Once seen as an “emerging” technology, Open RAN is evolving and maturing. Open RAN, which has been touted as one of the most significant trends to transform the telecom industry, took off in ways no one ever expected in 2020. The consolidation of the RAN supply chain and a ban on Chinese suppliers forced mobile operators around the globe to get creative and open up their network to Open RAN faster than any other new technology in the past. This was possible by Open RAN driven innovation, a promise of TCO savings up to 40%, and enablement of supplier diversity with the disaggregation of hardware and software components.
