Open vRAN Domain Orchestration

Bring automation, scale and agility to the new Open RAN

Netcracker Open vRAN Domain Orchestration automates the end-to-end service lifecycle from planning and design to activation, optimization and assurance across the entire multivendor Open vRAN domain.

Solution Overview

Maximize Open vRAN Benefits with Netcracker’s Domain Orchestration Approach

Open vRAN is a highly disruptive technology that will bring many benefits to CSPs, especially during the evolution to 5G. By opening up the RAN to multiple vendors and virtualizing the software across highly distributed edge nodes, costs will be significantly reduced, highly dynamic services will be enabled and the RAN domain will experience far greater levels of innovation.

However, these Open vRAN benefits can only be achieved with a new OSS environment that brings automation and agility to the RAN.

Netcracker’s Open vRAN Domain Orchestration solution brings together the orchestration, OSS and analytics functions needed to fully automate all aspects of the RAN domain from planning and design to activation, assurance and optimization. The solution leverages the expertise of Netcracker’s parent company, NEC, and pre-integration has been completed with many industry-leading Open vRAN partners such as Altiostar, Red Hat and Dell.

Our Open vRAN solution allows CSPs to benefit from a broad open ecosystem. We simplify integration through our use of cloud-native Digital OSS components, with open APIs and standards conformance (including 3GPP, O-RAN Alliance and YANG service models). The solution provides a common automated operations environment for 4G and 5G, including support for gNB, 5G RU and network slicing.

Automating planning and design to meet business KPIs

Netcracker Active Resource Inventory consolidates information for RAN design and planning from many sources, including radio and network planning, eNB/gNBs and NFVI. The consolidated information can be visualized in real-time geographic views to highlight the most problematic or business critical RAN zones. Netcracker Planning and Design systems are used to manage the physical RAN assets and include special procedures for acceptance management.

Fast activation of multivendor physical and virtual RAN network functions

Intelligent placement and activation of VNF/CNF resources are automated using Netcracker Network and Service Orchestration at far and near edge sites. Each physical and virtual network element is configured in a central manner with specific parameters using Netcracker Configuration Management. Netcracker Service Orchestration automates service provisioning and service lifecycle management across the entire hybrid Open vRAN domain.

Netcracker uses its extensive DevOps processes, tools and best practices, with CSPs and ecosystem partners, to simplify the complexity of multivendor RAN and ensure that software updates and new features are implemented quickly.

End-to-end visualization and optimization to maximize performance

With Netcracker’s Active Resource Inventory, together with Resource Monitoring and AI/Advanced Analytics, information is consolidated from many different sources including real-time topology changes. The information can be displayed in many ways to show problems, optimize planning, predict events, simplify analysis and ensure business KPIs can be maintained. Any changes will automatically trigger lifecycle events and optimization processes. Netcracker’s Non-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller maximizes RAN optimization with AI/ML and plays a critical role in 5G RAN slicing. The solution enables new innovative use cases, including AI-driven energy-efficient optimization of massive MIMO antenna systems, for superior RAN performance and user experience. Access the demo video.

New revenue growth with MEC applications

Over time, Open vRAN edge nodes will evolve into highly intelligent MEC platforms hosting a variety of value-added services and MEC applications. Netcracker’s Open vRAN Domain Orchestration solution can accommodate this evolution seamlessly by incorporating a MEC Orchestration function that is compliant with the evolving ETSI ISG standard (MEAO). MEC Orchestration supports placement and lifecycle management of MEC applications at the optimal edge, region or central location.