Samsung gained further traction onto VMware’s 5G Telco Cloud Platform, which makes it easier for telecom operators using the VMware platform to deploy Samsung’s 5G components. The validation supports Samsung’s ongoing attempts to boost its 5G core market share and further enhances VMware’s telecom efforts.

The latest advancement is the validation of Samsung’s 5G core to work on the VMware platform. This involved testing, certification and validation of the Samsung 5G core and accompanying network functions for deployment and lifecycle operations with VMware’s technology.

Specific functions validated include access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), user plane function (UPF), network repository function (NRF), and network slice selection function (NSSF).

VMware initially rolled out its overarching Telco Cloud Platform in early 2021, which itself was an expansion of its reorganized and repacked stack of technologies for network operators. It has since updated that specific platform as well as expanded its reach into other 5G markets like private 5G and mobile edge compute.

Specific to its work with Samsung, VMware began those efforts in late 2020. That move called for Samsung to integrate its network core, edge, and radio access network (RAN) offerings with VMware and for Samsung to extend its support for cloud-native architecture by adapting its suite of products for containerized network functions (CNFs) and virtual network functions (VNFs) on VMware’s software stack and network automation services.

VMware earlier this year announced the first commercial collaboration with Samsung, which involved integrating Samsung’s virtualized RAN (vRAN) with VMware’s Telco Cloud Platform as part of Dish Network’s ongoing 5G network deployment. That work built on Dish Network’s plan to deploy 24,000 Samsung open RAN-compliant radios and 5G vRAN software systems running on VMware’s platform that underlines Dish Network’s nascent 5G network.

Samsung’s validation on VMware’s Telco Cloud Platform is similar to ones accomplished by rival 5G equipment vendors Nokia and Ericsson.

Those certification efforts were cited by ABI Research, which last year touted VMware as a market leader. ABI Research analyst Kangrui Ling described VMware’s multivendor certification program as “diverse and robust,” and helped propel the overall platform to a slight market lead over rival Red Hat.

That rivalry is set to intensify as Red Hat continues to hone its telecom efforts across its OpenStack and OpenShift products. Those efforts recently resulted in Nokia offloading primary support and ongoing development of its container and cloud infrastructure operations to Red Hat, including support for Nokia’s 5G, core, open radio access network (RAN) and multi-access edge computing (MEC) services. Despite that focus, Nokia will continue to support its VMware 5G core integration.

VMware’s pending acquisition by Broadcom could also impact that rivalry, though Broadcom’s management has repeatedly said it plans to continue supporting all of VMware’ ongoing efforts, but some are unconvinced.

The VMware validation also further bolsters Samsung’s market positioning. Dell’Oro Group recently reported that Samsung was one of the largest vendors in the open RAN and vRAN space.

That momentum was highlighted earlier this summer when Vodafone officially tapped the vendor to supply virtualized and open RAN equipment for Vodafone’s initiative to deploy 2,500 disaggregated cell sites across the United Kingdom by 2027. The deal expands on extensive work between the two firms and furthers Vodafone’s efforts to replace now-forbidden equipment from China-based vendor Huawei.

“This is Samsung proving that it’s possible for an operator to drop someone like Nokia or Ericsson and go with something new, and it’s OK,” Joe Madden, founder and chief analyst at Mobile Experts, told SDxCental in an interview on the deal. “When we get to 5G-Advanced or 6G networking in 2028, the operators will be looking at what are we going to do? They’re going to look at Samsung as a company that has more experience than Ericsson and Huawei with virtual RAN and we’re gonna go with them. And so I think it’s setting them up well.”