CableLabs and its subsidiary Kyrio will host the second year of the 5G Challenge, a competition aimed at accelerating adoption of 5G open radio access network (O-RAN) approaches including open interfaces, interoperable subsystems and multivendor solutions.
The ultimate goal is to create a “true plug-and-play” 5G environment. There is a $7 million prize pool – compared to $3 million in the first year of the challenge — for companies that best showcase integration with other participants and who establish end-to-end sessions and mobility.
The 5G Challenge
The 5G Challenge is the second half of a two-year event. It is sponsored by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (NTIA and ITS) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering. The first year of the program focused on interfaces among O-RAN subsystems.
CableLabs will perform wraparound emulation testing on subsystems and end-to-end multivendor interoperability and performance testing. Equipment from Keysight and VIAVI will be used. Kyrio, which CableLabs says is the first O-RAN Alliance Open Testing and Integration Center (OTIC) in the Americas, will provide host lab facilities.
The goal, according to the NTIA (), is to encourage the adoption of open interfaces, interoperable subsystems, secure networks and modular and multivendor solutions.
This year’s competition focuses on accelerating Open radio access network (O-RAN) adoption by:
- Utilizing existing standards for new providers.
- Encouraging modular product development.
- Reducing barriers to entry for new solutions providers.
- Leveraging industry trends.
- Demonstrating multivendor interoperability.
“Given our commitment to the continuous research and development of advanced mobile technologies, we are excited to be part of this collaborative effort to help accelerate the development and widespread deployment of open and interoperable 5G networks,” David Debrecht, CableLabs’ vice president of wireless technologies, said in a press release.