The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) last week announced that two of its members, Telefónica and Vodafone, have each issued a Request for Information (RFI) for OpenRAN solutions.
The RFIs will identify vendors of Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment and assess their ability to meet requirements for RAN platforms as established by TIP's OpenRAN project group.
The objective of the OpenRAN Project Group is the development of fully programmable RAN solutions based on General Purpose Processing Platforms (GPPP) and disaggregated software. The project group was formed to harness the benefits that software-driven development can bring to RAN, including greater network flexibility and a faster pace of innovation.
The scope of the RFIs is a RAN platform that could extend operators' 4G network coverage. Other technologies including 2G and 3G are also included in the RFIs. The results of the RFI process will be presented at the TIP Summit 2018 in London on October 16-17 and identify vendors that meet RFI requirements.
Santiago Tenorio, Group Head of Networks Strategy and Architecture, Vodafone and a TIP Board Member
Now that we have an OpenRAN ecosystem, and we have conducted initial technology validations, it is the right moment to deliver specific requirements and ensure focus by providing clarity on what we really need for our deployments.
David Del Val, Telefonica's 1=D CEO and TIP Board Member
This RFI is a clear step towards commercialization of these new solutions that will simplify cellular networks deployment and operations, and unleash innovation for a better service to our customers.