O-RAN has gained significant popularity thanks to 5G. Deployment potential in brownfield and greenfield settings are vitally increasing for O-RAN in 2024. Wireless networks using open RANs (O-RANs) are heading toward a disaggregated, virtualized RAN with standardized interfaces.
In order to confirm interoperability, end-to-end performance, and user experience, extensive network testing methods are needed before deploying an O-RAN network.
Owing to the disaggregated nature of O-RAN, time synchronization and verification are essential for preserving correct time alignment because there are several methods for synchronizing infrastructure components.
Any technology must have security, and when more suppliers are added to a RAN, especially through their interfaces, the attack surface area grows.
Customers should exercise due diligence to make sure the vendors are following security best practices, and vendors should follow these guidelines as well.
For the service management and orchestration layer, not all vendors will provide management interfaces that are sufficiently secure.
The Goal of ORAN Alliance
The goal of the ORAN Alliance, an organization that develops ORAN standards, is to incorporate machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) into its standards.
Although it isn’t stated clearly in the interfaces linking vendor products, standardizing AI’s functionality within an ORAN architecture can help with automation. Because less human intervention is needed to set up the networking software, automated deployments save time and money.
AI plays a major role in network maintenance and automation. Artificial Intelligence (AI) automates operational network activities, further minimizes human interaction, responds to traffic issues, and changes course when necessary.
The Ecosystem Gets Broader
The ecosystem is much broader when we talk about the critical evolution of O-RAN. Operators are no longer providing a single stack solution and testing a single vendor against a single cloud. O-RAN stands apart not just for its multi-vendor features but also for its cloud-based functionality.
Interoperability and Conformance Stability
Interoperability and conformance stability becomes more vital. The performance and optimization phases of the product lifecycle are approaching for O-RAN products.
The specifications of the O-RAN Alliance are beginning to take shape.
Many more operators will test these technologies going forward and eventually transition to commercialization.
Open Standards is Enabling New Opportunities
Open standards might also be advantageous to the leading RAN providers in the market. Opportunities for managed service providers arise in a multi-vendor model.
The multi-vendor RANs could be managed by the RAN vendors in collaboration with the smaller organizations.
Even said, it’s unlikely that the single-vendor model will disappear because some businesses would prefer to have a simpler infrastructure or just one point of contact for Tech support.
Operator’s Guide
Interoperability, ownership accountability, problem silos and troubleshooting, and managing and orchestrating all the multi-vendor virtual and physical network functions on a shared cloud infrastructure—which may also be multi-vendor—are the main issues that operators must deal with when thinking about O-RAN in 2024.
How to Churn the Key Benefits
In order to achieve cost savings and benefits from innovation, O-RAN complexity and the high-performing 5G network it is housed in necessitate the development of new, automated testing methodologies that continuously validate real-world performance and robustness, guarantee interoperability, foster collaboration, and support open ecosystems.
Success Story for O-RAN in 2024
Whether O-RAN can perform at least as well as traditional radio, narrow feature gaps, accomplish simple plug-and-play interoperability, and realize expected cost savings will be key factors in determining its success.
Additional next-generation network components like automation and the cloud are frequently included in O-RAN implementations. Testing now has additional dynamics that need to be taken into account and handled.
The advantages of O-RAN standards include lower equipment costs, enhanced network performance, and the introduction of market competition. At the moment, these standards are not commonly used but O-RAN in 2024 has the component to derive new dynamics.
ORAN’s promised multi-vendor approach increases network complexity and makes system integration more challenging to maintain.
