BARCELONA, SPAIN -- Mavenir, the cloud-native network infrastructure provider building the future of networks, today announces that it is in the advanced commercial phase of an Open RAN network pilot deployment for Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi). The deployment now underway, which commenced in September 2023, covers key launch sites and is currently carrying live commercial traffic ahead of a planned large-scale deployment. The pilot marks the first O-RAN-compliant deployment into Vodafone Idea’s network, utilising the N78 and N258 millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum bands and B1 supporting NSA architecture.

Mavenir and Red Hat continue to work with customers and partners to offer one of the strongest open RAN ecosystems available today. In this instance, Mavenir is providing a complete, end-to-end cloud-native Open RAN system for the Indian operator - incorporating a Distributed Unit (DU) solution based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and Mavenir’s scalable and modular OpenBeam™ Radios, Centralized Unit (CU) plus full Mavenir Remote Radio Unit (RRU) and RAN software capabilities all running on Red Hat OpenShift, the industry’s leading hybrid cloud application platform powered by Kubernetes, - optimised for deployment in urban environments.

Commenting on the deployment, Jagbir Singh, Chief Technical Officer of Vodafone Idea, said, “We are proud to be demonstrating our leadership in exploring next-generation radio solutions that can deliver sustainable advantages to our business and to our customers. This Open RAN deployment, delivered through Mavenir’s innovation and joint technological strategic initiatives, is in sync with our technology transformation roadmap and enriched vendor ecosystem. Working in partnership with solution of Mavenir, we see a major role ahead for Open RAN technology in delivering the network enhanced capabilities, better TCO and open interfaces that will push the industry forward in new ways.”

BG Kumar, President Access Networks, Platforms, and Digital Enablement at Mavenir, said: “Vodafone Idea is leading the way in bringing the clear benefits of Open RAN technology to the Indian market, which is characterized by unique challenges and opportunities, including its very large subscriber base, high level of population density and diverse deployment environments. Mavenir is actively engaged in building out the ecosystem that will deliver next-generation Open RAN technology platforms enhancing customer experience across India - powering greater growth, flexibility, customisation and customer-focused innovation, while driving down CapEx and OpEx for operators.”

Honoré LaBourdette, acting senior vice president, Global Telco, and vice president, Telco, Media and Entertainment Partner Ecosystem, Red Hat, said: “Red Hat is dedicated to helping service providers implement open RAN solutions for more freedom of choice and new 5G use cases like 5G core, edge computing, AI/ML and more. By collaborating with Mavenir, Red Hat OpenShift helps provide Vodafone Idea with a reliable platform that can scale to meet their customer’s needs.”