Networks TechTalk with Samsung Samsung Networks

Wireless networks are going through a paradigm shift with the emergence of Open RAN. This new approach to architecting a multi-vendor network fosters innovation, agility, and cost efficiency in deploying and operating 5G networks. More importantly, it serves users better and faster than ever. However, there are mixed opinions in the industry and varied approaches to materializing the vision of Open RAN.
 
Open RAN represents a paradigm shift in RAN architecture, where the traditional monolithic RAN is disaggregated into smaller subsystems with open interfaces. This open interface enables the network operator to select the best subsystem and integrate it into a true Open RAN network. Open RAN can be realized with both single and multiple vendors. It allows for the flexibility of mixing and matching when there is a need to do so.
 
Samsung is an active participant in the O-RAN Alliance and co-chairs its working groups. Samsung is committed to advancing Open RAN and has made tremendous progress in North America, Europe, and Asia in deploying large-scale commercial Open RAN networks and expects to continue this momentum in the coming years.
 
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Fixed Wireless Access, or FWA, has emerged as a powerful enabler in the mobile landscape and is one method being used to fulfill the growing user demand for data. FWA is another offering to provide high-speed internet access to homes, businesses, and remote areas without relying on traditional wired connections like fiber or cable lines for the ‘last mile’ of connectivity. The demand for FWA itself among broadband users is growing with analyst firms expecting FWA users to reach 14-18 million in 2027 in the United States.
 
While solving for the last mile is one benefit of Fixed Wireless Access, it also offers operators a path to expand their business offerings and generate more revenue. They’re able to obtain new subscribers by promoting bundles for mobile and FWA services. The service is also able to provide initial high-speed access to businesses and consumers in urban and suburban areas to supplement and enhance existing networks. The advancements and proliferation of Fixed Wireless are advancing around the globe. MNOs worldwide are involved in FWA, but there are many others as well including MSOs and WISPs with regional operators playing a pivotal role in the growth of FWA. 
 
Samsung is the leader in enabling operators to harness the next wave of Fixed Wireless Access applications. It will continue to advance mmWave leadership for FWA by offering new dual-band products and by enabling faster FWA deployments with its proven vRAN architecture.

With much of the world standing on the brink of mainstream 5G usage, operators are looking for ways to extract maximum value from their network investments – essentially trying to figure out how to monetize 5G. Operators have spent the past few years on things like spectrum, working to increase base stations needed for sufficient coverage and capacity, and implementing new software tools that allow for autonomous networks and faster delivery of services and upgrades. Providers are now starting to take advantage of the high-speed, low-latency, and connectivity capacities that 5G brings to the market. Today, operators are finding new ways to monetize 5G with Fixed Wireless Access, network slicing, as well private 5G networks. The learnings taken from 4G, including slower roll-out plans and commodity-based plays, are also helping to inform strategies surrounding 5G.
 
Operators will usher in a new wave of innovation that could unlock additional revenue streams as they monetize 5G. Private networks for enterprises in particular offer a great opportunity for monetization due to their scalability over the latest in Wi-Fi technology.
 
Watch and listen to this Networks Tech Talk episode to learn more about how operators can take advantage of the high-speed, low-latency, and connectivity capacities that 5G brings to the market.

5G is the first wireless technology designed to be energy efficient and sustainable with an industry target of 90% improvement in spectral efficiency compared to 4G. This improvement, in large part, also requires energy efficiency in the equipment. Operators and vendors have devised several features to accomplish this goal including increasing spectrum bands supported in a single radio and Massive MIMO antenna capacity, beamforming, and an increasing the use of high-band frequencies.
Samsung works to ensure our product experience at every step contributes to a sustainable world with eco-conscious technology and innovation. Samsung is a pioneer in vRAN, being the first to bring vRAN to market with software driven network functions to make networks more flexible and reduce processing and transmit power. Samsung is also helping to address energy efficiency with Power Amplifiers equipped with a Bias Control, dynamic download MIMO transmit paths, and with its low power, energy saving system-on-a-chip (SoC).
With global mobile data traffic rates continuing to rise and applications requiring low-latency proliferating, networks will continue to densify, and the number of cell sites grow exponentially. Despite this, telecommunications industry is committed to finding ways to bring down the amount of power used and lowering our carbon footprint to run our networks.
We are all excited to see the power saving techniques and features we’ve discussed today continue to advance around the globe.
Watch and listen to this Networks Tech Talk episode to learn more about how Samsung and the telecommunications industry are investing in energy saving innovations and technologies.

Virtual Radio Access Networks, or vRAN, are the future of the radio access side of mobile operators’ networks. vRAN is software that runs on off-the-shelf servers rather than the proprietary, dedicated hardware that mobile network providers have been running for decades.

vRAN allows service providers to optimize their deployments. With software upgrades there will be a transition to quick, convenient, near-zero-touch operations. The virtualization of the network allows for extraordinary scaling efficiencies, ramping up resources as needed. Dynamic scaling enables networks to add processing power, memory, and connection resources on the fly when new functionality needs to be instantiated. This will free them up for other tasks when customers do not need them directly. Network slicing provides management benefits for operators as well by allowing providers to create and run multiple virtual networks on the same physical equipment, decreasing hardware costs.

vRAN gives MNOs greater network availability and better deployment flexibility using pooled, centralized resources that operate on standardized commercially available hardware, and Samsung’s leadership in development and deployments for major operators around the world is impressive. We are all excited to see the network virtualization we’ve discussed today continue to advance around the globe.

With the rapid push to 5G, operators are looking for fast, scalable ways to deploy while also having the flexibility and agility to manage services and optimize their networks. There are two ways that operators achieve this flexibility: using a virtual Radio Access Network (vRAN) and embracing O-RAN standards.

vRAN gives MNOs greater network management and service agility and better deployment flexibility using pooled, centralized software-driven network functions operating on standardized commercially available hardware. Samsung’s cloud-native vRAN was the first in the industry to deliver to the market the virtualized Distributed Unit (vDU) and virtualized Centralized Unit (vCU) that run on general-purpose processors. Samsung’s cloud-native vRAN supports single band, dual-band, and Massive MIMO radios. Since Samsung started developing vRAN in 2016, it has become the industry leader in the fully virtualized 5G cloud-native vRAN market. Samsung is the only major vendor to have vRAN commercial deployments with Tier One operators on multiple continents and to provide a commercial vRAN solution that supports both Samsung and 3rd party Massive MIMO radios.

Open RAN is a choice for network operators who want more flexibility and agility in their network. As a member of the Open RAN Alliance, Samsung is committed to virtualized and fully interoperable networks. Samsung believes that Open RAN starts with opening the fronthaul and fully disaggregating the baseband with vRAN. Beyond the production of O-RAN compliant solutions and integration and interface work done in traditional RAN, Samsung’s cloud-native vRAN is O-RAN compliant and integrated with other vendors’ radios.

Earlier this year, Samsung won two GLOMO Awards for its fully virtualized 5G RAN solution, an indication that the industry recognizes the importance of vRAN and the virtualization of the network. Watch and listen to this Networks Tech Talk episode to learn more about what vRAN and Open RAN mean for operators, Samsung’s views on them, and Samsung’s leadership in both technologies.