The U.K. government announced a new initiative with the main aim of accelerating the deployment of Open RAN (O-RAN) in the country.
In a statement, the U.K. Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) explained that it, along with local carriers Vodafone, EE, Virgin Media O2 and Three, have set a goal to boost O-RAN deployments so that 35% of the U.K.’s mobile network traffic is carried over O-RAN by 2030.
The plan stipulates £36 million ($47.5 million) in funding for fifteen projects to trial the O-RAN technology across Scotland, Wales and England, and a £15 million cash injection for the SONIC prototype testing facility for next-generation telecoms tech.
The 15 winning consortiums in the Future Radio Access Network Competition (FRANC) will develop technical solutions – such as radio transmitters, signal processing equipment, power management systems and the software – required to roll out open RAN solutions across the U.K. quickly and attract new home-grown telecoms suppliers to the 5G supply chain, the U.K. government said.
SONIC Labs is a test facility based in London and Brighton and run by Digital Catapult with the support of U.K. telecoms regulator Ofcom to enable telecoms suppliers to test their early stage products in real-world mobile network settings. SONIC Labs opened in June 2021 with an investment of £1 million. The extra £15 million will be invested so the Lab can expand its program of testing and international engagement.
The U.K. government said it also agreed with the U.K. mobile network operators that 2033 will be the date by which all public 2G and 3G networks in the country will be switched off.
Some individual operators will switch off their networks, particularly their 3G networks, earlier than 2033, and will announce their own plans on timing, the government said.
The aim of this initiative is to free up spectrum for the mass deployment of 5G and other future networks which the government said can be used for driverless vehicles and drones, immersive VR and AR experiences, and innovations around sustainability and healthcare.
Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “5G technology is already revolutionizing people’s lives and businesses – connecting people across the U.K. with faster mobile data and making businesses more productive. Today we are announcing a further £50 million to put the UK at the forefront of mobile connectivity and to make sure our telecoms networks are safe and secure now and in the future.”
