What’s the story? Open RAN, semiconductor markets marred by supply chain, geopolitical dustups

Many industries are feeling the squeeze of supply chain challenges, and the open RAN and semiconductor businesses are no exception.

Despite the flexibility that open RAN promises from an equipment and technology standpoint, supply chain speed bumps plus geopolitical factors are presenting new challenges to that market, Light Reading's Iain Morris explained on the podcast.

"Open RAN for people who aren't that familiar with it is really just a set of interfaces that allow you to mix and match components and software from different companies," said Morris. "But the idea is that because you don't need an end-to-end portfolio, it's a lot easier then for smaller companies and specialists to come into the mix and kind of compete."

Morris recently reported on one of the most prominent players in the open RAN game, Parallel Wireless, which had to lay off employees.

"They've had to let go of a lot of their staff," he said. "It depends on what reports you read how many have gone, but there are some saying it's up to 80%, which sounds pretty disastrous, really, for a company to lose that many."

In addition to discussing open RAN woes, Morris explained why a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan could have a major impact on the semiconductor market.

You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here.

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