Can you hear me now? Verizon boosts Open RAN efforts with Qualcomm’s new RIC

Tech behemoths Verizon and Qualcomm are collaborating on a significant Open RAN deployment that leverages artificial intelligence for network energy efficiency. This partnership, announced in February 2025, combines Qualcomm’s newly branded Dragonwing RIC platform with Samsung‘s AI-powered energy management solution.

The core innovation: Verizon is implementing Qualcomm’s RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) platform alongside Samsung’s AI-powered Energy Saving Manager (AI-ESM) to create a more energy-efficient network infrastructure.

• The integration leverages advanced AI capabilities, including Hybrid Neural Network (HNN) and Deep Neural Network (DNN) technology
• Qualcomm’s RAN Automation Suite DML provides essential data management and RAN AI services
• The solution is part of Qualcomm’s new Dragonwing brand, which focuses on industrial IoT and networking infrastructure solutions

Technical implementation: Samsung’s AI-ESM optimizes network performance by analyzing multiple factors to determine optimal energy usage patterns.

• The system studies site environments and tracks traffic patterns by location and time
• AI algorithms evaluate performance impact and identify optimal threshold values
• Cells and transmission paths can be automatically activated or deactivated based on network traffic

Performance metrics: Initial deployment results show promising energy conservation figures while maintaining network quality.

• Verizon reports average energy savings of 15% across its network
• Maximum energy savings reach 35% per sector during low-traffic periods
• Network performance and user experience remain uncompromised despite the reduced energy consumption

Strategic significance: The deployment represents a major milestone in Verizon’s ongoing network transformation journey.

• The initiative advances Verizon’s network virtualization and disaggregation efforts
• Open RAN implementation supports greater competition and supplier diversity
• The RIC platform enables enhanced network control and operational flexibility

Looking ahead: While early results are encouraging, the true test will be scaling this energy-saving solution across Verizon’s extensive network infrastructure while maintaining the demonstrated efficiency gains.