Open RAN: Revolutionary, or a tool for a revolution? [telecom]

Until a few minutes ago, I didn't know that something named "open RAN" existed, or what it is.

I came across a story on the subject, and I've included the URL for the story, and one for a "white paper" that gives technical details, below. However, I think we telecom types need to talk - not about the technical topic, but about the political and regulatory environment that the "Open RAN" concept will create.

"Open" standards which *MIGHT* allow communication - even short-range peer-to-peer communication - between disparate devices? The Congressmen who had to run for their lives on January 6th of 2001 will discard the idea out-of-hand. They don't want, and will not allow, any change that removes control of the cellular network from the hands of government "EMCOM" specialists who are able to shut down cell networks in any area they choose.

Communication without paying a monthly fee to the powers-that-be? Heaven Forfend! That's C-C-C-C-Communist! Look, in the corner! It's the ghost of Joe McCarthy, standing next to the devil in a J. Edgar Hoover costume! We must act quickly!

Bill "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you" Horne

Understanding Open RAN:

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“Transition Towards Open and Interoperable Networks:”

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You're making an incorrect assumption about what Open RAN is. They're doing nothing about spectrum; the carriers are trying to buy it up as much as possible in order to play Monopoly with it, where you get higher rent when you have all of the squares on a street and can build hotels on them, even if nobody checks in.

Open RAN addresses the interfaces between components in a mobile-carrier base station. This permits one of the cellular oligarchy to purchase interchangeable components from multiple vendors, reducing their CapEx. The most important such interface is the one going to the Radio Unit that attaches to the antenna. LTE and NR ("5G", an extension to LTE) are extremely complex, and a base station needs lots of computing power. While there are outdoor base station units, carriers more typically divide the base station into a baseband unit that goes indoors and a radio unit that goes outdoors, on top of the tower, since on mobile bands, especially above 1 GHz, transmission lines are lossy. Power and a fiber optic cable go to the RU, which is pretty small. Open RAN allows mix and match between those manufacturers, and also, it seems, in a few other parts of the cell site equipment. But if you're not a cellular carrier spending six figures on electronics at each site, it's no more relevant than, say, “Open Yacht” or “Open Packinghouse.”