NTIA Backs ORAN but Says It's No Panacea

Open radio access networks signal “increased competition,” NTIA said in an FCC filing Friday on the March ORAN notice of inquiry (see 2103170049). “The Executive Branch recognizes that many [wireless] network operators, both domestically and abroad, face limited options when selecting vendors,” said the filing in docket 21-63: “Limited competition in the telecommunications infrastructure market can reduce supply chain resilience and security and contribute to higher prices for operators and consumers in the long run.” ORAN “holds the potential to lower operators’ network costs and generate savings that could, in turn, be passed to consumers through lower relative pricing.” It will spur AI and machine learning "without needing additional standards or application programming interfaces,” the agency said. NTIA cautioned that ORAN can help with supply chain security and resilience, but “it is not a replacement for governments taking action in collaboration with industry to protect critical infrastructure … from a full range of security threats, including those posed by untrusted, high-risk vendors.”