ORCID will allow participants to test and validate their hardware and software solutions against an O-RAN network deployed by Dish
Dish Wireless, which is now a subsidiary of EchoStar, was awarded a $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) with the aim of establishing the Open RAN Center for Integration & Deployment (ORCID).
Dish said that ORCID will allow participants to test and validate their hardware and software solutions against a complete commercial-grade Open RAN network deployed by Dish.
“The Open RAN Center for Integration and Deployment (ORCID) will serve a critical role in strengthening the global Open RAN ecosystem and building the next generation of wireless networks,” said Charlie Ergen, co-founder and chairman at EchoStar. “By leveraging Dish’s experience deploying the world’s first standalone Open RAN 5G network, ORCID will be uniquely positioned to test and evaluate Open RAN interoperability, performance and security from domestic and international vendors. We appreciate NTIA’s recognition of DISH and ORCID’s role in driving Open RAN innovation and the Administration’s ongoing commitment to U.S. leadership in wireless connectivity.”
Dish noted that ORCID will be housed in its Cheyenne, Wyoming campus and will be supported by consortium partners Fujitsu, Mavenir and VMware and technology partners Analog Devices, ARM, Cisco, Dell Technologies, Intel, JMA Wireless, NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Samsung.
At ORCID, Dish said that participants will be able to test and evaluate individual or multiple network elements to ensure Open RAN interoperability, performance and security, and contribute to the development, deployment and adoption of open and interoperable standards-based radio access networks. Dish also said that ORCID’s “living laboratory” will drive the Open RAN ecosystem, from lab testing to commercial deployment.
Also, ORCID will combine both lab and field testing and evaluation activities and will use Dish’s spectrum holdings, a combination of low-, mid- and high-band frequencies, enabling field testing and evaluation.
ORCID will also evaluate Open RAN elements through mixing and matching with those of other vendors, rather than validating a single vendor’s stack, the operator said.
EchoStar recently completed its merger with Dish Network. The all-stock transaction was completed on December 31, via the mechanism of a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar merging with Dish Network. The Dish Network brand survives, however, and is operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar.
Dish has said that its 5G Open RAN network covered more than 73% of the U.S. population with 5G broadband coverage and more than 100 million Americans with 5G voice service as of the end of October 2023.
