Rakuten Symphony and Tejas Partner to Expand Open RAN in India and Beyond

New Partnership for Open RAN Solutions

On Thursday, Rakuten Symphony and Tejas Networks revealed their strategic alliance aimed at crafting integrated Open RAN solutions. This partnership will focus on joint marketing initiatives to boost sales in India and other global markets.

Integration of Technology

The collaboration intends to merge Rakuten Symphony’s core and distributed unit software, operations support systems (OSS), and cloud offerings with Tejas Networks’ 4G and 5G radio technologies. Both companies will also investigate ways to implement and enhance 4G and 5G networks domestically and abroad, although specific financial details haven’t been shared.

Vision for High-Performance Networks

Sharad Sriwastawa, president of Rakuten Symphony, stated, “By integrating Rakuten’s cloud-native software and orchestration capabilities with Tejas Networks’ reliable radio technology, we aim to deliver flexible and efficient network solutions capable of adapting to the fast-evolving telecom sector.”

Market Demand for Open RAN in India

The demand for Open RAN technology in India is still being evaluated. Among the country’s three main private telecom operators, only Vodafone Idea has experimented with Open RAN, collaborating with Mavenir on a pilot project last year. Conversely, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have voiced concerns regarding the current maturity and cost-effectiveness of the Open RAN ecosystem.

Exploring International Markets

To address these challenges, the partnership is also looking at opportunities beyond Indian borders, specifically targeting regions like the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Here, Rakuten Symphony is already conducting Open RAN trials with various operators.

Strategic Goals

Kumar N. Sivarajan, CTO and co-founder of Tejas, emphasized that this partnership will blend their established RAN infrastructure with Rakuten’s reliable cloud-native RAN software. The goal is to provide innovative solutions that can cater to a global market.

What are your thoughts on this new partnership and its potential impact on the telecom landscape?