NTT Docomo, the Japanese telecommunications giant, has revealed the deployment of the first 5G network utilizing graphics processing unit-accelerated wireless technology in a commercial environment.
This achievement stems from a collaborative effort among 13 technology companies, including Nvidia Corp, Fujitsu Global, and Wind River Systems Inc., operating under the 5G Open RAN Ecosystem Experience (OREX) service brand.
These companies are collectively addressing challenges related to Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) integration, interoperability, performance, and operational complexity.
Open RAN, a revolutionary concept, enables multiple vendors to work together, breaking away from the conventional single-vendor setups that have dominated the telecom industry for years.
By allowing collaboration among different companies in deploying wireless networks, Open RAN eliminates vendor lock-in, which has inflated operational costs and hindered innovation.
The newly deployed network in Japan incorporates a high-performance 5G virtual Radio Access Network (vRAN) developed by Fujitsu, leveraging Nvidia’s Aerial 5G vRAN stack and converged accelerators.
This network is entirely software and cloud-defined, enabling operators to align their resources with mobile users’ data traffic—a feat challenging to achieve with older fixed network configurations.
Furthermore, the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning enables automatic network slicing, enhancing service quality, resource management, and user experience.
Future systems will adjust in real-time based on user traffic conditions, facilitated by AI, marking a significant advancement in automation. Masaki Taniguchi, senior vice president and head of Fujitsu’s Mobile Systems Business Unit, highlighted these advancements during a pre-launch briefing of the 5G network.
Introducing accelerators like GPUs to wireless networks offers additional benefits. NTT Docomo asserts that it can reduce total costs by up to 30% and network design utilization by 50%.
Moreover, this implementation improves both power consumption and efficiency, akin to building a high-performance car that consumes half the fuel, demonstrating a remarkable leap in technological innovation.
NTT DOCOMO has partnered with multiple companies like Vodafone to spread the advantages of open radio access networks (Open RAN) to a larger operator and vendor community.
It also partnered with Rakuten to share information about research and development on Open RAN, or Open Radio Access Network, with British enterprises and institutions.