Open RAN

To ensure that SMEs have a front-row seat to telecoms standards making, our Standards Champion, Andy Reid, attends key standards meetings to observe, participate in conversations and report back on key themes and discussion points.

Here, Reid shares his reflections on the recent LFN meeting in San Jose.

Ericsson has inked a multi-billion-dollar deal to roll out 4G and 5G RAN equipment for Bharti Airtel, mirroring a similar announcement from arch-rival Nokia a fortnight ago.

Worldwide spending on telecommunications and pay TV services will reach $1,544 billion in 2024, representing an increase of 2.4% year-on-year, according to the Worldwide Semiannual Telecom Services Tracker published by International Data Corporation (IDC).

The Flexi-DAS project, where AWTG is the project Lead, a collaboration between UK and South Korean partners, successfully concluded and achieved its key objectives in revolutionising Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS).

The mobile industry has experienced another significant year in 2024, marked by continued advancements in nationwide connectivity. As we approach the end of the year, we’ve invited industry experts to share their insights and predictions for what 2025 might hold for the mobile industry. Check out these fascinating forecasts below.

5G DRIVE (Diversified oRAN Integration & Vendor Evaluation) was funded by the Department for Science Innovation & Technology (DSIT) under the Future RAN Competition (FRANC) programme. It developed a low-cost, secure 5G Diversified Open RAN Integration solution for private mobile networks.

The project aimed to transform the C-PON architecture from TRL3 to TRL6, focusing on energy-efficient processing cells, intelligent processing steering, and the development of LLMs models.   

According to a report, the Open RAN market ‘screeched to a halt’ during this year.

Hello, I’m Professor Muhammad Ali Imran and I lead the Communication, Sensing and Imaging (CSI) Hub at the University of Glasgow’s Department of Engineering. I’m particularly interested in energy-efficient cellular systems and frugal networking solutions.

Hello, my name is Paul Harris, and I’m a Principal Wireless Architect within the CTO Office of VIAVI Solutions. I contribute to the company’s technology strategy for 5G, 6G and beyond and, along with the rest of my team, I am always looking ahead and considering how we need to adapt to new and emerging technologies. 

Building the foundations for telecoms supply chai diversification 

The SONIC Labs Annual Report 2023/24 highlights the significant progress made since the programme’s inception in October 2020.

The Flex-5G project has successfully developed an Open RAN compliant 5G Standalone (5G SA) network. Leveraging a unique approach to Software-Defined Radio, Flex-5G’s network solution exhibits remarkable adaptability, dynamically responding to real-time variables such as traffic demands and spectrum availability.

FRANC was the first intervention DSIT announced from the Open Networks Programme in 2021. A total of 14 projects were funded to support the goals of the Government’s 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy by helping to incentivise the industry to create new products and services to unlock the full potential of Open RAN. 

FRANC was the first intervention DSIT announced from the Open Networks Programme in 2021. A total of 14 projects were funded to support the goals of the Government’s 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy by helping to incentivise the industry to create new products and services to unlock the full potential of Open RAN. 

(London, UK, 6th August, 2024): Digital Catapult has launched its first SONIC Labs Technology Access Programme, collaborating with leading organisations to address energy efficiency challenges in Open RAN operations.

A new study by Juniper Research, the foremost experts in telecommunications markets, has found that annual operator investment into O-RAN (Open Radio Access Networks) will reach $11 billion in 2029; rising from $2 billion in 2024.

Nokia continued to face hurdles in the second quarter, with an 18% year-on-year drop in revenues to €4.46bn and an 8% decrease in operating profit to €432m, but the vendor remains bullish that the second half of the year will deliver positives in terms of improved network infrastructure sales.

The O-RANOS project aimed to solve key challenges in creating seamless OpenRAN networks that work across both private and public domains. By addressing these challenges, the project sought to open up new business opportunities for both enterprise and public sector customers and to develop innovative use cases.

The previous UK Government’s £250 million 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy aimed to incentivise the industry to create new products and services to unlock the full potential of Open RAN. 

Building on the UK’s regional and national strengths, UKTIN’s Clusters Group exists to provide an open forum for inter-regional collaboration, sharing of best practices, insights and dissemination of learnings.

Targeting early launch of commercial service with superior network quality

FRANC was the first intervention DSIT announced from the Open Networks Programme in 2021. A total of 14 projects were funded to support the goals of the Government’s 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy by helping to incentivise the industry to create new products and services to unlock the full potential of Open RAN. 

Digital Catapult has announced that SONIC (SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre) Labs, an initiative aiming to advance Open RAN technology, will welcome a new group of international companies to it