5G is already here and slowly transitioning from NonStandalone to Standalone networks with a 5G core. Open RAN, meanwhile, has high levels of interest from various players but is still quite early in technology maturity, particularly in terms of actual commercial deployments. And cellular research and development for as-yet-unstandardized 6G systems has already begun, with standards work on 6G expected to emerge as soon as the 2027 timeframe, and 6G networks themselves around 2030.
Does this mean that O-RAN is more likely to be a 6G technology than one that makes a splash during the 5G era?
