FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared with her colleagues a proposal to open a formal discussion on Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN). The discussion would cover the opportunities they present, and what the FCC should be doing to promote the concept.
If adopted at the Commission’s March 17 open meeting, the Notice of Inquiry (NOI) would seek comment on Open RAN development and deployment, including whether and how the FCC might foster its success. How to support competitiveness and new entrant access to this emerging market would be included as well.
“Open RAN has emerged as one promising path to drive 5G security and innovation in the United States,” said Rosenworcel. “With this inquiry, we will start to compile a record about how we can secure our vulnerable supply chains once and for all, and revitalize the nation’s 5G leadership and innovation.”
If adopted, the NOI would seek public input on the role of established large manufacturers and of new entrants in setting standards for this new network architecture. It seeks input on what steps should be taken by the FCC, federal partners, industry, academia, or others to accelerate the timeline for Open RAN standards development. It invites comment on any challenges or other considerations related to the deployment, integration, and testing of systems based on Open RAN specifications. Information on development and deployment costs and benefits would be covered as well.
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