Rakuten Symphony has struck another Open RAN partnership this week, this time with Indian networking company Tejas Networks.

The multi-faceted partnership between Rakuten Symphony and Tata Group's Tejas Networks aims to push Open RAN integration both in India and internationally.

According to Rakuten, the two companies will combine Rakuten Symphony’s CU and DU software, OSS, and cloud portfolio with Tejas’s 4G and 5G radio portfolio.

From there, the duo will explore opportunities for the deployment and expansion of 4G and 5G networks worldwide, including in India.

“Through this partnership with Rakuten Symphony, we intend to combine our field-proven RAN infrastructure solutions with Rakuten’s resilient cloud native RAN software stack and orchestration solution, to provide a compelling solution to the global market," said Kumar N. Sivarajan, CTO and co-founder, Tejas Networks.

India's Open RAN exploration has been limited so far, with only Vodafone Idea (Vi) trialing the technology so far, doing so alongside Open RAN specialists Mavenir Telecom.

Tejas won a three-year contract from Vi to supply the carrier with its 4G and 5G products last year.

The company is part of the Tata Group, while Panatone Finvest Ltd. (a subsidiary of Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd.) is the majority shareholder in Tejas.

A couple of years ago, the vendor confirmed it received a purchase order from state-owned telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to supply equipment for BSNL's 4G and 5G rollout worth close to $900 million.

Open RAN, or O-RAN as it’s also known, allows providers to mix and match solutions from multiple vendors, which is impossible under most current network setups.

Traditionally, Radio Access Network (RAN) hasn’t been like this, instead involving proprietary technology, with equipment from one vendor rarely being capable of interfacing with other components from rival vendors

Rakuten has carved out a number of Open RAN partnerships in recent years. The company announced last week that it had extended its Open RAN deal with US carrier AT&T.

Last year, Ukrainian carrier Kyivstar signed an Open RAN network deal with Rakuten, while in 2023, Rakuten opened its Rakuten Open RAN Customer Experience Center in the UK.