The pros and cons of building an LLM from scratch or tuning an existing LLM for telco AI use cases
Whether for automated quality assurance on a manufacturing line, providing a conversational user interface for retail shoppers, or in support of a variety of of...
Rakuten Mobile said it attracted 192,000 new mobile customers only in October
Japanese operator Rakuten Mobile expects to reach 8-10 million mobile subscribers by the end of 2024, the telco said in its earnings statement.
The telco added a total of 400,000 subscribers since August, ending...
When it comes to real-world examples of how operators have leveraged automation based on network data, here are two: Nordic operator Elisa in Finland and its “lights-out” network operations center (NOC), and Rakuten Mobile (both in terms of utilizing automation itself, and helping other...
1&1 said its O-RAN network will be soon available in Hamburg, Essen, Düsseldorf, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Munich and Freiburg
German operator 1&1 announced plans to expand its cloud-based Open RAN in new cities across the country in the coming weeks, the telco said in a release.
Some...
1&1 Towers, a subsidiary of German operator 1&1 AG, and Eubanet have signed an agreement to acquire up to 7,500 new 5G antenna sites.
"The direct cooperation with a very experienced acquisition partner is a further step with which we will achieve the expansion goals...
Unlocking the path to autonomous networks
Rakuten Symphony offers a new yet proven approach to automated, end-to-end service assurance. It gives operators a way to reduce today’s operational costs, and also a future-proof solution able to support the journey from today’s 2G/3G/4G mobile and fixed...
1&1 said it will initially provide FWA services through its 5G network
German operator 1&1 announced plans to speed up the deployment of the fourth mobile network in Germany, including the deployment of 1,000 5G base stations this year.
In an interview with German newspaper Die...
There's a big change hitting the telecom industry right now. Hardware and software are being decoupled with cost coming out of the former and strategic investments shifting to the latter. This sea change could serve to threaten the long-standing business models of large, incumbent...
German operator 1&1 AG and Japanese company Rakuten Group announced they are entering into a long-term partnership to build the former’s mobile network, which will become the fourth mobile network in Germany.
Together with Rakuten, 1&1 will build what it claims to be Europe's first...
Altiostar virtualized and Open RAN tech is already part of the Rakuten Communications Platform
Building on their existing relationship which has seen Rakuten Mobile use Altiostar virtualized RAN software in its greenfield Japanese network, as well as inclusion in the company's Rakuten Communications Platform...
Qualcomm is teaming up with Capgemini to “unlock” private 5G for Industry 4.0, based on its new Release 16-capable 5G RAN platform and radio modem. Qualcomm and Capgemini will develop an off-the-shelf private network system, “tested and validated”, to provide clients a faster route...
Etisalat signed an MoU with Rakuten Communications Platform for cloud-native, Open RAN support
Etisalat, following a joint announcement with Rakuten Communications Platform to develop a reference design for cloud-native, Open RAN networks, is furthering its commitment to disaggregation of the radio access network through a...
The true benefits of 5G will be realized with massive scale, something that operators will have to pay mightily to achieve. In carrier-led effort to shift network economics in their favor, the open RAN ecosystem has flourished in recent years and is poised for...
Tech and business services company Tech Mahindra and Japanese mobile operator Rakuten Mobile have reached an agreement in which the former has been appointed as a preferred partner for global go-to-market opportunities for the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP).
Under the agreement, Tech Mahindra will provide...
Indian digital services company Jio Platforms, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, may target West Asia, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asian regions as markets for its self-developed 5G technology kit after it tests and scales it up in India, Indian newspaper The Economic Times reported.
The...
The decision is being seen by some as an attempt to better align itself with Japanese firm Rakuten
Dish Network will use Altiostar’s cloud-native O-RAN compliant solution for its 5G network buildout, providing the carrier with openness, modularity, agility and scalability. The Altiostar solution leverages...
Nokia collaborated with other vendors in Rakuten Mobile's network build
Earlier this month the Open RAN Policy Coalition launched with a number of open RAN vendors, naturally, and operator members, including AT&T, DISH, NTT, Telefonica, Verizon and Vodafone. None of the big three RAN vendors--Ericsson,...
When you see the many announcements around innovation in OpenRAN for 5G, what you may not realize is that the 4G and 5G-only OpenRAN approach is only suited for greenfield deployments. So, what does that mean for brownfield or existing wireless networks? There are...
Rakuten's virtual RAN and Elisa's lights-out NOC
The flexibility 5G enables requires a similar level of flexibility in the underlying network infrastructure. Proprietary, single-purpose hardware is giving way to general-purpose hardware running virtualized network functions. This allows operators to lower capital and operational expenses while...
Altiostar, Intel, Xilinx among Telefónica Open RAN providers
Ahead of planned Open RAN trials later this year in Brazil, Germany, Spain and the U.K., telecoms giant Telefónica is collaborating with several ecosystem vendors to develop disaggregated radio access network solutions. The group is working off...
CTO calls it a first-of-its-kind "Wi-Fi like" deployment; espouses benefits of open RAN
BARCELONA--In the two years since being allocated mobile spectrum by Japanese regulators, Rakuten Mobile has built out a fully-virtualized, disaggregated network that's set to launch in April. But that's just the beginning,...
Mavenir announces availability of 4G/5G open RAN solution
This week Richardson, Texas-based vendor Mavenir announced the "launch and availability" of a 4G- and 5G-compatible virtualized radio access network solution based on open interfaces developed by the O-RAN Alliance, a cross-industry group of carriers, vendors and...
A cloud-first strategy takes cost out of 5G, setting the stage for profitability
SINGAPORE--To be clear, neither Reliance Jio in India or Rakuten in Japan currently offer 5G services. In fact, Rakuten recently delayed the launch of its LTE network. Nevertheless, the two operators have...
Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten expects to deploy a total of 4,000 edge servers in Japan for the launch of its virtualized mobile network, the company’s chairman and CEO, Hiroshi Mikitani said in an interview with CNBC.
The executive said that Rakuten does not have to deploy brand...
