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Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has announced an expansion of its partnership with Google Cloud to create an Ericsson Cloud RAN solution on Google Distributed Cloud (GDC). This solution will provide integrated automation with the help of AI/ML to benefit communication service providers (CSPs).

GDC is a set of fully managed hardware and software solutions that extend Google Cloud’s capabilities to the edge and data centers. The teams have successfully demonstrated the implementation of Ericsson vDU and vCU on GDC Edge, which is running live in the Ericsson Open Lab in Ottawa, Canada. They aim to bring this solution to the market.

Deploying Ericsson Cloud RAN on GDC Edge will enable the creation of an automated, large-scale distributed cloud, resulting in an efficient, reliable, high-performance, and secure software-based radio access network infrastructure

Moreover, running Ericsson Cloud RAN on GDC Edge will allow CSPs to use Google Cloud Vertex AI, BigQuery, and other cloud services to enhance the usability of the data generated by Cloud RAN applications. This offers CSPs opportunities to control, inspect, configure, and optimize their RAN infrastructure.

To enhance the automation of network workloads, Ericsson and Google Cloud are working on the Linux Foundation open-source project Nephio. This project is a Kubernetes-based automation platform for deploying and managing distributed workloads like 5G network functions, with the goal of standardizing critical functionality.

Mårten Lerner, Head of Product Line Cloud RAN at Ericsson, states that this partnership deepens their collaboration with Google Cloud and provides new opportunities for operators to benefit from cloud-native solutions and automation.

Ericsson is committed to making its Cloud RAN applications adaptable to various cloud infrastructures, offering operators flexibility and choice in deploying Cloud RAN and supporting evolving hybrid cloud architectures with Google Cloud.