The telecommunications sector is experiencing significant change. As the demand for scalable, energy-efficient, and agile network solutions grows, Cloud RAN has surfaced as a transformative technology for Communication Service Providers (CSPs). By integrating cloud-native principles into Radio Access Networks (RAN), CSPs can enhance operational efficiencies and effectively tackle the complexities of a dynamic network environment.
Advancing Cloud RAN Adoption
Despite the potential benefits, the journey to adopting new technologies is not instantaneous. Many CSPs are exercising caution, prioritizing the need for demonstrable scalability, cost-effectiveness, and operational adaptability. This is where the latest collaboration between Nokia and Dell Technologies plays a crucial role.
Nokia’s anyRAN solution is now a fully validated offering within Dell’s Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab (OTEL), allowing customers to experience the advantages of Cloud RAN without the pressure of long-term commitments.
Facilitating Cloud RAN Integration
The design of Nokia’s anyRAN solution emphasizes flexibility, enabling CSPs to implement RAN functions through cloud-native containerized software across various infrastructures, whether public, private, or hybrid. Collaborating with Dell’s advanced telecom hardware and infrastructure expertise, this partnership provides a pre-validated solution suitable for CSPs at any phase of their cloud transformation.
Notable Features:
- Hands-On Exploration: OTEL allows CSPs to directly engage with Cloud RAN technology, experiencing its capabilities firsthand.
- Flexibility Across Architectures: Nokia’s Cloud RAN maintains consistent deployment, supporting centralized, distributed, or hybrid RAN architectures.
- Performance and Scalability: Optimized for Dell’s cutting-edge telecom servers, the partnership guarantees high capacity and lower cost-per-bit, while Nokia’s Cloud RAN software ensures high performance akin to traditional radio networks.
- Zero Trust Security: Comprehensive end-to-end security extends to Cloud RAN and the entire supply chain, protecting CSP operations.
Nokia and Dell are facilitating smoother transitions to the cloud, providing CSPs with not only a tangible experience but also strategic guidance.
Collaboration Initiates in OTEL
Dell’s Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab serves as a collaborative innovation space for testing, certifying, validating, and managing telecom solutions in authentic scenarios. This environment offers CSPs and network operations teams an invaluable opportunity to familiarize themselves with commercially available Cloud RAN solutions, including Nokia’s anyRAN.
Such access empowers engineers to delve into cloud-native technologies equipped with Dell-powered telecom infrastructure, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing total cost of ownership (TCO).
Demonstrated Success Stories
The alliance between Nokia and Dell establishes a solid foundation for global Cloud RAN implementations:
- Vodafone Italy Open RAN Trials: Successful tests of the Cloud RAN solution were conducted on Dell PowerEdge XR8000 servers with Vodafone Italy, highlighting the system’s flexibility, manageability, and consistent performance across hybrid networks.
- Global Cloudification Impact: The compatibility and scalability of Nokia’s anyRAN and Dell’s infrastructure have emerged as pivotal elements for CSPs transitioning to cloud-native environments.
Our Distinct Expertise:
- Nokia’s Leadership in Radio and Network Management: Leading RAN software ensures consistent performance across various deployment models.
- Dell’s Telecom Solution Expertise: Dell hardware is optimized for the rigorous demands of Nokia’s RAN workloads, adhering to Network Equipment-Building System (NEBS) standards while supporting multi-tenancy for optimal infrastructure utilization.
Realizing True Value
Nokia and Dell’s collaborative Cloud RAN reference design provides more than just production-ready technology; it accelerates CSPs’ time-to-market and decreases operational and capital costs. CSPs can benefit from resource pooling, optimize hardware and software, and achieve improved TCO performance.
Key Advantages:
- Enhanced Scalability: Flexible deployment models cater to either distributed or centralized needs, adapting to the specific requirements of CSPs.
- Operational Simplification: Utilizing common software across different infrastructure types ensures seamless integration, minimizing complexity in hybrid networks.
- Energy Efficiency: By employing industry-leading hardware and container-based infrastructures, Nokia and Dell ensure better energy performance while retaining high operational effectiveness.
Strategic Collaboration in Cloud RAN Adoption
“I’m very happy that Nokia’s commercial Cloud RAN solution is now available in a live demonstration in the Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab (OTEL) of Dell Technologies in addition to our own Executive Experience Center. This is another example of the seamless collaboration between Nokia and Dell. Together, we offer mobile operators and enterprises an opportunity to explore the functionality and applications of a fully validated Cloud RAN solution and help them plan their cloudification journey with confidence.”
– Aji Ed, VP, Head of Cloud RAN, Nokia
With Nokia’s Cloud RAN solution now showcased in Dell’s Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab, the telecommunications industry is on the brink of a substantial advancement. CSPs around the globe can prepare to deploy Cloud RAN solutions with renewed confidence. Whether choosing immediate cloud-native strategies or a gradual hybrid transition, Nokia and Dell remain steadfast partners in CSPs’ cloudification journeys.
For more insights into the future of Cloud RAN and its potential to enhance operations, contact us to schedule a session at Dell’s OTEL Lab.