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By Paul Sandle
LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Vodafone is testing innovative
open access radio technology in Britain - a first for Europe -
in a move that could break the grip Huawei, Ericsson
and Nokia hold on the telco equipment
market.
OpenRAN, which has been developed by Vodafone and
Intel, standardises the design of hardware and software
in the infrastructure, masts and antennae that make up the radio
access network that carries mobile calls and data.
Vodafone, the world's second largest mobile operator, has
trialled the technology in laboratories in South Africa and
deployed it in Turkey to deliver 2G and 4G services to customers
in both urban and rural areas. It could enable customers to make
calls and access data at lower cost.
Chief Executive Nick Read said it was ready to fast track
OpenRAN into Europe as it sought to expand its list of vendors.
"OpenRAN improves the network economics enabling us to reach
more people in rural communities and that supports our goal to
build digital societies in which no one is left behind," he said
on Sunday.
The mobile network equipment sector is dominated by three
companies: China's Huawei, Sweden Ericsson and Finland's Nokia.
Operators generally deploy kit from at least two of them to
reduce reliance on a single supplier.
Huawei, however, has been blacklisted by the United States
over concerns, denied by the company, that its equipment could
be used for spying.
U.S. mobile networks are therefore barred from using some
Huawei equipment and Washington is urging European countries to
follow suit.
Industry lobby group GSMA, which represents 750 mobile
operators, has said a ban on Chinese suppliers would add $62
billion to the costs of 5G networks in Europe, although other
analysis has put the figure lower.
Vodafone said it was working with companies including
U.S.-based Parallel Wireless and Mavenir and UK-based Lime
Microsystems on OpenRAN technology.
It said it would launch OpenRAN in 120 rural areas in
Britain on Monday, and would start trials in Mozambique and
Democratic Republic of Congo.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle
Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
