6,294
edits
Assessment of Open Ran: Difference between revisions
→Final Assessment
No edit summary |
|||
| Line 167: | Line 167: | ||
Open RAN offers many benefits, such as multi-vendor deployments, the use of RIC, visualization, etc. However, it also has challenges, such as integration and interoperability issues. Some industry players believe there is a trade-off between the benefits and costs. But when the two are analyzed critically, it can be concluded that Open RAN results in TCO reduction by up to 50%. Even if we assume the worst-case scenario, "Open RAN does not result in cost reduction," flexibility alone will still be enough to outperform the traditional RAN. With flexibility, operators can protect their investment by deploying a 2G network in areas that don't have wireless networks while deploying 4G or 5G networks in other regions without breaking down the network. Flexibility will also allow the operator to choose when to deploy cloud-native architecture and RIC since they won't have to reap out the network. In general, a lot can be achieved with a flexible RAN. | Open RAN offers many benefits, such as multi-vendor deployments, the use of RIC, visualization, etc. However, it also has challenges, such as integration and interoperability issues. Some industry players believe there is a trade-off between the benefits and costs. But when the two are analyzed critically, it can be concluded that Open RAN results in TCO reduction by up to 50%. Even if we assume the worst-case scenario, "Open RAN does not result in cost reduction," flexibility alone will still be enough to outperform the traditional RAN. With flexibility, operators can protect their investment by deploying a 2G network in areas that don't have wireless networks while deploying 4G or 5G networks in other regions without breaking down the network. Flexibility will also allow the operator to choose when to deploy cloud-native architecture and RIC since they won't have to reap out the network. In general, a lot can be achieved with a flexible RAN. | ||
Because there is a growing number of Open RAN labs targeted at solving integration and interoperability issues, we can expect those operators concerned with such problems to change their minds. That said, greenfield deployments will continue rising as Open RAN maturity approaches. The current projection indicates that Open RAN will achieve maturity | Because there is a growing number of Open RAN labs targeted at solving integration and interoperability issues, we can expect those operators concerned with such problems to change their minds. That said, greenfield deployments will continue rising as Open RAN maturity approaches. The current projection indicates that Open RAN will achieve maturity by 2026<ref>https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/pt/Documents/technology-media-telecommunications/TEE/The-Open-Future-of-Radio-Access-Networks.pdf page.26</ref>. This is achievable considering that operators like 1&1, Rakuten, Dish, and DTT Docomo would have deployed it at scale in macro and MIMO settings. However, we don't expect Open RAN to replace traditional RAN completely since some operators would prefer a single vendor in some instances. As Patrick Lopez, Global VP of Product Management for 5G at NEC, notes, "I don't think Open RAN will replace all traditional RAN deployments. There will be a space for every type of RAN. In some cases, deploying a specialized, proprietary RAN system from one vendor will make sense. In most other cases, it will make more sense to have a multi-vendor implementation where you can use resource pooling."<ref>https://senzafili.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SenzaFili_DD_ORAN_Ecosystem.pdf<nowiki/>page. 48</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||