Recently, Open RAN developers have taken various actions to demonstrate the feasibility and accelerated progress of open and unbundled mobile network specifications. The race to Open RAN will be a marathon, not a sprint, as the architecture is yet to undergo its most dramatic changes: cloudification, and virtualization. Although deployments are starting slowly, the Open RAN market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. Here are the key challenges delaying the widespread adoption of Open RAN.
What Is Open RAN, and Who Will Benefit from It?
Open RAN is a general term for a group of different technologies that telecom operators hope will break vendor-lock in. The main goal for using Open RAN is to have an interoperability standard for RAN elements, such as non-proprietary white box hardware and software from different vendors. The Open RAN standards aim to undo the siloed nature of the RAN market, where a handful of vendors offer equipment and software that is completely proprietary.
Open RAN deployed at the network edge will benefit 5G applications such as autonomous vehicles and the IoT, support network slicing use cases effectively, and enable secure and efficient over-the-air firmware upgrades. An Open RAN ecosystem gives network operators more choice in RAN elements. With a multi-vendor catalog of technologies, operators have the flexibility to tailor the functionality of their RANs to the operators’ needs.
Key Challenges Delaying the Widespread Adoption of Open RAN
Although a small number of MNOs started limited commercial deployment of Open RAN, there are some serious challenges and issues that need to be resolved before the widespread adoption of the next-generation radio access networks.
First, there is the problem of open interfaces and seamless interoperability. “Creating seamless interoperability in a multi-vendor, open ecosystem introduces new test, management, and integration challenges that require diligence and cooperation to overcome. In the single-vendor model, accountability is a foregone conclusion and problem isolation and troubleshooting are managed through an established command structure. Dispersion of vendors could potentially lead to finger pointing when root cause identification is inconclusive”, Viavi, a leading network test, measurement and assurance technology company, wrote in a blog post. When it comes to open interfaces, both of the main fronthaul interface standards (3GPP and O-RAN 7.2x open standard) are in the initial phases of deployment. They are still under development, and it will take a while before they are ready for prime time.
On the other hand, Gareth Owen, Associate Director at Counterpoint, raises another important concern: performance parity with traditional systems. “Performance and cost differential between custom-built and generic open COTS hardware will be a critical deciding factor for MNOs. At present, proprietary ASIC processors are more power-efficient and less expensive than x86-based CPUs. The performance gap is significant for demanding workloads, for example, networks that operate 5G MIMO mmWave antennas. In addition, there are form factor requirements, as the processors may need to be fitted into standard industry enclosures designed to be attached to rooftop fixtures or onto street light poles. With the possible exception of rural networks that focus on coverage rather than serving densely populated areas, Open RAN deployments are not being run on standard x86 COTS processors. For example, in the case of Rakuten, its partner Intel had to implement considerable hardware acceleration via FPGAs to run the baseband software stack supplied by another vendor,” wrote Owen in an analysis hosted by Huawei.
Another challenge is establishing clear standards. At the moment, there are two organizations actively promoting Open RAN: O-RAN Alliance and the OpenRAN project, which is part of the Telecoms Infra Project. The members of each include MNOs and software and hardware vendors.
Europe’s First Commercial Open RAN Network
The Open RAN market is still in its early days and is dominated by a small number of incumbent vendors. Right now, it is estimated that there are a few dozens active Open RAN deployments across the globe, many of which involve MNOs testing Open RAN in greenfield, rural, and emerging markets. Although deployments are starting slowly, it may take anywhere from three to five years for the technology to fully mature. Open RAN adoption will accelerate rapidly thanks to the logic of its network design and its strategic alignment with carrier needs.
Vodafone recently unveiled its strategic vendors—Dell, NEC, Samsung Electronics, Wind River, Capgemini Engineering, and Keysight Technologies—to jointly deliver the first commercial deployment of Open Radio Access Network (RAN) in Europe. The company believes the move will spark other large-scale Open RAN launches and spearhead the next wave of digital transformation across Europe.
According to a press release, Vodafone’s initial focus will be on the 2,500 sites in the UK that it committed to Open RAN in October 2020 in what is today one of the largest deployments in the world. “With political and industrial policy support from the European Commission and the national governments of the EU, Open RAN has the potential to bring more European companies into this emerging market. Vodafone and the other major EU telco signatories of the Open RAN MoU believe this will help build a European ecosystem around these novel network architectures and boost the EU’s global technology leadership in digital infrastructure,” reads the press release.
Without a doubt, Open RAN is gaining momentum worldwide, but the technology is still maturing and there are significant engineering and integration challenges. While Network Operators are clearly looking for vendor diversity, Open Radio Access Network technology and standards need to mature before the technology can be deployed in commercial networks at scale.
