Samsung Electronics and Orange Group, a major European telecom operator, announce an expanded partnership that advances their virtualized RAN (vRAN) and Open RAN initiatives across Europe. Following successful pilots launched in 2023, the companies plan to increase the number of vRAN and Open RAN sites in 2026.
Proven Performance from Prior Deployments
Previous integrations of Samsung’s vRAN and Open RAN solutions into live networks deliver superior Quality of Service (QoS) and enhanced user experiences. These deployments match or exceed traditional RAN performance, confirming the maturity and efficiency of virtualized technologies for sustainable network builds.
The open architecture boosts network resilience and spurs innovation, allowing operators to select optimal solutions.
Next-Phase Innovations with AI Integration
In this expanded phase, Samsung and Orange incorporate cutting-edge processors into networks. Key upgrades feature Samsung’s AI-powered vRAN powered by Intel Xeon 6 system-on-a-chip (SoC). This runs on a single commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) server from Dell, supported by Wind River’s cloud platform.
The enhanced setup handles high-capacity demands on one server, offering a compact footprint, superior performance, lower power use, and streamlined operations. Operators gain flexibility to manage resources, redirect unused capacity for AI and edge applications, and tackle demanding workloads.
Leadership Perspectives
“Moving forward to the next chapter of our collaboration with Orange demonstrates how Samsung’s software-driven, open solutions are a proven, robust foundation that offer reliable network performance and services to operators and customers alike,” states Angelo Jeongho Park, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “We’re committed to advancing virtualized and open platforms as beacons of innovation that can harness AI to meet the high demands of future networks.”
“From our first call for the pilot project to our current phase in the field, Samsung’s virtualized RAN and Open RAN have proved significant performance achievements in Orange’s networks,” says Laurent Leboucher, Orange Group CTO. “With new deployments planned ahead, we look forward to further accelerating the transformation of Orange’s networks to be AI-ready.”
Driving Open Architecture and 5G Advancements
This partnership highlights a shared focus on open architecture to deliver innovative solutions and AI features. Samsung Networks leads in 5G end-to-end offerings, including chipsets, radios, and cores. Continuous R&D propels 5G evolution toward 6G, with products spanning purpose-built RAN, vRAN, Open RAN, AI-RAN, cores, private networks, and AI automation tools. These solutions connect hundreds of millions of users globally through mobile operators.
