Tokyo-headquartered fixed and mobile operator KDDI (au), working with equipment manufacturers Samsung and Fujitsu, has announced the switch-on of what its claims is the world’s first commercial 5G Standalone (SA)
Open RAN site powered by virtualised Radio Access Network (vRAN) in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture. Launched on 18 February 2022, the 5G SA Open RAN site is carrying live traffic on KDDI’s network thanks to the deployment of Samsung’s 5G virtualised CU (vCU) and virtualised DU (vDU), Fujitsu’s Massive MIMO radio units. Going forward, the three companies plan to extend the coverage of Open RAN in select parts of Japan, including rural areas, continuing ‘its deployment and development, embracing openness and virtualisation in KDDI’s commercial network’.