The News: VMware has an extensive partner ecosystem of virtualized RAN (vRAN) vendors and is committed to helping CSPs take advantage of a horizontal platform with consistent operations across distributed RAN sites. One of its technology partners, Mavenir, is enabling CSPs to deploy its Open Virtualized RAN (Open vRAN) solution. Read the VMware blog here.
VMware and Mavenir Team Up to Confirm Open RAN is a Team Sport
Analyst Take: VMware and Mavenir are committed to validating the commercial readiness of Open vRAN. The alliance includes collaboration between the R&D teams of both firms to fully test and validate Mavenir’s Open vRAN solution, encompassing Mavenir’s O-RAN compliant Distributed Unit (O-DU) and Centralized Unit (O-CU), on VMware Telco Cloud Platform RAN, accelerating the overall time to market for vRAN deployments.
For instance, the joint solution enables DISH Wireless, building a nationwide U.S. 5G greenfield network, to deploy over 7,100 Open RAN cell sites, which support over 40,000 radios, and fulfill the FCC-mandated deadline to cover 20% of the U.S. population within 14 months.
From my view, the alliance further validates the main concept of Open RAN being a team sport as VMware, World Wide Technology (WWT), Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and Mavenir are working together to challenge the mobile market primacy of incumbent vendor proprietary solutions. Specifically, WWT is the lead systems integrator that meets the preference of many CSPs to have “one hand to shake” in the vendor selection process during their nascent adoption of Open RAN.
The WWT relation validates Mavenir’s executing on its own strategic goal of working with lead integrators to help streamline Open RAN sales cycles as well as directly counter the lead integration capabilities of the incumbent suppliers. Together, VMWare and Mavenir, in accord with their partner ecosystems, can address the unique integration and deployment requirements of each CSP. Of key importance, both partners embrace the pivotal role hyperscalers can play since they can provide the platform that assures virtual network elements run on cloud infrastructure.
The VMware-Mavenir alliance is good news for the Open RAN cause as it reinforces the significant rise of Open RAN during 2022 and into 2023. Now the size of the global Open RAN market is expected to rise from $1.1 billion in 2022 to $15.6 billion in 2027, representing a CAGR of 70.5% across the forecast period (according to Markets and Markets).
I anticipate that the Open RAN segment will generate an increasingly larger portion of overall RAN revenues surging from the low single digits to approaching double-digit shares by the end of 2023. For instance, Mavenir, Samsung, Fujitsu, and NEC lead the Open RAN-related revenue pack in 2022 with Asia-Pacific and North America accounting for 95% of the revenues (based on Dell’Oro data).
Key Takeaways: VMware and Mavenir Advance Open RAN
I believe that the VMware-Mavenir partnership will both help fuel and benefit from Open RAN’s worldwide market momentum. For instance, CSP initiatives, such as fulfilling government net zero emission targets and mandates, can help fasten adoption of Open RAN in 2023 and into the foreseeable future. The sustainability goals also align with multi-government initiatives that support Open RAN due to geopolitical considerations such as the phasing out and banning of China-originated RAN equipment from suppliers such as Huawei and stimulating domestic employment related to Open RAN supply chains. Combined with the strategic backing of major CSP operators seeking less reliance on proprietary RAN solutions and more supplier flexibility, the prospects for the VMware-Mavenir duo are brightening in 2023 and throughout the 2020s.
Disclosure: Futurum Research is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of Futurum Research as a whole.
Other insights from Futurum Research:
Mavenir and AMD Ready to OpenBeam Up CSPs to Cloud-Native Networks
Mavenir and Open RAN Prospects Gain Sustainability Boost for 2023
Image Credit: Mavenir
Author Information
Ron is an experienced, customer-focused research expert and analyst, with over 20 years of experience in the digital and IT transformation markets, working with businesses to drive consistent revenue and sales growth.
Ron holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from University of Nevada — Las Vegas and a Bachelor of Arts in political science/government from William and Mary.
