A consortium of global operators, vendors and integrators has launched the Open Test and Integration Center (OTIC) initiative to facilitate O-RAN testing and integration.

The operator-led collaboration includes China Mobile, Reliance Jio, China Telecom and China Unicom along with Intel, Radisys, Samsung Electronics, Airspan, Baicells, CertusNet, Mavenir, Lenovo, Ruijie Network, Inspur, Sylincom, WindRiver, ArrayComm, and Chengdu NTS.

OTIC aims at facilitating multi-vendor interoperability and validation activities for realizing O-RAN compliant disaggregated 5G access infrastructure that leverages open software and hardware hardened for commercial deployments.

The initiative also aims to facilitate OEM and other open source products and solutions to be functionally compliant to the specifications of the O-RAN Alliance, through verification, integration and testing of disaggregated RAN components and to deliver the desired architecture that supports a plug-n-play model.

As part of this alliance, China Mobile will initiate an OTIC in Beijing, China, which should provide the common platform for solutions to be operationally ready to enable end-to-end interoperability and deployment in scale; as well as to be hardened for reliability, performance, scalability, and security that operator networks require, said Dr. Li Zhengmao, EVP of China Mobile.

Jio, the only operator from India to join OTIC, is fast-tracking their efforts in 5G and open technologies by developing and working with OTIC to accelerate the adoption of industry standard, interoperable O-RAN based deployments, said Mathew Oommen, President, Reliance Jio.

“The OTIC is an important step toward enabling the commercialization of the Open RAN Platform and the new model for wireless networks,” said Oommen.

The initial focus of OTIC initiative is to ensure RAN components from multiple vendors support standard and open interfaces and can interoperate in accordance with O-RAN test specifications.

OTIC is looking to add more partners to facilitate ready-to-implement blueprints for RAN solutions conforming to the O-RAN specifications in order to realize open and disaggregated 5G networks.