Open RAN Challenges and Testing Needs for Real-World Performance

As networks continue to evolve, Open RAN is gaining traction as a key solution for promoting innovation, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.

However, delivering on the vision of Open RAN is not simple. Open interfaces must enable high performance between functions provided by multiple vendors. Virtualized software running on vendor-neutral hardware must scale to support heavy traffic loads and deliver high-quality services, especially to the enterprise.

I was excited to speak with Spirent experts James Kimery and Anil Kollipara to unpack some pressing questions, such as:

1. With CSPs starting to rollout production of O-RAN architectures, what are the key benefits?

2. What unique challenges does O-RAN introduce to the market?

3. What is different about testing O-RAN and why does it require a fresh approach?

4. Why is automation critical?

5. Where can people go to learn more about O-RAN?

Watch our conversation exploring the latest techniques for assessing real-world, multi-vendor interoperability and performance to understand why progressive testing - moving from isolated functional tests to full system tests - is a must.