Vodafone has developed a “prototype” 5G community constructed onto a Raspberry PI utilizing an “superior silicon chipset”, and is hailing it as a way for small companies and houses to get on-line cheaply.
Saying the prototype in a press launch (opens in new tab) and promotional video (opens in new tab), the corporate claims that the product will provide a conveyable 5G community “for the price of a wi-fi router”.
The information follows Vodafone’s announcement in 2022 of its partnership with over 20 chip distributors, together with Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom and ARM, aimed toward producing new Open RAN-compliant services, reminiscent of inside the cell non-public community (MPN) sector, at Vodafone’s European R&D Heart in Málaga, Spain.
Vodafone’s “democratization” of MPNs
Vodafone’s prototype works by becoming a Raspberry Pi 4 with a 5G-compatible radio circuit board produced by UK firm Lime Microsystems, turning the Pi right into a base station that may turn into a part of a personal community, an extension of a bigger MPN, or hook up with Vodafone’s public networks.
Whereas an thrilling growth, it’s essential to notice that MPNs have been round for a while, with Cisco having detailed its personal plans for a personal 5G community platform at 2022’s MWC convention.
That being stated, it’s encouraging that Vodafone desires to deliver compact and transportable MPNs to the plenty. It notes that the expertise is, thus far, largely utilized by giant companies who want a large-scale community to attach a number of gadgets directly.
But it surely additionally desires that to vary, claiming that smaller companies, and even households and people, might stand to learn from the ease-of-setup, portability and privateness of MPNs.
Santiago Tenorio, Director of Community Structure for Vodafone, notes that the prototype, developed, is aimed toward bringing “large knowledge applied sciences” to small companies all through Europe.
“The subsequent step,” he says, “is to take concepts like this to a spot the place they are often developed and finally produced. Our door is open to distributors.”
Vodafone will reveal a 5G community operating on a Pi machine on the Cellular World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, on Monday 27 February, 2023.
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