Rakuten Symphony aims for open RAN harmony in 7 nations

A Japanese ministry selected Rakuten Symphony to lead a large-scale trial of open RAN and related architecture across seven countries located in the Global South, a project carrying a grant of up to JPY8 billion ($50.2 million). The programme is backed by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. It intends to accelerate deployment of open RAN and RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) technology and address infrastructure challenges experienced in a number of nations. Demonstrations will take place in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Kuwait, Bolivia and Paraguay. In each location, virtualised networks will be deployed comprising around 100 base stations. These will then be used for RIC validation. Rakuten noted it aims to demonstrate the benefits of the architecture, paving the way for commercial rollout. It noted it was its “first such large-scale demonstration in an overseas market”. The company intends to validate effectiveness and reliability of “advanced network solutions within diverse commercial environments”. Affiliate Rakuten Mobile is set to be a “key collaborating partner” in the project. It indicated the Global South faced numerous challenges with telecoms infrastructure including issues related to the geography of many nations, aging legacy infrastructure, power issues and the level of investment needed for 5G. “By conducting large-scale overseas demonstrations that include RIC, this project will significantly enhance open RAN integration, advance the ‘co-creation with the Global South’ initiative promoted by the Japanese government, and expand open RAN adoption and market share globally,” it added. The post Rakuten Symphony aims for open RAN harmony in 7 nations appeared first on Mobile World Live .