AT&T deploys first third-party rApp on live production network via Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and AT&T today reveal that, for the first time, a third-party RAN automation application, an rApp, has successfully performed optimization activity on a Communication Service Provider’s (CSP) live production network.

Powered by the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform (EIAP), the rApp was deployed to optimize AT&T’s live network in July after extensive testing.

This accomplishment marks a decisive moment in the industry’s move from closed, single-vendor Self-Organizing Networks (SON) toward an open, future-proof architecture based on the standards and frameworks set out by the Open RAN Alliance. The shift empowers the industry to use standardized interfaces like R1 – through which rApps interact with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) platform to effect change through the network. This evolution enables CSPs like AT&T to mix and match best-in-class rApps, foster innovation across a broader developer community, and encourage openness in the supply chain.

Rob Soni, VP of RAN Technology at AT&T says: “This milestone represents a significant leap forward in our commitment to openness and collaboration. By embracing third-party innovation on our network and platform, we’re signaling that diverse solutions play a key role in the future of commercial networks. We look forward to seeing the new levels of innovation, agility, and efficiency that programmability will unlock.”

The deployment of an rApp from a third-party developer to make changes on a live production network highlights the maturity and trust in the applications which form the EIAP ecosystem – built around Ericsson’s open network management and automation platform for open, multi-vendor and multi-technology networks, supporting all 4G and 5G Radio Access Networks (RAN). The industry’s leading rApp ecosystem, with over 60 members across CSPs and third-party developers, and an rApp directory showcasing more than 60 rApps, it empowers developers with all the capabilities needed to build, validate, share and operate automation applications.

Anders Vestergren, Head of Solution Area Network Management at Ericsson says: “We are proud to see Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform enabling true multi-vendor collaboration. With this milestone we are seeing tangible progress made not only in open multi-vendor collaboration in telecoms and the use in production of the Open RAN interfaces, but also towards a new era of network automation that is set to drive value and differentiation through the whole industry.”