Operator Turk Telekom is in the MWC news yet again, this time with an announcement that it has selected network software provider Mavenir and ComPro for an 4G/5G open vRAN pilot.
Telecom Infra Project (TIP) will support the trial and ComPro Information Technologies Inc will act as systems integrator.
Turk Telekom, described as the first integrated telecommunication operator in Turkey, has been working for a long time on open RAN technologies, which will play an active role in 5G networks.
The company is a member of TIP, a non-profit organization promoting open technologies and a disaggregated ecosystem to facilitate and improve their adoption. Turk Telekom’s pilot is designed to contribute to the work of open RAN and open transport project groups within TIP.
Mavenir’s Open vRAN solution is based on the world’s first fully containerized, virtualized open RAN Split 7.2x architecture, and the company says, gives operators increased business agility, network elasticity and flexibility.
Mavenir is providing Turk Telekom with a complete end-to-end open vRAN solution which will allow a single architecture to support the existing 4G network, as well as densify coverage for 5G.
Processing will be aggregated in the central units and distributed units, simplifying the cell sites and transforming the total cost of ownership. As for the overall architecture, the main responsibilities of ComPro as system integrator include the timely delivery and installation of various O-RAN compliant components, while ensuring the smooth integration of multi-vendor solutions.
The pilot will include 4G radio units (RUs), 4G small cells and 5G massive MIMO RUs with embedded beamforming technologies that conform to O-RAN Alliance fronthaul specifications. The pilot will test open vRAN in the Turk Telekom Innovation Centre and in the field on pilot sites.
It’s been a busy week so far for the Turkish operator. Yesterday saw the announcement at MWC of a Turk Telecom collaboration with open source solutions provider Red Hat.