Ericsson Cloud RAN

Ericsson takes leadership in industrializing Open RAN

Cloud RAN - a cornerstone of open architectures

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Ericsson Cloud RAN is a powerful, versatile, future-proofed cloud-native solution that virtualizes radio access network functions, enabling more flexible, scalable, and efficient network deployments.

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Ericsson Cloud RAN is a solution that virtualizes radio access network (RAN) functions, enabling the deployment of flexible, scalable, and efficient mobile networks. By leveraging cloud-native design, it decouples hardware from software, allowing communications service providers (CSPs) to deploy, manage, and upgrade their networks more dynamically. With Ericsson Cloud RAN, CSPs can meet the growing demand for advanced mobile services and applications, enhancing network agility, reducing operational costs, and improving overall network performance and reliability.

Cloudification of RAN is one of the key pillars of Open RAN and plays an important role in allowing CSPs to seamlessly evolve towards cloud-native technologies and open network architectures, with the vision that our customers can deploy cloud-native networks on any site, any cloud, and any server platform.

What is Cloud RAN?

Cloud RAN is the separation of the RAN baseband software and the RAN baseband hardware. This baseband software can run on any capable commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware, with or without integrated accelerators, utilizing cloud-native tools and processes to manage the software and hardware.

This means that baseband RAN software can, in principle, be deployed in many different ways – on cloud hardware on-site, in a CSP-owned data center, or even on a hyperscaler public cloud.

Explore how Ericsson evolves the technology direction for Cloud RAN to support scaled deployments for CSPs, focusing on improved total cost of ownership, a rich feature set, and simplified introduction in areas like management, operation, and transport.

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Why Cloud RAN is important

Ericsson Cloud RAN is important for customers, specifically Connectivity Service Providers (CSPs), for several key reasons:

Enhancing network scalability and flexibility
Cloud RAN allows CSPs to dynamically manage network resources, scaling up or down based on demand. This flexibility is crucial for handling varying traffic loads and deploying new services quickly.
Enabling cost-effective network deployment and management
Ericsson Cloud RAN can provide cost efficiencies by leveraging virtualization, reducing capital and operational expenditures, enabling dynamic resource scaling, improving energy efficiency, simplifying network management, and enhancing lifecycle management.
Open Interfaces
As an inherent part of Ericsson Cloud RAN, open interfaces allow for interoperability with other vendors' equipment and fostering a competitive ecosystem. By embracing open interfaces, Ericsson promotes collaboration and innovation within the industry.
Faster Time to Market
Ericsson Cloud RAN enables rapid deployment of new features and services, helping CSPs stay competitive in a fast-paced market.
Innovative Services
Faster deployment of new services means end-users have access to the latest technological advancements and applications.

Streamline your network deployment with Ericsson Cloud RAN Pre-integrated solutions

Ericsson's Cloud RAN Pre-integrated solutions are designed to simplify and accelerate the deployment of Cloud RAN based on open architecture – Open RAN. By tackling the complex challenges of integrating various building blocks and components, the pre-integrated approach drastically reduces the time, cost, and effort required for network integration.

Think of our Cloud RAN Pre-integrated solutions like modern modular home construction, where pre-built components allow for quick and efficient assembly. This enables CSPs to deploy Cloud RAN more efficiently. By pre-integrating the building blocks – Cloud RAN application, cloud infrastructure and Service Management and Orchestration platform we create a well-defined reference solution based on popular cloud and hardware offerings, which provides a solid base for a high-performing Open RAN. This solution significantly shortens time to market, minimizes potential deployment issues with a predictable and reliable performance.

Our Cloud RAN Pre-integrated solutions, combined with our System Integration (SI) suite of services, assist CSPs in customizing integrations to meet specific needs, including external systems e.g., CSP’s monitoring platforms, transport networks, and over time also third-party radios and third-party SMO. As CSPs increasingly adopt cloud-based technologies and an open network architecture, pre-integration provides flexibility to adapt to new demands and technological advancements, allowing CSPs to focus on delivering innovative services and meeting customer needs.

Lower the barrier - Solutions and services for seamless adoption on Open RAN

Integration of Cloud RAN with existing network infrastructure

Ericsson Cloud RAN integrates seamlessly with existing network infrastructure through flexible deployment models, multi-vendor interoperability, virtualized RAN functions, advanced management and orchestration tools, and support for both legacy and 5G networks. This integration enhances network performance, reduces costs, and enables CSPs to deliver superior services to their customers.

How to best deploy Cloud RAN in various network environments

Deploying Ericsson Cloud RAN in various network environments requires careful planning, robust infrastructure, seamless integration, and ongoing optimization. With guidance from Ericsson, CSPs can achieve a smooth transition to Cloud RAN, enhancing network performance, scalability, and service delivery while also possible reducing operational costs. This strategic approach positions CSPs to meet the growing demands of modern telecommunications and deliver superior experiences to their customers.

Challenges and considerations for successful Cloud RAN implementation

Implementing Ericsson Cloud RAN involves navigating a landscape of technical, operational, and strategic considerations mainly around Cloud RAN adoption, deployment, and interoperability. By addressing these considerations with careful planning, robust infrastructure, advanced training, and strong ecosystem partnerships, CSPs can successfully deploy Ericsson Cloud RAN, enhancing their network capabilities and delivering superior services to their customers.

Collaborating with partners in the Cloud RAN ecosystem is crucial to develop innovative, high-performance solutions that meet and exceed customer expectations.

Ericsson Open Lab

Ericsson Open Lab provides both virtual and physical lab space environments to share technologies and facilitate innovation. In the lab environment, Ericsson and its partners together with customers can test new deployment and use case scenarios, increase automation, and reduce manual intervention using Ericsson’s Cloud RAN products as a base.

Ericsson-Intel Tech Hub

Based in Ericsson’s D-15 facility in Santa Clara, the Ericsson-Intel Tech Hub focuses on the benefits that the combination of Ericsson Cloud RAN and Intel technologies can bring to improving energy efficiency and network performance, reducing time to market, and monetizing new business opportunities such as enterprise applications.