05 May 2022

Government announces new ‘Open RAN principles’

The UK government has announced a new set of Open RAN (radio access network) guidelines which it claims will attract new telecoms suppliers to the 5G supply chain and ensure access to Open RAN across the UK.

The guidelines have been created to support the development of new Open RAN equipment led by telecoms kit which allows providers to ‘mix and match’ solutions from multiple vendors in way that the government suggested is not possible under current network setups.

Announcing the creation of the new principles at the Open RAN World event in Berlin, Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said it was “the right time” to set guidelines to provide “a guide to industry to ensure the Open RAN tech being developed and deployed in the UK will work in the interests of British citizens and business”.

The document highlights four key principles for Open RAN development: open disaggregation of RAN elements; standards-based compliance; interoperability of all disaggregated elements ; and implementation neutrality.

Lopez added: “With so much momentum behind Open RAN, now is the right time to set these principles so industry and governments can take a common approach to developing and deploying this technology, so it delivers on its promise to disrupt the market and spark a wave of innovation and competition in telecoms.”