Samsung has been selected as a key strategic partner by Vodafone as the operator looks to deploy Europe’s first commercial Open Radio Access Network (RAN).
The South Korean has been chosen alongside Dell Technologies, NEC, Wind River, Capgemini Engineering and Keysight Technologies as key strategic partners of Vodafone.
Vodafone’s deployment will initially focus on 2,500 sites in the UK , with the operator claiming this to be one of the largest deployments in the world.
Vodafone will jointly built its Open RAN network with Dell, NEC, Samsung and Wind River.
Meanwhile Capgemini Engineering and Keysight Technologies will provide support to ensure interoperability between all components.
The vendors will also help support Vodafone to extend its 4G and 5G coverage to more rural places across the South West of England and most of Wales.
Vodafone chief technology officer Johan Wibergh commented: “Open RAN provides huge advantages for customers. Our network will become highly programmable and automated meaning we can release new features simultaneously across multiple sites, add or direct capacity more quickly, resolve outages instantly and provide businesses with on-demand connectivity.
“Open RAN is also reinvigorating our industry. It will boost the digital economy by stimulating greater tech innovation from a wider pool of vendors, bringing much needed diversity to the supply chain.”
