The new Ericsson Cloud RAN offering includes support for 5G mid-band and Massive MIMO deployments
With help from Intel, Ericsson has extended its Cloud RAN (Radio Access Network) offering to include support for 5G mid-band and massive MIMO deployments. Ericsson’s expanded portfolio will leverage Intel’s compute – across multiple product generations of Intel Xeon Scalable processors and accelerator technology — to enable high-density capacity solutions.
The goal of the new offerings, according to Ericsson, is to help communications service providers (CSPs) “capitalize on 5G spectral assets to roll out services quickly and efficiently, while delivering a more responsive experience to mobile broadband users.”
The vendor also stated that a high-performing mid-band 5G deployment requires 150 times more compute power than 4G, in half the time, requiring the addition of hardware accelerators to deliver part of this needed compute power — which is where Intel comes in.
“Intel’s technologies such as Xeon processors have fueled the massive growth of the cloud and are now playing a pivotal role in vRAN momentum,” said Navin Shenoy, EVP and GM of the Data Platforms Group at Intel. “Our long-standing partnership with Ericsson is entering an exciting new phase with the shared goal of unleashing richer user experiences with 5G.”
Intel’s Cristina Rodriguez, VP of the Data Platforms Group and GM of the Wireless Access Network Division, expanded on the goal of vRAN in a blog, writing, “The concept of virtualized RAN transfers network technology from purpose-built hardware to a generic compute platform. Virtualized RAN is built in a cloud-native architecture where cloud-native network functions are designed to run inside containers incorporating key elements such as lifecycle management, resilience, and observability. The result is a platform that is flexible, scalable and agile.”
Ericsson worked closely with customers like Verizon to enhance its portfolio, ensuring that its new offerings will assist providers in a seamless transition towards cloud-native technologies and open network architectures, while providing increased deployment flexibility.
Joe Madden, chief analyst at Mobile Experts, commented: “What Ericsson is doing goes beyond stacking new technologies above existing radio access. Instead, Ericsson raises innovative possibilities for performance gains by combining Cloud RAN mid-band with seven million Ericsson Radio System radios in the field. The coordinated use of virtualized RAN and pre-integrated radios involves optimization and interoperability between generations, which should reduce overall lifetime cost for operators.”
