Nokia and CPQD to develop 5G Open Ran solutions in Brazil
Details
Faye Sutton
| 12 February 2021
Nokia has partnered with Brazil’s Telecommunications Research and Development Center (CPQD) to jointly develop applications and solutions based on the Open RAN compliant near-real time RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC).

img1The partnership will focus on 5G use cases in co-operation with Nokia’s Brazilian mobile operator customers including fixed wireless access (FWA), smart cities, IoT for Industry 4.0 and critical networks, which will be customised for the Brazilian market.

Using Nokia’s Service Enablement Platform (SEP), which combines the capabilities of the RIC and multi-access edge computing (MEC), the collaboration is designed to create use cases at the network edge. These will use Nokia’s AirFrame open edge server solution and will allow CPQD to explore the potential of 5G to deliver an enhanced network performance with lower energy consumption, greater reliability and security.

The RIC is a virtualised 5G optimisation technology that adds programmability to the Radio Access Network (RAN) and enables artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) as well as new services. It provides a framework for deploying applications from multiple sources. The near-real time RIC platform is said to provides functions and interfaces that boost optimisation, automation and faster, more flexible service deployments.

Assessing the effects of the partnership, Frederico Nava, director of solutions and consulting at CPQD, said that it was an important collaboration that would help to shape the future of 5G networks in Brazil. "We look forward to a fruitful and successful partnership with Nokia and look forward to introducing a range of innovative 5G-based use cases to the market.”

Added Ari Kynäslahti, head of technology and strategy at Nokia Mobile Networks: “This important partnership will explore the potential for innovative 5G use cases that will have real-world value in Brazil across a range of different areas, such as smart cities and fixed wireless access. Our RAN Intelligent Controller will play a critical role in this research, helping to explore and trial new cutting-edge use cases that will put Brazil at the forefront in the 5G era.”

Worldwide sales of Open RAN are to grow at double-digit rates over the next six years according to analyst firm Dell’Oro Group.