Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, and Vodafone are calling for more political and government support to boost the OpenRAN ecosystem.
OpenRAN now seen as the technology of choice: In coming together to further the advancement of OpenRAN, the four operators have acknowledged that it’s the technology of choice for future mobile networks to the benefit of consumer and enterprise customers across Europe. This builds on the momentum OpenRAN gained during the second half of 2020 as governments around the world moved to restrict the use of Huawei equipment which has been prevalent in many operator’s networks.
More coordination is needed: Various groups have been formed to champion the emerging technology, but at times there seems to be little coordination. As such, the operators want to bring together bodies such as the O-RAN ALLIANCE and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) to champion the same cause and speed up the standardisation process.
European rather than Chinese leadership: One of the perceived benefits of Huawei has been their leadership when it comes to 5G technology – made possible by their considerable investment in R&D. The MoU seeks to cement Europe as the home for competitiveness and leadership in the global market when it comes to OpenRAN and reduce the reliance on China.
Calls for funding and support from policymakers: To realise European leadership, the operators are calling on governments and policymakers to make available funding and R&A facilities to encourage smaller suppliers and new European startups to form part of the OpenRAN ecosystem.
