* [Topics](/en/topics "Topics") * [Virtualization](/en/topics/virtualization "Virtualization") * What is a radio access network (RAN)? What is a radio access network (RAN)? ===================================== Published March 23, 2021•*2*-minute read Copy URL Jump to section --------------- OverviewVirtualized RAN (vRAN)Open RAN (O-RAN)Benefits of new RAN architecturesRed Hat's open RAN strategy Overview -------- A radio access network (RAN) is the part of a mobile network that connects end-user devices, like smartphones, to the cloud. This is achieved by sending information via radio waves from end-user devices to a RAN’s transceivers, and finally from the transceivers to the core network which connects to the global internet. For telecommunications network operators, RANs are crucial connection points that represent significant overall network expenses, perform intensive and complex processing, and now face rapidly increasing demand as more [edge](/en/topics/edge-computing/telecommunications) and [5G](/en/topics/5g-networks) use cases emerge for telco customers. Just as the [virtualization](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-virtualization) of network functions has enabled telcos to modernize their networks, similar principles can also be applied to RAN. This is especially important as the future of the industry focuses on the transition to 5G—in fact, the ongoing 5G network transformation often depends on the virtualization of RAN, and increasingly assumes that it is [container-based](/en/topics/containers) and [cloud-native](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps). What is virtualized RAN (vRAN)? ------------------------------- [Virtualized radio access networks](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-vran) (vRANs) are a way for telecommunications operators to run their baseband functions as software. One of the primary benefits of virtualizing radio access networks (RANs) is that RAN functions no longer require special proprietary hardware to run, and can instead be run on standard servers. This is achieved by applying the principles of virtualization to RAN, and is usually one part of a larger [network function virtualization (NFV)](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-nfv) effort. Results of a Heavy Reading survey published in 2020 indicate that the following two years will see a sharp uptick in vRAN deployments. Red Hat resources ----------------- [Keep reading](/en/resources "Keep reading") What is open RAN (O-RAN)? ------------------------- The virtualization of RAN and move towards more container-based and cloud-native implementations of RANs have led to the development of industry-wide standards for open RAN interfaces. These standards, driven by the [Telecom Infra Project (TIP)](https://telecominfraproject.com/) and the [O-RAN Alliance](https://www.o-ran.org/), support the interoperability of RAN equipment regardless of vendor. Through open RANs, telcos can simplify network operations and improve flexibility, availability, and efficiency—all while serving an increasing number of devices and bandwidth-hungry applications. Cloud-native and container-based open RAN solutions often provide lower costs, improved ease of upgrade and modification, ability to scale horizontally, and with less vendor lock-in than VM-based solutions. What are the benefits of new RAN architectures? ----------------------------------------------- Many carriers have lowered their costs and created a more agile infrastructure by deploying a variety of virtual network functions (VNFs), including virtual firewalls, DNS, SBC/IMS, virtual evolved packet cores (vEPCs) for 4G networks, and vRANs. This approach:  * Uses less (and less expensive) hardware. * Increases flexibility. * Provides the ability to spin workloads up and down with minimal effort. * Allows resources to be scaled elastically to address changing network demands. What is Red Hat’s open RAN strategy for telco operators? -------------------------------------------------------- Modernizing networks requires moving workloads and services out of the core network (in datacenters) toward the network’s edge: around points of presence and central offices. From here, services can be delivered to subscribers more efficiently with lower latency and higher bandwidth. Our NFV solution is open source and standards-based, creating a stable, interoperable foundation to build upon. It is the result of Red Hat’s leading contributions to the OpenStack, Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK), Kubernetes, and OpenShift Origin Community Distribution (OKD) projects Hub The official Red Hat blog ------------------------- Get the latest information about our ecosystem of customers, partners, and communities. [Keep reading](/en/blog "The official Red Hat blog") All Red Hat product trials -------------------------- Our no-cost product trials help you gain hands-on experience, prepare for a certification, or assess if a product is right for your organization. [Keep reading](/en/products/trials "All Red Hat product trials") Keep reading ------------ ### What is a virtual machine (VM)? A virtual machine (VM) is an isolated computing environment created from a pool of hardware resources. [Read the article](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-a-virtual-machine "article | what is a virtual machine (VM)?") ### What is virtualization? Virtualization is a technology that allows you to create virtual, simulated environments from a single, physical machine. [Read the article](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-virtualization "article | what is virtualization?") ### What is virtualization management? Virtualization management helps simplify resource administration, analyze data, and streamline operations. [Read the article](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-virtualization-management "article | what is virtualization management?") Virtualization resources ------------------------ ### Related content * Blog post [Optimize your virtualization platform: IBM Turbonomic now manages VMs on Red Hat OpenShift](/en/blog/optimize-your-virtualization-platform-ibm-turbonomic-now-manages-vms-red-hat-openshift) * Blog post [Evolve your Citrix Infrastructure: Unlocking agility and efficiency with Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization](/en/blog/unlocking-agility-and-efficiency-red-hat-openshift-virtualization) * Blog post [Elevate your Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops experience with Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization](/en/blog/elevate-your-citrix-virtual-apps-and-desktops-experience-red-hat-openshift-virtualization) * Blog post [Single-instance Oracle Database on OpenShift Virtualization](/en/blog/single-instance-oracle-database-openshift-virtualization) ### Related articles * [What is a virtual machine (VM)?](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-a-virtual-machine) * [What's the difference between cloud and virtualization?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/cloud-vs-virtualization) * [What is virtualization?](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-virtualization) * [Red Hat OpenShift on VMware](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/vmware) * [What is virtualization management?](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-virtualization-management) * [How to migrate VMs from VMware to Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/migrate-vmware-to-openshift-virtualization) * [KVM vs. VMware](/en/topics/virtualization/kvm-vs-vmware-comparison) * [What is virtual infrastructure management? And how can automation help?](/en/topics/automation/virtual-infrastructure-management) * [How to choose a virtualization platform](/en/topics/virtualization/how-to-choose-a-virtualization-platform) * [What is KVM?](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-KVM) * [What is KubeVirt?](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-kubevirt) * [What is live migration?](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-live-migration) * [Why choose Red Hat for virtualization?](/en/topics/virtualization/why-choose-red-hat-for-virtualization) * [Why migrate virtual machines to Red Hat?](/en/topics/virtualization/why-migrate-your-virtual-machines-to-red-hat) * [Containers vs VMs](/en/topics/containers/containers-vs-vms) * [What is a hypervisor?](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-a-hypervisor) * [Learn everything you need to know about Open RAN](/en/topics/5g-networks/what-is-open-ran) * [VNF and CNF, what’s the difference?](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/vnf-and-cnf-whats-the-difference) * [What is SD-WAN?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-sd-wan) * [What is network virtualization?](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-network-virtualization) * [What is hyperconverged infrastructure?](/en/topics/hyperconverged-infrastructure/what-is-hyperconverged-infrastructure) * [What is software-defined networking?](/en/topics/hyperconverged-infrastructure/what-is-software-defined-networking) * [What is NFV?](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-nfv) * [What is container-native virtualization?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-container-native-virtualization) * [What is vRAN?](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-vran) [More about this topic](/en/topics/virtualization "More about this topic")