DT's New Contracts for 5G RAN with Ericsson and Huawei

DT's New Contracts for 5G RAN with Ericsson and Huawei
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Deutsche Telekom has already decided in 2019 to phase out Chinese suppliers from the safety-critical core network. This also applies to the 5G core network, which is currently undergoing standardization. The core network contains the central elements for controlling and processing data in the network. On the other hand, the access or antenna network consists of the radio masts and the associated transmitting and receiving equipment. No data processing takes place in this so-called "Radio Access Network" (RAN).

5G is technically not a stand-alone network but adds new functions and technical features to the existing 4G network. An isolated consideration of 4G and 5G simply contradicts the technical facts. In the antenna network sector, it is technically impossible to upgrade 5G from one manufacturer to 4G components from another manufacturer. In today's existing RAN, mainly components from Ericsson and Huawei are installed.

To upgrade this antenna network from 4G to 5G, Deutsche Telekom will continue to use the existing suppliers Ericsson and Huawei. The company has now concluded new contracts with both companies for this purpose. To ensure greater component diversity in the network in the medium term and to be able to choose between more manufacturers, Deutsche Telekom supports the so-called Open RAN initiative.