BARCELONA, TOKYO & BOSTON, February 28, 2024 – zTouch Networks announced it will collaborate with Rakuten Symphony to launch its AI-powered rApps and xApps portfolio integrated with Rakuten Symphony’s Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) and Open RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) platforms. zTouch Networks is a spinoff of the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things at Northeastern University and its Open6G hub, based on years of research funded by the U.S. Federal Government.
This collaboration will help Rakuten Symphony and zTouch Networks integrate their network management solutions toward intelligent Open RAN systems. The AI platform provided by zTouch Networks will be leveraged to optimize Rakuten Symphony’s RIC and SMO platforms. Rakuten Symphony and zTouch Networks will work together on several areas strategic to fully unleashing the Open RAN Vision, including intent-based orchestration, LLMs for zero-touch user interface, profit-aware traffic prioritization, and energy efficiency.
zTouch Networks has developed an AI-driven automation framework to provide advanced services and applications for open, programmable, and virtualized wireless systems by simplifying and streamlining how cellular networks are deployed, monitored, and controlled.
This effort aligns with Rakuten Symphony's broader goal to create truly autonomous networks. Leveraging advanced technologies and the collaborative advantage of the larger Rakuten Group, Rakuten Symphony has developed Rakuten AI for telecom, a specialized AI designed for telecommunications, embedded in Rakuten Symphony’s OSS.
As announced on February 28 at Mobile World Congress 2024, Rakuten Symphony and zTouch Networks will integrate an intelligent interface on Rakuten Symphony’s RICs that can set policies for the deployment of xApps and rApps, and can provide insights on the usage of specific cell sites to drive energy efficiency optimization in Rakuten Mobile's network in Japan.
The solutions developed by zTouch Networks will become part of the Rakuten Telecom Platform by Rakuten Symphony. This is the first telecom marketplace for RICs and SMOs in the world, designed to serve the needs of service providers through access to applications such as xApps and rApps from Rakuten and third parties. The Rakuten Telecom Platform accelerates the procurement and delivery of intelligent telco services as 5G rollouts advance. The Rakuten Telecom Platform was created to simplify the process of telecom application onboarding and making approved applications generally available for all Rakuten Symphony customers. The platform digitalizes all telecom processes for planning, deploying, securing, and monitoring the software in live telecom networks.
rApps and xApps are software used to control and optimize the base stations in the Radio Access Network by quickly changing relevant parameters. xApps deliver a response time of below one second and execute on a near real-time RIC. The xApps that Rakuten Symphony and zTouch Networks will integrate will be able to monitor a cell traffic in near real-time. Through machine learning models, they can intelligently interpret historical traffic patterns to modify the configuration of antennas without impacting the subscriber experience, saving energy in the process. rApps run on a non-real-time RIC, with control loops on a time scale of one second and longer, making updates that do not require immediate responses.
Rahul Atri, President, OSS Business Unit, said, “I am excited to be partnering with zTouch Networks and together innovate on AI-powered autonomous networks of the future. This research reinforces the commitment of both organizations to sustainable, automated networks that can be made more sophisticated through artificial intelligence.”
Tommaso Melodia, co-founder of zTouch Networks, said “We are excited to be partnering with Rakuten Symphony bringing together best-of-breed OSS platform from Rakuten Symphony and AI-based automation from zTouch Networks. Together, we plan to shape the future of open, programmable, and AI-driven wireless systems.
About zTouch
zTouch Networks is a spinoff of Northeastern University based on years of research funded by the U.S. Federal Government. zTouch Networks has developed an AI automation framework to provide advanced services and applications for open, programmable, and virtualized wireless systems by simplifying and streamlining how cellular networks are deployed, monitored, and controlled.
About Rakuten Symphony
Rakuten Symphony is changing the way Telco carriers operate, the supply chain, and the old ways of thinking that hinder the pursuit of innovation and growth in the industry. Based on a proven track record of building state-of-the-art infrastructure, we are deploying open-interface Telecom Platforms globally. This Telecom Platform enables the delivery and operation of advanced Mobile Services in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods, without compromising Network quality or security. Rakuten Symphony is headquartered in Japan and has local offices in the USA, Singapore, India, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa region.
For more information about Rakuten Symphony's offerings, please visit: https://symphony.rakuten.com.
