Washington pushes O-RAN to contain Huawei on 5G

Significance

Absent a large domestic network and equipment manufacturer, US policy efforts to provide a US alternative to proprietary Chinese 5G systems focus on virtual networks using open-standards software to tie together off-the-shelf hardware, an approach known as open radio access network (O-RAN).

Impacts

• A US purchase of European manufacturers Ericsson or Nokia is possible but unlikely.
• Washington will continue to attack Huawei's supply chain to push up its costs and erode its competitiveness.
• Debate will intensify over US university openness and how closely held research can be without diminishing innovation.