Vodafone will work with Intel and other vendors on designing its own chip architecture to drive and efficiency in OpenRAN network technology.

The initiative will be based at Vodafone’s digital innovation and R&D centre in Malaga, which opened on Monday.

Fifty people dedicated to OpenRAN will join 650 software engineers, architects and technicians in the Spanish city. Vodafone will be investing 225 million euros over five years, Reuters news report said.

OpenRAN will allow operators to mix and match suppliers in their radio networks, aiming to weaken the grip Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia have on the global telecom equipment market with their proprietary technologies.

Vodafone’s director of network architecture Santiago Tenorio said OpenRAN would enable the mobile operator to quickly add new digital services and to optimize networks using AI.