Intel supports DISH 5G buildout
November 2, 2020
US comms and pay-TV provider DISH and tech giant Intel are partnering to integrate Intel 5G infrastructure technology into DISH’s buildout of the nation’s first virtualised, open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) 5G network deployment.
DISH has selected the Intel Xeon Scalable Processor, the Intel Ethernet 800 Series network adapter, the Intel vRAN Dedicated Accelerator ACC100 and Intel’s FlexRAN software reference architecture for its deployments.
With a greenfield 5G network that is being architected from the ground up, DISH is working with several US-based vendors to combine cloud and connectivity technology to power next-generation services and enterprise use cases. Through close collaboration with Intel, DISH is able to consolidate and optimise multiple workloads at locations across its network for increased efficiency.
“Intel has been a trusted advisor throughout the design of our O-RAN network, working in concert with our software vendors Mavenir, Altiostar, and many OEM hardware providers,” commented Marc Rouanne, executive vice president and chief network officer, DISH. “We have tested several commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) designs from a large number of server vendors using Intel’s O-RAN compliant FlexRAN architecture and are pleased by the maturity and power of the solutions, together with the cost benefits of COTS solutions. We are using the power of the VMware abstraction solution and the ubiquity of Intel-based servers to load and mix different types of cloud-native workloads like distributed unit (DU), centralised unit (CU), virtual routers, mobile edge computing applications, and 5G Core containerised network functions.”
“Fully-virtualised, cloud-native networks like the one DISH is building bring the same server economics that transformed the data centre,” added Dan Rodriguez, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of the Network Platforms Group. “We are excited to partner with DISH to lay the foundation for a truly agile network and have already begun working with our OEM partners who have designed FlexRAN-based servers to enable a variety of new innovative use cases and services.”