Page 63 - SAMENA Trends - December 2020

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Softbank Corp Selects Nokia for Standalone 5G Core

Nokia has announced that Japanese mobile surveillance and analytics, cloud robotics will reportedly deploy the Cloud Mobility
network operator (MNO) SoftBank Corp and connected vehicles with a standalone Manager and Cloud Mobile Gateway
has selected the vendor’s cloud-native 5G Core in global markets. While delivering products to support massive scale,
5G Core software to enable the launch of greater scalability and reliability, Nokia’s performance and reliability required for
standalone (SA) 5G services in Japan. In a cloud-native 5G Core will also allow the the delivery of 5G services, it said, as it
press release, Nokia said the solution will MNO’s subscribers to benefit from 5G’s looks to move into the next phase of its 5G
‘help support new consumer and enterprise improved performance when it comes to transition.
use cases, such as immersive experiences lower latency, increased bandwidth and
(VR/AR/MR), fixed wireless access, video massive device connectivity. SoftBank

Telefonica Pilots Open RAN in Live Operation

scale in the O2 network. According to
Telefonica, Open RAN is more software-
based, which will significantly simplify
and accelerate base station upgrades,
while less fixed infrastructure will need
to be replaced or exchanged, as updating
the software will largely suffice. All of
Open RAN’s components will be modular
and flexible, leading to cost savings of
up to 30% in the RAN. ‘Our goal is to offer
our customers the most technologically
advanced and best network. With Open
RAN, we are focusing on the future
and are technological frontrunners in
Germany,’ commented Markus Haas, CEO
of Telefonica Deutschland, adding: ‘In
addition, Open RAN offers us maximum
flexibility in deployment and also in the
Telefonica Deutschland claims it has is converting three O2 mobile sites in subsequent replacement of system-
become the first German network Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria, and from critical components. On the basis of such
operator with Open RAN in live operation autumn 2021 the company plans to roll technological approaches, we can secure
on its mobile network. In a pilot phase out the new technology, which breaks up and further accelerate digitization in
with Japanese vendor NEC, Telefonica vendor dependency in the RAN, on a larger Germany.’

NEC Sets Up Open RAN Lab in India

Japan-headquartered NEC set up an open management” and ongoing integration. development support, project execution
RAN laboratory in India to strengthen Initial partners include Altiostar, GigaTera and technical support, and is designed to
its capabilities and accelerate global Communications and MTI. NEC said it help operators worldwide introduce open
deployment of 5G. In a statement, the vendor plans to expand its ecosystem by adding RAN. NEC’s 5G business took a significant
said the facility will speed development of new partners to “accelerate operators’ stride when Rakuten Mobile selected it
its “5G open ecosystem by pre-integrating commercial adoption of open RAN”. as an equipment supplier in mid-2019. In
partners’ open RAN components to Last month, the company established June, Japanese operator NTT announced
form end-to-end commercial products a global open RAN center of excellence it would acquire about a 5 per cent stake in
according to customer-specific needs”. in the UK to support its project delivery NEC for JPY60 billion ($577.2 million) and
“The lab also will be responsible for post capability. The company said the center establish an R&D alliance covering next-
deployment troubleshooting, life-cycle is responsible for business and product generation network technologies.

63 DECEMBER 2020