Prominent UK telecom companies like BT, VMO2, and Vodafone have been selected beneficiaries of government funding for research into Open RAN technology. Innovative projects, with a focus ranging from energy efficiency to security, will share in the £88 million ($121 million) funding. The main goal is to figure out whether Open RAN can rival traditional RAN, especially in high-traffic areas and rural deployments, in terms of cost, reliability and energy consumption.
Deutsche Telekom, in collaboration with AirHop, Juniper Networks, VIAVI Solutions, and VMware, has been testing the waters to leverage telecom technology bound by Open RAN specifications. Treading an intriguing path of innovation, they trialed Non-RT RIC technology by performing a RAN closed-loop optimization proof, embraced by ONAP and Open RAN standards. The journey unfolded two pivotal use case scenarios revolving around PCI optimization and energy-saving dynamics powered by AI and machine learning.
Notable declines in Open RAN and vRAN revenues for Q2 2023 have been reported by Dell’Oro, suggesting a potential year-on-year reduction if trends continue. While shrinkage was notable across the Americas and the Asia Pacific region, Europe continues to enjoy growth. Nevertheless, the overall RAN market lacks significant growth, making future predictions challenging about these emerging technologies’ share when 6G becomes widespread.
Dell’ Oro Group has adjusted its predictions for the global Open RAN market share, a decision marking a first for the research company. They stress the necessary transformation in the RAN market will be far from smooth, while also affirming Open RAN’s permanence. Europe demonstrates a cautious approach, leaning more towards traditional RAN in 5G setups. Past bullish forecasts have not dramatically influenced the industry, prompting RAN providers to investigate alternative avenues with brownfield operators. Despite minor signs of rapid progression, Open RAN’s maturity in this field remains uncertain.
The US and India strengthen their strategic partnership, focusing on 6G research, Open RAN, and semiconductors, while collaborating on technology sharing, co-development, and co-production opportunities between industry, government, and academia.
Open RAN Revenue Growth Slows Global Open RAN revenues saw a 10-20 percent growth in Q1 2023, while the vRAN market expanded by 20-30 percent, according to Dell’Oro’s report. However, this growth is slower than the previous year, mainly due to a decline in North America. The Asia Pacific region performed well and offset the North American decline. Despite the slowdown, Dell’Oro remains optimistic about Open RAN, expecting it to account for 6-10 percent of the global RAN market in 2023. On the other hand, Dell’Oro has lowered its full-year outlook for multi-access edge computing (MEC) by over 20 percent, citing a slowdown in China’s 5G market and subdued enterprise interest. Read the full article. Cisco Partners with the Greater Manchester Digital Security Hub Cisco has partnered with the Greater Manchester Digital Security Hub (DiSH) to enhance cybersecurity in the region. Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program will focus on…
Ericsson releases 10 Hot Consumer Trends report Ericsson’s ConsumerLab 10 Hot Consumer Trends study, which addresses early adopter perspectives and aspirations up to 2030, has been released. The report discusses hybrid retail experiences at the fictitious ‘Everyspace Plaza’ mall, where consumers examined 15 hybrid shopping mall facilities meant to expand the conventional experience via the use of digital technologies. According to Ericsson, the ConsumerLab 10 Hot Consumer Trends study represents the expectations and forecasts of over 57 million early technology users worldwide. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/54w7xe68 Vodafone to auction a unique NFT Vodafone will sell an NFT of the world’s first ever SMS text message, “Merry Christmas,” which was transmitted on the Vodafone network in December, 1992. The exclusive NFT ensures ownership of a one-of-a-kind, exact reproduction of the original communication protocol used to send the first-ever text message. All profits from the auction will be donated to the UNHCR,…
Telefónica and NEC Corporation announced an agreement to undertake pre-commercial Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) tests in Telefonica’s four key worldwide markets: Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and Brazil. This is a step toward Telefonica’s goal of achieving a 50% expansion of their current radio network based on Open RAN by 2025. According to a joint press release, Telefonica will perform open RAN trials in Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and Brazil, with the objective of offering commercial alternatives to at least 800 locations across the four countries beginning in 2022. Under the terms of the agreement, NEC will serve as the primary system integrator for the implementation and testing of multi-vendor Open RAN solutions with the Telefonica group’s operational businesses. Telefónica and NEC will also cooperate with the newly formed Telefónica Technology and Automation Lab in Madrid to validate and implement cutting-edge Open RAN technologies and…
SoftBank aims at providing connectivity from space SoftBank has announced that it will begin promoting the roll out of Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) solutions that provide connectivity from space and the stratosphere. SoftBank NTN solutions will include the Geosynchronous Earth Orbiting (GEO) satellite NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) services provided by Skylo Technologies. The two companies recently agreed to cooperate in offering satellite services in Japan. SoftBank’s NTN portfolio of solutions will also include Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications provided by OneWeb, and High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) stratospheric telecommunications platforms provided by SoftBank’s subsidiary HAPSMobile. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/murtvfhr Black Lotus Labs uncovers hacktivist campaign Black Lotus Labs, the Lumen Technologies security threat intelligence division, has presented evidence that hacktivists have recently attacked switches and routers in a minimum of 100 organizations. The hacktivists managed to access those Internet-connected devices because of an incorrect Cisco Systems Smart Install configuration. The Black…
Two Japanese companies, Rakuten Mobile and NEC Corporation, have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote Open RAN in mobile telecommunications markets worldwide. The MoU is based on Rakuten’s current partnership with NEC, where NEC supplies 5G radio equipment to the operator. The pair is also jointly working on developing a Rakuten standalone 5G core. Under the Memorandum of Understanding, Rakuten Mobile and NEC will continue to expand their local collaboration to provide 5G and 4G radios and engineering services for Open RAN systems that are compliant with O-RAN specifications. These services will be applicable to markets worldwide and will boost the global development of the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP). RCP is Rakuten Mobile’s fully virtualized and containerized cloud-based mobile network platform, enabling telecom businesses to station virtual networks rapidly and inexpensively. Tareq Amin, executive vice president and CTO at Rakuten Mobile, said: “Rakuten…
