Samsung said that the O-RAN deployment for Japanese telco KDDI will start next year
Korean vendor Samsung Electronics has been selected by Japanese operator KDDI as a main vendor to provide 4G and 5G Open RAN (O-RAN) compliant virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) solutions for their O-RAN deployment in Japan, Samsung said in a release.
Starting from 2025, KDDI will expand its O-RAN deployment leveraging the advantages of a fully disaggregated and software-based architecture powered by Samsung vRAN.
KDDI’s Open RAN network will feature enhanced capabilities for improved energy efficiency, optimized performance and intelligent automation, the Korean company said.
“KDDI has been focused on identifying and preparing for next-generation networks, and we have been conducting numerous technical verification and feasibility studies on Open RAN with industry-leading companies like Samsung,” said Kazuyuki Yoshimura, CTO of KDDI. “This announcement represents KDDI’s dedication to bringing innovative technologies to Japan. We are proud to deliver a cutting-edge and reliable radio access network,” he added.
“Together with KDDI, we are thrilled to take this significant step and strengthen our presence in Japan,” said Junehee Lee, EVP head of Global Sales and Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.
For this expanded collaboration, Samsung will supply its network solutions ranging from its vRAN 3.0 solution, a full suite of O-RAN compliant radios supporting low- and mid-bands including advanced Massive MIMO radios and third-party radio integration support. It also offers key features of the Samsung CognitiV Networks Operations Suite (NOS), an intelligent solution that automates the life cycle management of large-scale vRAN buildouts.
Samsung noted that the deployment will be carried out in close collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which will provide servers, Intel, which will provide processors and Red Hat, in charge of the cloud platform.
KDDI and Samsung have been collaborating on vRAN and Open RAN since 2021. The partners had achieved a number of milestones such as the world’s first commercial 5G Standalone O-RAN site in the Greater Tokyo area and the launch of commercial O- RAN sites in Osaka.
In May, KDDI and compatriot telco SoftBank had agreed to start discussions to potentially expand the scope of their ongoing collaborative initiative for jointly building 5G networks in Japan through their joint venture 5G JAPAN Corporation.
Specifically, the carriers said they would consider expanding applicable coverage areas from rural areas to areas nationwide and to explore the mutual utilization of 4G base station assets, in addition to the current scope of 5G assets, among other initiatives.
By expanding the scope of their collaboration, SoftBank and KDDI will aim to jointly build out a total of 100,000 base stations each by the fiscal year 2030, ending March 31, 2031, and achieve total capital expenditure cost reductions of JPY120 billion ($771 million), respectively.
In addition to expanding network coverage areas and technologies, both telcos also plan to explore standardizing construction specifications, such as those used for building 5G and 4G base stations, and the joint procurement of equipment. They will also aim to start various technology discussions and trials during fiscal year 2024, with the goal of fully expanding their collaboration scope from fiscal year 2026.