Skip to main content

Mavenir OpenBeam helps drive growth of private 5G networks

Network software provider Mavenir is announcing a new collection of O-RAN compatible equipment that promises to provide businesses with even more options for rolling out private 5G networks based on open standards.

The OpenBeam lineup consists of a portfolio of Radio Units (RUs), an important 5G networking component, that works with the Open RAN ecosystem, meaning they can be deployed modularly with other O-RAN compliant equipment such as virtualized base stations and 5G core systems.

Mavenir’s new hardware is also available across a wide range of spectrum, covering both licensed and unlicensed frequencies, along with both macrocell and microcell units. Macrocells offer wide-area coverage across an entire campus, while microcells can be deployed to increase performance in higher traffic zones, such as outdoor event spaces.

Supporting private 5G expansion

5G technology is driving wireless connectivity like never before, as organizations from universities to retailers look for new ways to ensure students, staff, and customers can stay in touch and access the resources they need to work, shop, and learn.

As mobile device users look for a more connected world, Wi-Fi is no longer sufficient, as it can’t deliver the range or handle the capacity that 5G cellular solutions can. As a result, companies are looking to private 5G networks to bridge the gaps and blanket their campuses with reliable network coverage.

Until recently, issues with both cost and complexity have hampered 5G adoption by many businesses. 5G hardware isn’t nearly as economical to deploy as more established Wi-Fi solutions, and many network operators are still struggling to figure out how to make everything work together to offer a seamless experience.

The mobile world isn’t sitting still, however, and businesses will be forced to find ways to keep up. For example, a recent study showed that traditional retailers expect 5G adoption in stores to triple by 2024, driven by the demands of visiting customers for more interactive digital shopping experiences.

The demand from enterprises to come up with turnkey solutions that can be rapidly deployed has led to the formation of the O-RAN Alliance. This is a coalition of carriers, vendors, and researchers that have banded together to create a standard to make sure all Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment can easily work together, regardless of the vendor it’s purchased from.

More significantly, it’s also opened the door for many lesser-known manufacturers like Mavenir to compete on a level playing field, which also results in lower deployment costs as businesses and network integrators end up with a wealth of available options.

The O-RAN Alliance means that we’re well past the days whe big names like Cisco, Avaya, Nortel, and HPE dominated the landscape, forcing customers to stick with single-vendor solutions that drove prices up and left the smaller players out in the cold.

Best of all, it allows businesses to move more quickly at 5G network deployments, bringing us closer to the promise of a fully connected world.

Editors' Recommendations

Jesse Hollington
Jesse has been a technology enthusiast for his entire life — he probably would have been born with an iPhone in his hand…
What is 5G UW? The real meaning behind the icon on your phone
Woman holding up smartphone with speed test results on Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband network.

You've probably noticed that there's been much more hype around 5G than for any of the wireless technologies that came before. Some of that is just marketing, of course; we are living in an increasingly connected era, and there are far more people toting smartphones now than there were in 2012 when 4G/LTE was just beginning to go mainstream. However, it's also not an exaggeration to say that with considerably faster speeds and the ability to handle many more devices, 5G is a much bigger step into the next stage of global connectivity. You've also probably noticed it yourself with a "5G UW" icon at the top of your phone.

As with most new technologies, 5G comes with some new challenges for both carriers and consumers. One of the most significant of these has been working out the best way to deploy 5G services across the much wider range of frequencies that it's capable of operating on. This wasn't nearly as significant a problem in the days of 3G and 4G/LTE services, which all operated in a much narrower range of radio spectrum.

Read more
What is 5G? Speeds, coverage, comparisons, and more
The 5G UW icon on the Samsung Galaxy S23.

It's been years in the making, but 5G — the next big chapter in wireless technology — is finally approaching the mainstream. While we haven't yet reached the point where it's available everywhere, nearly all of the best smartphones are 5G-capable these days, and you're far more likely to see a 5G icon lit up on your phone than not.

There's more to 5G than just a fancy new number, though. The technology has been considerably more complicated for carriers to roll out since it covers a much wider range of frequencies than older 4G/LTE technology, with different trade-offs for each. It's also a much farther-reaching wireless technology, promising the kind of global connectivity that was once merely a dream found in futuristic sci-fi novels.

Read more
What is 5G UC? Here’s what that icon on your phone really means
5G logo on the Motorola Edge (2022).

If you own a 5G-capable smartphone — which are all of the best phones today — there’s a good chance you’ve seen different 5G network icons showing up in your status bar. It’s a stark contrast to the pre-5G days when your phone showed “4G” or “LTE” no matter where you went.

It can get a bit confusing to see a 5G indicator one moment and then “5G UC” or “5G UW” the next. It’s not something you need to worry too much about, as you don’t usually have much control over it, but it’s still helpful to understand what these different symbols mean — and why they matter.
The humble beginnings of 5G

Read more