The India Mobile Congress 2023 featured a session on open radio access networks (O-RAN), in which top executives from private telcos, namely, Vikas Dixit, assistant vice president, new product introduction, Reliance Jio; Saurabh Mittal, vice president, standards and industry ecosystem, Bharti Airtel; and Rajesh Singh, executive vice president, technology, radio planning, network planning and strategy, Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi), discussed the effective mitigation of challenges associated with O-RAN deployment, achieving substantial growth and scaling up despite these obstacles, and how O-RAN can contribute to the establishment of a comprehensive 5G ecosystem. Edited excerpts from their addresses…
Vikas Dixit, Assistant Vice President, New Product Introduction, Reliance Jio
Vikas Dixit
We are not merely approaching the digital age; we are already fully immersed in it. The capabilities that were unimaginable just a decade ago are now commonplace, accessible at the touch of our fingertips. From Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments to mobile infotainment systems, technology has permeated every aspect of our lives. As we navigate the era of 5G and look towards the future, O-RAN presents both challenges and solutions. While cost remains a consideration, the openness, inclusivity and innovation fostered by the O-RAN community offer significant benefits for all stakeholders.
To provide concrete examples, I would like to highlight the Next Generation Research Group, a new initiative within the O-RAN Alliance focused on developing next-generation networks. One of its research streams, RS01, specifically addresses use cases and gaps in current architectures. In a recent survey conducted under RS01, 50 per cent of the participating companies expressed interest in working in the RS domain. This domain encompasses applications that can be dynamically loaded on to the RAN intelligent controller platform to facilitate innovative feature development. This approach marks a significant departure from previous network generations, where feature integration was a lengthy and cumbersome process. In the 6G era, driven by 5G advancements, feature integration will become a dynamic and agile process, enabling rapid innovation and adaptation to evolving requirements.
Energy efficiency has become a prominent concern, particularly with the advent of 5G. The O-RAN Alliance has proactively addressed this issue by establishing the Sustainability Focus Group, dedicated to enhancing network energy efficiency. This group comprises four task groups, each focusing on specific aspects such as software optimisation, hardware design, key performance indicator measurement and analytics, and circular economy.
The circular economy is a very interesting concept that is quite unheard of in the telecom world. How do we build systems in an energy-sustainable manner, right from choosing the material to taking it to the field and dismantling it? How do we reuse it, so we do not have to change entire networks instead of the specific parts that require changing?
“The openness, inclusivity and innovation fostered by the O-RAN community offer significant benefits for all stakeholders.” Vikas Dixit
In my opinion, O-RAN’s significance lies not just in its architectural split, but in its holistic approach to system development and deployment. While challenges remain, the potential benefits of O-RAN outweigh these challenges, making it a promising technology for the future of telecommunications.
Saurabh Mittal
Saurabh Mittal, Vice President, Standards and Industry Ecosystem, Bharti Airtel
From an operator’s perspective, the primary consideration is network performance, followed closely by cost optimisation. If costs are excessively high, the performance benefits become less relevant. For us, the third key aspect is sustainability, or the life cycle, as we call it. We examine various parameters to determine if the performance meets established benchmarks, and if it is truly cost-effective. Another challenge that we might face in the future is ensuring the interoperability of devices and networks (IODT), particularly in an open device market such as India.
Our journey with O-RAN has revealed that not all devices adhere strictly to established standards; often, introducing optional parameters leads to a lack of support for certain features. This non-conformance can lead to network confusion and performance degradation. Consequently, performance may be adversely affected by IODT issues. Therefore, IODT (or interworking) remains a critical aspect for us to consider. When evaluating O-RAN, we primarily focus on four key parameters: performance, total cost of ownership (TCO), sustainability and IODT. These parameters collectively determine the overall effectiveness and viability of O-RAN deployments.
“Our journey with O-RAN has revealed that not all devices adhere strictly to established standards; often, introducing optional parameters leads to a lack of support for certain features.” Saurabh Mittal
From Airtel’s perspective, we have not been content with merely waiting for advancements to occur. We have been actively driving innovation. Our O-RAN journey commenced three and a half years ago on the 4G front, where we conducted experiments and successfully commercialised small cells. This achievement firmly established our position as pioneers in O-RAN deployment. Subsequently, when we ventured into 5G O-RAN development, we played a pivotal role in fostering the ecosystem. In 2020 and 2021, we hosted the Global Plugfest at our Manesar lab facility, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to O-RAN even amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the allocation of 5G licenses in the Punjab legal service authority by the Department of Telecommunications, we conducted trials utilising O-RAN technology, reaping valuable insights from this experience. Currently, we are engaged in ongoing trials and collaborations with major original equipment manufacturers, exploring not only O-RAN but also other variants such as virtualised RAN. We recognise the immense potential of O-RAN, while acknowledging the challenges that remain. We are confident that the industry is steadily maturing towards a future where O-RAN will play a pivotal role, and we eagerly anticipate its widespread adoption.
Rajesh Singh, Executive Vice President, Technology, Radio Planning, Network Planning and Strategy, Vodafone Idea Limited
Rajesh Singh
O-RAN is in the early stages of development. Over the past four to five years, we have witnessed small deployments here and there, but it has not yet reached a significant scale. I believe that O-RAN, with the contributions of all stakeholders, has the potential for significant growth. The time has come for us to witness this growth, and I anticipate that it will be extraordinary.
We have been working on O-RAN since 2020. The technology landscape is constantly evolving, so we began with frequency division duplex (FDD), as it contributed the initial demand for O-RAN. We prioritised FDD development and subsequently built upon this foundation. As FDD reached a stable state, we recognised the need for time division duplex (TDD) and its unique characteristics. TDD’s development presented challenges, but we persevered and gradually established its viability. However, during the stabilisation of TDD, 5G emerged, introducing the requirement for new radio (NR). O-RAN’s complexity is increasing, and we must ensure timely development to avoid postponing progress until 6G. Indeed, the arrival of 5G has brought forth the need for NR, and the demands will continue to expand beyond NR to include N78, N256, gigabit bands, and millimetre waves. This evolution reflects the growing complexity of RANs, which now encompass multiple bands to support diverse use cases and network requirements.
FDD has demonstrated significant success and holds immense promise, prompting our continued investment in its development. Operators, particularly in the Indian market, have dedicated substantial time and effort to making FDD a success. Similar efforts are evident across geographies such as North America, the Asia-Pacific region, India and South Africa, where trials and clusters have been deployed but large-scale adoption remains elusive. We are now approaching maturity, with all aspects of the technology reaching stability. The emergence of 5G has necessitated the concurrent development of both 4G and 5G due to the limitations of non-standalone architecture. This necessitates a combined approach, as standalone 4G deployment is no longer a viable option.
Initially, O-RAN faced challenges due to cloud technology itself being in the developmental stage. As we transitioned
from physical hardware to monolithic structures and eventually to cloud-based architectures, cloud technology itself underwent significant transformation. This evolution required stabilisation efforts before the technology could fully support O-RAN deployment. Now that cloud technology has matured, O-RAN development can leverage its advancements to further enhance its own capabilities. The convergence of cloud maturity, 4G and 5G, multiple bands, and TDD and FDD, has created a synergistic environment for O-RAN development. We now have a deeper understanding of these technologies and their integration. Features and performance are also approaching parity, raising hopes for large-scale deployments in the near future. Operators are eager to reap the benefits of O-RAN, but the TCO remains a challenge. This challenge, however, can be addressed through scale. We have been limited to small deployments, but with large-scale adoption, TCO is expected to decline, enabling operators to fully realise the benefits of O-RAN.
“The convergence of cloud maturity, 4G and 5G, multiple bands, and TDD and FDD, has created a synergistic environment for O-RAN development.” Rajesh Singh
