KT partners NTT Docomo, Fujitsu to bring open RAN

South Korean operator KT and Fujitsu have completed a verification facility at the KT Research and Development Center in Seoul. The two companies used Fujitsu’s Open RAN-based 5G base station equipment to test call connection during interoperability trials for open fronthaul. Japanese operator NTT Docomo has provided Fujitsu with technical support throughout the project. With the construction of this new test facility, KT plans to accelerate the introduction of Open RAN technology to its Korean 5G network. 

As a result of their collaboration, the three companies have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding, to introduce software-defined virtualized RAN and RAN Intelligent Controller in line with the ‘5G Open RAN Ecosystem’, an initiative whose participants include NTT Docomo and Fujitsu. The three partners plan to jointly develop an O-RAN test facility and multi-vendor interoperability testing in Korea. In addition to these activities, the three companies target the global expansion of Open RAN. 

KT, Fujitsu test multi-vendor interoperability with O-RAN fronthaul 

KT and Fujitsu carried out an Open RAN verification facility and conducted testing for multi-vendor interoperability with O-RAN open fronthaul in October 2021. For the testing facility, KT used Fujitsu’s 5G base stations. The tests involved verification of the interoperability between the base station controllers of Fujitsu’s 5G base station equipment and a Korean medium-sized vendor’s radio unit, as well as communication tests. The companies verified O-RAN compliant operation during the tests. Fujitsu supplied KT with 5G base station equipment and provided support during the verification tests, while Fujitsu in turn received NTT Docomo’s technical support for multi-vendor interoperability testing. 

Moving forward, KT aims to further expand its verification facilities with an eye toward the future introduction of Open RAN based vRAN and RIC systems.