What is Open RAN?

Open radio access network (RAN) is a set of industry-wide standards designed to support equipment interoperability from multiple vendors. The core objective of Open RAN is to standardize the protocols and interfaces between various subcomponents in the RAN, including radios, hardware, and software. This standard reduces the need to use proprietary equipment and allows mobile network operators (MNOs) to leverage standard interfaces between multiple vendors’ hardware and software, resulting in the ability to select from a larger and more diverse ecosystem of providers.

Why is Open RAN Important? 

An Open RAN environment provides an entire ecosystem of vendor services, solutions, and building blocks for operators to choose from. The increased competition results in increased network agility and flexibility, increased innovation, reduced capex and opex costs, enhanced security, and the ability to incorporate best-of-breed features from different vendors quickly. Arm is a member of the O-RAN ALLIANCE, an industrywide community of experts focused on openness and innovation. The alliance enables telecommunications companies and vendors to deploy an open, interoperable, cloud-native 5G infrastructure. Arm offers an extensive set of development tools and ecosystem resources to deliver high-performance, power-efficient compute solutions that meet the diverse range of computing needs across all key areas of the 5G infrastructure.

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