NEC pushes vision of open, flexible networks

INTERVIEW: The deputy GM of NEC’s global business unit highlighted the benefits of openness and how open RAN and standalone (SA) 5G give operators more flexibility in designing, deploying and operating networks.

Kazuhiko Harasaki told Mobile World Live the vendor landscape is evolving from a best-of-suite to best-of-breed approach, with open RAN enabling a wider choice of equipment as competition increases and innovation flourishes.

“Once free from vendor lock-in”, he said operators can source equipment from a more diverse range of suppliers, giving them more flexibility and reducing time to market for new service launches.

Harasaki said NEC believes the majority of RANs will become open, encouraging co-creation through collaboration. With 5G, he noted the traditional mobile network topology and architecture are changing, particularly edge deployments, which are extremely important for enabling ultra-low latency communications.

SA deployments “can deliver true 5G services with new capabilities, such as ultra-reliable low-latency communications and massive machine-type communications”.