Spirent Communications, a provider of test and assurance solutions, announced that NTT Docomo is using Spirent technology for its 5G Open RAN Ecosystem (OREC) testing.

NTT Docomo is utilizing Spirent’s O-RAN capabilities for testing the O-RAN for multi-vendor interoperability and real-world performance to support the implementation of Open RANs.

“Customers like NTT DOCOMO have an excellent opportunity to leverage O-RAN to build a true multi-vendor network that drives increased innovation to deliver unique and differentiated services to their customers,” says Doug Roberts, general manager of Spirent Lifecycle Service Assurance. “However, due to the complexity involved, operators need to ensure that the O-RAN technology functions and performs as expected. Spirent technology provides that validation.”

“Because O-RAN is a disaggregated network, each O-RAN function needs to be tested independently, as well as with the adjacent functions together, and then end-to-end,” says Sadayuki Abeta, Corporate Evangelist at NTT Docomo.

“Emulation in particular is a critical element of any O-RAN testbed and Spirent is the market leader in this area. Including its technology as a key component of OREC testing will ensure operators can gain confidence in their O-RAN deployments.”