Certification that matters will benefit Open RAN
Certification can both lower the burden on MNOs to independently test each integrated Open RAN solution, and on vendors to individually demonstrate interoperability, conformance, performance, and security to every potential customer. It will provide confidence to the Open RAN market that a component is sufficiently mature, conformant, interoperable, and performant. This is especially crucial for developing emerging vendors and use cases, such as the emerging private wireless market.
To achieve this goal of an Open RAN certification that matters, we can build on existing certification programs, like those being developed by the O-RAN Alliance and TIP. They mark an important first step, but there is work to be done in terms of meeting operators’ requirements and the need for consistent and repeatable testing.