Home > Communication Service Provider Solutions > Open RAN > White Papers > Optimizing Open RAN Sites Using Juniper Networks Cloud-Native Router and PowerEdge XR Servers > Radio access networks are now open
Thanks to open standard consortiums such as the O-RAN Alliance, an open ecosystem of disaggregated and interchangeable components is now available. Network equipment providers are now able to commoditize hardware and software in a market, historically dominated by closed and proprietary systems. The standards are now in place to change select components based on technical feasibility and/or financial benefit. Before diving into the financial implications, let us look at the basic routing needs of an O-RAN cell site.
Modern RAN systems are generally characterized as centralized or distributed, depending on the wireless coverage and capacity requirements for a given market. In a centralized RAN model, bandwidth is aggregated and requires a physical network device capable of routing enormous amounts of data between the Radio Unit (RU) and the Distributed Unit (DU) PowerEdge XR series server. The example below briefly describes the key hardware components for centralized RAN (C-RAN).
In a distributed RAN model, the bandwidth needs are less, but there are substantially more locations. Distributed RAN (D-RAN) designs can also have tight space, power, and cooling constraints to keep the operating costs lower because of the number of locations. To lower costs even further, service providers will often lease IP access links using ethernet.
Leased lines require operator specific routing to connect to the next layer of the network. Since all RAN sites require DU software to process wireless signals, deploying a lightweight Juniper Cloud-Native Router on the DU server is the ideal option to serve routing needs at the cell site. The figure below briefly illustrates a PowerEdge server configured to run DU software and Juniper Cloud-Native Router in a distributed RAN model.