Samsung Electronics has been chosen by Vodafone as a primary partner for the deployment of Open RAN technology in Germany and other European countries. This agreement is part of Vodafone's plan to expand its mobile network infrastructure using virtualized RAN (vRAN) and Open RAN solutions, which incorporate artificial intelligence and automation.
Germany will be the first country to implement these solutions, with thousands of sites set to be equipped by Samsung. The first site is already operational in Hannover, and Wismar is expected to become the first city fully served by Vodafone's Open RAN network in early 2026. Over the next five years, Vodafone and Samsung plan to add thousands of Open RAN sites across Europe.
Samsung will supply its vRAN solution, which supports multiple generations of mobile technology including 2G, 4G, and 5G. The company will also provide O-RAN compliant radios, including Massive MIMO radios, the AI-powered Samsung CognitiV Network Operations Suite (NOS), and system integration services. These offerings are designed to improve energy efficiency and network performance while reducing overall costs.
As part of the project, Samsung will collaborate with other technology companies such as Dell Technologies for servers, Intel for processors, and Wind River for cloud platforms.
Alberto Ripepi, Chief Network Officer at Vodafone, stated: “Open RAN is a key pillar of our mission to build best-in-class networks and Vodafone has already proven the power of this innovative technology through our work with Samsung. The next step in our journey is to extend our Open RAN reach to more countries. By bringing in enhanced capabilities powered by AI and automation, we look forward to fostering a more advanced digital society as well as providing greater connectivity to our customers.”
Woojune Kim, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics, commented: “In the midst of a transformational shift in the telco industry, Samsung has been spearheading software-based and autonomous networks including vRAN and Open RAN. Leveraging our unmatched technological expertise and real-world pedigree, we are empowering our customers to have a competitive edge in evolving their networks in the AI era. Samsung is fully committed to supporting Vodafone’s vision to shape the future of networks by bringing proven, cutting-edge technologies, with a strong start in Germany.”
The collaboration between Vodafone and Samsung aims to advance AI-friendly and autonomous Open RAN networks using software-based architecture. This approach allows operators to integrate AI capabilities into their networks more easily. Samsung's CognitiV NOS automation suite offers AI applications with support for multiple vendors across mobile core, radio access, and transport elements.
Samsung will provide Vodafone with full visibility over network lifecycle management—from planning and deployment to operation and optimization—enabling more efficient management of large-scale virtualized Open RAN networks. One feature, the AI-powered Energy Saving Manager (AI-ESM), analyzes site environments and traffic patterns to improve energy efficiency by switching off cell sites during low traffic periods and reactivating them when needed.
Additionally, Samsung is delivering radios and software that support radio access network (RAN) sharing. This capability is important for broad Open RAN adoption in Europe as it allows operators to share infrastructure while reducing hardware costs and energy use.
Rémy Pascal, Practice Leader for Mobile Infrastructure at analyst firm Omdia, said: “Through years of collaboration with Vodafone and other leading operators across North America, Europe, and Asia, Samsung has built deep technological expertise and extensive deployment experience in open and virtualized RAN. Vodafone’s decision to select Samsung further validates its market leadership in open vRAN.”
Samsung continues to develop 5G end-to-end solutions through ongoing research and development. Its portfolio includes products ranging from purpose-built RAN to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company supplies network solutions to mobile operators and enterprises worldwide.