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Benetel's Outdoor 5G OpenRAN RUs Target Private and Public Networks

March 3, 2022

Having addressed indoor connectivity with its earlier RAN550, Benetel looks to bring high-performance 5G split 7.2x O-RUs outdoors.

David Maliniak

Related To: Microwaves & RF

The Overview

To bring 5G capacity to private, campus, and industrial networks as well as rural networks and public hotspots, Benetel has expanded its range of radio units (RUs) through the introduction of the RAN650. This latest RU is intended to bring 5G capacity to private, campus and industrial networks, as well as rural networks and public hotspots.

Who Needs It and Why?

In Benetel's reckoning, a broad array of verticals is addressable with the RAN650 O-RU. They'll be applicable in some countries that are opening new spectrum for 5G private networks in industrial, campus, or smart city use cases. The latter is an exercise in building a base infrastructure, and of municipal authorities examining how citizens will use it and how to leverage the infrastructure in novel ways. With regard to 5G hotspots on campuses in various venues, both Benetel's earlier RAN550 indoor O-RUs and the new outdoor O-RUs are applicable. For rural broadband, the RAN650 O-RU represents an opportunity to bring high-speed Internet into rural areas.

Under the Hood

In the RAN650 O-RU, a 4T4R antenna arrangement is featured with up to 5 W of output power being delivered per antenna port (equating to 20 W in total). The 7.2x functional split employed will help minimize the costs associated with radio access network implementations, while support for 100 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth will allow maximum coverage to be attained.

The O-RU can be deployed in either a Cat A- or Cat-B based configuration (using selected distributed units), thereby providing flexibility to address radio access network architectures. To attain to its high performance levels and versatility, each RU incorporates an Intel Arria 10 FPGA alongside an Analog Devices’ ADRV9029 4T4R transceiver with integrated digital pre-distortion (DPD). The initial version of the RAN650 covers the n77u (3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz) frequency range. An n78 variant (3.3 GHz to 3.8 GHz) will be made available in the second quarter of 2022.

The RAN650 RU runs off a 48-V supply and has typical power consumption of 100 W. Its robust IP65-rated enclosure withstands extremely challenging outdoor conditions. The unit supports an operational temperature range from -33°C to +45°C is supported.

The RAN650 complements Benetel’s existing OpenRAN portfolio, including the RAN550 indoor 5G RU that the company announced back in late 2020. Active network trials are already being conducted on the Benetel RAN650 by several pilot customers.

About the Author

David Maliniak | Executive Editor, Microwaves & RF

I am Executive Editor of Microwaves & RF, an all-digital publication that broadly covers all aspects of wireless communications. More particularly, we're keeping a close eye on technologies in the consumer-oriented 5G, 6G, IoT, M2M, and V2X markets, in which much of the wireless market's growth will occur in this decade and beyond. I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, developers, and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

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About me:

In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy, leaving to rejoin the EOEM B2B publishing world in January 2020. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.