If you've poked around networking news sites, you may have come across a concept called "Open RAN".

Unless you're a mobile telecoms engineer, chances are you were left scratching your head. Many of the big telcos are raving about Open RAN's potential, but the concept is yet to filter into the public consciousness.

Let's try to change that. In this article, we'll answer some of the most frequently asked questions about Open RAN and explore its connections to the cloud.

What's Open RAN?

The easiest way to grasp Open RAN is to understand what it isn't.

So. Open RAN is not a technology. Rather, it's a new approach to building RANs (radio access networks). It's these networks that allow mobile devices like smartphones to connect with one another – and to the internet at large.

Since the dawn of mobile connectivity, RANs have remained in the hands of large suppliers. Each has its own RAN – a monolithic bundle of proprietary hardware and software technologies.

These traditional RANs are far from open. Each is kept under lock and key – and only its supplier knows the nuts and bolts of the technology that powers it.

Anyone with a passing interest in economics will know what comes next: monopolies. If you're a mobile tech firm and you want to access a RAN, you're stuck with one, maybe two options.

This is because it takes enormous capital and expertise to develop a RAN. Only a handful of vendors have the brains and pockets to do it.

The companies behind Open RAN plan to disrupt this status quo. They're developing a new set of standards that will underpin future RAN technologies. These standards are shared and – yes – open.

If Open RAN succeeds, it will level the playing field and allow smaller tech firms to compete in a market dominated by giants. This will, its proponents argue, breed innovation.

When did Open RAN start?

Open RAN was born in 2018 when several mobile operators and vendors joined forces to create the O-RAN Alliance.

The O-RAN Alliance is the owner and developer of the new Open RAN standard. Current members include operators like BT, T-Mobile and Vodafone, as well as contributors from the tech industry such as Apple, AWS and Google Cloud.

How does Open RAN work?

Open RAN works by separating (or "disaggregating") the separate components of a RAN network.

Think of it like this. A traditional RAN is like a big, concrete tower. You can't access or understand its constituent parts because they're all in one concrete lump. Only the RAN operator knows the ingredients that went into building it.

Open RAN, meanwhile, is like a tower made of building blocks. One block is for radio hardware. Another is for monitoring. Yet another handles orchestration software.

Any vendor can create its own block and these blocks can interact with other blocks. So one of our imagined "towers" could be created using various parts from several vendors.

What are Open RAN's advantages?

One upshot of Open RAN's "building-block" approach is an increased focus on software.

Traditional RANs are tightly integrated units of hardware and software. The RAN vendor creates its own systems and develops software specifically for these systems. You can't access this software and – even if you could – it wouldn't be much use without the hardware to run alongside it.

By separating hardware and software, Open RAN opens doors for software developers to enter the RAN market and makes for easier and cheaper maintenance. After all, if software isn't tied to hardware, operators may be able to fix issues through simple patches or upgrades, rather than replacing hardware entirely.

And, as new developers join the market, they'll bring with them new areas of niche expertise. This is crucial, argues O-RAN, for the future of mobile connectivity. We're moving towards a more intelligent, cloud-centric type of mobile network – and we need specialist developers to help build that bright future.

How is Open RAN connected to cloud computing?

One of the key drivers behind Open RAN is a desire to "cloudify" mobile networking technologies. 

Switching to a disaggregated software/hardware infrastructure allows operators to implement RAN functions as cloud-native applications. It also means they can leverage cloud-centric technologies, like artificial intelligence and automation, more effectively.

The goal is to deliver fully cloud-based RANs, known as Cloud RANs or C-RANs.

In a C-RAN, key networking functions are centralised in a "BBU hotel", rather than distributed as individual BBU (baseband unit) base stations. BBU hotels handle the important job of converting digital signals to radio waves.

These single, central BBU hotels will – it's argued – allow for wireless networks to become more flexible, scalable and energy efficient. And they're possible precisely because of the disaggregated nature of new technological approaches like Open RAN. 

C-RANs already exist, but they fall under the banner of "emerging technologies".

How will Open RAN impact me?

It's still early days for Open RAN. The approach has undergone a handful of trials and tentative deployments, but has yet to reach the public at large.

If it does, its impact will depend on the scale of your business and your use of mobile networks.

For most of us, a successful, global Open RAN infrastructure should mean a better experience with  mobile technologies across the consumer-business spectrum. Expect improved network performance, new technological innovations – especially in cloud-related fields – and better network coverage in remote areas.

If your enterprise is large enough to use a mobile private network (MPN), you'll likely feel the impact more keenly. The flexibility of Open RAN allows operators to deploy tailored solutions for niche and – relatively speaking – small use cases, including MPNs.

Ascend Cloud Solutions is a cloud migration and consultancy firm based in Cork, Ireland. For more industry news and advice, check out our cloud computing blog.