Cloud-native network software provider for mobile operators, Mavenir, and Microelectronics Technology Inc. (MTI), a network solutions provider, have announced the general availability of the Evenstar B3 Remote Radio Head (RRH) in collaboration with Facebook Connectivity.

The Evenstar B3 RRH will give mobile network operators (MNOs) the ability to accelerate the adoption of Open RAN technology by providing standardised architecture and a modular approach for disaggregated Radio Access Network (RAN) components.

Mavenir and MTI have completed end-to-end interoperability testing of the Evenstar B3 RRH and are now lab testing the solution with multiple MNOs around the world. The Evenstar B3 RRH from Mavenir and MTI not only addresses current feature requirements in networks today, but also provides flexibility for future feature upgrades, providing a true Virtualised RAN (vRAN) solution.

Launched last year, the Evenstar program focuses on building general-purpose RAN reference architecture for 4G and 5G networks that are aligned with 3GPP and O-RAN specifications. The Evenstar program also contributes to the Telecom Infra Project (TIP)’s OpenRAN Project Group, working to accelerate the path to commercial deployment of simplified, flexible, disaggregated RAN technologies.

RRHs, distribution units (DU), and control unit (CU) software have traditionally been only available as a packaged unit, limiting opportunities to serve suburban and rural locations. By decoupling these components, the Evenstar program enables MNOs to choose best-in-class technology and deploy solutions from an increasing number of technology partners.

“The availability of low cost RRHs based on OpenRAN specifications is key to faster adoption of OpenRAN. We are excited to work with Facebook, TIP and MTI to bring the first 4G/5G OpenRAN-compliant Evenstar radio to market that is generally available for use by the Open RAN community.” says Pardeep Kohli, president & CEO of Mavenir.

“MTI is excited to announce the general availability of the Evenstar RRH. This is a major milestone for MTI and for our partners in the Open RAN ecosystem. We will continue to introduce more products to the Open RAN market and address the needs of different regions.” says Allen Yen, chairman & CEO of MTI.

The Evenstar B3 RRH is generally available now as part of the Evenstar program, with plans to expand into other Open RAN architectural elements. The Evenstar program will eventually include multiple RRH product SKUs, including FDD B3 (4T4R 4X40W). The RRH architecture is based on O-RAN Alliance Fronthaul specifications based on Split 7.2.

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