The consortium includes 31 operators, network vendors, and service providers advocating for open solutions in the radio access network.
Background: Recently, several companies in the telecoms industry have worked towards open, interoperable solutions for open interfaces between the radios, hardware, and software in the radio access network (RAN) so that networks can be deployed using more than one vendor. This facilitates diversity in the supply chain, thereby giving operators more flexibility and the potential to lower deployment costs. It also addresses security concerns that may arise from depending on one single vendor for mobile equipment. The desire to pursue this approach led to consortiums such as the ORAN Alliance and TIP Open RAN.
The Open RAN Policy Coalition was formed: On 5 May 2020, 31 companies comprising operators, network vendors, and service providers formed the Open RAN Policy Coalition. Founding members include, among others, Telefonica, Vodafone, Google, Facebook, Cisco, and Qualcomm. The coalition will advocate for open interfaces to achieve a vibrant marketplace of suppliers. It will push governments to support the objective, including through government procurement. It will also facilitate research and development, and call for the removal of barriers to 5G deployment.
Open RAN approaches are already a reality: Open-RAN 5G is already being deployed by some operators around the world. In announcing its participation in the consortium, Vodafone noted it is actively trialling the approach in five countries, including UK and Ireland. The Japanese operator Rakuten Mobile implemented the world’s first open, virtualised, distributed radio access network in Japan in October 2019, and will launch 5G commercially in June 2020.
