LIVE FROM MWL UNWRAPPED: While much of the discussion about open RAN deployments have focused on technical aspects such as interfaces, executives from Vodafone Group and Rakuten Symphony stressed the importance of embracing cultural shifts.

Vodafone Group’s head of open RAN Francisco Martin Pignatelli (pictured) and Geoff Hollingworth, CMO, Rakuten Symphony, agreed the primary challenge for moving to open RAN networks is not technical, but cultural.

“It’s a skill set development organisation process problem, and you can actually move much faster than feels comfortable,” Hollingworth said.

He stated the industry learned to accelerate innovation during the Covid-19 (coronavirus) crisis.

“A two-year project in Covid became a six-month project when we moved customer support,” Hollingworth explained. “We don’t have a problem when we have no choice. But if we have a choice, it feels safer, perhaps, to move slower. My argument would be that we have to move as quickly as possible.”

Pignatelli said mobile operators need to find the right partners for their open RAN journeys. Part of that process is motivating vendors to achieve specific KPI goals in a timely manner to avoid potential finger pointing.

Additionally, he said if multiple suppliers are working on rigid R&D cycle projects, they run the risk of falling behind if one of them is delayed.

“We have had to add on for some more flexibility than what we were using in the past, but that’s certainly happening,” he said.

Both executives said that as open RAN matures with deployments by large operators, there needs to be blueprints of best practices for smaller companies for network deployments that are still open, flexible and programmable.

“In the past, those operators would call a traditional supplier, and everything is done for them,” Pignatelli said. “But today in open RAN, who do you call? There are different models to do it. I think that’s what we need to nail in the next few months and make it easy for smaller operators.”

He continued: “Then when they join, we will be speeding up the adoption cycle.”

Replays of all Unwrapped interviews this week will be available at: https://www.mobileworldlive.com/unwrapped/the-5g-evolution/