So far, 15 vendors and 36 O-RAN products have collaborated with SONIC Labs
U.K. digital accelerator Digital Catapult, working with telecommunications regulator Ofcom, has announced the opening of its new Open RAN (O-RAN) testing facilities as part of the SONIC Labs program.
SONIC Labs is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
The new facilities provide multiple O-RAN vendors with the opportunity to trial, test and accelerate the development of their products in a commercially neutral environment. The SONIC Labs program aims to support the U.K. government’s 5G Telecoms Diversification Supply Chain Strategy as well as fostering innovation in the O-RAN space.
Digital Catapult said that multiple vendors are already carrying out end-to-end interoperability, performance and scalability testing in the facility. So far, 15 vendors and 36 O-RAN products have collaborated with SONIC Labs.
Digital Catapult said that it has also welcomed nine companies to the next activity in the SONIC Labs program, including global O-RAN vendors new to the U.K. market such as Taiwan -based WNC and U.S.-based Airspan Networks.
The next technical activity will focus on exploring the RAN Intelligence Controller (RIC), a system that controls the radio access networks for optimized performance and can provide real-time analytics using Artificial Intelligence /Machine Learning based algorithms for informed decision-making and better network performance. Four organizations are set to bring their RIC products for interoperability testing and integration.
This activity is focused on exploring outdoor focused products, as well as continuing maturity of indoor products such as testing and optimizing the performance of the indoor multi-vendor systems. Field trials in indoor and outdoor environments will help to give a more realistic deployment for O-RAN systems and the maturity of the products, according to Digital Catapult.
The companies joining the next SONIC Labs activity include: Accelleran, Airspan Networks, Benetel, IS-Wireless, Phluido, WNC and Radisys, with additional vendors set to join in the coming weeks, Digital Catapult said.
Joe Butler, CTO at Digital Catapult, said: “We’re proud to be unveiling our new cutting-edge interoperability lab to give more companies the opportunity to accelerate the testing of their Open RAN products. Through our SONIC Labs program we’re helping diversify the UK telecoms supply chain market and drive forward open networks in the U.K.”
Julia Lopez, Digital Infrastructure Minister, said: “Our £250 million ($308 million) investment in facilities like SONIC Labs is boosting competition in the telecoms market and driving the development of new mobile technology. These new facilities are another example of how the U.K. is at the forefront of telecoms innovation, supporting our diversification strategy by boosting business and growing the economy.”
Meanwhile, Lindsey Fussell, group director network and communications at Ofcom, said: “Open Ran technology is a vital piece in the puzzle towards creating more diverse supply chains in the telecoms market. And having a new, dedicated space for the SONIC Labs project where companies can test their Open RAN products and explore new approaches will help this innovative project go from strength to strength.”
The U.K. government has previously announced a joint ambition with local mobile network operators to increase the share of open and interoperable equipment in U.K. networks to 35% by 2030.
