Hello, dear.
Interoperable interfaces are a core principle of Open RAN
Interoperable interfaces enable smaller vendors to quickly introduce their own services, and also enable mobile network operators to deploy with multiple vendors and allow them to customize their networks to meet their needs. Mobile network operators can choose the products and technologies they want to use in their networks, regardless of vendor. As a result, MNOs will have the opportunity to build more robust and cost effective networks.
By creating a more competitive vendor ecosystem for MNOs, smaller vendors will be able to roll out services quickly and will also improve cost efficiencies, thereby reducing the cost of 5G network deployments. Previously "locked in" to a proprietary RAN, operators have limited negotiating power, and an open environment levels the playing field, stimulating competition and reducing costs.
Innovation is another important benefit of Open RAN. The development of open interfaces stimulates innovation, allowing smaller, more nimble competitors to develop and deploy breakthrough technologies, which not only creates the potential for more innovation, but also accelerates the pace of breakthrough technology development, as smaller companies tend to move faster than larger ones.
A notable example is the fronthaul - C-RAN (Cloud-RAN) architecture for transport networks that connect RRHs at cellular sites to baseband units (BBUs) at centralized baseband controllers some distance away. In the O-RAN Alliance reference architecture, the IEEE Radio Ethernet (RoE) and Open Enhanced Public Radio Interface (eCPRI) protocols can be used on top of the O-RAN fronthaul specification interface to replace bandwidth-intensive and proprietary CPRI.
By using Ethernet, operators can employ virtualization techniques to switch front-end transport between physical nodes using off-the-shelf network equipment, with virtualized network elements allowing for more customization.
