Telecoms.com Podcast Mavenir, Open RAN and telecoms policy
Feb 6, 2023
John Baker, a specialist in Open RAN from Mavenir, dives into the ongoing debate about Open RAN's effectiveness in transforming the telecom landscape. He shares insights on the challenges operators face, particularly with supply chain security and vendor diversity. The conversation touches on the impact of EU telecom policies and Ofcom’s regulatory reach, raising concerns about their influence on telecom innovations and competition. Additionally, they discuss the contrasts in deployment speed among key industry players, highlighting the critical role of collaboration for success.
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Open RAN Success
- Open RAN has increased vendor diversity in the telecom market.
- This addresses operators' frustration with incumbents like Nokia, Ericsson, and Huawei.
Huawei Rip and Replace
- US government promotes Open RAN due to security concerns, highlighted by the Huawei rip-and-replace issue.
- Replacing Huawei equipment required removing entire networks, demonstrating vendor lock-in problems.
US Open RAN Momentum
- US operators show increasing interest in Open RAN, despite existing 5G deployments.
- This shift is driven by security concerns and the emergence of new use cases like fixed wireless access.