Assets

The telecom industry and Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are transitioning to a new phase with disaggregated RAN. This includes embracing open, cloud-based technologies as the foundational model to support their current and upcoming services.

Samsung, Dell, and Intel are leading this transformation by crafting solutions that integrate advanced open technologies such as virtual Radio Access Network (vRAN) and Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN). Their end-to-end delivery model includes open commercial hardware designed to facilitate a horizontally automated, multi-vendor network built on modern open and disaggregated architectures.

Understanding the importance of a seamless technology transition, Dell Technologies and Intel initiated an Early Customer Evaluation Program. This program empowers customers to leverage the latest infrastructure technologies even before they hit the market. This initiative also provides Samsung, and other strategic partners of Dell and Intel, access to cutting-edge prototype offerings to conduct early solution validation.

In the initial phase of the evaluation program, the Dell PowerEdge XR 11 featuring Intel® vRAN Accelerator ACC100 Adapter accelerator cards were selected. In the second phase, the team selected Dell PowerEdge XR8000 servers, powered by 4^th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors with Intel vRAN Boost integrated acceleration, as the foundational hardware for the open infrastructure platform. These ruggedized servers, with features such as short-depth design, NEBS certification, and optimized total cost of ownership (TCO), are ideal for vRAN and ORAN deployments.

The Early Customer Evaluation Program facilitates the integration and verification phase of Samsung’s virtual Central Unit (vCU) and virtualized Distributed Unit (vDU), well before the commercial release dates of Dell's infrastructure platforms. This emphasizes the telecom industry’s mantra, "Time is Money."

Below are some of Samsung’s recent accomplishments, made possible with the support of Dell and Intel:

• Conducting trials with several major Operators across Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe.
• Successfully implementing the Samsung vRAN solution on Dell Servers powered by Intel Xeon processors for Vodafone UK’s commercial network, demonstrating superior performance compared to legacy hardware-based RAN in urban areas. The test results surpassed targeted Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), including 4G and 5G downlink and uplink throughput.

Henrik Jansson, Vice President and Head of SI Business Group, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics Samsung's Vice President states, "With the backing of Dell and Intel’s Early Customer Evaluation Program, we've expedited the integration of our solutions on the latest server and processor versions, delivering greater value to operators."

Gautam Bhagra, Dell Technologies Vice President of Strategic Partnerships adds, "We are happy to support Samsung’s open Telecom initiatives, along with our partner Intel. Our Early Customer Evaluation Program has been a proven testament to the power of collaboration, enabling our partners to anticipate the integration and validation efforts, with significant improvement on time to value.”

Additionally, Cristina Rodriguez, Vice President and General Manager of Wireless Access Networking Division at Intel states, “Intel is pleased to collaborate with Dell in the Early Customer Evaluation Program for our valued strategic ecosystem allies and customers. This impactful initiative enables the ecosystem to seamlessly integrate and validate their solutions on cutting-edge computing platforms, even before these platforms hit the commercial market."