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rakuten open ran

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What is Open RAN?

Open RAN is an architectural approach to designing radio access networks (RANs) for mobile telecommunications using standardized interfaces and hardware from different vendors. Traditionally, RAN components such as radio units, baseband units, and other network elements have been tightly integrated, often leading to vendor lock-in and limited flexibility.

Technical Components of Open RAN:

  1. Radio Units (RU): These are the physical antennas and transceivers that transmit and receive radio signals. In an Open RAN architecture, RUs from different vendors can interoperate with baseband units through standardized interfaces.
  2. Distributed Unit (DU): The DU performs baseband processing functions, such as modulation, coding, and multiplexing/demultiplexing of data streams. It communicates with the RU via open fronthaul interfaces.
  3. Centralized Unit (CU): The CU handles higher-layer functions such as radio resource management, network control, and user-plane processing. It communicates with multiple DUs using standardized interfaces.
  4. Standardized Interfaces: To ensure interoperability between components from different vendors, various standardized interfaces like O-RAN Alliance specifications define how RUs, DUs, and CUs should communicate.

Rakuten's Open RAN Implementation:

Rakuten Mobile has been at the forefront of implementing Open RAN in a large-scale commercial environment. Some key technical aspects of their implementation include:

  1. Cloud-Native Architecture: Rakuten's network is built on a cloud-native architecture, leveraging virtualization technologies like NFV (Network Functions Virtualization) and containerization (e.g., using Kubernetes). This allows for scalability, agility, and efficient resource utilization.
  2. Multi-vendor Integration: Rakuten has collaborated with multiple vendors to build its Open RAN ecosystem. For example, it has worked with vendors like NEC, Nokia, and Cisco for various components of its network.
  3. End-to-End Automation: To streamline operations and optimize network performance, Rakuten employs automation extensively. This includes automated provisioning, orchestration, fault detection, and remediation processes.
  4. Network Slicing: With Open RAN, Rakuten can implement network slicing—a technology that allows the creation of multiple virtual networks on a shared physical infrastructure. This enables tailored services for different use cases (e.g., IoT, ultra-reliable low-latency communication).

Benefits:

  • Cost-Efficiency: By leveraging Open RAN and cloud-native technologies, Rakuten aims to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to traditional RAN deployments.
  • Flexibility & Innovation: Open RAN promotes vendor neutrality and interoperability, allowing Rakuten to introduce new services and technologies more rapidly.
  • Scalability: Cloud-native architectures and virtualized components enable Rakuten to scale its network capacity and performance dynamically in response to changing demands.

Rakuten's Open RAN implementation represents a paradigm shift in how mobile networks are designed, deployed, and operated. By embracing open standards, multi-vendor collaboration, and cloud-native technologies, Rakuten aims to redefine the economics and capabilities of telecommunications infrastructure.