NEW DELHI: Indian ICT industry’s growing capabilities around hardware and software architecture development for 5G networks are allowing Japan’s Rakuten to expand its R&D presence in the country to build its Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP).
The company’s group CTO Tareq Amin said that India is also helping it globalize its platform and solutions.
Rakuten is expanding its research and development (R&D) footprint in India by doubling its workforce in Bangalore. It is also expanding its presence in Indore.
Amin said that it is working with all large Indian IT players to address the global telecom market. “…we are in deep partnership and collaboration to help that would help both us as well as the service providers in India to transform this industry, as well as the potential for global telecom transformation,†Amin said during a fireside chat at ETTelecom’s 5G Congress virtual event.
“…there is not a better, more exciting time for India, especially as India starts to become more apparent in its capability in hardware building and software architecture building for 5G network,†Amin added.
Rakuten’s CTO said that India plays a pivotal role in its transformation towards an open network platform architecture.
“The ICT industry in India has embraced the journey that Rakuten is moving towards…they not only embraced it, they wanted to participate, and are always calling us to say how we can help and how we can do more,†Amin said.
The Japanese company is currently engaging with a number of Indian IT companies like HCL and TechMahindra to develop various products and solutions for the telecom industry, including its Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP).
“…we engage with a good number of Indian service IT industry providers largely because of their ability to help us innovate, ability to help us to disrupt and we have a massive cultural compatibility towards what the telecom future would look like,†Amin added.
Amin said that OpenRAN technology will allow Indian telecom service providers to “fundamentally†transform the way they manage and architect their future platform for the 5G technology.
“…you [Indian telcos] have a fantastic opportunity in 5G to completely depart the old world…focus on a network that is absolutely driven by AI, machine learning, and the network that truly could achieve the vision of level four autonomous networking,†Amin said.
OpenRAN as a concept enables hardware and software to be dis-aggregated, unlike conventional radio gears, allowing technology products from different suppliers to co-exist with the various software providers. Indian telcos are eyeing OpenRAN as a viable method to cut network-related costs and bring in more customisations as they upgrade their networks to 5G technology.
“…it is very plausible and very possible to achieve a day where your traditional Service Assurance, traditional field maintenance, traditional field technician, you have a massive opportunity to transform all this legacy organization as you adopt new platform architecture…OpenRAN is fundamental, but also the data foundation to how you gather data, how you gather telemetry, how you drive towards autonomous network, will give India In my opinion, a distinct opportunity to compete if they embrace these new platform designs,†Amin added.
All three private Indian telcos are eyeing OpenRAN as a viable method to cut network-related costs and bring in more customisations as they upgrade their networks to 5G technology. They are in touch with various companies like NEC, Altiostar and Mavenir among others to adopt the new technology.
