How Open RAN Helps Solve Mobile Network Operator Challenges

Challenges Mobile Network Operators Face Today

The telecom industry is going through a dramatic change that can only be compared to the change that data centers went through in the 2000s – all driven by Moore’s Law. This change is driving the need to move from costly, proprietary solutions to commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), open solutions and a broader vendor supply chain.

As Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) scale their networks, they are faced with:

• Legacy RAN vendor equipment throughout their networks, with solutions which are proprietary and siloed for each G.
• Brownfield networks with existing proprietary network equipment. There are very few greenfield networks with no embedded infrastructure.
• Upgrading legacy networks and deploying new networks to meet user demands and offer new bandwidth intensive services, especially in high-capacity urban environments.
• Deploying, maintaining, and optimizing networks which typically requires a lot of manual labor and results in high cost.

What is Open RAN and how does it solve these challenges?

Open RAN is a movement to define and build 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G RAN solutions based on general-purpose vendor-neutral hardware and software-defined technology. Open RAN is the disaggregation of hardware and software with non-proprietary software. The interface between BBU and RRU/RRH is an open interface, so any vendor’s software can work on any open RRU/RRH. Operators are enabled to run cloud-native, software-based network functions on standard servers. Open interfaces allow operators to use one supplier’s radios with another’s processors – something not previously possible.

The disaggregation of hardware and software as seen in the diagram above, puts software in the center of the network and delivers elasticity and scalability across all network components, including access, to transport and to core. A cloud-native, software-enabled approach provides unprecedented opportunities to bring down complexity, enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs. All G Open RAN plays a crucial role in improving network economics by allowing MNOs to do away with the traditional siloed approach of adding a new layer for every G. This converges ALL Gs – 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G on one unified platform and ensures the cost of operation is lowered significantly thus reducing the complexity and integration expense of rolling out a multi-vendor 5G network.

Parallel Wireless Open RAN Solutions

Parallel Wireless helps solve MNO challenges with cloud-native, O-RAN Alliance compliant Open RAN across ALL Gs – 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G, including complex mixed-technology scenarios. This solution drives down costs for both rural and urban deployments and allows MNOs to unleash the full potential of their networks as they migrate to 5G.

Learn more about MNO challenges and how Parallel Wireless is solving their challenges with ALL G, O-RAN Alliance compliant Open RAN solutions. Visit our Open RAN Overview solution brief and watch, An Introduction to the Open RAN Concept video.

Resources:

Everything You Need to Know About Open RAN eBook
Open RAN Resources Page
Open RAN video playlist