TLDR:
- Founding members of the AI-RAN Alliance include Nvidia and SoftBank, aiming to reduce power consumption, enhance efficiencies, and unlock revenue opportunities for telecom companies through AI in 5G and 6G.
- Notable companies missing from the alliance are Mavenir, Intel, Qualcomm, and more operators, with some expressing interest in joining.
Key Elements:
The launch of the AI RAN Alliance at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona aims to utilize AI in the RAN domain to achieve network improvements, reduce power consumption, and enhance efficiencies for telecom companies.
Notable absentees from the alliance include Mavenir, Intel, Qualcomm, and more operators like AT&T and Verizon. Despite not being initial members, companies like Qualcomm and Mavenir are considering joining the alliance to contribute to the industry.
Mavenir, although not a founding member of the alliance, is already implementing AI in RAN for enterprise and macro deployments, with plans to enhance network performance and provide recommendations by utilizing AI and ML technologies.
Intel, another major player in the tech industry, is showcasing new AI solutions for RAN environments and collaborating with telecom operators like AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, SK Telecom, and Vodafone to showcase the benefits AI can bring to the RAN.
The debate over the implementation of AI in RAN equipment is ongoing, with the expectation that built-in AI functionalities are still years away but could be realized with the advent of 6G networks. AI is expected to become ubiquitous in various aspects of the mobile ecosystem, from customer experience to network operations and devices.