[PRESS RELEASE] Vodafone collaborates with i2i Systems towards 5G implementation in Turkiye

Vodafone, which broke new ground in 5G testing in Turkiye, continues to test the solutions of i2i Systems in the core network within the scope of preparation for 5G. In this context, Vodafone continues to support the development studies over this network, while testing the core network it established in the test environment to work with different suppliers.

Leading the preparations for 5G, Vodafone continues to be a pioneer in terms of domesticity with the domestic solutions it uses in its infrastructure. Continuing its preparations for 5G, Vodafone completed the interoperability tests over the i2i Systems 5G Core Network, which was included in the test environment approximately 6 months ago, and enabled i2i Systems to work with various foreign suppliers.

It is of great importance that the 5G core network advanced prototype developed by the national company i2i Systems works well with different domestic and international suppliers, so that domestic manufacturers can have a presence not only in the Turkish market, but in the global markets as well. For this reason, Vodafone has taken an important step in terms of domesticity by completing 5G trials with three different suppliers over the i2i Systems core network as a result of 6 months of work. While the core grid was tested, its compatibility with other grid elements in the ecosystem was also checked. This work, which benefits the development of the domestic ecosystem on 5G, will also enable the domestic 5G SA (standalone, the real core network of 5G) core network to be exported to different countries.

The core network developed by i2i Systems will find more use in the future by mobile operators in areas such as Mobile Private Network (MPN). MPN offers an isolated solution within a specific area/campus. With MPN solutions; much safer, low-latency and high-capacity communication is enabled in closed areas such as factories, increasing productivity during the production processes.

“We continue to support the growth of the domestic 5G ecosystem”

Head of Network Development at Vodafone Turkey Adem Özdemir said the following regarding how Vodafone has made a global contribution to the development of 5G technologies:

“With the 5G technology, the transition to a software-based architecture is starting where mobile networks will increasingly use cloud technologies. Especially Open RAN and Core Network Virtualization gain more importance here. The core network was the most advanced part of the project, which was initiated as part of the UUYM5G (End-to-End Domestic and National 5G) Project. We are pleased to try one of the first prototypes produced in this context in our laboratory and to observe the cooperation of a national company with other companies. As Vodafone, we will continue to support software-based, innovative technologies. We are committed to using open architecture radio software and hardware (Open RAN) on 30% of our infrastructure in Europe by the year of 2030. With the 5G technology having more influence in our lives, we care more about the inclusion of the domestic ecosystem, and we continue to contribute to the added value of 5G to our country with such experiments we made with i2i Systems.”

Ayhan Kapusuz, CEO of i2i Systems, said:

“An important output of the 5G studies we started with our operators as part of the UUYM5G (End-to-End Domestic and National 5G) Project in 2018 is the 5G Core Network developed by our company. The successful end-to-end testing of the i2i Systems 5G Core Network at Vodafone Laboratory is an important step in verifying the interoperability of global companies with radio and network elements, productization and commercialization of the system. We aim to reach global markets by commercializing core network system components, which we developed with domestic resources, both in Vodafone Mobile Network and in mobile private networks (MPN), of which Vodafone is a pioneer. We’d like to thank Vodafone for all the support we’ve received, and we count on their support for commercialization both in Turkiye and globally in the next stage.”