Open RAN Deployments in the Real World

What O-RAN Deployments will look like and how to make sure they perform

Open RAN networks are viewed by some as an all or nothing initiative: if they aren't fully multi-vendor and disaggregated in the early days of rollout, then the initiative has failed. The reality is more complex. There are many options for deploying Open RAN, which means providers have a variety of paths they can take to address their specific needs.

Deployments are happening in Greenfields with companies like Rakuten and DISH networks, and in Brownfields with companies like Docomo, which are investing in sizable initiatives. There’s been a wave of O-RAN-ready investments, too, with O-RAN-compatible, single vendor type systems. There are many more deployments coming, but there is still a gap between the pioneers and the large scale full multi-vendor nationwide O-RAN deployments. A good area of progress over the last few years has been Tier 1 vendor commitments to include O-RAN in their product roadmaps, which is a big win for operators, brings commercial confidence to the movement, and expands the market for new entrants, as there's more of a footprint of the network for them to deploy into.