The U.S. House’s Open RAN 5G bill, assuming robust R&D funding remains integral, will further assist ecosystem-wide coordination in key areas like R&D and supply chain integrity. In sum, the mobile industry is steadily shifting to an open RAN model, despite near-term challenges in the process, many of which are expected based on the industry’s experience with previous high-impact technology shifts. The U.S. Congress is sending a clear signal that Open RAN is critical to meeting U.S. government 5G national security and supply chain goals. This provides more funding opportunity for the Open RAN community to prove that Open RAN is ready to meet ecosystem-wide prime time 5G demands.
