The Open RAN Policy Coalition submitted comments in response to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) request for recommendations from stakeholders for developing the Administration’s Implementation Plan for the National Strategy to Secure 5G.
The Coalition believes that there are a variety of steps that policymakers can take to facilitate a vibrant marketplace of suppliers and increased adoption of new innovation based upon open interfaces. In order to nurture this technological approach and accelerate stable, sustainable, and successful advances, the Coalition promotes initiatives and policy priorities that (1) support new and existing innovative technology suppliers that are implementing these open interfaces, as well as small and large network operators, (2) help create a competitive global ecosystem of diverse trusted suppliers and service providers, and (3) build and maintain U.S. and allies’ technological leadership both in 5G and future wireless network development.
In these comments, the Coalition addresses the central aim of the NTIA proceeding in general and the Secure 5G and Beyond Act’s requirements in particular – namely, that it is a national security imperative that U.S. and allied communications networks provide secure and reliable connectivity. The open and interoperable RAN solutions that are being deployed today in major markets in other parts of the world are poised for deployment in the United States; additionally, these solutions provide the secure and reliable networks that are the goal of the National Strategy to Secure 5G and related proceedings. Moreover, their openness and interoperability provide a platform that facilitates future upgrades in security and reliability with greater efficiency and reduced maintenance demands as innovation continues in this field.
The Coalition urges the Administration to (1) encourage open and interoperable RAN in implementing all Lines of Effort of its National Strategy to Secure 5G, and (2) take urgent policy actions to advance open and interoperable RAN in a manner that promotes flexibility in the near-term and innovation and market diversity over the long-term.
These recommendations are outlined in the Coalition’s full filing, which is available on our Resources page.