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Open RAN
RADIO ACCESS NETWORKS
Delivering the next generation of wireless infrastructure Photo: Adobe Stock
For some operators, the deployment of 5G is emerging as a perfect opportunity to use open RAN to gain new efficiencies. But, as Lux Maharaj of Parallel Wireless explained, open RAN could also prove appropriate for a continent like Africa where 2G, 3G and 4G dominate.
Could open RAN boost rural deployment in Africa?
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OME OBSERVERS SUGGEST that open RAN has only limited relevance to Africa. However, it has already been embraced by a number of African operators. MTN, for instance, has explained its advantages as follows: “Open RAN allows for the disaggregation of hardware and software elements of a network, enabling telcos to build a network using components with the same specifications and scale from a diverse base of vendors. A disruptive trend, it is gaining popularity as the industry seeks to promote an open and interoperable ecosystem between various vendors.” Telecommunications service provider Parallel Wireless is a strong proponent of open RAN. It claims that through open collaboration with its open RAN ecosystem partners, it has created a world-first – and largest – fully compliant open RAN ecosystem, one that is capable of delivering the next generation of wireless infrastructure at dramatically lower cost.
18 Communications Africa Issue 2 2022
What’s more, it believes this approach has a number of advantages for the African market. We discussed this with Lux Maharaj, Parallel Wireless director and account manager for the South Africa region. Communications Africa (CAF): In a recent YouTube presentation you suggested that open RAN can benefit Africa. Why is this? Lux Maharaj (LM), Parallel wireless director and account manager for the South Africa region: Africa is a diverse continent. While on one end, the service providers have launched
Several African service providers, including MTN and Orange are already using Open RAN to bridge the digital divide and connect the unconnected.
5G and continue to expand 5G networks, 2G, 3G and 4G networks will remain relevant for several years to come. This means that the service providers will need to maintain multiple networks, leading to network complexity and high operational cost of managing the network. The general perception is that open RAN is beneficial only for greenfield networks because the initial deployments were in greenfield rural deployments, but this is no longer the case. Several service providers are successfully using open RAN for brownfield deployments as well to bring down operational cost, avoid vendor lock-in and enhance process efficiencies by simplifying the network. African service providers can use open RAN to unify all ‘G’ networks – 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G – for better management and to bring down the total cost of ownership. Further, the cost benefits offered by open RAN can make it easier for the service providers to extend the benefits of connectivity in yet-to-be-connected and rural
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