Working with Altiostar, the two say they made the first Open RAN voice call on Vodafone’s network in the Netherlands.
During the trial, Vodafone and NEC intend to integrate solutions from Open RAN technology vendors, such as Altiostar, and NEC’s own 5G radio products, using commercial off the shelf hardware from third parties.
The aim is to enable Vodafone to transform its network to being software-based, which can be deployed in multiple scenarios. “We are delighted to work together with NEC towards the first live Open RAN site,” said Ruud Koeyvoets, Vodafone Mobile Networks’ Director. “The introduction of the technology enables us to introduce new suppliers, such as Altiostar, giving us greater flexibility when rolling out our mobile network.”
Yogarajah Gopikrishna, General Manager at NEC Europe, stated, “By integrating best of breed solutions, NEC, as an experienced Open RAN System Integrator, is committed to bring transformative change to the telecommunications space leveraging our long history and experience in mobile network solutions.”
NEC Europe Ltd is a subsidiary of NEC Corporation, while US-based Altiostar has a strategic partnership with Telefónica Innovation Ventures (TIV). Both NEC and Altiostar have worked closely with Rakuten Mobile in Japan on 5G deployment.