StarHub, a leading telecommunications company in Singapore, has successfully completed Southeast Asia’s first 5G Cloud Radio Access Network (RAN) trial in collaboration with Nokia and Dell Technologies. This trial is part of StarHub’s ambitious Cloud Infinity program aimed at accelerating digital transformation for its customers, marking a significant step towards advanced 5G and future 6G capabilities. The trial showcased the substantial potential of a cloud-based platform in enhancing network performance, efficiency, and resilience, providing a glimpse into the future of mobile networks.
Enhancing Network Efficiency and Performance
The trial underscored the advantages of a cloud-based platform in improving network efficiency and performance, utilizing Nokia’s commercial 5G Cloud RAN solution. This innovative solution integrated seamlessly with leading cloud or server infrastructures, enabling the establishment of a carrier-grade call that demonstrated consistency with existing purpose-built RAN. The ability to integrate with cloud infrastructures ensures greater flexibility and scalability, which are critical in meeting the growing demand for high-speed mobile internet services.
One of the core strengths of adopting Cloud RAN lies in laying the foundation for AI-RAN infrastructure. This technology supports artificial intelligence for workload management, allowing mobile network operators like StarHub to scale their network resources more efficiently. By effectively managing workloads, AI-RAN infrastructure provides improved network performance, reducing latency, and enhancing user experience. Cloud RAN also facilitates various use cases, including time-of-day services, ultra-low latency applications, and services requiring dynamic throughput adaptations. These capabilities open new service opportunities, paving the way for innovative applications and revenue streams for enterprise customers.
Collaborating for Comprehensive Solutions
Key elements of the trial included Nokia’s virtualized distributed units (vDU) and centralized units (vCU) running on Dell PowerEdge XR8620 servers, with Red Hat OpenShift supporting cloud-native RAN functions across the network. This collaboration highlighted the synergy between StarHub, Nokia, and Dell Technologies, delivering a comprehensive and powerful Cloud RAN solution. The integration of these cutting-edge technologies showcased the robustness and potential of a cloud-based network in addressing future mobile communication needs.
StarHub’s Chief Technology Officer, Ayush Sharma, expressed a strong commitment to delivering high-performing networks and innovative services. He emphasized that this partnership significantly enhances the network’s performance and prepares it for future demands. Andrew Vaz of Dell Technologies noted that the collaboration aims to drive transformation for service providers by improving Cloud RAN efficiency, performance, and scalability. Jae Won of Nokia highlighted the flexibility and consistency provided by their Cloud RAN solution, positioning StarHub’s network for AI-RAN and other future innovations.
Future Implications and Growth
This achievement was made possible through collaboration with Nokia and Dell Technologies. The 5G trial falls under StarHub’s ambitious Cloud Infinity program, which aims to accelerate digital transformation for its customers and represents a major step towards advanced 5G and future 6G capabilities. The RAN trial demonstrated the substantial potential of a cloud-based platform in boosting network performance, improving efficiency, and enhancing resilience. This accomplishment offers a glimpse into the future of mobile networks and highlights the ongoing progress in telecom innovation. By leveraging cutting-edge cloud technology, StarHub is paving the way for a more dynamic and robust communication infrastructure. This trial signifies not just an advancement in technology but also a commitment to providing better connectivity solutions for the region.