Open RAN: The Fast Track to 5G
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5G promises to change the game for mobile network operators by unlocking exciting new revenue opportunities. In addition to mobile broadband, operators will be able to offer new enterprise services enabled by network slicing, private 5G, and edge computing.
These services will require an unprecedented level of agility and customization from network operators. Radio access networks will need to be flexible, interoperable, scalable, and costefficient. These are some of the reasons network operators are increasingly interested in Open RAN.
Open RAN refers to the use of open interfaces and virtualized software to create and operate a radio access network. Open hardware can mean offtheshelf servers or purposebuilt hardware with interoperable subsystems and open nodal specifications. Open software means that the functions of the RAN are enabled as software, making them more accessible to network operators. Open RAN software may use opensource or closedsource code.
Open interfaces are critical to Open RAN. When interfaces between various network elements are open, hardware and software from different vendors can be used in the same network.