UK-government backed technology organisation Digital Catapult unveiled the SONIC Labs Technology Access Programme, an initiative designed to address energy-efficiency challenges in the adoption of open RAN.
The group stated the programme is supported by communications regulator Ofcom, with funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and aims to establish an innovation programme and R&D facility to “explore the visibility and performance of open RAN”.
Digital Catapult explained the main goal of the project will be to consider how energy usage in open RAN operations can be optimised, “championing industrial sustainability through deep tech innovation”.
It is allocating five teams to work on the programme to develop, build and implement systems with the aim of making the open RAN market more sustainable.
Digital Catapult stated telecoms networks account for a total of 90 per cent of an operators’ energy use, with the RAN representing 80 per cent of this.
Companies Net AI and zTouch Networks, along with the University of York, will also participate to explore how AI and machine learning can enhance the performance and resource usage of the radio network used in open RAN.
The project will run for a total of eight months, and the teams will have access to indoor and outdoor testing sites, as well as receive technological guidance from the broader Digital Catapult network.
Systems developed will be demonstrated to industry and the government at a showcase planned for early 2025.
Chris Bryant, the UK’s Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology alongside the same role covering Culture, Media and Sport, said the initiative will “not only slash energy use across digital networks such as 5G, but it will also save money for network operators and provide a more competitive service to customers”.
