by TIP News
When an Open RAN solution is integrated from a set of individual products and components, it has to be tested as a working system with regards to key functionality, performance, operability and security. Certification comprises the successful passing of these system-level tests, and enables operators to be confident that the Open RAN solutions they have chosen are ready to be accepted and deployed. Open RAN system certification fills a gap between product- and component level testing and acceptance testing performed by each operator.
At Fyuz22 TIP announced its intent to develop an industry program that would reduce the need for each operator to individually perform costly and time-consuming full integration and testing of their chosen Open RAN configurations. TIP Executive Director, Kristian Toivo, dove deeper into TIP’s view during his interview with Keith Dyer, stating TIP’s belief that the best way to reduce these parallel efforts and to accelerate commercial deployment of Open RAN is to develop TIP’s current community-based Open RAN process to become a stringent and disciplined system certification process, ensuring broad engagement and alignment between participants of the community by operators, product vendors and system integrators alike.
TIP has now published its White Paper on its Open RAN System Certification called SCOPE, outlining how TIP will drive efficiency in the Open RAN supply chain and accelerate deployment of Open RAN. TIP’s SCOPE is the result of broad consultation within the industry. As TIP operates a global community, SCOPE is also a response to the need for a controlled global alignment requested by governments and regulators.
Through implementing SCOPE TIP:
- will increase operators’ confidence to purchase Open RAN systems,
- reduce their needs for RFI’s and Proof-of-Concepts,
- enable savings through reducing the need for extensive testing.
System integrators and participating certification labs will have access to a robust certification process and operator requirements on certification through TIP.
Product vendors will benefit from a process recognized by operators to present and offer certified products to the market.
TIP’s SCOPE will enable a “test once; deploy many times” approach to achieving supply chain efficiencies and engendering confidence to deploy Open RAN technology into live networks, without every operator having to conduct individual comprehensive system tests. As we implement the process across participating regions it will enable global scale and accelerate the deployment of Open RAN.
Download the whitepaper here.