Frontrunning Open RAN Radio Units in preparation for TIP-incubated global trials 

(29 Oct 2020, Hong Kong) – Comba Telecom Systems Holdings Limited (“Comba Telecom” or “the Group”, SEHK stock code: 2342), a global leading solutions and services provider of wireless and information communications systems, announced that it has started numerous Open RAN technology validation and trials with leading operators in Europe, MENA, APAC, Australia and more. The Open Radio solutions provided by Comba are deploying in large scale trials and will be commercialized in Q1 next year. 

Open RAN technology is becoming a driving force in RAN architecture innovation. Market analysts predict that the Open RAN market will be a $5 billion opportunity by 2025 [1]. Being a leading radio solution provider and a member of Telecom Infra Project’s ("TIP") OpenRAN Project Group, Comba Telecom takes an active part in global Open RAN projects to support the development and deployment of Open RAN technologies to meet the increasing demand for open network architecture. 

Given its in-depth knowledge and experience in radio technologies, Comba Telecom’s R&D team has employed more resources to expand its Open Radio product portfolio and has completed or is actively working with major ORAN DU/CU partners on its fronthaul eCPRI 8.0 and 7.2 integration tests. The latest Open Radio product portfolio embraces bands of both high power and low power radios, which will provide customers with a complete solution for all applications such as rural area or suburban coverage, in-building coverage or capacity improvement and private network, etc. Recently, Comba Telecom has been named as Open RAN Radio Unit frontrunner by Vodafone in its request for information (“RFI”). Comba scored well in multiple categories, including multi-band RRH (“Remote Radio Head”), single-band RRH, energy consumption efficiency, and portfolio breadth [2]. This further proves Comba’s technical capability and overall competitiveness in radio solutions. 

Ms. Annabel Huo, Executive Director, Senior Vice President of the Group and President of Comba Telecom International said, “Comba Telecom has been working diligently with industry leaders and innovators to bring value for operators in network modernization. We see the potential in Open RAN architecture, which opens up more opportunity for innovation in network products and deployments, which in turn will create real value for both operators and end customers. We have put great effort into Open RAN radio R&D to provide reliable, highly efficient, and future-proof radio solutions for our customers. We will continue to expand our state-of-the-art open radio product portfolio in the market, as well as to work closely with TIP and global operators like Vodafone to support global Open RAN development.” 

Mr. David Hutton, Chief Engineer of TIP said, “The quality of responses to the Vodafone RFI, including from Comba Telecom, illustrates how far OpenRAN solutions have come in a short period of time and how the industry is now well prepared to address an increasing demand for these solutions.” 

For more information about Comba’s Open RAN Solution, please visit: https://www.comba-telecom.com/en/openran-solutions.

[1] “Open RAN Market Expected to Eclipse $5 B According to Dell'Oro Group”, Dell'Oro Group, Sep 01, 2020: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/open-ran-market-expected-to-eclipse-5-b-according-to-delloro-group-301121465.html 

[2] “Vodafone IDs Open RAN radio unit frontrunners”, TelecomTV, Ray Le Maistre, Oct 6, 2020, https://www.telecomtv.com/content/open-ran/vodafone-ids-open-ran-radio-unit-frontrunners-39841/