Open Radio Access Network (RAN) and Future Networks Initiative

A joint Open RAN and 6G IC activity (ICAID) is desirable to address both 6G core and Open RAN development and contribute to the broader 6G ecosystem.

While Open RAN is considered more mature, the 6G core is being defined in 3GPP based on ITU’s IMT-2030.

Future Networks could involve 5G and beyond (e.g., 6G). 6G is focusing on the following items. Implementation of these goals is largely dependent upon successful Open RAN deployment and is tightly integrated.

• Support for New Services and Use Cases
• Revenue Growth and Monetization
• AI and Automation
• Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
• Spectrum Efficiency
• Ubiquitous Coverage
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Reduction
• Improved Service Reliability and Customer Experience
• Network Simplification

The O-RAN Architecture is designed to enable next-generation RAN (Radio Access Network) infrastructures. It is designed with the principles of intelligence, virtualization, and disaggregation.

The goal is to develop a structured, sustainable framework/guideline to address the deployment, interoperability, configuration & fault management, and performance issues. The framework/guideline is intended to be flexible, adaptable, scalable, and formulaic and can be extended for different evolving ecosystems and may be used by governments, industry, and academia.

The goal of this Industry Connections activity is to develop a structured sustainable framework/guideline to address the deployment, interoperability, configuration and fault management, and performance issues.

Proposed deliverables and outcomes from this Industry Connections activity may include documents (e.g., white papers, reports), proposals for standards, conferences, and workshops, etc. The deliverables of this activity will be:

• Practice guide/framework for various deployment scenarios
• Guidelines/specifications for the configuration and fault management
• Guidelines/specifications for the management interface
• Test bed and proof of concept
• Use case guide (mapping the use cases)
• Guidelines for different implementations
• Guidelines to help ensure proper interoperability and compliance
• Test beds for compliance and interoperability verification
• New PARs based on the identification of issues
• Workshops and events
• Webinars
• Collaboration initiatives with other organizations

We welcome new participants from large and small corporations, academia, industry, and government agencies that are interested in the Open RAN (Radio Access Network) Industry Connections activity. Members will include but are not limited to:

• Service providers
• Semiconductor manufacturers
• OEMS
• Original Design Manufacturers (ODMS)
• Telcos
• Technology providers

To learn more about the program and how to join the Open RAN (Radio Access Network) activity, please express your interest by completing the interest form or sending an inquiry to the activity chair whose information can be found in the Contacts section.