Tech Leaders Form New AI-RAN Alliance to Integrate AI Into Cellular Tech

A collaborative effort known as the AI-RAN Alliance was unveiled at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, aiming to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into cellular technology to advance radio access network (RAN) technology and mobile networks.

The GSMA Mobile World Congress (MWC) is an annual trade show and conference organized by the GSM Association (GSMA), a trade body representing mobile network operators worldwide. It is one of the largest events in the mobile industry, where companies showcase their latest technologies, products, and innovations in mobile communications.

The AI-RAN Alliance

Founding members of the alliance, including Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), Arm, DeepSig Inc. (DeepSig), Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Ericsson), Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft), Nokia, Northeastern University, NVIDIA, Samsung Electronics, SoftBank Corp. (SoftBank), and T-Mobile USA, Inc. (T-Mobile), comprise a mix of technology, industry, and academic entities.

They aim to enhance mobile network efficiency, reduce power consumption, and retrofit existing infrastructure, potentially opening new economic opportunities for telecommunications companies with AI integration in conjunction with 5G and 6G technologies.

Network operators within the alliance will lead the testing and implementation of these advanced technologies developed through collective research efforts.

Jan Hofmeyr, Vice President at AWS, emphasized the potential for optimizing RAN operations and transforming the consumer experience by leveraging AI-driven insights derived from data collected at various layers of the stack.

"With the software transformation of radio access networks (RAN) using cloud computing, there is a tremendous opportunity for mobile operators to collect all kinds of data at various layers of the stack," Hofmeyr said in a press statement.

"This data acting as the fuel for AI, offers to the telecom industry a tremendous opportunity to not only optimize operations of RAN deployments but also revolutionize the way consumers, enterprises and industries interact with mobile networks," he added.

Jason Hogg, GM, Azure for Operators, Microsoft, highlighted the importance of AI in optimizing RAN infrastructure investments and extending the role of RAN to deliver new AI-based services for modern mobile applications.

"At Microsoft, we believe that artificial intelligence (AI) is the defining technology of our time. We are pleased to participate in the AI-RAN Alliance in order to apply AI to help operators optimize their RAN infrastructure investments as well as to extend the role of the RAN to deliver new AI based services that support the needs of modern mobile applications," Hogg said.

3 Areas of Research and Innovation for AI-RAN

The alliance is focused on three primary areas of research and innovation:

1. AI for RAN - aimed at enhancing RAN capabilities through AI to bolster spectral efficiency.

2. AI and RAN - involving the integration of AI and RAN processes to maximize infrastructure utilization and create new AI-driven revenue avenues.

3. AI on RAN - centered on deploying AI services at the network edge through RAN to amplify operational efficiency and introduce novel services to mobile users.

Overall, the AI-RAN Alliance represents a concerted effort among industry leaders to explore the integration of AI into cellular technology, potentially reshaping the landscape of mobile networks and paving the way for enhanced efficiency and innovation.