Deutsche Telekom, in partnership with and Nokia and Fujitsu, has initiated the deployment of a multi-vendor Open RAN network in Germany.
The Open RAN network has integrated Fujitsu into Deutsche Telekom’s operational network, with the initial phase set to deliver 2G, 4G, and 5G commercial services to customers in the Neubrandenburg area of Northern Germany.
This landmark agreement signifies Nokia’s substantial return to DT’s commercial network, as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding inked by both entities during MWC 2023. Nokia will supersede the incumbent vendor in this transformative deal, with the project already in progress and slated for extension from Q1 2024 onwards.
The deployment will showcase Nokia’s Open RAN compliant 5G AirScale baseband solution within DT’s commercial network, incorporating Fujitsu Radio Units. This integration ensures DT maintains complete feature, service, and performance equivalence with traditional purpose-built RAN infrastructure. Moreover, Nokia and DT have committed to exploring O-RAN technology encompassing Cloud RAN, 3rd party CaaS, RIC, SMO, and energy efficiency enhancements.
This collaboration underscores Nokia’s ‘anyRAN’ approach, striving to construct forward-looking radio access networks in conjunction with an ecosystem of industry partners, fostering collaborative advantages. Nokia’s anyRAN philosophy empowers mobile operators and enterprises with greater network building flexibility.
Specifically for Open RAN, Nokia augments its RAN software with Open Fronthaul features, ensuring seamless co-existence and feature parity with purpose-built RAN systems. Notably, Nokia’s baseband solutions integrate with both Nokia and third-party radios, facilitating operators’ evolution paths towards hybrid, Cloud RAN, and O-RAN deployments.
Claudia Nemat, Board Member of Deutsche Telekom AG for Technology and Innovation, emphasized, “Open RAN is crucial to Deutsche Telekom’s strategy to foster supplier diversity and expedite customer-centric innovation in the radio access network.”
“Nokia’s radio access portfolio and baseband software guarantee that multi-supplier O-RAN systems can be implemented without compromises in performance, energy efficiency, or security,” Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said.
The joint efforts of Nokia, Deutsche Telekom, and Fujitsu herald a promising era in telecommunications, charting a course towards enhanced network capabilities, greater innovation, and a diversified supplier landscape, setting the stage for the future of telecommunications infrastructure.
