Writeup from the recent March 2023 SONIC Labs Collaboration Event.
At a showcase on the 29th of March, SONIC Labs, a collaboration between Digital Catapult and Ofcom, officially launched, unveiling a new cutting-edge interoperability lab in King’s Cross, London Participants observed a live demonstration of numerous Open RAN products in action, learning about cutting-edge innovations while networking with organisations in the telecoms space.
The event acted as an opportunity for businesses to learn more about the programme, which aims to support and accelerate new solution providers and facilitate 5G innovation and telecoms diversification. Enjoy our highlights below.
Introduction to SONIC Labs: A commercially-neutral, collaborative, environment for testing the interoperability and integration of open, disaggregated and software-centric network solutions and multi-vendor architectures. It is the first of its kind Open RAN testing facility in the UK.
The lab, funded by the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT), has been designed to offer mobile network vendors and integration companies:
A place for collaborative, peer-assisted, integration and interoperability testing of products and solutions at a pre-commercial development stage, addressing the challenges of multi-vendor end-to-end solutions
A technical platform. A commercially-neutral, multi-tenancy open network testbed providing real-world indoor and outdoor scale environments, including test and measurement capabilities
A programme focused on helping vendors accelerate technology development and early-stage integration work, with targeted innovation activities, and facilitated interactions with potential adopters such as network operators and deployers of networks
Jeremy Silver, CEO, Digital Catapult, said: “We live, as you will know, in a time of extraordinary geopolitical complexity and the changes that we see around us are impacting every aspect of our lives and the way in which we think about technology. At the same time, technology is developing and changing and accelerating at shockingly fast rates. Every week, there is another surprise, another lurch forward in capability. And the telecoms sector is no exception.
“As a result, companies tend to find themselves in a dilemma. On the one hand, they want to compete and gain a competitive advantage. But they also want to grow and move forward by collaborating with others in the sector. That balance, or rather the tension between two commercial imperatives, is one that we hope we strike effectively in SONIC Labs.”
Imran Shafi, Director for Digital Infrastructure, DSIT, added: “The Prime Minister wants us to be a science superpower by 2030, which will require a huge amount of effort across the UK. SONIC Labs is about bringing the best of technologies together. Ultimately, these programmes are taxpayers' money. It is our responsibility to make sure that what we’re spending money on is going to add value. SONIC Labs is a brilliant example of this, adding something the private sector cannot do alone.”
Feedback from vendors
Attendees heard from organisations who have already been using the SONIC Labs facilities:
Stephen Patrick, Director, CableFree: “We are delighted to be a part of SONIC Labs. It is, genuinely, pushing the boundaries of technology, and bringing vendors together. Some of us have had the chance to work together from a commercial angle, which has already increased opportunities.”
Arnaud Polster, VP of Sales, Accelleran: “It’s been a very interesting experience. The vendor ecosystem has ensured that testing is more thorough. The lab is taking collaboration to the next level. I have found it reassuring in terms of the real change that we can make and understanding the new technologies. SONIC Labs will enable Open RAN to be a reality and perhaps most importantly, bring any challenges to the surface so we can tackle them head-on.”
Rafal Sanecki, Head of Marketing, IS-Wireless: “It continues to be a remarkable journey for us. It’s about working together and creating opportunities to learn from one another. There are many technical challenges that we have managed to overcome by working within the ecosystem. And this is exactly what our customers expect from us.”
How SONIC Labs will address challenges within the industry
Attendees heard insights from international Open RAN Labs and Testbeds which further illustrated the importance of a facility such as SONIC Labs:
Julie Kub, Program Lead, DoD and NTIA 5G Challenge, Institute for Telecommunications Sciences / NTIA: “One of the nice things about diversification is that there are so many to choose from. But this also presents one of the biggest challenges. There’s a big difference and so many options. It can be really hard to interpret that. Going from these specs and standards is difficult. Vendors must work together.”
Katja Henke, Senior Innovation Project Manager, Emerging Technologies, i14y Lab: “Speaking from a European perspective, Open RAN requires the support of the different Gs. Labs must take these requirements and define these blueprints to open up the room for more testing. This brings the direct link between the operators but we also need to take into account an international profile when testing. Open testing will ensure progress here, taking the complexity away.”
How to get involved with SONIC Labs
SONIC Labs will launch an open call for cohort number four later this month. This will be a seven-month technical programme for Open RAN vendors and international organisations, in July and concluding in January 2024. The details of activities will include benchmarking and integration. There will also be opportunities to share learnings.
There are two themes: mature, Open RAN products that focus on the evaluation of performance capability and mobility in an indoor environment; and the functional testing of outdoor Open RAN equipment in the outdoor facility (the outdoor field should be ready in the next few months).
Linda Ligios, Senior Innovation Partner, Digital Catapult closed the session by explaining that there are plenty of benefits to joining, from brand exposure to gaining clients. She added: “If you want to register your interest in other ways to collaborate with us, please do get in touch. We do hope that you will join us on this journey.”
