Introduction

Currently, traditional RAN vendors are delivering to operators a ready-for-deployment RAN solution, which is already fully tested and pre-integrated in their own facilities.

Each vendor manages its own lab and testing resources so that the associated overhead in integration complexity is transparent to the operator. Hardware and software are tied, and the product roadmap is built according to 3GPP specifications for radio functionalities. Logical interfaces between subsystems of the radio site are proprietary defined, so no interoperability between different vendors is possible.

OPEN RAN provides increased flexibility and potential by enabling the selection of “best of breed” network components from a multivendor ecosystem, meaning a significant TCO reduction for operators.

Our estimations consider a potential average of 30% savings in radio and baseband hardware in the long term.

For the open ecosystem to foster innovation and new technology developments whilst also driving costs down, it is necessary that the product development efforts are shared by all stakeholders.

A coordinated community will ensure the full interoperability of the disaggregated solution. This coordination addresses the full interoperability of the disaggregated solution.

System Integration is one of the key areas to consider, as there is no longer a unique entity responsible for the complete E2E solution, including software life cycle management, KPI assurance, service management, etc. A new approach to system integration during the deployment phase is also required to efficiently manage the supply chain disaggregation and fully capture the TCO savings.