Samsung Electronics who are making a major push into the network carrier market is set to conduct Australia’s first 5G virtualised RAN (vRAN) trial on 26GHz, using an integrated mmWave solution.
The trial in partnership with TPG Telecom will be across mobile and fixed wireless services and is the first of its kind in Australia.
Samsung will place its vRAN solution in TPG Telecom’s new Innovation Lab in Glebe, NSW.
Additionally, Samsung’s latest 5G mmWave product—Compact Macro—will be deployed in the wider Glebe area.
The announcement follows the launch of Samsung’s Networks Business in Australia in April 2021, and since then, the company has been exploring the delivery of Samsung’s leading 5G mmWave technologies to the nation.
TPG Telecom delivers communication for a number of mobile and internet brands in Australia including Vodafone.
Recently, TPG Telecom announced an investment of AU$108 million to acquire spectrum in all available licence areas in the 26GHz band – tripling its total spectrum holdings.
With abundant mmWave spectrum TPG Telecom claim they will be able to offer high speed data services and immsersive use cases for its mobile and home users.
TPG Telecom’s extensive fibre assets combined with a network of small cells will enable the deployment of vRAN architecture.
For the trial, Samsung will provide its Compact Macro and vRAN solution. Samsung’s latest 5G Compact Macro brings together a baseband, radio and antenna in a single form-factor. This compact and lightweight solution can be easily installed on the sides of buildings, as well as on utility poles, for the swift build-out of 5G networks.
Samsung’s commercial vRAN solution is built on the company’s independently developed stack and runs on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) servers.
“We are very pleased to partner with Samsung as part of our new Innovation Lab to drive product and technology innovation by trialling virtualisation,” said Iñaki Berroeta, CEO at TPG Telecom.
“Deploying mmWave spectrum on our 5G network together with vRAN architecture will allow us to develop exciting 5G use cases for industry verticals and enable the delivery of even faster speeds and greater capacity for our customers.”
“Samsung is excited to begin this trial with TPG Telecom powered by our innovative 5G vRAN solution and latest integrated 26GHz mmWave product, which will be the first in Australia,” said Woojune Kim, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung Networks has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios, and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from fully virtualised RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.
