Parallel Wireless to Power TIP’s OpenRAN Community Lab in Indonesia

Parallel Wireless, Inc., the U.S.-based Open RAN company delivering the world’s only 2G 3G 4G 5G O-RAN-compliant Open RAN macro solution for rural and urban connectivity - is the first Open RAN software vendor to power Open RAN initiatives at the Telecom Infra Project’s (TIP) newly launched Community Lab in Indonesia.

Because mobile phones are the main tool used to access the internet in Indonesia, mobile phone penetration has surged from 20 percent in 2005 to over 80 percent today.

While the subscriber demand for data is increasing exponentially, the ability for customers to pay for their increased consumption is limited. As a result, the pressure for regional MNOs to lower cost per GB is stronger than ever.

Mobile operators in Indonesia are looking for new architectures such as Open RAN to commoditize the hardware, open up RAN interfaces to avoid vendor lock-in, mix and match software and hardware, and implement software functionalities to deliver network reliability and quality of experience at much lower deployment cost.

In line with the Indonesian government’s goal to become one of the most digitally advanced countries in Southeast Asia, TIP’s Community Lab will help Indonesian mobile operators test and use OpenRAN-based technology as leverage to their business to have greater buying power as they continue shaping the telecom ecosystem, innovation, and industry’s future in the region to better support their diversified customer base across 4G today and 5G tomorrow.

This Community Lab represents a new ecosystem for Open RAN deployments with:

TIP leading test and validation efforts for Open RAN deployments in the region.
Telkom University providing engineering resources to make solution deployment ready.
Ministry of Communication in Indonesia supporting this effort as a means to connect more people with OpenRAN.

The 4 leading regional mobile operators (Telkomsel, Indosat Ooredoo, XL Axiata, and Smartfren) testing the Parallel Wireless Open RAN solution in the lab, with the plan to roll out the Open RAN solution in live networks to deliver coverage at a much lower cost.
AMDOCS providing system integration expertise.

Parallel Wireless software innovation in ALL G Open RAN and expertise in deploying Open RAN on six continents for the last 6+ years and enabling the most mature radio and server ecosystem for Open RAN. Parallel Wireless will also provide support by providing training programs to build local Open RAN ecosystems in Indonesia.
TIP is a leading proponent of Open RAN driving industry innovation to reduce deployment cost and avoid vendor lock-in.

Parallel Wireless’s ALL G cloud-native O-RAN-based solution has shown very strong performance, quality of service, and cost benefits for operators worldwide with:

• Most mature ecosystem of Open RAN RRUs, that is software upgradable to 5G and can support a variety of 3GPP-compliant RAN splits.

• COTS-based vBBU to deliver scalable capacity to the end customers.

• Most mature 2G 3G 4G Open RAN software platform, that virtualizes RAN to lower the cost through simplification, automation, and full virtualization. It also provides seamless mobility, local breakout, and low enabling the best subscriber experience for the end customers.

The announcement today follows an ongoing commitment from TIP to test and deploy OpenRAN technology across the globe. The worldwide efforts include PlugFests, development of reference designs, and conducting trials and deployments for over four years.

Attilio Zani, Executive Director, TIP, said, “The TIP Community Lab in Indonesia exemplifies TIP’s collaborative approach. It brings together a range of industry leading companies and organizations, like Parallel Wireless, alongside policy makers and universities to accelerate the development of new disaggregated, interoperable, and standards-based solutions that will benefit all stakeholders. We are delighted to have Parallel Wireless’s support for our first Community Lab in Southeast Asia.”

Keith Johnson, Chief Operation Officer, Parallel Wireless, said, “The telecom industry is demanding networks that are open and flexible in order to reduce deployment and maintenance cost. We are pleased to be working with TIP to enable an open ecosystem of disaggregated RAN solutions based on open interfaces and O-RAN standards and to be the first Open RAN vendor to power the TIP Community Lab in Indonesia with Open RAN for leading mobile operators in the region.”