تخطي للذهاب إلى المحتوى
HCT Solutions · RAN & LTE · UAE

Radio Access Networks (RAN) & LTE: coverage and capacity, engineered to your site

From macro towers to in-building DAS, small cells and Open RAN, HCT designs, builds and optimises the radio layer that carries your traffic — 4G LTE today, 5G NR tomorrow — with the RF planning, multi-vendor integration and automation that turn spectrum into reliable, high-capacity coverage.

Request a RAN Design & RF Survey See the architecture
Coverage Macro· DAS· Small Cell· Open RAN / vRAN· Private LTE
RAN capex share
20–25%
of mobile network capex — the largest segment[1]
Open RAN market
~$20B
Open RAN market by 2030[2]
Open RAN TCO
up to 30%
lower total cost with Open RAN / vRAN[3]
Peak cell
1.4 Gbps
n78 5G macro, 100 MHz TDD[4]
The access layer

What the RAN does — and why disaggregation matters

The Radio Access Network is everything between the device and the core: the radios, antennas and baseband that turn licensed spectrum into coverage. Modern 5G RAN is disaggregated into Radio (RU), Distributed (DU) and Central (CU) units connected by open interfaces — so operators can mix vendors, virtualise baseband on standard servers, and automate optimisation with a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC).

Figure 1 · Open RAN reference architecture (O-RAN split)
SERVICE MANAGEMENT & ORCHESTRATION (SMO) Non-RT RICrApps · policy · AI/ML Near-RT RICxApps · <1 s control A1 / O1 E2 RADIO ACCESS NETWORK Devicesphones · IoT · CPE Radio Unit (O-RU)RF · massive MIMObeamforming Distributed UnitO-DU · L1/L2real-time Central UnitO-CU · L3PDCP / RRC 5G Core5GC / EPC Uu (air) Open FronthauleCPRI 7.2x F1 (midhaul) Backhaul Open interfaces (O-RAN Alliance) let you mix RU / DU / CU vendors and virtualise baseband — backhaul & midhaul via HCT Transport Networks.
Coverage toolkit

Four ways we deliver coverage & capacity

LayerWhat it isBest for
MacroTower/rooftop high-power cellsWide-area outdoor coverage
DASDistributed Antenna System, in-buildingAirports, malls, stadiums, towers
Small cellLow-power densification nodesHotspots, capacity infill, campuses
Open RAN / vRANDisaggregated, virtualised basebandMulti-vendor, automated, future-proof
Why Open RAN

Open, virtualised, intelligent

Open RAN replaces locked, single-vendor radio with open interfaces and software-defined baseband — cutting cost, ending lock-in and letting AI optimise the network in near-real time.

⇆

Vendor diversity

Mix best-of-breed RU, DU and CU over O-RAN interfaces — no single-vendor lock-in.

☁

Virtualised (vRAN)

Baseband on commercial servers and edge cloud — scale and upgrade in software.

⚙

RIC automation

Near-RT & Non-RT RIC run xApps/rApps to optimise capacity, energy and quality automatically.

▼

Lower TCO & energy

Up to 30% total-cost savings[3] plus power-down features that cut RAN energy.

Generations

4G LTE vs 5G NR — in the RAN

Attribute4G LTE RAN5G NR RAN
Peak cell throughput~150–300 Mbps1–3+ Gbps
Latency (air)~10–30 ms~1–10 ms (URLLC)
Antenna2T2R / 4T4RMassive MIMO 32T32R / 64T64R
ArchitectureeNB (often integrated)gNB, disaggregated RU/DU/CU
SlicingLimitedNative, end-to-end
Momentum

Open RAN is scaling fast

Figure 2 · Global Open RAN market, 2024–2030 (USD billion)
0$5B$10B$15B$20B 2024202520262027202820292030 ~$20.4B · 2030 $4.5B Source: Grand View Research, Open RAN market (25.6% CAGR)
Spectrum

UAE bands we plan & engineer

BandFrequencyPeakRangeBest for
n78 (5G)3.3–3.8 GHz1.0–1.4 Gbps1–3 kmUrban & campus capacity
n258 (mmWave)26 GHz3–5 Gbps200–800 mHotspot / fixed wireless
B3 / B7 (LTE)1.8 / 2.6 GHz150–300 Mbps2–6 kmLTE coverage & capacity
B8 / B20 (LTE)900 / 800 MHz50–150 Mbps5–10 kmWide-area & deep indoor

Sources: 3GPP TS 38.101[4] · UAE TDRA spectrum framework[5].

For procurement

Traditional RAN vs Open RAN — 5-year TCO

Representative single-site cluster; figures in AED, indicative. Open RAN trades a modest integration premium for lower hardware, energy and lock-in cost.

Cost lineTraditional RANOpen RAN / vRANVariance
Radio & baseband hardware1,800,0001,250,000−31%
Integration & SI160,000320,000+100%
Energy (5 yr)900,000630,000−30%
Operations (5 yr)740,000560,000−24%
5-year TCO3,600,0002,760,000−23%

Indicative; Open RAN savings consistent with industry analysis of up to ~30%[3]. Final figures depend on scale, vendors and SLA. Quote at hctgroup.ae/contactus.

Standards

Built to open standards

Standard / bodyScope
3GPP (Rel-15–18)NR & LTE radio, gNB/eNB, F1, slicing
O-RAN AllianceO-RU/O-DU/O-CU, Open Fronthaul 7.2x, E2/A1/O1, RIC
eCPRIPacket-based fronthaul transport
UAE TDRASpectrum licensing & type approval
Delivery

How HCT delivers RAN

01

Plan & survey

RF site survey, spectrum strategy, coverage/capacity prediction and design.

02

Build & integrate

Macro, DAS, small cell or Open RAN — multi-vendor integration to core & transport.

03

Optimise

Drive test, parameter & RIC tuning, interference and energy optimisation.

04

Operate

24/7 SLA-bound run via HCT’s managed services NOC.

RAN is the access layer of HCT’s end-to-end stack — pair it with Private 5G, Core Networks, Transport and network slicing.

Turn spectrum into reliable, high-capacity coverage.

Book a RAN design session and free RF site survey — we’ll model coverage, capacity, spectrum and a 4G→5G / Open RAN path for your operation.

Request a RAN Design & RF Survey Call +971 4 321 6500

Sources & references

  1. Dell’Oro Group — RAN averages ~20–25% of wireless capex; Cloud/vRAN ~15–20% of RAN by 2030.
  2. Grand View Research — Open RAN market ~$4.5B (2024) → ~$20.4B (2030), 25.6% CAGR.
  3. Analysys Mason — Open RAN can deliver up to ~30% TCO savings (vendor estimates to ~37% over 5 yr).
  4. 3GPP — TS 38.101 (NR bands) & RAN specifications, Release 15–18.
  5. UAE TDRA — spectrum licensing & type-approval framework.