Skip to main content

Samsung hits new milestones in building virtual 5G networks

As the demand for 5G increases, Samsung is looking to lead the way through a collaboration with other major technology partners to build software-based 5G networks.

Samsung announced today that it’s working with other technology leaders such as Dell, HPE, Intel, Red Hat, and Wind River to build a new ecosystem for 5G vRAN, or virtual Radio Access Networks.

A 5G radio tower.
Samsung

The company goes on to note that it’s the first major network vendor to conduct commercial vRAN deployments with larger Tier One network operators across North America, Europe, and Asia, demonstrating that its 5G vRAN technology is ready for prime time. This is in addition to its smaller partnerships, such as the recent rollout of private 5G with software conpany Amdocs at Howard University.

Notably, Samsung has also demonstrated its ability to deliver 5G speeds of up to 2.25Gbps to a single user device over the midrange C-band spectrum, paving the way for a world of near-limitless connectivity.

What is a 5G vRAN?

Traditionally, one of the biggest impediments to widespread 5G deployment has been proprietary hardware systems used to build out the Radio Access Networks (RANs) that power 5G, from the antennas to the base stations and core systems.

In much the same way that car parts and accessories are more expensive when they’re only available from a single vendor, proprietary RAN components drive costs up. Carriers, mobile network operators, and private network operators that buy into a given hardware platform end up being locked into that ecosystem, forcing them to pay more as they grow and expand.

Understanding how this was slowing the growth of 5G, a group of carriers, vendors, and researchers joined forces to form the O-RAN Alliance to create standards for Open RAN technology. This promises to ensure that mobile operators will be able to mix and match components to come up with the most cost-effective solutions while still offering the best performance.

Virtual RANs, or vRANs, take this to the next logical step by removing the hardware layer entirely. While some hardware components like antennas are still necessary, core components like base stations and controllers can be virtualized as software that can run on any commercially available server.

This allows operators to not only use less expensive hardware, but also use fewer components. A single server can become home to multiple virtualized RAN components that would have previously required multiple dedicated stand-alone units.

Building out a 5G network with vRAN components also results in more flexibility and faster deployments. Additional 5G capacity and new features can be spun up in a fraction of the time that it would take to obtain and install new physical hardware components. This also allows for the kind of 5G-in-a-box solutions we’ve seen from others like HPE.

However, while companies like HPE and Dell are building the hardware platforms, others like Samsung, Red Hat, and Wind River are focusing on the software side. Samsung is also providing a central lab to test vRAN solutions and help tie everything together to ensure that it can deliver a seamless experience to mobile network operators.

As Woojune Kim, Samsung’s executive vice president of networks business, notes in a press release that the company’s “consistent innovation and large-scale commercial experience with leading Tier One operators around the world” are helping it to “lead the advancement of vRAN and Open RAN beyond lab tests […] into major commercial markets. Kim hopes that this vRAN ecosystem will “drive innovation to the next level, unlocking numerous opportunities ahead for network industry players and helping operators scale their businesses.”

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