The two companies have completed a Cloud RAN call as a milestone in deploying Open RAN, following a record-setting deal between the two companies at the end of 2023.
AT&T now has commercial traffic flowing on Cloud RAN sites, the first ones of which are located south of Dallas, Texas.
Ericsson Cloud RAN is a cloud-native software solution handling baseband compute functionality in the RAN.
Cloud RAN is touted by operators such as AT&T and vendors such as Ericsson to increase operators flexibility, deliver faster services and greater scalability in networks. Moving to Cloud RAN enables AT&T to deliver and secure data in the most cost-effective way possible while also creating an open environment for developers to create new apps and services.
“This is the next milestone in AT&T’s Open RAN journey. By moving traffic to cloud RAN sites, we’re accelerating our c-band deployment and continuing to virtualise our network. The open network future is coming fast and we’re looking forward to seeing the innovation that it brings for our customers,” said Chris Sambar, head of network at AT&T.
As part of the deployment, AT&T and Ericsson have migrated one frequency band 3700MHz for their C-Band traffic to Cloud RAN infrastructure. The configuration used for the Cloud RAN call has been deployed in the AT&T network, and third-party vendors will be able to use this configuration for Open RAN in the future.
“Taking the next leap is second nature to us at Ericsson as we constantly innovate and capitalise on technology trends and shifts to stay ahead of the curve,” said Fredrik Jejdling, EVP and head of networks at Ericsson said, adding that the progress shows Ericsson’s commitment to supporting AT&T’s Open RAN ambitions.
