Red Hat, Inc. announced an extended collaboration
with Samsung to offer a virtualized radio access network (vRAN)
solution with enhanced integration and automation capabilities. The
technology will be designed to help service providers better manage
networks at scale while also addressing the demands of 5G through
increased flexibility and operational efficiency. With Red Hat as one of
Samsung's key platform partners, service providers will be able to use
this solution to realize a faster return on investment (ROI) while
helping to mitigate the production risks of building more consistent and
regulatory compliant deployments and operations across potentially tens
of thousands of sites. Customers can then use the platform to build
innovations based on
private 5G,
multi-access edge computing (MEC),
5G core networks and more.
Open
source software is the driving force behind 5G RAN as service providers
aim to successfully compete, boost revenue and meet rising customer
demands in today's cloud-centric world. Disaggregated RAN components are
powered by robust computing functions that require a consistent cloud
infrastructure. Service providers need to validate that each RAN
component works together to support end users, whether it's an
individual using a cell phone or a large telecommunications organization
supporting business operations.
Samsung and Red Hat are working
together to help address the constant need for service providers to
validate network functionality, interoperability and performance of an
end-to-end vRAN solution. The companies' solution will be designed to
provide customers with:
- An end-to-end
virtualized solution that helps reduce complexity and mitigate
operational and deployment risks with enhanced automation and
integration capabilities;
- A future-proof and flexible network that can adapt to rapidly changing demands as admins will be able to remotely apply updates.
This solution will build on an array of Red Hat open hybrid cloud technologies including Red Hat OpenShift, the industry's leading enterprise Kubernetes platform, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform.
The
extended collaboration with Samsung shows the scale of challenges that
can be addressed by Red Hat's robust partner ecosystem, which delivers
solutions and services that provide customers with choice at every
architectural level. This helps service providers implement a hybrid or
multicloud strategy with the flexibility to develop and operate in any
cloud environment, and also empowers service providers to adjust their
infrastructure according to strategy, business or technology needs as
they evolve.
As service providers continue to evolve, they're
evaluating sustainability alongside innovation. According to a Red
Hat-sponsored sustainability study,
RAN is responsible for 75% of a service provider's total power
consumption, indicating a potential need for service providers to
optimize energy consumption. With Red Hat OpenShift, service providers
will be able to optimize their energy consumption in multiple dimensions
including: the node, cluster, system-level and domain-levels. For
example, disabling unused components within a service provider's network
will result in noticeable reductions in power consumption.
This vRAN solution by Red Hat and Samsung will be available as a customer proof-of-concept in the latter half of 2023.