Series 8 – Episode 7 – 2022 is the year 5G ORAN graduates

ORAN (Open Radio Access Network) is an architecture that is getting very popular. In this architecture, the software applications get disaggregated from the underlying hardware infrastructure and the proprietary communication interfaces between baseband components, like the centralised unit, the DU, and the radio unit, get replaced with open standards-based interfaces. These open and standard based interfaces enable operators to source the software and hardware from different vendors with plug and play interoperability. This interoperability allows the operators to take lower cost components, off-the-shelf hardware to really lower the cost for enabling the network.

Gupta notes: “Many Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are backing the ORAN movement because they see the potential benefits – namely reduced cost, flexible network management and a multi-vendor ecosystem that will encourage innovation.”

5G ORAN will allow enterprises to scope their networks specifically to meet their requirements, rather than having to compromise on features and functionality. This opens up advanced application feature.

Vindla comments: “One area we’re seeing a lot of use cases in is at the Edge. We’re seeing deployments of small data centres located close to the user equipment. Here we have very latency sensitive applications occurring. Since it’s a small deployment, power and form factor will be a large consideration.”

The advent of ORAN has really forced the mobile network operators to work a lot closer with the solutions – they get involved with architectural decisions, even down to the chip level.

Gupta and Vindla go on to speak about the main benefits, but also the challenges, of the 5G market opening up in this way, the implications rapid adoption of 5G has created in the telecommunications market and what their expectations are for the future of 5G ORAN.

To hear more about 5G ORAN and much more, you can listen to Electronic Specifier’s interview with Mamta Gupta and Prasad Vindla on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.