As the telecom industry embraces the transformative potential of Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN), 5G Americas, the voice of 5G and beyond for the Americas, has announced the publication of its latest white paper, Trends and Developments in Open RAN. This new report offers a comprehensive overview of the advancements, ecosystem dynamics, and future applications that make Open RAN a vital component in the evolution of telecommunications.
“Open RAN is breaking down proprietary barriers, driving multi-vendor interoperability, and fostering cloud-native scalability. This momentum reflects the industry’s dedication to innovation, and with continued adoption from greenfield to brownfield networks and into new verticals, Open RAN is set to redefine network efficiency and sustainability for the future”
“Open RAN is shifting the dynamic of the mobile network positively, allowing operators to create flexible, multi-vendor networks that can increase efficiencies and drive innovation,” said Mark Grayson, Cisco Fellow and co-leader of the 5G Americas work group for this paper.
The white paper presents the latest insights into how Open RAN is advancing from initial greenfield deployments to widespread adoption within existing (brownfield) networks. This evolution enables operators to integrate Open RAN into existing infrastructure, possibly reducing capital and operational costs with the expectation of improving performance and scalability. With over 50 deployments across more than 20 countries, Open RAN is redefining mobile connectivity worldwide.
Trends and Developments in Open RAN covers these essential topics:
- Energy Efficiency: New Open RAN specifications enable features like advanced sleep modes and selective channel activation, reducing power consumption and contributing to network sustainability.
- Enhanced Beamforming: Demodulation Reference Signal based Beamforming (DMRS-BF) optimizes uplink performance and enables more efficient fronthaul bandwidth use, especially in capacity-constrained scenarios.
- Security Solutions: With a focus on Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), the paper outlines the adoption of MACsec encryption in fronthaul networks, ensuring secure, reliable communication.
- New Use Cases: Open RAN’s adaptability fosters new applications, from cloud automation to enterprises connectivity and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) integration, including satellite support, which expands connectivity to remote and underserved areas.
- Maturation of RAN technologies: As RAN technologies mature, RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs) become more pivotal by enabling programmability through xApps and rApps. By enhancing network automation and optimization, the RIC enables mobile network operators to manage and tailor network resources dynamically to meet evolving user demands.
- Ecosystem Expansion: Rapid expansion of Open RAN ecosystem, fostering collaboration among chipset vendors, hardware providers, and system integrators. The growth is supported by global deployments, industry shifts towards open and interoperable networks, and strong partnerships like O-RAN Alliance and ETSI, with backing from US government initiatives to enhance testing and interoperability.
Additionally, the white paper underscores 5G Americas’ commitment to supporting the Open RAN ecosystem, as industry players work towards a more versatile, secure, and globally harmonized network environment. It also offers a glimpse into ongoing research by the O-RAN ALLIANCE’s next Generation Research Group (nGRG) on open and intelligent RAN principles essential for 6G.
“Open RAN is breaking down proprietary barriers, driving multi-vendor interoperability, and fostering cloud-native scalability. This momentum reflects the industry’s dedication to innovation, and with continued adoption from greenfield to brownfield networks and into new verticals, Open RAN is set to redefine network efficiency and sustainability for the future,” said Gaurav Sehgal, Senior Manager of Product Marketing at Mavenir and 5G Americas contributor.
“Open RAN’s interoperable design marks a new era of innovation, driving a dynamic ecosystem that benefits operators and consumers alike,” said Sanil Ramachandran, Director of Technology, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics America, and co-leader of the 5G Americas Open RAN working group.