5G Americas in its whitepaper has highlighted the latest deployment trends in Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) industry.
List of prominent operators and their brownfield Open RAN deployments:
AT&T
KDDI
O2 Telefonica
STC
Telefonica Germany
Verizon
Virgin Media O2
Vodafone
Vodafone Idea
The trends in Open RAN deployments reveal the telecom industry’s evolution towards flexibility, innovation, and cost-effectiveness in building and upgrading telecom networks.
Greenfield deployment involves building new networks from scratch, providing the freedom to design Open RAN systems without the constraints of legacy infrastructure.
DISH Network’s deployment in the U.S. serves as a landmark case for Open RAN, demonstrating its viability at scale.
Greenfield projects highlight Open RAN’s capabilities in creating scalable and fully modernized network infrastructures.
Brownfield deployment refers to integrating Open RAN into existing legacy networks, offering operators a less disruptive and cost-efficient modernization path.
Key Trends
Hybrid Architectures: Combining legacy systems with Open RAN components allows for gradual upgrades, reducing both costs and complexity.
Cloud and Automation Tools: Operators are leveraging cloud-based systems and automation to enhance operational efficiency and streamline the migration process.
Incremental Modernization: Operators adopt modular upgrades to minimize capital expenditure while modernizing networks.
Vendor Diversity: Multi-vendor strategies are gaining traction, encouraging innovation and flexibility through open standards and interfaces.
Benefits
Cost Efficiency: Incremental updates avoid the need for expensive full-scale overhauls.
Performance Optimization: Advanced analytics and AI tools enhance both new and legacy components.
Network Slicing: Open RAN enables the creation of virtual networks tailored for specific applications, increasing adaptability and efficiency.
Branching into Verticals
Open RAN is being adopted across industries to drive innovation beyond traditional telecom applications.
Shared Cell/Shared O-RU Functionality: These advancements enable Open RAN to replace Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) in industries like enterprise, healthcare, and public safety.
Flexibility and Scalability: Multi-vendor capabilities allow operators to manage networks efficiently without heavy reliance on on-site hardware.
RAN market
Research report from Dell’Oro Group said RAN market revenues fell 10–20 percent in the first nine months of 2024 due to several factors.
Many developed markets, particularly in North America and Europe, have already completed significant phases of their 5G rollouts, leading to reduced demand for RAN infrastructure compared to the early deployment years.
The Chinese RAN market, one of the largest globally, is experiencing a contraction in 2024 and is expected to decline further in 2025. This slowdown significantly impacts global revenue figures.
Telecommunications operators are managing tighter budgets, focusing on optimizing existing infrastructure rather than making substantial new investments.
RAN leaders
While Huawei and Ericsson have gained revenue share, Nokia, Samsung, and ZTE have lost ground. This shift highlights intense competition, price pressures, and varying regional strategies.
Dell’Oro Group says Open RAN is disrupting traditional RAN markets. Operators are exploring cost-effective, vendor-neutral solutions, potentially delaying investments in legacy RAN systems.
While growth in North America and APAC (excluding China) offers a modest recovery path, it cannot fully offset the global decline. The revised starting point for revenues in 2025 reflects the weaker-than-expected performance in 2024.
Baburajan Kizhakedath
