Telecom Italia laid claim to being one of the first operators in Europe and the only one in its domestic market to deploy open RAN in its mobile network, teaming with vendor JMA Wireless.

In a statement, Telecom Italia explained the initiative was covered by an MoU it signed with other European heavyweights to promote open RAN, adding it will use the launch to deploy new consumer and business services on its commercial network.

The operator targets faster deployment of 5G, cloud and edge computing capabilities by using open RAN.

Telecom Italia stated the city of Faenza is spearheading its open RAN deployment, with hardware and software components being decoupled “with a view to fostering a broader industrial ecosystem”.

The approach forms part of Telecom Italia’s Beyond Connnectivity strategy, which aims to tap the potential of cloud and AI in its mobile network.

Telecom Italia follows Vodafone UK, which deployed a live open RAN site in August 2020 as part of a goal to equip at least 2,600 sites by 2027.