Samsung has announced that it has completed the conformance and interoperability of the Open RAN (O-RAN) technology for its LTE and 5G NR telecommunication equipment on Verizon's network. The two companies are embracing openness in networking hardware, thanks to the South Korean firm's vast experience in O-RAN and V-RAN technologies.
Samsung tests O-RAN compatibility with 4G LTE and 5G NR networks for Verizon
Samsung and Verizon have expanded their collaboration on the use of O-RAN technologies for 4G and 5G wireless networking. The companies have been carrying out a series of interoperability tests for O-RAN on Verizon's network in Dallas, Texas. Those tests used Samsung's CAT-A radios 4T4R that support 700/850 MHz and AWS/PCS bands, CAT-B 64T64R Massive MIMO C-Band radios, 16T16R C-band radios, and CBRS dual-band radios. These tests showcased that Samsung has the capability to handle advanced Massive MIMO integration, which is harder to perform on 64T64R radios than simple CAT-A radios.
The two companies used an O-RAN distributed unit (O-DU) emulator from Keysight Technologies for O-RAN mandatory and optional beamforming capabilities in the same Massive MIMO unit. The companies were able to achieve the promised gains in performance. This proves that O-RAN-compatible networks will perform as per the expectations while delivering the capabilities of 5G NR networks. Samsung helped Verizon with setting up the first 5G C-band networks with its vRAN solution. Then, the company helped build the world's largest 5G V-RAN commercial network. Using O-RAN and V-RAN helps network operators make their networks faster, more flexible, and more reliable.
Jisha Hall, Vice President of Operations at Samsung Networks (America), said, “We’re excited to achieve Open RAN conformance across five key radios in our portfolio compliant with the latest O-RAN and 3GPP standards. This joint work shows how Samsung is empowering forerunning operators like Verizon to deploy virtualized Open RAN, backed by our strong ecosystem and proven expertise in commercial networks for Tier 1 operators in North America, Europe, and Asia.”
Samsung Networks has end-to-end 5G networking equipment, including chipsets, cores, and radios. The company also offers O-RAN, V-RAN, private network solutions, and AI-powered network automation and testing tools, and these features make it easier for network carriers to build, test, and deploy networks.
