Mavenir is at the forefront of telecom innovation, driving advancements in AI-powered connectivity, satellite communications, and Open RAN.
In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review at the 18th edition of the Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit, Mark Charman, VP MEA at Mavenir, explored how the aforementioned technologies are transforming network operations, enhancing sustainability, and shaping the future of 5G-Advanced.
Mavenir’s NIaaS has elevated the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of operational personnel, enabling them to improve network operations productivity. How important is this in achieving enhanced end-user experience?
Network Intelligence-as-a-Service (NIaaS) has significantly enhanced the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of operational personnel at the CSB, enabling improved network operations productivity, the enforcement of service level agreements (SLAs), enhanced user experiences, and more efficient utilization of network resources. Mavenir has successfully applied AI to telecom operations, delivering deep insights into network and user behavior, while recommending configuration changes to optimize the end-user experience.
Mavenir’s framework integrates cloud-native automation with AI and machine learning-driven intelligence into telecom operations, ensuring a seamless and consistent user experience across the MNO's network. By implementing these frameworks, networks can autonomously respond to service demands and customer needs in real time. Additionally, such intelligent networks can self-correct, dynamically manage resources, and proactively optimize performance to deliver an enhanced end-user experience.
How is Mavenir’s cloud-native software leveraging AI to transform sustainable connectivity?
Mavenir offers a comprehensive, end-to-end framework for building autonomous networks, with two key components: Mavenir’s Cloud-Native Automation and NIaaS frameworks.
Mavenir’s Cloud-Native Automation accelerates time-to-market (TTM) and reduces operational expenses by automating and orchestrating software deployments and the lifecycle management of cloud-native functions (CNFs).
Mavenir’s NIaaS is a holistic, AI-native, zero-code framework that leverages cloud-native architecture and a suite of advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms, including generative AI (GenAI), digital twins, and deep learning. These algorithms analyze and act on network traffic in real time to significantly enhance operational efficiency, network performance, and end-user experience.
Additionally, NIaaS helps MNOs reduce costs by optimizing resource utilization and improving energy efficiency across the network.
Mavenir is leading the transformation of satellite communications by facilitating the integration of 5G, allowing direct links between ground and space networks via a Regenerative Satellite-Based Architecture. Could you expand more on the architecture’s capabilities as the inaugural year of 5G-Advanced commences?
Mavenir is a leader in the 3GPP-based NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) solution space, driving innovation in transmission architecture for 5G NTN deployments. Our roadmap includes the introduction of regenerative payloads, beginning with a hybrid approach where Layer-1 is implemented on the satellite via FPGA, while Layers-2 and -3 are processed on the ground. Over time, we will advance to fully regenerative architectures, enabling the entire gNodeB to operate on board satellites.
Depending on the specific use case, and through dynamic RIC (Radio Intelligent Controller) capabilities, the packet core can be intelligently managed from either the satellite or the ground, ensuring flexibility and optimized performance based on use case requirements and feeder link availability.
Together with TerreStar, we are proud to announce the successful completion of the first Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) live data session via the TS1 Echostar T1 satellite, a geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) NTN satellite. Conducted under real-world conditions, this milestone highlights the robustness and reliability of this cutting-edge technology. More updates on NTN advancements will follow soon.
Can you walk us through some recent highlights to showcase the progress being made in Open RAN, and how Mavenir is delivering on this technology from a global delivery standpoint?
Mavenir’s Open RAN, Open vRAN, and OpenBeam products are reshaping the telecom industry by delivering cloud-native, Open RAN-compliant solutions that power flexible, cost-effective, and scalable networks of the future. Mavenir’s success spans both greenfield operators—such as DISH Wireless and Paradise Mobile—and brownfield operators, including Airtel, VMO2, Deutsche Telekom, and stc, showcasing the versatility and robustness of these solutions across new and existing infrastructures.
DISH Wireless has built the first nationwide, cloud-native 5G network in the United States, marking a revolutionary milestone. By 2024, DISH’s network had reached over 70% of the U.S. population, powered by more than 10,000 Mavenir-enabled RAN sites. The deployment leverages Mavenir’s Open vRAN architecture, which disaggregates hardware from software, enabling significant cost savings. This cloud-native approach not only reduces deployment costs but also enables rapid scalability, making DISH Wireless the first operator in the U.S. to build a cloud-native 5G network at such scale.
In Bermuda, Mavenir achieved 1 Gbps throughput using its OpenBeam Massive MIMO solution during 2024. This deployment serves as a model for other regions seeking to deliver high-capacity, low-latency 5G services. Mavenir designed and delivered a complete end-to-end network for Paradise Mobile, integrated with full system components from our full solution portfolio, which includes MAVcore™’s IMS, voice, converged packet core, and messaging capabilities; Digital BSS via Mavenir’s Digital Enablement Platform (MDE); as well as our Open Virtualized Radio Access Network (Open vRAN) and OpenBeam® Radios.
Mavenir’s Open RAN 4G/5G solutions play a pivotal role in modernizing legacy networks for leading brownfield operators. As previously mentioned, collaborations with operators like Airtel, Virgin Media O2, Deutsche Telekom, and stc demonstrate the capabilities of Mavenir’s cloud-native architecture in enhancing performance, increasing network flexibility, and reducing operational costs. These operators are conducting pilots and trials to deploy Open RAN NSA (Non-Standalone) solutions, paving the way for modernized, future-ready 4G and 5G networks.
Mavenir’s ability to drive transformation across both greenfield and brownfield operations underscores its leadership in delivering innovative, cloud-native solutions that are shaping the future of telecom.
More from Charman:
Mark Charman on How Mavenir Enables Innovation through Cloud-Native Networking Solutions
