Digital Catapult has welcomed six international Open RAN (Radio Access Network) vendors to its advanced connectivity programme, driving the development, deployment and diversification of data-driven and open future networks in the UK. The next phase of the programme will support vendors to trial real-world products and services for scaling and commercialisation in Digital Catapult’s industry-leading testbed environments.
Helping to build resilience in the UK’s advanced connectivity infrastructure and supply chains, Digital Catapult is supporting UK mobile network operators (MNOs) by broadening access to a pipeline of new suppliers, enabling faster, scalable deployment of Open RAN technologies and diversifying the market by helping smaller vendors to scale successfully. The six participating vendors will gain access to Digital Catapult’s advanced connectivity lab which is the first and only UK-based Open Testing and Integration Centre (OTIC).
This accreditation means that vendors can be certified and badged post-completion, verifying and validating their solutions with a view to driving successful partnerships with MNOs, and injecting a suite of interoperable innovations into the market. Successful participants can receive badges for Interoperability (IOT) and End-to-End (E2E) testing, which are critical for instilling confidence among MNOs and streamlining the vendor selection processes.
Digital Catapult provides technical validation, tailored market readiness support and innovation consultancy to help participants navigate the UK telecoms landscape. This includes guidance on commercialisation pathways, access to potential channel partners for customers, insights into real-world deployment challenges, as well as adopters’ needs, pain points, and barriers to adoption, ensuring successful, practical application of new solutions in industry.
The SONIC Labs facility and innovation programme is one of Digital Catapult’s advanced connectivity interventions delivered in partnership with Ofcom and funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Since launching, it has tested 71 Open RAN products from 26 global vendors, establishing itself as a key driver towards open, interoperable, and secure advanced connectivity and network infrastructure in the UK.
Telecoms Minister, Telecoms Minister Liz Lloyd said: "Better connectivity transforms lives - creating jobs, boosting business, and unlocking the full potential of new technology.
“This programme gets innovative tech out of the lab and into the world faster, helping to tackle poor connectivity challenges, diversify our telecoms supply chains and support economic growth.”
Joe Butler, Chief Technology Officer at Digital Catapult, said: “We are the first OTIC in the UK enabling us to further our objective of supporting open network innovation for private and national networks, and support the journey of vendors bringing their product innovations to market. Badging and certifying participants will be key to scaling new Open RAN innovations, supporting vendors that may not otherwise have the recourse or capacity to trial and validate their solutions. As an OTIC, we can provide a trusted environment to rigorously test solutions, and this next phase of our programme will support UK operators by reducing integration complexity and diversifying the market with reliable new solutions.”
Alex Smith, VP Product Management, Antevia Networks, said: “Antevia Networks is very proud to be a part of the programme. Participation will allow us to demonstrate the highest levels of interoperability within the greater O-RAN ecosystem, whilst also showcasing the many innovations that make our powerful 5G private networking solution simple to design, fast to deploy, and easy to operate.”
Jo Goubert, COO at Accelleran, said: “Accelleran is proud to once again participate in the programme. Our involvement reflects our commitment to advancing Open RAN innovation through the contribution of our cloud-native DU, CU and RIC components. We look forward to strengthening collaboration with ecosystem partners for validating multi-vendor interoperability and achieve badging- a critical step in accelerating the real-world deployment of disaggregated private 5G networks.”
The full list of participants:
Accelleran
Accelleran, founded in 2013 in Antwerp, delivers Open Private 5G solutions that are as easy to deploy as WiFi. Its Open RAN ecosystem and RIC platform enables smart, flexible networks with real-world deployments across industries. Accelleran will be bringing its CU and DU for fronthaul interoperability testing within the programme.
Antevia Networks
Antevia Ltd was founded in March 2021 and is headquartered in Reading, UK, with research and development teams based in Vancouver, Canada. The leadership team brings extensive experience in 2G, 3G, and 4G in-building coverage and is now leveraging Open RAN technology to pioneer a new class of in-building 5G coverage and capacity for enterprise environments. Antevia will be bringing its CU and DU for fronthaul interoperability testing within the programme.
Benetel
Benetel is based in Dublin, Ireland, and is a company dedicated to delivering 5G O-RAN Split 7.2x Radio Units (O-RUs) to Communication Service Providers and Private Networks. Benetel is recognised as an early innovator in the 5G Open RAN radio ecosystem. It will provide an indoor Radio Unit (RU) for conformance testing in this cohort.
G REIGNS
G REIGNS, an HTC Group subsidiary, is a true pioneer in the private 5G space, redefining connectivity with open, disaggregated O-RAN solutions. The company delivers agile, high-performance private networks that empower enterprises to unlock unprecedented levels of innovation, from hyper-real immersive experiences to intelligent factories, setting new industry benchmarks for flexibility and future-proofing. G REIGNS will bring its CU and DU products to the cohort.
IS-Wireless
IS-Wireless is based in Poland, specialising in the development of software-defined 4G and 5G mobile networks. It has been recognised as one of a few European RAN vendors by leading telco operators in its November 2021 report “Building an Open RAN Ecosystem for Europe.” IS-Wireless is contributing to the programme by bringing a Centralised Unit (CU) and will bring the L2 stack, part of the Distributed Unit (DU). IS-Wireless will bring its CU and DU to the programme for E2E testing.
Pegatron
Pegatron 5G has a comprehensive suite of end-to-end and interoperable 5G products. These offerings span various domains, including a family of 5G Radios, Servers, and Networking products. Pegatron’s 5G portfolio caters to global enterprises, emphasising high throughput, low latency, and robust security. Pegatron will be bringing an indoor Radio Unit (RU) to the programme.
Any company interested in learning more about Digital Catapult’s open network facilities can find out more here.
