AT&T extended a partnership with Rakuten Symphony to spur the development of its open RAN network by simplifying operations across legacy systems to support cell site functions.
The operator is using Rakuten Site Management to streamline operations and replace the legacy systems, allowing AT&T to optimise productivity for its open RAN build.
After announcing a $14 billion open RAN deal with Ericsson in 2023, AT&T’s goal is to move 70 per cent of its 5G network traffic across open hardware by late 2026.
The plan includes scaling its open RAN environment this year.
To move to an open and cloud RAN infrastructure, AT&T’s network simplification transformation project aims to streamline operations by consolidating legacy systems for cell site functions.
“It is all internal tooling from the last 30 years, ranging from spreadsheets shared via email through web apps,” Rakuten Symphony CMO Geoff Hollingworth told Mobile World Live. “Nobody in the industry focused on this, so it is all bespoke and home grown and has become messy.”
Rakuten Site Management provides a workflow driven end-to-end process orchestrator for site planning, design, compliance and construction.
It is currently in use by more than 10,000 registered users within AT&T and its contractors.
The operator is also using Rakuten Site Management to orchestrate its fibre expansion plans.
Financial terms and the length of the multi-year contract were not disclosed.
Rakuten Symphony first inked a contract with AT&T in 2022.