European Operators Update Open RAN Requirements

Five large European telecom operators updated guidelines for open RAN technical priorities. The group outlined requirements related to Service Management Orchestration (SMO) and RIC alongside providing more detail on security needs.

The document is the result of a collaboration of strong players that includes Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone Group, Telefonica, Orange, and Telecom Italia. The quintet signed an MoU outlining an ambition to drive developments in the open RAN ecosystem in 2021 and published the first edition of the Open RAN Technical Priorities guide later that year.

Its initial publication focused on the main scenarios and technical requirements for the building blocks of multi-vendor RAN, while an update in March 2022 zoomed in on intelligence, orchestration, transport, and cloud infrastructure. Release three centers on further requirements in the SMO and RIC. Other areas updated, the group noted, include elements around cloud infrastructure, O-CU/O-DU, and O-RU.

The partners added the new release provides more detail on security topics and various challenges introduced by the disaggregation promoted by the open RAN architecture, with energy efficiency also covered. Requirements outlined by the operators are designed to act as guidance for RAN suppliers and are an attempt to accelerate deployments in Europe, while also contributing to TIP’s work in this area.