# [Intern] 21/07/2022 advantages of O-RAN
###### tags: `BMW-Lab`, `Intern`

:::success
**Goal:** To show the advantages of O-RAN.
:::

:::success
**References**
{%youtube EkQG58O5Dpw %}
:::

## The advantages of O-RAN (Open RAN)

An open environment means an expanded ecosystem, with more vendors providing the building blocks. In O-RAN, there is more innovation and more options for the operators. They can also add new services.
Some of the other benefits include more market competition and customer choice, lower equipment costs, and improved network performance.
Radio Access Network vendors only offer proprietary equipment and network functions. This is the main reason organizations began developing open RAN standards to break out of that legacy.
Proprietary products are typically more expensive than generic counterparts. Because there aren’t third-party RAN elements that can be integrated into a RAN vendor’s infrastructure, a network operator is stuck with one RAN vendor’s products.
In an open interface, third-party products can communicate with the main RAN vendor’s infrastructure. Network operators can also opt for the less-expensive third-party product that operates on generic hardware.
ORAN indeed creates new opportunities in radio access network technology. However, operators must consider network security before implementing ORAN technology. It is necessary to have a secure microservices-based architecture for a safe, modern, cloud-native implementation of ORAN.
The O RAN Alliance provides functional compliance to the specifications of components. But for implementation, stakeholders require verification, integration, interoperability, and testing of the commoditized 5G RAN elements. These are necessary to support a plug-n-play model. Therefore, besides commoditization of services, you also need an efficient orchestration of the different ORAN 5G components. Only then can you guarantee stable networks.
The implementation of ORAN technology may increase security risks. First, the API exposure increases because an Open Radio Access Network can have different vendor apps. And each app will expose the APIs. Further, the network will be heterogeneous: apps will be on various network types. So we can’t consider any network to be safe while implementing.
RANs, or Radio Access Networks, are a significant part of cellular communication. It is responsible for connecting all the individual components of the network. For example, cell phones transmit data through radio waves. And they first connect to a RAN. A Radio Access Network then uses transceivers to connect a cellphone to the core network.
RIC, or RAN intelligence controller, is an O RAN architecture that can run natively on the cloud. It is central to the vRAN network and enables near real-time control, RAN slicing, QoS control, enhanced RRM, etc. Using a RIC, you can create an open ecosystem to develop, deploy, and operate third-party applications. Therefore, improving RAN efficiency and reducing costs.