BERKSHIRE — Vodafone (LON: VOD), a leading British multinational in technology communications, partners with Intel to expand their collaborative efforts in optimizing advanced algorithms for Open Radio Access Networks (RAN) platforms. The alliance aims to deliver superior performance while minimizing energy consumption, building upon their longstanding research partnership centered at Vodafone’s innovation center in Málaga, Spain, according to a press release published on EuropaWire.
This extended collaboration focuses on harnessing the power of 4th Gen Intel Xeon processors with Intel vRAN Boost, slated for commercial deployment in the UK by the first half of 2024. Central to the collaboration is the principle of Open RAN, advocating for the disaggregation of access networks and mobile antennas within open radio domains, fostering innovation by separating hardware and software.
Spearheaded by the expertise of the Telecommunication Institute of University of Málaga, the trio aims to drive research and innovation in evolving Open RAN architecture and developing efficient algorithms for 5G massive MIMO using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).
Santiago Tenorio, Vodafone’s Director of Network Architecture, emphasized the potential of Open RAN, stating, “Vodafone and its partners are now focused on realizing this potential to reduce costs and improve energy savings while enhancing performance for our customers.”
Dan Rodriguez, corporate vice president and general manager, Network and Edge Solutions Group at Intel, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the critical role of next-gen technologies in shaping future radio networks.
By integrating advanced algorithms and technologies across its network footprint, Vodafone aims to meet future demand and scale up new 5G features like network slicing. This approach eliminates the need for multiple chipsets in radio units, enhancing speeds and capacity continuously while delivering critical services efficiently.
