WASHINGTON, DC –The Open RAN Policy Coalition todayreleased a new Policy Roadmap, outlining the steps that governments and policymakers can take to accelerate adoption of open standards in the RAN and promote a network ecosystem that is more diverse, competitive and secure.
“The Coalition has convened discussions with 23 governments over the past three months and there is clear interest in the ability of Open RAN to support objectives such as expanding the diversity of suppliers, reducing the cost of network construction and bridging the digital divide in the age of COVID,” said Open RAN Policy Coalition Director of International Programs Alexander Botting. “Many of the governments we’ve spoken with are planning to implement policies that will accelerate the adoption of open and interoperable solutions in the RAN. This Roadmap can be a valuable tool for them as they seek to identify the most effective means to do so.”
The Policy Roadmap is intended as a starting point for discussions between stakeholders. It outlines policy tools applicable to addressing a number of regulatory objectives, including strategies for governments to:
- Support the emergence of new network infrastructure vendors
- Accelerate demand for Open RAN solutions
- Catalyze investment in technical capabilities
- Support operators as they develop an approach to managing a multi-layer network architecture
- Establish the right approach to oversight of multi-vendor network architecture
- Engage with international allies to share experiences and best practices
Case studies based on policies implemented by the Governments of the UK and Japan are also included as real-world examples of actions governments can take to encourage communications equipment to be interoperable, based on open architecture, and meet standards of security.
The Roadmap is available for download on the Open RAN Policy Coalition website at https://www.openranpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/roadmap.pdf.
The Open RAN Policy Coalition is a diverse group of information and communications technology companies in support of policies that promote a diverse and competitive wireless market, break down barriers to entry for new players, and create a future in which RAN architecture is based on open and interoperable interfaces.
###