How Juniper Networks’ Holistic Approach Bolsters the O-RAN ALLIANCE

Article in partnership with Juniper Networks

I have long believed that by working together — by operating holistically — we can do far more than the sum of our individual efforts. One plus one is always greater than two, or so I have learned.

I was reminded of this lesson last week, while I was researching the O-RAN ALLIANCE, a worldwide community of vendors, network operators, and academic institutions, that is transforming the radio access network industry into an “open, intelligent, virtualized, and fully interoperable RAN.” Thirty-one operators have come together with ~300 industry and academic organizations to redefine industry standards, improve the experience of over 4.5 billion global customers, create new business opportunities, and optimize investments and operating costs. This unique union of stakeholders coming together for the same vision and mission will go beyond the sum — I predict the impact of these different parts working in synergy will be multiplied.

Responding to the O-RAN’s call for innovation and cooperation, equipment, and service providers — especially Juniper Networks — are contributing their expertise to ensure full interoperability with the Alliance’s specifications and interfaces. Consistent with the need for openness and transparency, Juniper’s RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) allows users to host third-party applications that can easily interface with their own system management and orchestration and those of third…