StarHub & NTT DOCOMO achieve Singapore's first Open RAN call

StarHub has announced the successful execution of Singapore's first Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) call on its 5G network. This development, conducted in collaboration with NTT DOCOMO, represents a significant step forward in telecommunications.

Ayush Sharma, StarHub's Chief Technology Officer, commented on the event. "With the successful demonstration of our Open RAN, in collaboration with NTT DOCOMO, we are thrilled to be the first to bring it to market, marking this significant milestone for StarHub and Singapore," he said. "This not only underscores our commitment to delivering first-of-its-kind innovations that afford enterprises greater value, flexibility and customisability to choose what is best to meet their needs, but also lets us vastly rethink how we approach network infrastructure differently."

The Open RAN approach differentiates itself from traditional Radio Access Networks by allowing enterprises to customise various components, such as radios and base stations, according to their specific needs. This decoupling provides a 'vendor-agnostic' environment where standardised, open interfaces enable different vendors' equipment to work together seamlessly on a commercial or production core network. This flexibility can lead to reduced costs and optimised network performance, tailored through RAN Intelligent Controllers according to user demands.

Sadayuki Abeta, OREX Evangelist and Chief Open RAN Strategist of NTT DOCOMO, explained the broader implications of this technology. "On top of giving MNOs the freedom of choice and lowering operational costs, Open RAN allows MNOs to keep up with the latest technology, freeing them from any particular provider's roadmap," he said. "This opens the door to an infinite number of possibilities in how we build networks around the world, and NTT DOCOMO and OREX SAI are excited to partner with StarHub in this endeavour."

Keysight Technologies validated StarHub's Open RAN. Using Keysight's UeSIM UE Emulation RAN Solutions, which validate end-to-end Radio Access Network performance by emulating real network traffic, StarHub's Open RAN was thoroughly tested for network reliability, performance, and implementation. The validation showed promising results, with the network achieving a downlink throughput of up to 1.295Gbps, an uplink throughput of up to 73.5Mbps, and an average latency of 15ms.

This achievement reflects StarHub's commitment to pioneering technological advancements in telecommunications. The company, together with NTT DOCOMO, intends to continue its collaboration to further develop and extend Open RAN's capabilities, shaping the future of communications in Singapore and beyond.

Representatives from NTT DOCOMO, Keysight Technologies and Fujitsu attended the field trial at StarHub's office, reiterating the strategic importance of this launch. This move is seen as an effort to redefine how network infrastructure can be approached, providing more flexible and cost-effective solutions for enterprises.