Rakuten Symphony NGDU managing multiple radio carriers O-RAN 847 units

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Networking (H04L)

Published April 7th, 2026

Detected April 7th, 2026

Summary

USPTO granted Patent US12598046B2 to Rakuten Symphony, Inc. covering a Near-Real Time Distributed Unit (NGDU) designed to manage multiple radio carriers in Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architectures. The patent describes technology for mapping CPRI ports connecting radio units to distributed units, enabling efficient communication management across O-RAN networks.

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What changed

USPTO issued Patent US12598046B2 to Rakuten Symphony, Inc. for inventions related to managing radio units in O-RAN networks. The patent covers an NGDU with RIM management controller, multiple distributed units (DUs), processing units with CPRI ports, and connected radio units (RUs). The processor determines which processing unit an RU is connected to based on DU port ID, maps this to a CPRI port in a DU port registry, and enables communication between the RU and corresponding DU over O-RAN. The patent contains 10 claims and was filed on February 8, 2023.

For telecommunications equipment manufacturers and network operators deploying O-RAN infrastructure, this patent represents intellectual property that may require licensing consideration or freedom-to-operate analysis. Companies developing or deploying O-RAN compatible radio unit management systems should evaluate whether their technology falls within the scope of these claims to assess potential infringement exposure.

What to do next

Monitor for potential licensing opportunities if operating in O-RAN telecommunications infrastructure space
Review patent claims for freedom-to-operate considerations in 5G/O-RAN network deployments

Source document (simplified)

← USPTO Patent Grants

Managing multiple carriers of radio discovered by NGDU in O-RAN

Grant US12598046B2 Kind: B2 Apr 07, 2026

Assignee

RAKUTEN SYMPHONY, INC.

Inventors

Naga Krishna Prasad Jampala, Sukesh Thotengara, Biswajit Panigrahi

Abstract

Embodiments are directed to a NGDU for managing radio units in an O-RAN. The NGDU includes a RIM management controller, a plurality of DUs, at least two processing units includes multiple CPRI ports and a plurality of RUs connected to each of the at least two processing units through the plurality of CPRI ports. The RIM management controller includes a memory and a processor. The processor is configured to receive a DU port ID associated with the RU and determine a processing unit to which the at least one RU is connected based on the DU port ID. The processor is also configured to map the processing unit to a CPRI port in a DU port registry, determine the CPRI port connecting the RU to the NGDU based on the mapping and enable communication between the RU connected to the determined CPRI port and a corresponding DU over the ORAN.