SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) and Japan’s leading mobile operator NTT DOCOMO, INC. today announced the release of a white paper on the key enabling features for vRAN¹ evolution and the path to AI-RAN² (the white paper), as the latest outcome of their ongoing technical cooperation.

The white paper reviews the prospects for further enhancement and advancement of vRAN and AI-RAN – which means intelligent RAN utilizing AI capability – for mobile operators, as well as the associated technical requirements and enabling technologies based on the two companies’ combined experience in mobile network construction and operation.

It aims to promote the evolution of vRAN and AI‑RAN by encouraging closer collaboration between mobile network operators and equipment vendors in the development of vRAN software.

The white paper analyzes three key technical requirements that are essential to maximizing the benefits of advanced vRAN and AI-RAN.

1. Strict separation of hardware and software to accelerate new feature introduction
By functionally separating RAN software from specific hardware and virtualization platforms, vRAN allows software to be deployed independently from underlying infrastructure, thereby accelerating software‑driven innovation. Such strict separation of hardware and software is identified as a critical factor in the advancement of vRAN and AI‑RAN.

2. Resource pooling for flexible infrastructure and improved resource utilization
In addition to strict hardware-software separation, resource pooling technologies can enable capacity improvements and reductions in power consumption, without compromising service quality, by realizing flexible infrastructure and improving resource utilization. The further development and adoption of this feature could help mobile operators strengthen their competitiveness by supporting more efficient and adaptable network operations.

3. Realization of AI computing capabilities (AI-RAN) by leveraging vRAN systems
Leveraging resource orchestration technologies and an xPU³‑based architecture enables base stations to provide AI computing capabilities without compromising the quality of mobile communication services. This approach aims to evolve vRAN from a mobile communication platform into an integrated AI platform capable of delivering both mobile communication connectivity and AI services.

“This white paper is a meaningful achievement as it presents, from a mobile operator’s perspective, the key features essential for maximizing the benefits of vRAN adoption and for the future evolution toward AI-native networks. We are pleased to have delivered this outcome through our close collaboration with DOCOMO, and we hope it will serve as a catalyst for fostering the broader ecosystem and contribute to the global advancement of next‑generation mobile networks,” said Yu Takki, Head of Network Technology Office at SK Telecom.

“We are pleased that as a result of the technical collaboration with SKT, which began in November 2022, we have jointly published the white paper on the key enabling features for vRAN evolution and the path to AI-RAN. We hope to further strengthen cooperation between the two major mobile operators in East Asia and to share advanced concepts and innovative technologies with the world to realize the 6G era,” said Masafumi Masuda, General Manager of Radio Access Design Department, Senior Vice President, NTT DOCOMO, INC.

DOCOMO and SKT signed a cooperation agreement in November 2022⁴ to advance technology studies of next-generation telecommunications infrastructure for 5G Evolution and 6G. In February 2023⁵, they jointly released two white papers on power-saving technologies for mobile networks and related technologies, as well as 6G requirements. Furthermore, in February 2024⁶, they published a white paper on key considerations for vRAN deployment and operation, focusing on L1 accelerator selection aligned with network design and requirements.

Going forward, DOCOMO and SKT will continue their technical cooperation in various fields, including enhancing the competitiveness and operational efficiency of 5G, as well as international standardization and technology verification towards 6G. Through these efforts, they aim to share their knowledge and innovative technologies with the world and contribute to the further advancement of 5G Evolution and 6G mobile communications.

※ Read the white paper, “Key Enabling Features for the Evolution of vRAN and the Path to AI-RAN”: https://bit.ly/4sunsGB

1. Technologies that operate mobile base stations as software using general-purpose servers, hardware accelerators, and virtualization platforms.

2. Technologies that integrate AI into the RAN (Radio Access Network) by running AI applications on the RAN infrastructure.

3. A general term for information processing units such as CPU and GPU.

4.  SKT Joins Hands with NTT DOCOMO for Comprehensive Cooperation in ICT (November 21, 2022) https://www.sktelecom.com/en/press/press_detail.do?idx=1549, NTT DOCOMO and SK Telecom to Collaborate on Technological Advancement of Metaverse, Digital Media and 5G/6G (November 22, 2022) https://www.docomo.ne.jp/info/news_release/2022/11/21_00.html (in Japanese only)

5. SK Telecom and DOCOMO Release White Papers on Green Mobile Networks and 6G Requirements (February 22, 2023) https://www.sktelecom.com/en/press/press_detail.do?idx=1557&, NTT DOCOMO and SK Telecom Release White Papers on Green Mobile Networks and 6G Requirements (February 22, 2023) https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2023/0222_00.html

6. SK Telecom and NTT DOCOMO Release White Paper on Key Considerations for vRAN (February 20, 2024) https://news.sktelecom.com/en/559, NTT DOCOMO and SK Telecom Release White Papers on Base Station Equipment Utilizing Virtualization Technology (February 20, 2024) https://www.docomo.ne.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2024/0220_00.html