The Korean telecom giant KT and Japan-based ICT firms NTT DOCOMO and Fujitsu joined hands to develop software-defined virtualized RAN (vRAN) and RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) as part of the 5G Open RAN Ecosystem. The companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday.
With the new partnership, Fujitsu will support the 5G rollout by constructing 5 G-based Open RAN test provisions and interoperability testing by different vendors. The provisions are to be set up in Seoul, South Korea. The Japanese ICT provider further plans to take it beyond Korean boundaries and introduce the open RAN in the global markets.
In a recently shared press release, KT shared its plans to reduce construction capital and equipment costs by executing multi-vendor O-RAN. This will also help the company to have flexible network construction capabilities.
KT and Fujitsu have tested the fronthaul interoperability of 5G Open Radio Access Network (RAN) testbeds at the KT Research and Developer Center in Seoul. The companies have now partnered with NTT DOCOMO to set up a global 5G Open RAN field.
The companies underwent trials to meet the regulatory standards through which 5 G-related equipment and software systems can connect freely. It is a verification facility that the companies completed. The standards allow free communication between 5G wireless network-related RAN Equipment and software vendors.
Researchers at the center used Fujitsu’s 5G base station equipment which was open RAN based. The trial included verifying the interoperability between distributed unit ( DU) and central unit (CU) of the 5G base station equipment. Additionally, it also conducted communication trials and an unnamed vendor’s radio unit.
Earlier, carriers could connect calls when the DU and CU were taken from the same provider. However, the newly added functionality will enable the operations to use the CU and DU from different vendors. According to industry experts, this progress in the 5G area is considered to be a crucial move, especially when the companies plan to set up the network to an amalgamated system.
The companies spoke to the media regarding their 5F Open RAN trials. The officials stated that O-RAN Alliance developed the specifications for the equipment during the verification process.
