Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman P D Vaghela on Tuesday mentioned that use of Open RAN and application defined telecom networks will open new possibilities for Indian entities to enter the network gear marketplace. He mentioned that the government’s move to encourage nearby organizations to roll out the 4G network of BSNL will provide an instant chance for the Indian producers in the gear space.
“We can leverage the capabilities of the IT sector to build, operate and maintain software products which can serve India as well as global telecom industry at a reasonable price. We all know the maximum value addition is in the technology development,” Vaghela mentioned at the 15th India Digital Summit, organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
He mentioned that earlier it was tough for Indian entities to enter into telecom gear space but with Open RAN, there will be an chance for nearby firms to generate some elements of the program. For instance, Reliance Jio has currently began speaking about their Open RAN. There is big chance for Indian producers, he mentioned.
Usually, radio access network (RAN), which incorporates base station and antennas, tends to make up for the majority of the network price. Open RAN enables telecom service providers to diversify provide chains, bring in unprecedented levels of interoperability and agility, which can assist decrease their capex by practically 50%.
A current study discovered that 5G deployments that leveraged Open RAN saw capex savings of as higher as 49%, whilst a further study projects typical savings for cloud network deployments to be 37% more than 5 years.
Vaghela mentioned the timing is also suitable for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ as the current provide chains are finding disrupted and new possibilities are emerging. “In the field of telecommunications, developments related to Open RAN and software defined networks are opening new opportunities for Indian entities to enter into the network equipment market. In order to succeed while competing in this space, we must think end-to-end solutions and to improve our capacity and productivity.
We need to invest in capacity building for future needs and manufacturing facilities. We should invest in design, R&D of latest products and services,” he mentioned.
India must take more interest in establishing telecom requirements at the ITU. “We need to increase investment in R&D to be self-reliant in technology space,” the Trai chairman mentioned.
Vaghela added there must be a time-bound and transparent approach in spot for any sort of permissions expected by organizations like requirement of spectrum for improvement of wireless technologies. He also highlighted the will need to push telecom production in India.