The UK Government has laid out principles to promote the development and deployment of Open RAN equipment.

The new breed of telecoms kits allows providers to ‘mix and match’ solutions from multiple vendors, which is not possible under current network setups.

Radio Access Network (RAN) is the technology that connects a phone signal with the rest of the telecoms network. Signals sent from devices, such as phone calls or computers, are digitised in the RAN equipment before being sent to the rest of the network, the Core.

At present, most systems use RAN and Core equipment supplied by the same vendor, as compatibility was considered less important than functionality.

Open RAN would create a series of standards to help make it easier for organisations to use equipment from multiple vendors. This would help make the technology ecosystem more diverse, allowing smaller companies to compete.

The announcement of the new standards was made by Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez at the Open RAN World event in Berlin.

The four agreed standards are:

• Open disaggregation, allowing elements of the RAN to be sourced from different suppliers.
• Standards-based compliance, allowing all suppliers to test solutions against standards in an open, neutral environment.
• Demonstrated interoperability, ensuring disaggregated elements work together as a fully functional system.
• Implementation neutrality, allowing suppliers to innovate and differentiate on the features and performance of their products.

In addition, the four standards will help clarify the design characteristics of Open RAN, such as the adoption of standards and demonstration of interoperability between components.

These Open RAN Principles clear up this ambiguity to ensure it delivers on its promise of resilient and secure networks for 5G and beyond, and innovative and competitive supply chains for the long run.

Furthermore, the principles will help ensure any future investment in Open RAN R&D is well targeted to give the taxpayer the best value for money and provide a guide to industry to ensure the Open RAN tech being developed and deployed in the UK will work in the interests of British citizens and businesses.

Lopez commented: “With so much momentum behind Open RAN, now is the right time to set these principles so industry and governments can take a common approach to developing and deploying this technology, so it delivers on its promise to disrupt the market and spark a wave of innovation and competition in telecoms.”

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In December the government announced a joint ambition made with the UK mobile network operators for 35% of mobile network traffic to pass through Open RAN by the end of the decade, and a string of investments worth over £50 million in innovative trials and facilities to develop new Open RAN solutions.

The UK’s £250 million 5G Diversification Strategy, published in November 2020, sets out where the government will remove barriers for new vendors, invest in open technologies like Open RAN and work with like-minded countries to achieve the shared aim for secure and resilient telecoms supply chains.

Ian Levy, Technical Director at the National Cyber Security Centre, added: “Open RAN promises to make our networks more resilient and futureproof, but this market change must be managed carefully to deliver on that promise whilst maintaining security and performance levels.

“These Principles set a clear direction of travel for the industry to build secure and resilient networks for 5G and beyond.”

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