ATIS Open RAN MVP Leaves Room For Improvement

The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), has published its Open RAN Minimum Viable Profile (MVP). It’s hoped the MVP will accelerate the development and integration of Open RAN technologies in North America. The initiative was launched in February and, like the European Open RAN MOU Technical Requirements Documents, seeks to establish a minimum set of technical requirements common across all North American operators. Unlike its European counterpart, which was criticised for providing too broad a set of features in Release 4, the MVP could come under fire from some quarters for not including enough features.

Earlier this year, ATIS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the O-RAN ALLIANCE, finally establishing a pathway for O-RAN specifications to be integrated into ATIS standards. In announcing its MVP however, ATIS highlighted that while current standards and specifications lay the technical basis for Open RAN deployments, they also include considerable optionality in areas including architecture, functional capabilities and performance. The release goes on to note that navigating the range of optionality has been challenging within “the trusted equipment supply chain”.

Susan Miller, President and CEO of ATIS said the MVP “will enable Open RAN stakeholders, including new entrants, to offer their innovations in the North American Open RAN equipment marketplace. It will both inform and drive rapid development of carrier grade equipment for the U.S. — and potentially global — Open RAN markets. It will also expand and strengthen the trusted wireless equipment supply chain.”

However, the MVP features some notable omissions, most significantly the absence of the Near Real-Time RIC. This means there will be no support for the O-RAN ALLIANCE specified A1 interface in the initial release, though it’s expected to be added in subsequent iterations. This decision raises concerns about the development process behind the MVP and is likely to be viewed as a setback for many North American companies, possibly at the expense of their larger, foreign rivals. 

Indeed, while the region boasts a growing number of Open RAN deployments, many key players like AT&T do not plan on deploying the Near-RT RIC in the near future. This puts the inclusion of terminology like “the trusted equipment supply chain” into sharp focus and begs the question as to how new entrants can actually “strengthen the trusted wireless equipment supply chain” if their views aren’t included in initiatives like these.

So while the development of the MVP is a positive first step towards advancing Open RAN in North America, it must be seen as a starting point rather than a finished product. In order to really move the needle, future releases will have to meet the needs of all stakeholders, particularly the new entrants who are vital for fostering innovation and competition in the market. Without addressing these concerns, the MVP risks becoming another missed opportunity in realising the industry’s vision for a truly multi-vendor Open RAN.