How ‘OpenRAN’ Initiative Is Reshaping Mobile Networks

For as long as Finland’s Nokia Oyj, Sweden’s Ericsson AB and China’s Huawei Technologies Co. have dominated the market for telecom network equipment, customers have looked for ways to break their hold. Now, wireless operators may get their wish. An initiative called OpenRAN, short for open radio access networks, is aimed at making different bits of mobile equipment work together regardless of which company they came from. A breakthrough $14 billion supply deal in late 2023 gave the enterprise a kick start, opening the door to more competition.

The systems that allow you to watch the latest TikTok video on your phone from just about anywhere consist of a complex network of servers, processing boards, antennas and base stations loaded with radios and software. Up until now, mobile phone operators such as Verizon Communications Inc., Vodafone Group Plc and AT&T Inc. have generally had to pick a single vendor to supply all of those parts. And there aren’t many to choose from. Ericsson, Nokia and Huawei dominate the global market for proprietary radio access networks, with Samsung Electronics Co. and ZTE Corp. providing such equipment on a much smaller scale.