Qualcomm and NEC further the commercialisation of virtualised and Open RAN

Powered by the Qualcomm X100 5G RAN Accelerator Card, HPE ProLiant DL110 Platform, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, this new innovative infrastructure solution aims to address the ever-growing capacity challenges and low latency needs of networks of the future and satisfy the demands of consumer digital experiences.

Expanding on the companies' announcement from November 2021, these solutions will enhance how 5G services are delivered by allowing networks to manage increased data loads by broadening capacity and boosting flexibility. Thanks to the robust feature set of the Qualcomm X100 5G RAN Accelerator Card, including commercial-grade Layer 1 (L1) software, operators will be able to more rapidly rollout future 3GPP release features, lengthen platform lifespan, and reduce total cost of ownership. All critical components to help fuel the next wave of digital transformation.

"NEC is a key leader in the infrastructure industry, and we are honoured to be a trusted technology provider and power their new vDU solution with the Qualcomm X100 5G RAN Accelerator Card," said Gerardo Giaretta, Vice President, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "Thanks to our promise of relentless innovation, we are well equipped to support partners like NEC with the most advanced 5G technologies to satisfy the ever-evolving needs of operators."

"Qualcomm Technologies has long been an industry leader in modem technology for mobile terminals and mobile base stations," said Katsumi Tanoue, General Manager, vRAN Business Department, NEC Corporation. "In addition, the Qualcomm X100 5G RAN Accelerator Card outperforms others in processing power and low power consumption. We are pleased to offer the vDU solution in combination with NEC's upper layer software."

"A benefit of Open RAN is the capability to introduce technology advancements by combining strengths of multiple companies," said Sadayuki Abeta, Vice President, Global Head of Open RAN Solutions, NTT DOCOMO. "We expect to achieve high capacity and power efficient vDU together with NEC and Qualcomm Technologies."

"Delivering a vRAN optimised, high density, cost-effective solution is what's required today by our joint telco customers. The HPE ProLiant DL110 platform is a purpose designed vRAN carrier grade solution," said Phil Cutrone, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Service Providers, OEM, and Telco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise. "Together with NEC's new vDU solution, we are addressing the operators TCO requirements and sustainability concerns by finally enabling a true Open RAN solution."

Trial availability of NEC's vDU solution is expected in the third quarter of 2023 and commercial launch is expected in the fourth quarter of 2023, thus marking a key milestone in Open RAN commercialisation and delivering state-of-the-art 5G technology across the globe.