Intel, Juniper Networks, and Rakuten Symphony announced a collaborative effort to create Symware, a carrier-grade Open RAN platform for mobile network operators to modernise radio cell sites by leveraging the latest cloud-native architecture. 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, according to the partners.
Symware combines the containerised cell site routing functionality and a containerised Distributed Unit on a single general-purpose server platform. Offering consistent carrier-grade routing stack across both physical and virtual RANs, the platform readily enables 5G network slicing features both in RAN and transport domains including slice isolation, slice monitoring and dynamic traffic steering through segment routing. The platform 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.
Symware was created with Rakuten Symphony’s know-how and experience with cloud-native and Open RAN-based networks, containerised RAN software from Altiostar, a Rakuten Symphony company, next-generation Intel Xeon D Processors and FlexRAN reference software, and Juniper’s carrier-hardened cloud-native routing stack. Symware is targeted for availability the first half of 2022 through Rakuten Symphony.
