Red Hat, Ericsson expanding technical collaborations

Red Hat and Ericsson are expanding their collaboration on developing tools for service providers to build multi-vendor networks to cover validation of network functions and platforms.

The two companies are launching an open platform that extends across a network to cover virtual evolved packed core, 5G core, IMS, operational and business support systems.

The companies’ teams have been integrating Ericsson’s network function solutions with Red Hat OpenShift and Red Hat OpenStack Platform, and have been operating proof-of-concept trials with telcos around the world. Now the companies are involved in their first joint commercial 5G core deployments.

The technical collaboration projects involve addressing Ericsson network functions’ requirements for the Red Hat infrastructure to ensure the platform’s capabilities for onboarding and hosting of the network functions.

This is followed by a thorough validation process that involves extensive lab testing to ensure Ericsson and Red Hat technology are thoroughly pre-tested, optimised and documented prior to deployment in service provider networks.

The cloud-native projects for Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core and Ericsson’s Cloud RAN running on Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform is now in the execution stage, having attracted significant market interest.

The joint work also extends to a broader ecosystem collaboration to simplify integrating different technologies and suppliers in support of a standardised multi-vendor approach to network deployment.

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