SEOUL -- Verizon, an American telecom conglomerate, has become the first company to deploy Samsung Electronics' fully virtualized 5G solutions that would enable simpler, more flexible and more scalable network deployments and power the next generation of 5G networking capabilities.
A radio access network (RAN) resides between a device such as a mobile phone, a computer, or any remotely controlled machine and provides connection with its core network. A virtualized RAN, or vRAN, moves the controller functions of hardware base stations to centralized servers, bringing them closer to the edge of a network to allow mobile network operators to pool and adjust radio resources to better accommodate for user traffic.
Samsung's vRAN 2.0 is a fully virtualized commercial 5G RAN that provides a software-based architecture that enables simpler, more flexible and more scalable network deployments. vRAN 2.0 solutions will support wireless carriers as they expand the use of private 5G networks to bring secure 5G indoors.
Samsung said that vRAN 2.0 enables more consumers to experience 5G's ultra-fast wireless speeds and help more enterprise customers take advantage of the technologies required for digital transformation.
With a vRAN approach, Samsung said in a statement that carriers can rapidly shift capacity to address customer needs. For business customers, vRAN can drive more efficient access to private 5G networks through easy deployment of baseband software in mobile edge computing (MEC) facilities that provide ultra-low delay and high-speed services regardless of physical distance.
"We believe vRAN’s next phase of innovation will accelerate what's possible for society, and look forward to collaborating with an industry-leader like Verizon to make 5G a reality for millions in 2021," said Samsung Electronics America's networks division vice president Magnus Ojert.
The deployment of vRAN 2.0 solutions followed a five-year deal worth $6.64 billion between Samsung and Verizon in September 2020. Samsung's 5G equipment has been picked by clients in Japan, Canada and New Zealand.