India's C-DOT to develop disaggregated 5G open RAN with startups

India's state-owned Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has signed a consortium agreement with several domestic telecom vendors, including Lekha Wireless Solutions, Sooktha Consulting, Signaltron Systems, and Resonous Technologies, to jointly develop a disaggregated 5G radio access network (RAN) offering.

All the parties will collaborate to develop an O-RAN compliant disaggregated 5G RAN solution for FR1 (low-frequency) and FR2 (high-frequency) bands for public and private 5G networks. C-DOT will provide the required funds as well as infrastructure for testing, interoperability, field trials and a proof of concept.

This is the second such initiative under the C-DOT Collaborative Research Program 2022 initiative, launched last year to promote the development of indigenous products and solutions. It follows an agreement signed between C-DoT, VVDN Technologies and WiSig Networks to develop 5G Open RAN.

This is the latest in a series of efforts by the Indian government to boost the local telecom industry. C-DOT is a crucial part of the country's vision to become Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) in telecom. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) now allows Indian telecom startups to test and trial their solution in government-owned labs, including C-DoT, to address the major gap in testing solutions.

Any takers?

C-DOT is also part of a consortium led by Tata Group, which will be deploying an indigenously developed 4G stack for the government-owned BSNL. It also recently signed an MoU with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to "explore the potential of emerging technologies."

Although Indian telecom vendors are trying to develop a disaggregated 5G RAN offering, Indian telcos have so far ignored open RAN. India is a target market for most open RAN vendors but service providers are yet to announce a significant deal. According to media reports, Mavenir has signed a 5G open RAN deal with India's Airtel.

Missing among the signatories is Radisys Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jio Platforms, which is in the process of developing its own 5G open RAN system. It was in the news recently for acquiring Airspan's Mimosa Networks for $60 million. Possibly, the government could look to enhance engagement with private companies, like Radisys, that can further guide domestic startups in developing new products and services.

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— Gagandeep Kaur, Contributing Editor, special to Light Reading