DISH, Qualcomm 5G O-RAN collaboration
November 11, 2020
DISH Network Corporation and Qualcomm Technologies have announced a collaboration to test open and virtualised RAN 5G solutions containing the new Qualcomm 5G RAN Platforms to help fast track DISH’s rollout of what is intended to be the US’s first cloud-native, Open RAN-compliant 5G network.
DISH will utilise the Qualcomm 5G RAN Platforms through DISH’s network vendors and device partners. The platforms are designed to allow emerging network vendors to accelerate deployment and commercialisation of vRAN and interoperable networks that can deliver on the wide array of use cases and opportunities envisioned for 5G.
“By further expanding its portfolio of 5G infrastructure solutions to include O-RAN specifications that are compliant with DISH’s open architecture and implementation, Qualcomm Technologies will enable greater flexibility in the deployment of our 5G vRAN equipment,” commented Marc Rouanne, DISH executive vice president and chief network officer. “With this move, Qualcomm Technologies will also enrich a diverse ecosystem of RAN applications by delivering data insights natively through the future chipset family. These insights are the foundation of our data-centric and fully-automated network architecture. We are pleased to see Qualcomm Technologies embracing O-RAN and virtualisation, creating even more possibilities for the future of 5G across the industry.”