Among other capabilities, virtualized networks will enable 5G network slicing
Samsung is deploying its cloud-native, fully virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) solutions for mid-band spectrum in KDDI’s 5G network, following the successful completion of a 5G Standalone (SA) call using Samsung’s vRAN and another vendor’s 5G Massive MIMO radios.
“We are delighted to extend our collaboration with Samsung and to become the first operator in Japan to use their 5G vRAN solutions, which are currently delivering superior performance in commercial networks,” said Kazuyuki Yoshimura, CTO of KDDI. “We believe in the power of virtualization, and this collaboration serves as a meaningful catalyst for driving the next phase of 5G innovation and advancing our networks to offer best-in-class 5G services.”
Samsung stated that by replacing dedicated baseband hardware with software elements, vRAN will offer KDDI more deployment flexibility, greater scalability and improved resource efficiency in network operation. End-to-end network management will also become simplified through automation, allowing operators to quickly introduce new services with minimal impact on deployment.
Woojune Kim, executive VP and head of global sales and marketing for the networks business at Samsung Electronics called vRAN “an attractive technology option for operators—from both the deployment and operational perspectives.”
“We are excited to mark another milestone with KDDI, following prior network collaborations that include the commercialization of 5G in 2020, and the rollout of 700MHz 5G in 2021. We look forward to our ongoing work with KDDI to bring new 5G innovations to their customers,” Kim continued.
Among other capabilities, virtualized networks will enable 5G network slicing, a technology that KDDI has signaled to be a priority. Last year, the Japanese telecom worked with Samsung to demonstrate 5G end-to-end network slicing with a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) in Tokyo, Japan. The pair sought to verify that network slicing could, indeed, offer low latency, guaranteed throughputs and the creation of multiple slices.
Trials of the virtualized network will begin in Q1 of 2022, with commercial deployment scheduled for the second half of 2022.
