimisation, service lifecycle automation based on Service Management and Orchestration (SMO), testing and deployment automation, and power savings optimisation.
“Open networks are undeniably the key to driving network evolution in the 5G era and to sustaining and fulfilling our mission of consistently delivering superior experiences to our consumer and enterprise customers,” said Enrique Blanco, Chief Technology & Information Officer (CTIO) at Telefónica.
“Through our long term engagement with NEC, we have first-hand knowledge of their technological and practical competence as well as their constant customer-first approach, and we are confident they are the right partners for this highly strategic initiative.”
NEC is a major player in the RAN market in its native Japan but hopes to adapt the technology it has built for its Japanese customers for a wider audience. The appetite for OpenRAN and the spirit of openness within the industry, coupled with the desire from governments to increase the pool of potential suppliers, has increased its chances of success.
"We are extremely honoured to be selected as the strategic partner for Telefónica’s game-changing initiative that promises tremendous value and innovation in the long run," added Shigeru Okuya, Senior Vice President, NEC.
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