Recently appointed Telecom Infra Project (TIP) president and Intel executive Caroline Chan shot down suggestions AI had taken the wind out of the sails of open RAN, telling Mobile World Live (MWL) the technology is enhancing momentum around infrastructure disaggregation.

In one of her first interviews since being appointed president, TIP’s longest-serving board member argued the fact operators are still announcing open RAN plans shows there is no lack of impetus and explained the association is embracing AI rather than viewing it with fear.

“Open RAN movement has not stalled.”

“Case in point, KDDI just announced [an] open RAN rollout in 2025 with technologies provided by Samsung.”

A person with shoulder-length dark hair is smiling at the camera. They are wearing a black top and a necklace with large, round decorative stones. The background, blurred in shades of purple and pink, adds an elegant touch to Chan's delightful expression.

Chan (pictured, left) joined the TIP board in 2017, performing the role alongside her duties as VP of Intel’s Network and Edge Group.

She explained operators’ continued interest in open RAN in the face of developments including the AI-RAN Alliance is “testament to the continued momentum of an open and disaggregated network as the industry moves towards 5G-Advanced and 6G”.

Chan explained AI does not pose a threat to TIP’s now well-established work on disaggregation, instead pitching the technology as yet another the association had embraced and employed.

She referred to TIP’s TelcoAI Project Group, a team headed by representatives from Deutsche Telekom, Intel and Nvidia which is exploring the options to employ the technology in open RAN set-ups.

Chan said the TelcoAI Project Group’s focus “includes the use of edge, regional and centralised data centres in operator infrastructure for AI, as well as the use of public cloud options where applicable”.

The group is keeping operators foremost in its work, Chan explained, focusing on use cases and developing “technical requirements and architecture blueprints to enable deployment and operation of AI telecom networks”.

A key element involves data governance, with the working group offering operators suggestions on what information to gather, and how to store and process it to enable individual AI use cases to safely access network details.

Common goals
Interest in AI’s role in the RAN was heightened by the launch of the AI-RAN Alliance, a collection of operators, vendors and chip companies seeking to promote 5G and 6G by targeting power consumption and other efficiency-oriented aspects of the network including spectrum usage.

Chan explained TIP views specialist AI groups as collaborators in its work on implementing disaggregation, highlighting its various teams’ efforts in experimenting with new technologies and developing “blueprints and best practices to enable scale”.

The executive’s work with TIP is complementary to her role with Intel, where she oversaw the creation of its virtualised and open RAN business. Chan explained she has focused on “incubating new use cases” to open fresh revenue opportunities around 5G networks, a task which involves “incorporating edge AI”.

Chan sees much commonality between her Intel and TIP roles, and sees her appointment as president as validation of her “influence and dedication” to the group’s community.

The position with TIP will involve Chan working closely with newly appointed chair Rob Soni, director Kristian Toivo, marketing guru Eugina Jordan and technology chief Olli Andersson, “as well as our operational team” to boost the organisation’s visibility among “operators, system integrators, enterprises, vendors” and various government agencies.

Chan believes the central role TIP has to play among the players listed is key to delivering a return on members’ investment in it, particularly when it comes to their involvement in its various working groups which now span open moves covering fixed broadband; Wi-Fi; LAN; optical and IP transport; neutral host and infrastructure sharing; “and metaverse-ready networks”, alongside RAN and AI work.

The new president committed to focus on the accountability of its project groups, a pledge she explained will seek out fresh innovation as the industry “embraces AI and marches towards 6G”.

TIP’s work on AI, 6G and more will be showcased during its third annual FYUZ event, scheduled to take place next month in Dublin, Republic of Ireland: stay tuned to MWL for all the latest news and views from the show.