The OpenAirInterface Foundation has officially incorporated in Golden to promote the development of a self-sustaining open-source Open RAN (Radio Access Networks) ecosystem, and to provide education and workforce training.
Open RAN technology is seen as a way to modernize telecommunications infrastructure, support the rollout of 5G, and enhance the resilience of networks. This initiative comes at a critical time to build a knowledgeable workforce in Open RAN technology, according to Raymond Knopp, president of the OpenAirInterface Foundation.
The OpenAirInterface Software Alliance, founded in 2014, is a French nonprofit funded by corporate sponsors. Affiliated with the OSA, the new foundation aims to collaborate with local stakeholders to meet the specific needs of the North American community, building upon previous encouragement from U.S.-based academic and industrial partners and various federal government entities. There is a growing demand for advanced open-source solutions in cellular networks, particularly as the U.S. government and industry work to advance Open RAN technology.
The OpenAirInterface software is already being utilized by many users in cellular networks and Open RAN, and the foundation intends to establish a U.S.-based engineering team to assist these users in developing their Open RAN use cases.
As a leader in open-source wireless software, OpenAirInterface equips researchers, engineers and telecom operators with tools essential for prototyping and deploying 5G network solutions.
The foundation will operate as a not-for-profit organization guided by a board of strategic members engaged with federal government, academic and industrial partners.
“We are pleased to incorporate the Foundation at an opportune time, following consultations with our federal government colleagues and industrial and academic partners,” Knopp said. “Workforce development and technology translation are two important goals for the Foundation. We emphasize that for networks to grow, we need technological advances that require talented individuals. This talent must be developed from the ground up through university courses and internships where students can learn Open RAN network development and testing. To achieve this, we want to place the OpenAirInterface software and Foundation’s engineering team to the service of our North American partners, enabling them to learn, grow and adapt the software according to their needs and to advance the Open RAN cause.”