MORE THAN 30 FIRMS JOIN ALLIANCE CALLING FOR ‘OPEN’ 5G SYSTEMS
More than 30 technology and telecom firms unveiled an alliance Tuesday
to press for “open and interoperable” 5G wireless systems that
eliminate the need for a single supplier.
The move comes amid heightened global debate over politically
sensitive deployment of the ultrafast fifth-generation networks in a
market-led by Chinese-based Huawei, along with European-based Nokia
and Ericsson.
The new Open RAN Policy Coalition said an open-standards system with
competitive bidding for various components in a “radio access network”
would avoid depending on any single technology supplier.
The alliance of 31 firms is “letting (wireless) providers know there
are options” other than “a single vendor with a closed proprietary
system,” said Diane Rinaldo, coalition executive director.
The group includes large technology firms Microsoft, Google, IBM and
Cisco; carriers including AT&T and Verizon in the United States and
global operators Vodafone, Rakuten and Telefonica; and hardware and
chip-making firms Qualcomm, Intel and Samsung.
Rinaldo told AFP that “the coalition was not formed to address
concerns about any particular company but to discuss the need to have
a robust supply chain and prevent any one company from dominating.”
The move comes however with Washington banning Huawei from American
networks amid what officials say are national security concerns, and
urging US allies to follow suit.
RINALDO SAID “As evidenced by the current global pandemic, vendor
choice and flexibility in next-generation network deployments are
necessary from a security and performance standpoint,”
“By promoting policies that standardize and develop open interfaces,
we can ensure interoperability and security across different players
and potentially lower the barrier to entry for new innovators.”
He added that the alliance is promoting privately deployed networks
in the United States, with the federal government helping to foster a
diverse supply chain and fund research into these open networks.
The alliance points out that most mobile networks have typically been
deployed using fully integrated systems where the radio, hardware and
software are provided by a single manufacturer. An open system can
work, the group noted, as long as standards are consistent.
It added that there are already examples of successful mobile
deployments of 4G or 5G networks using open standards in Japan, India
and other parts of the world.
He concluded by saying that this concept has been out there, “Our
coalition is helping to amplify the message on this.”
source AFP
