Dell Technologies and Ericsson announced a strategic partnership with the aim of combining their expertise with telecom software, solutions and support, to help telecom operators in their process towards radio access network (RAN) cloud transformation.
In a release, Ericsson said that operators are looking to network cloud and operations transformation to achieve improved economics and agility, while maintaining network reliability. According to a recent study sponsored by Dell Technologies, nine in 10 operators say network transformation is critical to their organization’s survival. However, 96% of surveyed telcos say their vision for network transformation is lagging due to a variety of factors, including limited time and budget, as well as reliability and security concerns.
The pair said their partnership aims to address these concerns by working alongside telcos to develop reliable Open RAN-based network cloud transformation strategies, using Dell and Ericsson integrated solutions and support.
Dennis Hoffman, senior vice president and general manager of Telecom Systems Business at Dell Technologies, said: “Our collaboration with Ericsson, combined with our decades of digital transformation expertise, will provide network operators the full plan and technologies they need to accelerate their network and operation transformations to positively impact the trajectory of their businesses.”
“Working closer with Dell Technologies will help further develop cloud-native programmable networks that bring new ideas and practices to the telecom market,” said Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president at Ericsson. “Building upon years of collaboration, this strategic partnership will strengthen our cloudification efforts as we gear up to launch Open RAN-based commercial solutions. The cloud-native network will enable frequent updates and the rollout of new features using continuous deployment. It will ease the adoption of Cloud RAN technologies and prepare both companies’ portfolios for new markets.”
Through the new agreement, Dell and Ericsson will collaborate to develop tailored network cloud transformation plans and advise telcos on network architectures and operating models, while also reducing the risks associated with deploying on open, multi-vendor environments.
Under the extended partnership, the duo will also commercially introduce Ericsson Cloud RAN software on Dell PowerEdge servers.
The partners will also co-develop services with the goal of simplifying the entire deployment process from factory validation to installation.
In 2023, Ericsson and Dell Technologies began a collaboration to develop Cloud RAN solutions, leveraging Ericsson Cloud RAN software and RAN equipment paired with Dell Technologies infrastructure.