Global firms push US to research 5G tech that would minimise Chinese influence and allow multiple vendors
- Companies including Google, Samsung, Cisco, AT&T and Vodafone urge US lawmakers to fund next-generation tech development
- Firms urge research into radio access networks that would move 5G infrastructure away from expensive proprietary hardware dominated by China
Global technology firms including Google, Samsung, Cisco and Vodafone have joined forces to urge US lawmakers to fund next-generation tech development using open radio access.
Thirty-one companies announced on Tuesday that they had formed the group, called the Open RAN Policy Coalition, to change the way the cell tower radio access network (RAN) works in an effort to support virtual, software-based 5G networks.
RAN is part of a telecommunications system that connects devices to other parts of a network through cableless radio connections. Opening up RAN means the 5G infrastructure can be moved away from the need for expensive proprietary hardware.
An open radio access network “changes the business model for all the telecom suppliers, in that it moves telecom services to software and cloud computing rather than proprietary hardware”, said James Lewis, director of the Technology and Public Policy Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
“It is just one part of the new network technology. The full stack isn't ready yet, but it will reshape how and where service providers buy their equipment,” Lewis said.
The group, which also includes AT&T, IBM, Microsoft, Verizon, Rakuten Mobile and Telefonica, said the change would allow multiple vendors to operate on the system interchangeably and avoid infrastructure in which a single manufacturer must provide everything.