Virgin Media O2 UK and NEC Extend OpenRAN Mobile to Field Trial

Broadband and mobile giant O2 (VMO2) has today announced that their early tests of Open Radio Access Network (OpenRAN or O-RAN) technology – supported by NEC and Rakuten Symphony – are now being extended to the field phase, which will see the activation of the first live sites in VMO2’s commercial mobile network.

The O-RAN approach seeks to standardise the design and functionality of radio access hardware and software, thus increasing the number of companies able to supply operators via vendor-neutral hardware and software-defined technology (the RAN side covers infrastructure, masts and antennae). This may also help to cut costs and removes the necessity to depend upon the largest suppliers of such kit (e.g. Nokia and Ericsson).

All the major UK mobile network operators are currently looking at O-RAN solutions for the future and have even agreed to a “joint ambition” with the government, which will see 35% of the UK’s mobile network traffic being carried over O-RAN by 2030 (here). But Vodafone is the only operator to have started a solid large-scale commercial build (here and here).

Mobile operator O2 (VMO2) has also been working on similar solutions with NEC for a while (here), which seems to now be bearing some fruit with the activation of their first live OpenRAN macro-sites on VMO2’s commercial network.

Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at VMO2, said:

“The successful activation of Virgin Media O2’s first UK macro-sites demonstrates the potential of the multi-vendor Open RAN model. We are strong believers in the power of diverse Open RAN ecosystems and in NEC, we have a partner that really shares our view. Its industry-leading system integration capabilities are integral in helping us deliver the mobile networks of the future, today.”

Sadly, we don’t get a lot of detail about their first field deployment, except that it seems to be taking place in the Northamptonshire (England) region.