O-RAN Software Community Advances Open RAN Innovation with J and K Releases, Fostering Better Alignment with Industry Groups and Standards to Further Open RAN Adoption
New software releases further enable open Radio Access Network (RAN) adoption aligned to O-RAN ALLIANCE standards.
O-RAN ALLIANCE Advances Open and AI-Driven RAN Standardization by Setting Priorities for Scaled Deployments and Collaboration towards 6G
Since November 2024, O-RAN Work Groups and Focus Groups published 67 technical documents, bringing the total to 130 titles in current version and 770 documents overall. Five documents represent new titles.
This is the fifth annual O-RAN security blogpost from the O-RAN ALLIANCE’s Security Working Group, or WG11, describing the current state and plans for O-RAN security.
This white paper explores advanced strategies to enhance energy efficiency in O-RAN based networks, building on existing techniques such as Cell and Carrier Shutdown and RF Channel Reconfiguration. It introduces innovative approaches for optimizing power consumption in key network elements, including Radio Units (O-RU) through dynamic voltage adaptation and renewable energy integration, and O-Cloud environments via intelligent workload management and energy-efficient Cloud Network Functions. Aligned with 3GPP Release-18 features like Discontinuous Transmission/Reception (DTX/DRX) and spatial power-saving methods, these strategies aim to substantially reduce energy consumption while maintaining high performance and service quality.
Central to these strategies are the intelligent capabilities of the O-RAN framework, particularly the Service Management and Orchestration (SMO), Non-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Non-RT RIC), and Near-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Near-RT RIC). Working in harmony, the SMO orchestrates resources across the network, the Non-RT RIC leverages rApps to develop AI/ML-driven long-term optimization policies, and the Near-RT RIC employs xApps to execute near real-time network adjustments. Together, these components provide a cohesive, intelligent framework that drives the dynamic and effective implementation of the energy-saving solutions detailed in this paper, positioning O-RAN as a leader in sustainable and efficient network operations.
It is important that 5G and next-G networks providing critical infrastructure and mission critical use cases are built with a Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) to protect against external and internal threats. ZTA is the evolution of the zero trust concept to a concrete plan based upon multi-layered security controls that provide confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication, and authorization protections from internal and external threats. The O-RAN ALLIANCE is committed to pursue a ZTA through stages of a maturity model that achieve a strong security posture to protect against evolving threats.
The USA Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded more than $273 million as part of the first batch of grants from the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund’s second Notice of Funding Opportunity. This batch of awards will support projects focused on open radio unit hardware commercialization.
Read the full press release here.
Mavenir and Boost Mobile laid claim to the first industry inter-vendor open RAN handover using the 3GPP Xn interface across the operator’s greenfield 5G network, a move they attested proved interoperability.
Read the full announcement here.
Alignment between 3GPP and the O-RAN ALLIANCE is essential for globally unified 6G standards delivering harmonized, open, and intelligent network architecture.
The workshop will serve as a key platform for discussing technical synergies, defining collaborative workstreams, and shaping the roadmap for 6G RAN standardization and innovation.
O-RAN ALLIANCE members and participants are free to attend. Registration is mandatory.
