26 February 2017, Barcelona, Spain – ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the mobile internet, today announced that, it has launched a next generation 5G IT baseband unit (BBU) with Intel® Corporation. The IT BBU is the world’s first software defined networking/network function virtualisation (SDN/NFV) technology-based 5G RAN solution.

By utilising advanced SDN/NFV virtualisation technology, the modular IT BBU is compatible with 2G/3G/4G/Pre5G and supports cloud-radio access networks (C-RAN), distributed-RAN (D-RAN) and 5G central and distributed units (CU/DU), which equips it with a robust ability for future development. A new generation of modular baseband processing platform, based on Intel® architecture, the IT BBU has a large capacity, high integration and multi-mode flexible networking features. It can significantly reduce energy consumption with sophisticated algorithms and mechanisms, support vertical business and multi-scene flexible deployment, as well as support 4G and 5G hybrid networks to effectively protect the operator's investment.

Traditionally, mobile networks expand scale and functions by increasing hardware, but this method increases energy consumption as well as operation and maintenance complexity. The result is increased total cost of ownership (TCO), which is harmful to a network’s long term development and evolution. ZTE’s new generation network platform, utilizing  SDN/NFV technologies, can help address these challenges. By virtualising the functions of network equipment, the baseband processing platform can carry diversified network functions more flexibly, thus significantly accelerating network deployment and optimisation, in addition to reducing the overall investment cost.

“Intel technologies power the cloud and billions of smart, connected computing devices,  so we are very pleased to be partners in the field of 5G and our deep cooperation will support our two companies’ long-term development,” said Jianguo Zhang, senior vice president of ZTE. “As a leading communication equipment and solutions provider, 5G is part of ZTE’s core strategy and it is dedicated to the R&D of virtualisation technologies. The cooperation between ZTE and Intel will deliver a simpler, more flexible and open network to telecom operators and bring bigger value to users.”

“We see Communications Service Providers quickly adopting SDN/NFV technologies as the foundation of 5G networks,” said Sandra Rivera, corporate vice president of Intel Corporation and the general manager of the Network Platforms Group.  “Our goal with ZTE is to accelerate commercial, cloud-ready 5G network solutions. By using the latest Intel® architecture processors at the intelligent edge, ZTE has demonstrated that this network transformation can be realized for 5G networks requirements, including ultra-low latency, very high bandwidth and expanded capacity.”