Samsung and Intel expanded a 5G vRAN partnership to cover integration of the vendor’s latest software into the latter’s Xeon Scalable silicon to deliver capacity improvements.

In a statement, Samsung explained the integration of its vRAN 3.0 software with Intel’s fourth-generation silicon will broaden the number of cell sites which can be processed on existing servers, in turn benefitting operators by saving power and increasing cost efficiency.

The companies have partnered on vRAN since 2017 and completed interoperability tests by making a call using the set-up, which is expected to be commercially available during H2.

Park Jeong-ho, head of Technology Strategy Group at Samsung’s Networks Business, said the collaboration will advance “the next wave of vRAN enhancements, including reduced power consumption, automation and increased flexibility”.

“This enables customers to benefit from a host of performance- and efficiency-enhancing vRAN capabilities, delivering one of the most powerful RAN solutions in the world.”

Cristina Rodriguez, VP and GM of Intel’s wireless access networking division, stated the latest agreement will enable the companies to “jointly speed-up operators’ vRAN deployments at scale and to deliver a strong combination of flexibility, performance and power efficiency”.