Open RAN in Offenbach: O2 and Ericsson switch first antennas live
TelefĂłnica Deutschland is testing Ericsson's Cloud RAN in live operation in Offenbach. The first antennas went live at MWC Barcelona.
New technology from Ericsson was installed at the selected antenna sites in Offenbach in order to be able to use Cloud RAN there.
(Image: TelefĂłnica Deutschland/Ericsson)
TelefĂłnica Deutschland is putting the first 5G antennas equipped with Open RAN technology from Ericsson into operation in Offenbach. This is the "first implementation of Ericsson technology in a 5G standalone network in live operation worldwide", the network operator announced at the start of the MWC Barcelona mobile communications trade fair on Monday. A total of eight masts in the region are to be equipped with the technology.
Cloud RAN from Ericsson
"Open RAN" is an approach to virtualizing radio network functions and running them on standard servers in the cloud. Ericsson calls its product "Cloud RAN" and is testing the new process with TelefĂłnica Deutschland in Offenbach. The conversion work began there around a year ago.
TelefĂłnica Deutschland initially installed classic hardware from Ericsson at the selected locations, which transmits with 4G and 5G. The 5G functions were then gradually replaced by Cloud RAN. The sites operate on the 5G frequency in the 3.6 GHz band.
Network operators hope that Open RAN will make them less dependent on the proprietary hardware and software of the major equipment suppliers. All German network operators are experimenting with Open RAN. TelefĂłnica has also been testing Open RAN with hardware from Samsung in Landsberg, Bavaria, since May 2024. Newcomer 1&1 is even building its entire network on Open RAN.
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"Network of the future"
"We are working on our network of the future, which combines the advantages of cloud solutions, automation and virtualization to offer our customers the best experience," says Mallik Rao, CTO of TelefĂłnica Deutschland. "The separation of hardware and software will give us more flexibility in the future when operating and expanding our network."
However, the experience of the three established network operators to date shows that Open RAN is not yet ready for large-scale use in existing networks. Although the new technology promises greater efficiency in terms of network maintenance and software updates, for example, it also means greater effort for system integration and requires expertise that network operators still need to train.
(vbr)
