Google announced on Monday that it has signed up to the O-RAN Alliance. It is in line with the broader strategy of the company in the telecommunications and 5G sector.
Google Cloud’s Amol Phadke, Managing Director, and Ankur Jain, Senior Director, published on the company’s blog under the telecommunications that entering the multinational alliance will enable Google to make Radio Access Network (RAN) sector efforts advance.
The O-RAN Alliance comprises telecommunications providers, cellular network operators, and researchers in the RAN sector. It was founded by AT&T, NTT DOCOMO, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and China Mobile in 2018.
Google Cloud will collaborate on O-RAN projects in multi-cloud settings, 5G, software, hybrid, and AI network technologies, among other things.
By providing worldwide standards that may be utilized for RAN installations, the alliance hopes for the RAN industry to transform into smarter, more accessible, virtualized, and completely interconnected mobile networks.
Google aims to contribute to the innovation and standard of the telecom industry through the alliance. According to Google, the key to promoting innovation on CSP mobile networks include the “industry-wide open reference architectures and interfaces for RAN.”
The O-RAN Alliance is pushing substantial developments in the RAN layer. The group has already gained popularity with a lot of big CSPs that are now pioneers of the standard.
Google expressed its enthusiasm about the collaboration with the members of the alliance to achieve the O-RAN objectives. It looks forward to the future activities of the group.
In March 2020, Google released its Global Mobile Edge Cloud (GMEC) plan. The 5G networks’ commercialization, particularly in connection to business services, operational efficiency enhancement, and user experiences over essential telecom systems are currently Google Cloud's main priority areas.
Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said that there will be several important opportunities for business expansion and transformation. This is why the company is excited to work with partners and consumers to develop the telecoms industry and improve its services globally.
On the other hand, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) established a partnership with Telefonica and Verizon in June to deliver hybrid cloud solutions for mobile edge and 5G installations.
Moreover, the company also unveiled Network Automation’s IBM Cloud Pak. It is a platform designed for businesses that want to deploy 5G networks.
Thus, Google is not the only company looking at the commercial possibilities of telecommunications infrastructure. Others have also stepped up the drive to enter the field.
