KDDI, Samsung Electronics and Fujitsu announced that the companies have turned on the world’s first commercial 5G Standalone Open RAN site powered by virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) in Kawasaki, Kanagawa.
For the deployment of this first site, KDDI used O-RAN compliant solutions, including Samsung’s 5G virtualized CU (vCU) and virtualized DU (vDU) as well as Fujitsu’s radio units (MMU: Massive MIMO Units).
Virtualization and O-RAN technology replaces dedicated hardware with software elements that can run on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) servers. This brings flexibility and agility to KDDI’s network, allowing the operator to offer enhanced mobile services to its users. Additionally, this architecture will deliver reliability, while accelerating deployment of Open RAN throughout Japan, including in rural areas.
