Feb 27: Capgemini today announced a new agreement with Deutsche Telekom to engineer a unified, open platform for intelligent Radio Access Network (RAN) automation. The solution is designed to simplify and automate operations, improve network performance, and accelerate the transition toward autonomous networks. The platform provides a level of control to the telecom operator through operator-defined policies and application to enable fully automated RAN deployment and operations.
As RANs evolve, telecom operators are managing increasingly complex RAN environments. These typically span multiple vendors, technologies, and generations. For operators, this complexity constrains agility and increases operational expenditure. One approach to solve this is Open RAN (O-RAN), a concept seeking to create open, intelligent and interoperable RANs.
Capgemini and Deutsche Telekom have developed a platform for Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) that operates consistently across O-RAN but also legacy RAN environments, including 5G and 4G for Deutsche Telekom’s European segments. This enables operators to modernize incrementally, protect prior investments, and adopt automation at scale without disrupting live networks. With multi-vendor RAN management, the platform also reduces operators’ dependency on proprietary vendor solutions.
Open architecture enables AI-based Intelligent RAN use cases
A key differentiator of the platform is its open architecture: It supports a full ecosystem of rApps – applications that can automate RAN functions using AI or digital twins. These capabilities are built on Radio Intelligent Controllers (RIC) that can be deployed on hyperscaler platforms or private telco clouds. This paves the way for an “application marketplace” that can host and certify third-party applications, providing operators with flexibility and architectural choice.
By enabling operators to define their own policies, automate operational workflows, and accelerate service innovation such as network optimization, intelligent coverage and network slicing, the solution delivers tangible business outcomes: improved network efficiency, faster service rollout, and reduced operational complexity without vendor lock-in.
“Telcos need simplicity, intelligence and openness in the RAN and our solution delivers exactly that. We are giving operators control, automation, and a path to an autonomous network. This solution delivers a truly multi-vendor, standards-aligned SMO platform that brings automation, openness, and intelligence to any RAN -legacy or O-RAN. With standardized interfaces, AI-powered rApps, and a vendor-neutral architecture, operators can finally innovate at the pace the market demands,” says Shamik Mishra, CTO Connectivity at Capgemini Engineering.
“A vendor-independent, standards-compliant SMO is fundamental to the evolution of how we operate our radio access networks,” says Thomas Lips, SVP RAN, Disaggregation & Enablement, Deutsche Telekom. “Together with Capgemini, we are engineering an SMO platform that brings intelligence and automation across both Open RAN and legacy SRAN environments. Shaped by real operational experience, the platform is built for multi-vendor networks. As we prepare to roll it out across Deutsche Telekom’s entire European footprint, we are also together readying it for the global market as a software service for operators worldwide.”
Capgemini and Deutsche Telekom will showcase the solution at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, demonstrating a unified RAN operations dashboard, real-time topology visualization, multi-vendor rApp deployment, AI-driven optimization, rApp conflict management, and rapid rApp development using modular templates. The demonstration highlights how ecosystem collaboration and open platforms can translate advanced RAN intelligence into operational reality.
