Why OCP’s Focus on 3GPP Capable Private Networks is the Key to Unlocking Radio Innovation

With the growing importance of mobile communications, from 4G LTE to 5G to 6G, it's clear that 3GPP-compliant network infrastructure is an important part of the technology landscape. We believe OCP can play an important role in creating an open ecosystem around mobile network hardware platforms. The contribution of Meta's Evenstar radio specifications and designs to the OCP Community (with a royalty-free license) has acted as a catalyst to these efforts.

We began our journey by leveraging Meta’s Evenstar radio specifications and designs contributed to the OCP Community with a royalty free license, which provided invaluable insights into the current state of the industry. Through this, we recognized the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for an OCP-led open hardware  radio initiative. Our focus became clear: to develop a solution that is not only innovative in technology and design but also pragmatic to address many new market segments, ensuring that the OpenRAN efforts of the OCP Community are both viable and aligned with market needs. Private networks is the first segment identified for consideration as we believe that (1) it’s an easier entry point than public macro 5G networks and (2) there’s an opportunity to make private 5G as easy to deploy and manage and as cost-effective as Wi-Fi.

The Complexity of 3GPP Private Networks

The growing importance of 3GPP private networks informs every other aspect of our approach, as we seek to navigate the complexities of this rapidly evolving landscape.

While 3GPP radio networks offer significant potential, they are often too complicated for an enterprise to design and operate who are accustomed to the simplicity of WiFi. The specific configuration of radio units, such as RF tuning and other settings, presents a significant barrier. Simplification is essential, but deciding what needs to be exposed to the customer is a complex challenge. Additionally, each private network must be tailored to the specific needs and use cases of the enterprise, further complicating the process.

The Need for Radio Unit (RU) Innovation

Currently, innovation in radio units is stifled by the high risks and costs associated with experimentation. This is especially true for smaller organizations that face significant barriers to entry due to the entrenched positions of industry incumbents. To drive meaningful change, RU innovation must focus on creating new solutions rather than replicating existing ones. The market needs flexibility and openness, especially in 3GPP private networks where the vision of OpenRAN can truly be leveraged by enterprises.

The Challenge of Network Evolution

As we look toward the evolution from 5G to 6G, it’s clear that the market cannot absorb the costs associated with traditional network upgrades. Unlike the transition from 4G to 5G, which largely involved overlaying new CAPEX on existing infrastructure, the next generation of radio architecture will require a more flexible and cost-effective approach. An ecosystem powered by the best technologies in the marketplace will allow enterprises to mix and match to build the best of breed radio solution, adhering to the regulatory constraints in their regions and ultimately allowing the enterprise to maintain control of their network.

The Market Dynamics of Small Cells and Private 5G

The anticipated growth in small cell sales has not materialized, likely due to the unfavorable cost-benefit tradeoff. The overhead associated with deploying small cells has raised costs to a point where the business case no longer makes sense for such limited coverage and capacity. Moreover, the public 5G market is expected to stagnate over the next 18-24 months, according to unanimous feedback from analysts. However, the market for private 5G, particularly in the enterprise space, is poised for growth. Private networks can serve as a more accessible starting point for organizations, offering a simpler entry into 5G deployment compared to the complexities of pursuing a public macro 5G network. This trend coincides with a global downturn for traditional manufacturers, who are rumored to be scaling back or shutting down their networking divisions, including the production of smaller scale radios more suited to private 5G use cases.

Driving Disruption with Open Source Hardware

To navigate these headwinds, we need to bring an open,  innovative and modular product to market. In many other technology spaces, open source has proven to be a powerful force, but fragmentation across various open-source radio projects has hindered progress. By forming deep coalitions between OCP, O-RAN Alliance, Telecom Infra Project (TIP), Linux Foundation Connectivity (LFC), and OpenAirInterface (OAI), we can drive the industry toward a true end-to-end open source hardware and software stack xG platform.

OCP’s Track Record of Unlocking Innovation with Secure Multi-vendor Supply Chains

While many organizations excel in software, the real challenge lies in driving hardware innovation within this secure ecosystem. The OCP has a proven track record of building communities that effectively reduce market inefficiencies in areas where proprietary or siloed efforts often fall short. OCP’s initiatives such as OCP S.A.F.E. focused on device firmware and the development of an Open Chiplet Economy are just two examples of OCP efforts that have led to specifications impacting global standards and delivering secure open hardware products. The work happening with the OCP projects don't just influence the market—they actively shape it, fostering a multivendor, secure open hardware supply chain.

What’s Next?

Our end goal is to be a catalyst for development of a family of open radio units that can successfully serve many new market segments, with private wireless one of the markets identified for immediate consideration. As we move forward, our focus will be on developing a comprehensive roadmap for innovative and  modular radio units, with a whitepaper and timelines that outline our path on the road to a truly open hardware xG radio unit.  We invite you to join us on this journey. Attend the upcoming OCP Global Summit (October 15th - 17th in San Jose, CA) where we will have a dedicated track focused on OpenRAN, sign up for our Evenstar Project mailing list and have your say over the direction of this concept by participating in the project calls every Friday by joining here.