Try GOLD - Free
Open RAN’s runaway promise: Will the train turn back?
Voice and Data
|June 2025
Despite early momentum, Open RAN is slowing under market, technical, and geopolitical pressures—can 6G bring it back on track?

‘Unstoppable’, ‘Bullet Train Explosion’, ‘Runaway Train’, ‘Last Passenger’, and the home-grown wonder ‘The Burning Train’— all of these are movies centred around trains spiralling out of control. With a brake failure, a malfunctioning system, or a dramatic rule about maintaining minimum speed, the chaos unfolds. Add in fire, a suicidal driver, a bomb, and an angry lover, and it makes for a quintessential train thriller.
What stands out in these films is the eventual solution— someone manages to decouple something. By that, we mean something heavy: a compartment, a machinery module, a cargo coach, or even a section of track. That is the cinematic breakthrough—the idea that even a fast-moving, complex, engineering-heavy system can be opened up and reconfigured. It is thrilling to discover that a running train can be decoupled. Jaw-dropping, indeed.
No wonder we were so excited about the very idea of Open RAN. As a concept, it was as thrilling and as new as taking out parts and joining new ones on a moving train. Is that not what telcos deal with as well? A moving train of network availability, new revenue goals, required speed of uptime, and the threat of low margins or network failure. The thrill was well-warranted.
It involved opening up the complex system known as the Radio Access Network (RAN). A RAN primarily comprises Central Units (CUs), Distributed Units (DUs), and Radio Units (RUs), which were, so far, proprietary and came from a single big vendor. When Open RAN took its first breath, it became a whirlwind of hope, as telco operators could now use different RAN equipment parts from various vendors.
This story is from the June 2025 edition of Voice and Data.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Voice and Data

Voice and Data
GPU cloud: Retail's new engine of relevance
Retailers must shift from basic personalisation to hyper-relevance, using GPU cloud to deliver fast, scalable, and privacy-first experiences.
3 mins
September 2025

Voice and Data
Steel tape shortage: A missing link in India's telecom supply chain
A shortage of ECCS tape, the protective armour for fibre cables, threatens India's 5G rollouts, BharatNet progress, and BSNL revival plans.
3 mins
September 2025

Voice and Data
A voice of clarity, a life of quiet courage
Sunil Rajguru's words simplified complexity, his guidance shaped lives, and his quiet strength left an enduring mark on Indian journalism.
3 mins
September 2025

Voice and Data
Who pays for trust? Unpacking DoT's MNV framework
India's MNV framework aims to fight fraud but may burden businesses and expose users to privacy risks in a rapidly digitising economy.
3 mins
September 2025

Voice and Data
Rewiring AI infrastructure from core to edge
As GenAI shifts from pilots to production, enterprises must rethink infrastructure strategy to meet performance, cost, and compliance demands.
3 mins
September 2025

Voice and Data
SECURITY AND COMPETITION: BALANCING THE TELECOM ACT
The Telecom Act 2023 strengthens security and consumer trust, but gaps in competition, OTT parity, and licensing stability raise new challenges.
5 mins
September 2025

Voice and Data
Bet off the table: India rewrites online gaming future
The Online Gaming Act halts real-money play, pushing jobs, capital, and brands to pivot toward e-sports, free-to-play, and global growth paths.
5 mins
September 2025

Voice and Data
Chip packaging evolves to support connected futures
As 5G, edge, and loT scale globally, chip packaging plays a critical role in delivering low-latency, energy-efficient connectivity at both core and edge.
3 mins
September 2025

Voice and Data
Rising orbit: Startups power India's new space journey
India's space sector shifts from state-led missions to public-private partnerships, with startups driving agility, innovation, and global competitiveness.
3 mins
September 2025

Voice and Data
Charting telecom's path to a trusted digital future
At COAI Dialogues 2025, trust, policy, and infrastructure converge to shape India's telecom roadmap for an inclusive, secure digital future.
7 mins
September 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size