LAS VEGAS – Rakuten expanded the reach of its Symworld platform, signing a deal to host that all-encompassing cloud-native telecom platform on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Rakuten also added a new edge-focused component to the platform with plans to use those capabilities on its home network in Japan.

The AWS plan will allow other telecom operators to tap into the Symworld platform via AWS. This will make it easier to access the platform’s services from a public cloud provider many are already partnering with to power parts of their 5G networks.

The TM Forum-compliant Symworld platform includes access to more than 110 pre-integrated and test cloud-native functions developed by Rakuten Symphony and its more than 56 vendor partners.

Rakuten formed its Symphony division last year with a focus on expanding its open radio access network (RAN) architecture into more networks around the world. The division initially housed the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP) and Rakuten’s various open RAN technology assets and services.

The RCP platform earlier this year was rebranded as Symworld. It includes a RAN intelligent controller (RIC), open RAN functions and services, security, service assurance, and operations and business support services (OSS/BSS).

Outside of the AWS expansion, Rakuten Symphony launched general availability of its Symware distributed unit (DU) product. It plans to deploy 30,000 of the edge appliances across 23,000 of its cell site locations in Japan over the next 10 months.

Rakuten said the deployment will reduce its need for centralized data center resources.

The edge appliance was initially unveiled last year alongside product partners Intel and Juniper Networks. The product includes containerized cell site routing functions and a containerized distributed unit (DU) on a single-rack, general-purpose server. It’s designed to simplify cell site deployments in an open RAN environment.

The kit provides a consistent routing stack across physical and virtualized RAN (vRAN) architecture. It enables 5G network slicing features in RAN and transport, including slice isolation, monitoring, and dynamic traffic steering through segment routing, according to the trio of companies involved.

Symware also supports automation with zero-touch provisioning, telemetry and analytics for the components, and relies on Kubernetes for orchestration and networking. The pre-integrated hardware runs containerized RAN software from Altiostar – which Rakuten acquired last year for $1 billion – Xeon D processors and FlexRAN reference software from Intel, and Juniper’s cloud-native routing stack.

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