Samsung, O2 Telefónica launch vRAN, O-RAN network in Germany

O2 Telefonica and Samsung will add seven vRAN and O-RAN network sites in the Bavaria region

Samsung Electronics and German carrier O2 Telefónica announced that launch of their first virtualized RAN (vRAN) and Open RAN (O-RAN) commercial site in Germany following extensive trials.

The partners said that the new site is now operating in Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria, providing 4G and 5G services to customers. In the coming months, the companies will expand the vRAN and O-RAN network to seven additional sites in the region, aiming to further extend the Open RAN footprint.

In October 2023, the two companies had agreed to develop a roadmap for several tests of vRAN and Open RAN technologies in Germany.

“Together with Samsung, we are utilizing the latest Open RAN technologies in our mobile network. On the way to the network of the future, we are integrating new network solutions to provide our customers with outstanding connectivity. Open RAN is a building block that can help us to automate our network, deploy new updates faster and use network components more flexibly,” said Mallik Rao, chief technology and information officer at O2 Telefónica.

For the initial deployments, Samsung’s offering includes its 4G and 5G vRAN 3.0 solution and O-RAN compliant radios supporting low- and mid-bands (700MHz, 800MHz, 1.8GHz 2.1GHz, 2.6GHz and 3.6GHz), including 64T64R Massive MIMO radios.

As part of the agreement, the companies will also introduce Samsung’s intelligent network automation solutions to control life cycle management — from deployment and operation to maintenance.

O2 Telefonica recently said it has already deployed nearly 10,000 5G base stations since it initially launched 5G services back in October 2020.

The German operator said it has deployed an average of more than 50 new 5G transmitters every week since the launch of the network. Last year alone, the carrier installed 3,000 5G base stations across the country.

The telco said its 5G network currently reaches 95% of Germany’s population.

In October 2023, O2 Telefonica announced the launch of its 5G Standalone (SA) network in the country under the 5G Plus brand. Until this launch, the German telco had been offering 5G services through the NonStandalone (NSA) 5G architecture partly via its LTE/4G core network.

The carrier’s 5G Plus uses frequencies in the 700 MHz, 1.8 GHz and 3.6 GHz bands. The telco said it expects its 5G SA service to reach full coverage in Germany by the end of 2025.