Ethernity Networks plc (LON:ENET), a leading supplier of data processing offload solutions on programmable FPGA (field programmable gate array) hardware for accelerating telco/cloud networks, has announced today that, following requests received from three Tier-1 server vendors, it has delivered its 5G Distribution Unit (DU) FPGA implementation on top of its ACE-NIC100 FPGA SmartNIC for telco OpenRAN trials.
The server vendors will evaluate Ethernity’s existing DU offering while the Company continues working with them on an upgraded version that will entirely account for the operator’s specific NIC requirements within the OpenRAN deployment.
The DU implementation is based on the same ACE-NIC100 hardware, but offers ten 10GE/25GE ports, which is a unique offering compared to the standard two-port NIC card. It is equipped with in-house Sync technology to deliver the required timing to the Radio Unit (RU), as well as support for nine RUs per single DU NIC. Moreover, the DU NIC comes with an option to include complete router functionality, enabling cascading of multiple virtual DUs at a single location. This eliminates the need for an external cell site router, resulting in substantial CAPEX savings for service providers.
The server vendors will focus their efforts with Ethernity to prime an offering to service providers committed to an early rollout of OpenRAN technologies in order to achieve cost savings and world-class services. The Company believes that its Router-on-FPGA-NIC provides a unique offering that is capable of meeting telco operators’ 5G DU demands.
The DU testing requests, initiated on recommendation of major European and North American service providers, are in line with telco operators’ plans to move to OpenRAN and the increasing demand for Distribution Units, as detailed in the following link: https://ethernitynet.com/market-for-dus-in-openran/.
Ethernity CEO David Levi said: “We are seeing great strides toward the implementation of OpenRAN, along with the continued anticipated demand for FPGA-based virtualized routing and other telecom applications. We are excited by the progress we’ve achieved and the inroads we’ve made toward meeting the Company’s growth ambitions. We believe that with our available technology and by integrating additional functionality on our existing DU implementation that will result in additional savings for the operators, we will maintain our edge over the other solution providers in this market.”
