This achievement marks a key milestone in the partnership between Samsung and Orange France, reflecting their commitment to adopting open, software-based network architectures. The initiative supports Orange France’s strategy to diversify its supplier ecosystem, fostering a more robust and innovative network environment.
Prior to the field tests, Samsung and Orange conducted extensive testing in Orange’s laboratories in Lyon, ensuring technical and operational readiness. The successful 4G and 5G calls demonstrated the reliability and maturity of Samsung’s vRAN technology. The companies are now planning to expand the network to additional sites in southwestern and western France by the end of 2025.
Samsung provided its market-leading vRAN solutions for the project, including multi-generational support, O-RAN compliant triple-band radios for low- and mid-bands (700MHz, 800MHz, 900MHz, 1.8GHz, 2.1GHz, and 2.6GHz), and 3.5GHz 32T32R Massive MIMO radios. Additionally, Samsung’s CognitiV Network Operations Suite (NOS), featuring AI-powered Service Management Orchestration (SMO) and Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP), streamlines network automation and facilitates the adoption of new technologies.
“This first call on a virtualized RAN in France, based on Samsung technology, paves the way for our future cloud RAN deployment. This important milestone is the result of an efficient cooperation between Samsung and Orange teams, and the promise to get new achievements through this partnership,” said Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon, CTO Networks at Orange France.
“Our latest work with Orange France is another addition to the array of successful innovations Samsung has introduced in Europe. We are proud to take part in Orange France’s journey toward next-generation networks,” said June Moon, Executive Vice President, Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung collaborated with industry partners, including Dell Technologies for servers, Intel for processors, and Wind River for the cloud platform, to support the project. This follows their earlier success in Romania, where they achieved the industry’s first 2G vRAN call on a shared Open RAN network.
Samsung’s vRAN and Open RAN solutions enhance energy efficiency, reduce hardware costs, and support network sharing, contributing to modernized infrastructure across Europe. Through continuous research and development, Samsung delivers comprehensive 5G solutions, including chipsets, radios, cores, and AI-powered automation tools, providing connectivity to millions worldwide.
