Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), Russia's largest mobile operator, announced the successful test of Russia's first OpenRAN-based 5G telecom solution leveraging locally-sourced software that was developed by the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech).
During tests at the Open RAN Laboratory in Moscow, the innovative new solution delivered blistering-fast downlink transmission speeds surpassing 1 Gbps, it said.
The demonstration was carried out with an OpenRAN base station and a standalone (SA) MTS 5G network core connected to a commercially-available 5G SA smartphone.
"These encouraging results showcased the loyalty of our chosen Open RAN concept. Its further development will contribute to the emergence in Russia of its own developments and import substitution of telecom equipment, and on a global scale will increase competition among a wide range of developers and suppliers of technological solutions ”, said the vice-president for MTS equipment Victor Belov.
In December 2019, MTS and Skoltech launched a partnership to build locally-developed OpenRAN 5G hardware and software solutions. Open radio access network (OpenRAN) specifications are aimed at increasing market access for a broader array of potential telecom equipment vendors, while making the rollout of next-generation networks faster and more affordable.
“The main drivers of the global Open RAN concept are telecom operators. The open architecture gives operators the freedom to choose the best network solutions. That is why the Open RAN concept has become a rapidly growing global international project and has received support from various and largely competing players. In Russia, MTS has become a consistent supporter of open architecture, supporting Skoltech's Open RAN development at a very early stage. And today it is especially gratifying that the tests carried out showed the full consistency of the domestic solution, ”said Dmitry Lakontsev, head of the NTI Competence Center based at Skoltech.
The software part is based on the widely used operating system CentOS, the installed software components developed by Skoltech implement the full stack of 5G base station protocols.
