Innovative Network Expansion: Vodafone Unveils Open RAN Sites in 20 Romanian Cities

Innovative Network Expansion: Vodafone Unveils Open RAN Sites in 20 Romanian Cities

(IN BRIEF) Vodafone is deploying Open Radio Access Network (RAN) sites across 20 cities in Romania, building on successful trials in Europe and commercial deployment in the UK. Open RAN offers a more flexible and innovative approach to mobile networking, allowing operators to use software and hardware from diverse vendors. The initiative aims to enhance network responsiveness, boost innovation, and increase industrial efficiency within Romania.

(PRESS RELEASE) BERKSHIRE, 20-Feb-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Vodafone (LON: VOD), a British multinational leader in technology communications, is ushering in a new era of mobile network connectivity in Romania with the installation of Open Radio Access Network (RAN) sites across 20 cities. Building upon successful commercial deployments in the UK and trials across Europe, this initiative aims to deliver a highly responsive network that fosters innovation and enhances industrial efficiency within the country.

Open RAN represents the future of universal networking, offering operators greater flexibility by allowing the use of software and hardware from diverse vendors. This approach drives innovation, improves energy efficiency, and enables fast and secure mobile networks that can be quickly scaled to meet evolving demands.

In Romania, Vodafone is collaborating with key partners such as Samsung, Dell Technologies, and Wind River to deploy Open RAN infrastructure. This includes Samsung’s radio and baseband units, Dell PowerEdge servers for cloud-based workloads, and Containers as a Service (CaaS) software from Wind River. Vodafone’s commitment to building a robust vendor ecosystem underscores its dedication to advancing Open RAN technology.

Alberto Ripepi, Chief Network Officer at Vodafone, highlights the growing momentum behind Open RAN technologies: “The momentum behind Open RAN technologies is building, in Vodafone and amongst our partners, as we focus on enhancing the customer experience. As new technologies like generative AI take root and are embedded within businesses, factories, and every day online interactions, they will require intelligence-based networks powerful enough to support them. Open RAN is designed to do just that.”

This deployment in Romania will initially cover urban cities, delivering high-quality and reliable network services to Vodafone’s customers. By leveraging Open RAN’s flexibility, operators can optimize costs by sharing hardware components while independently managing their RAN software on a common cloud infrastructure. This enables tailored services and capacity to meet specific customer needs while ensuring data security.

Looking ahead, Open RAN’s flexibility will pave the way for advanced 5G Standalone (5GSA) networks, offering low-latency applications and private network slicing for industries of all sizes. This will play a crucial role in revitalizing Europe’s industrial base and driving innovation across various sectors.

Vodafone’s deployment in Romania underscores its commitment to driving mobile network innovation and delivering enhanced connectivity experiences for customers. With Open RAN, Vodafone is poised to shape the future of mobile networking in Romania and beyond.

Note to Editors

Samsung will provide its RAN software supporting multiple mobile technologies, automation solutions and Open RAN-compliant triple-band radio antennas as well as 5G Massive MIMO radios (suited to dense areas with high customer traffic). Samsung’s triple-band radio combines 700MHz, 800MHZ and 900MHz frequency bands into one compact radio supporting 2G (to support low-powered Internet of Things services), 4G and 5G coverage, enabling increased network capacity and greater flexibility using fewer physical masts.

For more information, please contact:

Investor Relations
Investors.vodafone.com
ir@vodafone.co.uk

Media Relations
Vodafone.com/media/contact
GroupMedia@vodafone.com

Registered Office: Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2FN, England. Registered in England No.  1833679

About Vodafone

Vodafone is the largest pan-European and African telecoms company. We provide mobile and fixed services to over 300 million customers in 17 countries, partner with mobile networks in 45 more and have one of the world’s largest IoT platforms. In Africa, our financial technology businesses serve more than 76 million customers across eight countries – managing more transactions than any other provider.

Our purpose is to connect for a better future by using technology to improve lives, businesses and help progress inclusive sustainable societies. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact to reach net zero emissions by 2040.

For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com, follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @VodafoneGroup or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone.

SOURCE: VODAFONE