Spanish telecommunications operator Telefónica announced the successful validation of its new Open RAN 5G Standalone small cell.
In a release, the European carrier said that the demonstration was carried out by Node-H and Askey in Telefonica’s Technology & Automation Lab.
Telefonica noted that this demo is a step forward to deliver 5G services with small cells.
The all-in-one 5G small cell, developed by Askey, is powered by the Qualcomm FSM100 5G RAN Platform; a low power solution for small cells, and with Node-H’s scalable radio access, security, and management software.
This small cell is a complete 5G base station that can be connected either directly to Telefónica’s macro network or to a local private 5G core. Moreover, the modular architecture of the small cell logically separates the CU, DU and RU functionalities following open and standard interfaces, which adds flexibility to the solution
Telefónica also highlighted that this new offering expands its O-RAN portfolio and will allow the telco to offer tailored 5G open networks across a wide range of deployment models and sizes ranging from a reduced number of cells to large campus networks.
“Together with our technology partners, we are expanding the 5G SA ecosystem, helping our customers on their digital transformation process, driving innovation across different scenarios”, said José Luis Esplá, Access and Devices Director at Telefónica. “With Telefónica’s open interfaces approach we are transforming the way connectivity and services are provided, with high flexibility and simplicity while ensuring the highest performance and efficiency.“
“The business case for 5G private networks has received a huge boost through advances in the regulatory framework”, said Mike Cronin, CEO of Node-H. “This has the potential to unleash a large amount of private investment in a technology which merits that expenditure, bringing true 5G performance to those who can benefit from it.”
“The flexibility, interoperability and cost efficiency that Open RAN brings to 5G networks allows for a platform of innovation. The Qualcomm FSM100 5G RAN Platform, with support for mmWave and Sub-6 GHz spectrum, is designed to improve network coverage, capacity and power efficiency, and aims to help accelerate the proliferation of 5G small cells globally by providing the ecosystem with the most advanced 5G technologies. We’re excited to collaborate with Telefónica, Node-H, and Askey in developing this comprehensive solution which is designed to quickly and easily allow the deployment of 5G for campuses, smart factories, venues, hospitals and offices.” said Dino Flore, Vice President, Technology, Qualcomm Europe.
Telefónica had previously said that it expected to begin the deployment of 5G Standalone (SA) services in Spain during 2022.
The three initial use cases of 5G SA developed by Telefónica Tech and to be sold by the telco’s enterprise division Telefónica Empresas from January are: Automated guided robot vehicles for use in places including warehouses; remote maintenance systems using technology including smart glasses; and drones for site surveillance.
In July of 2021, Telefónica officially announced its decision to award the contracts to deploy its 5G standalone radio networks across Spain to Nordic vendors Ericsson and Nokia.
The deployment of Nokia and Ericsson 5G SA networks will be carried out on the 3.5 GHz and 700 MHz bands, Telefónica said.
Telefónica currently offers 5G coverage to over 80% of the Spanish population.