Verizon infuses AI in network, accelerates Open RAN innovation with multi-vendor RAN Intelligent Controller deployment

New York, NY - Verizon, in collaboration with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., has successfully deployed multi-vendor RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) functionality in its commercial network. This deployment marks a significant advancement in Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) technology and demonstrates yet another way Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used in Verizon’s network to drive operational efficiency and ensure Verizon customers are always connected to the very best network experience. In this first multi-vendor deployment, Verizon integrated Samsung's AI-powered Energy Saving Manager (AI-ESM) with Qualcomm Dragonwing^TM RAN Automation Suite’s RIC to integrate energy efficiency into its network. 

“Verizon has been driving innovation in and adoption of O-RAN throughout the industry because we believe an open and standardized network drives more competition, more innovation, and increased supplier diversity,” said Adam Koeppe, Senior Vice President of Network Technology, Strategy, and Planning at Verizon. “Expanding on our industry-leading success with deploying O-RAN compliant radios and distributed units throughout our network, the introduction of the RAN Intelligent Controller will allow for greater flexibility and control over network operations.”

What is a RAN Intelligent Controller enabled by O-RAN

The RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) is a software-based component within a mobile network's Radio Access Network (RAN) that uses artificial intelligence and automation to optimize network performance by making decisions based on network conditions. It's a key part of the Open RAN architecture, enabling the integration of third-party applications to enhance network capabilities.

“As the world moves toward a more interconnected future with 5G and beyond, the expectation for us is to deliver seamless, high-quality network experiences while managing the complexities of modern mobile networks,” continued Koeppe. “RAN Intelligent Control is emerging as a key enabler of efficient, adaptive, and scalable network operations and fits within our growing portfolio of automation and orchestration capabilities on the network.”

The RIC controls applications that manage numerous functions on the network called rApps that leverage data and insights from the RAN to improve various aspects of mobile communication, such as coverage, capacity, efficiency and service quality. Historically, automation platforms have been developed and run by the same vendors providing proprietary hardware and software in a closed ecosystem. However, with the evolution of the RAN Intelligent Controller, they are now being developed independently of specific vendors and deployed on virtualized, open platforms.  Verizon can now efficiently manage intelligent solutions and applications like rApps utilizing open interfaces and standardized protocols from standards bodies such as 3GPP and the O-RAN Alliance, allowing for more flexible and scalable network deployment and management.   

Enhancing Network Performance with AI-Powered Solutions

In this first multi-vendor deployment, Verizon integrated Samsung's AI-powered Energy Saving Manager (AI-ESM) with Qualcomm® Dragonwing RAN Intelligent Controller to integrate energy efficiency in its commercial network. The joint work demonstrated the operation of a multi-vendor ecosystem and resulted in energy savings.

• Samsung’s AI-ESM enables Verizon to maximize network energy efficiency and facilitates a more sustainable approach without compromising network performance and user experience. It identifies various site environments, learns traffic patterns by location and time of day, and evaluates the extent of impact on network performance—helping to find the optimal threshold value.
  
  This solution automatically switches off cell or transmission paths within a cell site during periods of low traffic (when traffic load is below threshold value) to conserve power, and turns them back on when data traffic increases again (when traffic load reaches threshold value). By applying this, Verizon was able to achieve an energy savings gain of 15% on average, with a maximum of 35% per sector during low traffic periods in a variety of field tests
  
  
• The Qualcomm Dragonwing RAN Automation Suite builds programmability to enable a vendor-neutral rApp marketplace. The RAN Automation Suite DML (Data Management Layer) provides applications with RAN AI Services, including HNN (Hybrid Neural Network) and DNN (Deep Neural Network) technology, for AI-Driven RAN Management.

“We believe that virtualization is the key to realizing the true benefits of AI. Samsung's software-based vRAN provides the most optimal foundation to apply and utilize AI technology,” said Magnus Ojert, Senior Vice President & Head of US Networks Business, Samsung Electronics America. “Leveraging the large-scale vRAN network that Verizon and Samsung have built together, we will continue to maintain our competitive edge in the AI era, advancing AI-powered solutions to create a positive impact on the environment around the world.”

"We are thrilled to extend our longstanding relationship with Verizon through this groundbreaking multi-vendor RAN Intelligent Controller deployment, leveraging the Qualcomm Dragonwing RAN Automation Suite,” said Ofir Zemer, VP, Product Management, Qualcomm Israel Ltd. “By enabling a vendor-neutral rApp marketplace, empowered by a set of RAN AI services, we are jointly fostering a diverse ecosystem and supporting a path of democratizing RAN AI.”