5G NETWORKS

Ofcom . Announced a few months ago , SONIC is shaping up to be one of the driving forces behind OpenRAN adoption in the UK .

Adrian O ’ Connor , CEO of Irish telecom equipment manufacturer Benetel , agrees about the potential impact that OpenRAN could have on 5G in the UK . “ In four to five years , we ’ d expect significant proliferation of 5G to have occurred across the UK , with a mix of public and private networks having been rolled out . In this 5G scenario , we would expect OpenRAN technologies to play a significant role ,” he explains . “ A key factor in the OpenRAN success is the government ’ s 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy , alongside specific initiatives such as SONIC , which all target to ensure a competitive and vibrant supply chain for the UK 5G ecosystem .”

Meet SONIC The UK Government , in an attempt to speed the UK ’ s 5G adoption and unlock some of

IAN LIVINGSTON CEO , BT ( 2008-2013 ) that valuable economic growth , launched a new partnership in December of last year . Led by Digital Catapult and Ofcom , the SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre ( SONIC for short ) has been tasked with exploring ways to increase one of the key factors needed for the success of widespread OpenRAN adoption : interoperability .

“ SONIC is funded by the UK government as part of the 5G Diversification Strategy to help achieve a vision of a more open , competitive and diverse telecoms supply chain ,” explains Butler , adding that the barriers to entry for new network technology firms in the UK are “ very high , especially when required to build an entire end-to-end mobile access solution and operation .”

86 May 2021