An Introduction to OpenRAN

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 14:46:48, sysadmin, [category: openran-community]

Evolution of Hardware and Software Disaggregation

Happening since Microsoft times it was enable by Moore’s law in 1995, Moore’s law it is the ability to innovate with smaller more cost effective and more powerful chips. And when hardware became more powerful, software it was able to enable that hardware. And that’s how Microsoft was born they took a debt on software and here they are today a multi billion dollar company.

As Moore’s law enabled more and more innovation with hardware the world of enterprise started changing a whole bunch of hardware companies disappeared because they didn’t make a doubt on software, but a whole bunch new players have emerged Linux, red hat, VMware, arista and this is when the innovation and software disruption started happening in our world in telecom.

First 10 years ago it started an EPC when EPS became virtualized and that software was able to go on a court server, many boxes simply disappeared another interesting thing that happened in the industry in the last 10 years is a lot of consolidation, and consolidation drives the locan so we ended up with only three vendors in the telecom market.

So innovation was actually happening because of lack on innovation stagnancy in the market. That is where chip came in because tips mission is to connect people across the world, because technology is nothing unless it can bring life enabling services to us the end users or the business and five years we started working with tip, Vodafone, and this is how open RAN was born.

Add Typical Mobile Network Architecture

This is the levels set, so there are cell towers we see them everywhere the big things they have right radios on top, and servers on the bottom, and then there is a data center where the sore goes. On site with the cell tower there is hardware for radios and for the hardware on the bottom that is server BBU and software goes there. Software is the brain of the network.

Why OpenRAN (Radio Access Network)

80% of CAPEX and OPEX mobile operators spend on ran is very expensive, and because of consolidation in the market what is been happening is mobile operators were not  able to mix and match. So the radio on top came from the same vendor as the BBU on the bottom, and the software from the same vendor was on that BBU. Because it is cannot mix and match components with any other vendor because the prices is will went up, and TCO(total cost of ownership) is also went up. When TCO is goes up mobile operators can not afford to bring coverage to everyone and everywhere. Unless we rip this vendor and replace.

OpenRAN Benefits

• Innovation : Best of bread RAN
• No vendor lock in : Mix and Match vendors
• TCO reduction : CAPEX reduction with COTS components, OPEX reduction with DevOps

There is level set different terms mean :

• Open RAN : is just the movement and not the interfaces
• OpenRAN : Telecom infrastructure group, and can go to Telecom Infra Project website and we can find the great papers and tenants of OpenRAN mission from Telecom Infra in Telecom Group
• O-RAN & ORAN : all an alliance this is the interfaces that O-RAN aligns enabling between DU ans CU

Grup That are Heavily Involved in Bringing The Innovation to Mobile Operators

• 3GPP : Telecom standards development. Thought the RAN standards were developed and collaboratively, each vendor has their own flavor hence creating lack.
• Telecom Infra Project : Advancement of global Open RAN deployments through trials, PlugFests and creation of references designs for deployments.
• O-RAN : Operator-led standardization efforts for white box RAN  and software, RIC and testing of those technologies/creation of O-RAN reference designs.
• The Linux Foundation : Collaboration with the O-RAN alliance in the O-RAN Software Community to support the creation of open-source software for the RAN.
• GSMA : Partnership with TIP and O-RAN Alliance to accelerate the adoption of Open RAN.
• SCF : Development of open standards for small cells.
• Open RAN Policy Coalition : Education and promotion of policies to advanced of Open and Interoperable RAN globally.

Tips View of OpenRAN

What we are building together OpenRAN. Open, disaggregated networks improve the business case for the RAN.

OpenRAN Integration Models

Managed by operator or SI.