Fujitsu and Xilinx are looking to help the U.S. ramp up 5G deployment to compete with the rest of the world.
Fujitsu and Xilinx will collaborate to assist with the development and deployment of 5G throughout the United States. One of the larger countries from a geographical standpoint with a large market for wireless communications, the U.S. is looking to ramp up the reach of 5G throughout its borders as the latest generation of wireless continues to find its way in the world.
Xilinx’s UltraScale+ is being put into Fujitsu’s O-RAN 5G radio units (O-RUs) which will allow multiple vendors to operate between the components of the baseband and radio unit. The result will allow for a greater range of customizable solutions and network flexibility for mobile operators moving into the 5G world. O-RAN partnerships and concepts like this continue to take center stage in the world of 5G as multiple operators work to provide the quickest, fastest, and cheapest solutions to elevate each other and the 5G industry as a whole.
The SVP who is the Head of the Mobile System Business Unit for Fujitsu, Masaki Taniguchi believes this collaboration can “deliver a solid foundation for enabling the great benefits of O-RAN that are central to 5G deployments.” Taniguchi added, “Our Fujitsu design team worked closely with Xilinx on our O-RAN radio units to enable greater flexibility and cost savings while also delivering greater innovation as well as new capabilities for 5G networks.”
Because of the innovative power-saving technology and a smaller surface area used to regulate waveform-processing applications, Xilinx’s UltraScale+ devices will cut costs. This means that on top of the enhancements that will take place when using Fujitsu’s O-RUs, operators will save money while gaining the ability to use a broader range of spectrum and support multi-band applications. Fujitsu is also assessing the benefits of using Xilinx’s programmable radio-frequency system-on-a-chip (RFSoC) which is capable of reducing power usage and costs associated with 5G massive-MIMO and mmWave wireless backhaul applications by as much as 50-75%.
Speculation About DISH Wireless?
In 2020, one of the biggest stories in 5G was the establishment of DISH Wireless and the announcement that the company would become the fourth major wireless carrier in America. What would follow is an ever-growing list of vendors that will help the newest face in 5G create a nationwide, innovative 5G network. One of those vendors is Fujitsu.
This is important because DISH Wireless is building a very distinct 5G network from the ground up. There are a variety of points to be made, but these two stand out when discussing DISH Wireless and Fujitsu: O-RAN and greenfield. Particularly, because DISH Wireless is a member of the O-RAN Alliance.
Working to create solutions meant to spread 5G throughout America is one thing and yes, many companies are adhering to O-RAN specifications to create more at a cheaper rate, but Fujitsu is already a vendor that is working with DISH Wireless. The terms of DISH Wireless becoming a major wireless provider include that the company must build out to 75% of the U.S. by June 2025 or face a multibillion-dollar fine. This means there is plenty of work and lots of areas to cover in a short amount of time.
Further speculation comes from the fact that DISH Wireless is building its 5G network from the ground up. To save money and time, the offshoot from the leaders in satellite television are building their 5G network using a greenfield design. What this means is that for a lot of DISH Wireless’s build-out, the company will use existing structures to implement the physical components of their 5G network. This is why there were many raised eyebrows when the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Xilinx Liam Madden stated that the solution Fujitsu and Xilinx create will become a part of “a major greenfield 5G network.” This idea is furthered by the fact that DISH Wireless purchased a rather large amount of O-RAN Alliance-compliant low and mid-band radios from Fujitsu back in June 2020.
Source: RCR Wireless