Orange and Samsung have successfully conducted the first live mobile call on a virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) with Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN). This marks a milestone in Europe in the evolution of mobile network technology and is seen as a major incentive for advancements toward 5G and 6G networks in the future.

What Was Exciting About This Technical Accomplishment?
The vRAN hardware and CU/DU virtualization technology from Samsung were used to conduct the test at the Orange Innovation Platform in France. Open RAN allows the creation of networks with a diverse range of competitive hardware and software that can be quite flexible in deployment and costs.
Samsung declares that its vRAN solution employs a cloud-native, containerized architecture that is future-proof for AI-based automation and scaling up next-generation networks. In general, Orange consolidates this technological approach to become a hub for the European telecom industry.
What Should This Mean?
Freedom and flexibility in telecoms: Open RAN technology enables the use of hardware and software from multiple vendors to operate in conjunction. After that, the operators can choose the technology that they need without dependency on a particular company.
Network Optimization and Cost Reduction: The merit of such technology is that modifications to the network would be software-controlled, cutting infrastructure costs significantly.
5G/6G ready in the future: This will allow European operators to construct their high-speed, low-latency network systems of tomorrow.

Future Plans of Orange And Samsung
Samsung said that following these much-reported successful calls, they aimed at extending this technology to other European countries, with Open RAN deployments expected to run on large scales by 2025. This should usher in a more innovative competitive setting and evolution of the telecom sector.
This success of Samsung and Orange is not only a milestone for the two companies but a giant stride for the entire European telecom sector. New vistas for technological advancement thus opened and became a reference point for other operators around the globe. An extremely critical beginning towards an advanced and cost-effective network service in due course.
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