Rakuten Symphony noted that the Symware device is based on the Intel Xeon D processor
Rakuten Symphony announced the general availability for its Symware Open RAN distributed edge product, along with its plans to deploy 30,000 units across Rakuten Mobile’s network in Japan.
The Japanese company noted that the rollout is targeting installation across 23,000 new sites in a 10-month period.
The firm also said that the Symware device is expected to deliver high cost-efficiency via a “zero data center footprint and elimination of associated rent overhead” in deployment in Rakuten Mobile’s network infrastructure. “Rakuten Mobile expects to reduce data center and associated operational costs by as much as half due to simplified data center installation and increased power efficiency,” the company noted in a release.
Rakuten Symphony said that the device will be rapidly deployed across more than 13,000 new 5G sites and 10,000 new 4G sites in Japan.
Tareq Amin, CEO of Rakuten Symphony, said in a statement: “The revolutionary hardware design supported by the software-based network and full Symworld operational platform will deliver transformational results for Rakuten Mobile and telecom operators around the world.”
The firm highlighted that the Symware device, which is based on the Intel Xeon D processor, features built-in AI, security, advanced I/O and eEhernet alongside dense compute. It also delivers high data throughput for Symware Open RAN workloads.
“Communications service providers are transforming their networks worldwide with the move to fully programmable, open platforms to gain increased flexibility and agility,” said Dan Rodriguez, Intel corporate VP and GM for the network and edge solutions group. “Our collaboration with Rakuten Symphony has shown the industry how it’s possible to deliver the performance and cost savings for at-scale deployments when you combine software-based platforms with an innovative design, and an as-a-service business model.”
The Symware device is sold as a service with the standard model comprising lifecycle management of hardware components.
In October 2021, Rakuten Symphony, Intel and Juniper Networks announced a collaborative effort to develop the Symware device. The partners said that this Symware multipurpose edge appliance provides operators with the flexibility to densify their network, accommodate various network topologies, and support new features while reducing the required hardware per site.
The Symware multipurpose edge appliance combines the containerized cell site routing functionality and a containerized Distributed Unit on a single general purpose server platform, which reduces the capital and operating expenditures for an operator.
The new solution also enables 5G network slicing features both in RAN and transport domains including slice isolation, slice monitoring and dynamic traffic steering through segment routing, according to the partners. The solution supports automation with zero-touch provisioning, rolling updates, telemetry and analytics for all the components and is based on the Kubernetes ecosystem for orchestration and networking.
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