{"id":12174,"date":"2024-01-13T10:19:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T02:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/?p=12174"},"modified":"2025-05-16T18:53:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T10:53:32","slug":"open-ran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/general\/apacpg\/open-ran\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the evolution and potential of Open RAN"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For the last several years, Open RAN has been around as a potential opportunity for mobile network operators (MNOs) to modernize their networks, but it\u2019s only in the last few months of 2023 that we saw a handful of high-profile Open RAN endorsements. Tier-one operators announced new Open RAN supply contracts: Verizon (Samsung and Ericsson), AT&T (Ericsson) and NTT (Nokia). Operators in Asia and Europe have been active with Open RAN but the latest announcements from North American operators and network infrastructure incumbents should provide good momentum. From a strategic technology and investment perspective, Open RAN ranks high for MNOs, in terms of priorities and with this newfound momentum, we can hope to see a better traction in the coming years.<\/p>\n

Evolution of the RAN <\/strong><\/p>\n

The radio access network (RAN) has evolved a lot since the 2G days. From a traditional monolithic vertically integrated RAN set up using a waveguide cable from the radio unit (RU) till the baseband unit (BBU) through a common public radio interface (CPRI) protocol, to the disaggregation of the BBU into a distribution unit (DU) and centralized unit (CU) using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware, the disruption of the RU using a general-purpose processor (GPP) hardware to the evolution of cloud RAN. Once the CPRI, which was a proprietary protocol, got replaced by Open Interfaces, we entered the era of Open RAN.<\/p>\n

The Promise of Open RAN<\/strong><\/p>\n

RANs historically have been built from proprietary equipment and systems that relied on hardware-centric, centralized, single-vendor components. These systems locked MNOs with specific vendors and costly integrations, often limiting their ability to scale and innovate. The O-RAN set of standards specifies open, intelligent, virtualized, and fully interoperable RANs supported by multi-vendor interoperability, with a scalable, secure, cloud-native infrastructure that enables service delivery to the network edge, closer to the user. The future goal for Open RAN is for any hardware and software in the mobile network to interoperate seamlessly and securely, regardless of its originating vendor.<\/p>\n

What Is Driving Adoption?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The fundamental reason why MNOs are considering moving towards Open RAN is the provision of simplification to do operations at scale and to upgrade, manage and deploy their network in a significantly different way with opportunities to create new services. With an Open RAN architecture, MNOs are free to choose best-of-breed solutions rather than inflexible one-size-fits-most solutions. Additionally, open interfaces will allow more innovative products and services offered by vendors in their area of expertise. The Open RAN approach inevitably is designed to benefit developers as it can facilitate the creation of new products that were once just a mere idea.<\/p>\n

Euphoria versus concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of euphoria for Open RAN and this will subside only with its massive deployments, revealing the hidden truths. An honest marketing of Open RAN is always desirable. Some early Open RAN marketing had impressive claims around opex (operational expenditure) and capex (capital expenditure) savings. As products developed and requirements were established, many operators have suggested that Open RAN deployment costs may not be significantly different to traditional RAN solutions<\/a>, but the value would come from elsewhere like supply chain diversity and product innovation. While the benefits of implementing Open RAN seem to be many, the challenges faced by the MNOs at the ground level are also many.<\/p>\n

Arguments in favour of Open RAN<\/strong>: Open RAN promotes competition by allowing MNOs to choose components from different vendors, thereby providing flexibility to customize and optimize their networks, adapt to changing technology trends, foster quick innovation and bring down costs. The disaggregated architecture of Open RAN enables scalability and virtualization of the network. Faster deployment of new technologies and features become possible as innovations are introduced to the market without waiting for a single vendor’s development cycle. Different vendors can contribute specialized solutions, leading to a more diverse and innovative ecosystem. Standardization enhances interoperability, simplifies network integration, and creates a scalable ecosystem. Time will tell if all these favourable arguments stand in good stead.<\/p>\n

Concerns of MNOs<\/strong>: Network reliability is paramount for all operators as it directly impacts their top two strategic business priorities, viz. user experience and revenue. In an Open RAN architecture, ensuring seamless interoperability amongst various hardware and software components can be a significant challenge. While Open RAN holds promise, concerns about meeting the performance levels of traditional, integrated solutions still persist. The common emphatic slogan is security through diversity, but the counter to this statement is also prevalent as the open nature of Open RAN may expose networks to increased security risks. Lack of common interfaces can hinder interoperability, limiting the choice of vendors for MNOs. The ecosystem of vendors providing Open RAN solutions is still evolving<\/a>. While major players are entering the space, the maturity and experience of vendors may vary, impacting the reliability of the overall system. Open RAN is often promoted as a cost-effective solution, but the initial deployment costs and ongoing operational expenses may vary.<\/p>\n

Timing is Everything<\/strong>: Many operators are currently deploying 5G networks, which provides an opportune time for them to look at Open RAN for more open<\/a>, standards-based, software-centric virtual platforms. Integrating Open RAN with existing operations of a MNO can be a daunting task, keeping supplier diversity and multi-vendor support at the forefront, which are its core value propositions. Few experts believe that implementing Open RAN in a greenfield network is much easier than integrating it with an existing network.<\/p>\n

The future of Open RAN<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the industry grapples with the possibilities and challenges of Open RAN, its full potential remains to be realized. The path to interoperability and seamless integration is ongoing, requiring commitment, collaboration, and long-term efforts from all stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Join the Conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n

MWC Barcelona<\/a>\u00a0promises to be an insightful platform to gauge Open RAN\u2019s progress. It\u2019s an opportunity to witness firsthand whether this innovative disruption is living up to its interoperability promise.\u00a0Open RAN, with its ambitious goals and potential benefits, stands as a testament to the industry\u2019s drive for openness, collaboration, and technological advancement. As it navigates through challenges, its journey is one to watch, shaping the future of mobile networks worldwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the last several years, Open RAN has been around as a potential opportunity for mobile network operators (MNOs) to modernize their networks, but it\u2019s only in the last few months of 2023 that we saw a handful of high-profile Open RAN endorsements. Tier-one operators announced new Open RAN supply contracts: Verizon (Samsung and Ericsson), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3733],"tags":[],"algolia_discover_type":[3760],"class_list":["post-12174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apacpg","algolia_discover_type-article"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nExploring the evolution and potential of Open RAN - GSMA Asia Pacific<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/general\/apacpg\/open-ran\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exploring the evolution and potential of Open RAN - GSMA Asia Pacific\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For the last several years, Open RAN has been around as a potential opportunity for mobile network operators (MNOs) to modernize their networks, but it\u2019s only in the last few months of 2023 that we saw a handful of high-profile Open RAN endorsements. 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