CloudRAN.AI, Firecell expand hardware for private 5G

CloudRAN.AI and Firecell have partnered to give system integrators more radio hardware options for private 5G networks, aiming to lower total cost of ownership and reduce on-site deployment time.

The agreement brings CloudRAN.AI's modular radio portfolio into Firecell's ecosystem. The combined offer is available immediately across Europe and North America.

Private 5G has drawn interest across industry and enterprise, but many projects remain limited to large sites with specialist engineering teams. Mid-sized organisations often continue to rely on Wi‑Fi, which typically has a lower upfront cost and simpler installation. The partnership is positioned as a way for system integrators to bring private 5G to a wider range of sites where budgets and engineering resources are tighter.

Firecell develops private 5G systems for industrial environments and sells through partners, including system integrators. CloudRAN.AI supplies radio access solutions for enterprise and industrial deployments. The partnership expands Firecell's hardware portfolio and gives integrators additional radio designs within a single delivery model.

Outdoor Coverage

The integrated portfolio covers two deployment scenarios. For outdoor coverage, Firecell will offer CloudRAN.AI 10W and 40W All‑in‑One radios. These combine baseband and radio in a single unit, reducing the number of components required at a site and shortening installation.

The outdoor option targets sites that need coverage across yards, perimeters, loading areas and open industrial spaces. System integrators typically balance radio density, power levels and installation complexity against project cost. The All‑in‑One approach reduces the number of boxes and associated cabling compared with designs that separate baseband and radio elements.

Indoor Systems

For complex indoor environments, the partnership introduces a Pico Radio Unit Active DAS architecture. It uses multiple small radio units that operate as a unified coverage layer across a building, reducing handover issues and maintaining connectivity as devices move through a facility.

Indoor radio design is often challenging in multi-storey and compartmentalised buildings where signals must contend with walls, equipment and reflective surfaces. These environments include hospitals, factories with multiple production areas, and sites with corridors and enclosed rooms. The Active DAS approach is intended to reduce the risk of handover drops as devices move between coverage zones.

That matters for industrial uses that involve mobility and real-time control, such as robots and automated guided vehicles that rely on continuous connectivity. It also applies to enterprise devices that roam between floors or wards.

Economics And Rollouts

Both companies framed the partnership around cost and repeatability. System integrators can standardise on a single reference architecture that works across North America and Europe, simplifying procurement and reducing engineering hours spent redesigning networks for different regions.

Multi-region deployments still face practical differences in available spectrum and local equipment requirements. The announcement highlights frequency-band diversity across European and North American markets, allowing integrators to select radios suited to local bands without changing the overall deployment approach.

Claude Seyrat, Chief Executive Officer at Firecell, linked the partnership to a shift in demand from large projects to higher volumes of smaller ones.

"Private 5G is moving from large flagship deployments toward a much higher volume of mid-size industrial and enterprise sites. At that scale, total cost of ownership and deployment speed determine whether a project gets approved. This partnership gives system integrators the hardware economics and deployment simplicity to compete on those projects, backed by the performance that the most demanding use cases require."

Michel Trudelle, Partnership Director at CloudRAN.AI, said the offer provides two designs for different site conditions and a single route for integrators sourcing equipment through Firecell's ecosystem.

"This partnership makes it easier for system integrators to deliver private 5G at the speed and cost enterprise sites require. Through Firecell's ecosystem, system integrators can access CloudRAN.AI All-in-One radios for efficient outdoor coverage and Active DAS for complex indoor environments - so they can standardise designs, reduce on-site complexity, and deploy repeatably with performance that holds up in real conditions," said Trudelle.

Firecell can deliver the CloudRAN.AI radio portfolio through its partner network for projects requiring outdoor coverage or complex indoor deployments. Following its merger with Accelleran, Firecell operates across France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland, with deployments in Europe, the United States and Asia.