Radio Access Network

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

Reliance plans to build home-grown 5G network solution based on an open source telecom platform called Open RAN.

Concept:

• A radio access network (RAN) is the part of a telecommunications system that connects individual devices to other parts of a network through radio connections.
• A RAN resides between user equipment, such as a mobile phone, a computer or any remotely controlled machine, and provides the connection with its core network.
• The RAN is a major component of wireless telecommunications and has evolved through the generations of mobile networking leading up to 5G.

Need

• This network platform, similar to how open source software became a game changer in the 1990s, attempts to build telecom radio and base stations using non-proprietary technology.
• It will help bring down costs drastically compared to buying proprietary gear.