Telcos adopting OpenRAN tech to cut network costs

NEW DELHI: India’s top telcos—Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio—are expanding their telecom gear supplier options beyond the traditional equipment vendors such as Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei and ZTE by adopting what is called Open Radio Access Networks (OpenRAN) technology. The move comes with the future of Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE in India hanging in the balance, and a dependence on only the two other suppliers will increase costs.

OpenRAN as a concept enables hardware and software to be dis-aggregated, unlike conventional radio gears, allowing technology products from different suppliers to co-exist with the various software providers. This move would also help telcos cut network-related costs and bring more customization as they prepare for 5G, say experts.