Kyocera to Establish ”O-RU Alliance” to Advance 5G Open RAN Deployment in Collaboration With Six Telecom Partners
Kyocera Corporation announced that it will establish the “O-RU Alliance” on March 3, 2025, in collaboration with the six telecommunications companies listed below alphabetically:
- Alpha Networks Inc. (Taiwan; Chairman/President/CEO: Wen Fang Huang)
- HFR, Inc. (Korea; CEO: Jong-Min Cheong)
- Microelectronics Technology Inc. (Taiwan; President and CEO: Eugene Wu)
- SOLiD Inc. (Korea; Vice Chairman and CEO: Seung Hee Lee)
- VVDN Technologies Pvt. Ltd (India; CEO: Puneet Agarwal)
- WNC (Wistron NeWeb Corporation) (Taiwan; Director, President and CEO: Jeffrey Gau)
Working with alliance members, Kyocera will open its Central Unit / Distributed Unit platforms to promote the adoption of interoperable and flexible radio networks (Open RAN). The alliance plans to expand its membership gradually in the future.
Background of the O-RU Alliance’s Establishment
Current 5G wireless networks are primarily composed of CUs (Central Units), DUs (Distributed Units), and RUs (Radio Units), installed either independently or partially integrated. Since the interfaces connecting these components are not publicly available, only devices from the same supplier or those with compatible interfaces can connect to the infrastructure. While procuring CU/DU/RU equipment from a single supplier may offer network operators certain benefits, it also limits system configuration freedom due to supplier-proprietary specifications and performance constraints.
The O-RAN Alliance plans to address this limitation in response to demand for 5G RANs that allow interconnection between devices from different suppliers. Achieving openness requires extensive collaboration among suppliers and telecom operators, as well as new components, including CUs, DUs, and RUs.
The O-RU Alliance established by Kyocera reflects the company’s unwavering commitment to advancing communication technology. The O-RU Alliance will create an ecosystem where companies from different regions and nations can collaborate to build more flexible wireless networks. By providing O-RAN-compliant CU/DU/RU system solutions to telecom operators, the alliance aims to promote Open RAN adoption. This initiative will not only facilitate 5G base station market entry for more suppliers but will also invigorate the telecommunications infrastructure market. Along with the other O-RU Alliance members, Kyocera is committed to advancing communications technology and its related industries, contributing to a better quality of life for people worldwide.
Kyocera and O-RU Alliance’s Member Initiatives
1) Interoperability Testing (IOT):
Kyocera will provide O-RAN-compliant CUs and DUs (hereinafter “O-CUs” and “O-DUs”) to alliance members for joint interoperability testing.
2) Providing Baseband Components
Kyocera will disclose a reference design for the O-RAN interface processing unit of O-RUs to alliance members, enabling them to enhance interconnectivity with Kyocera’s O-CUs/O-DUs.
3) Member Introduction
Kyocera will publicly introduce member suppliers to telecom operators. This enables alliance members to pursue global business opportunities, while telecom operators gain flexibility to select O-RUs from various suppliers, broadening their system configuration options.
