Propelling the O-RAN vision from ignition to fruition.
VMware has long been committed to the O-RAN Alliance’s vision of an open, disaggregated RAN where innovation is fueled by the ability of multiple vendors to work together to create unprecedented opportunities for communication services providers (CSPs) to launch new services or improve efficiency. The RAN Intelligent Controller, or RIC, is a fundamental component of this vision — it is a platform that allows application developers to configure, and control RAN elements and user sessions. VMware was recently recognized by industry analyst Omdia in their “Self-Organizing Networks and RAN Intelligent Control – 2023″ report as the “commanding” leader among RIC platform vendors in developing their open RAN ecosystem of application developers.
Number of third-party r/xApp providers announced as of May 2023
VMware takes the responsibility of being a market leader seriously. It is incumbent on us to facilitate the development of the ecosystem to ensure that the benefits of the O-RAN architecture are brought to CSPs and mobile subscribers everywhere.
To that end, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our RIC Ecosystem Advisory Board.
Creating a Forum to Collect Feedback from RIC Partners and Customers
Our RIC Ecosystem Advisory Board will serve as a trusted forum to collect input from our key customers and partners to continue building a dynamic and innovative ecosystem for the RIC. We believe that by nurturing such an ecosystem, we can empower CSPs to deliver more efficient and differentiated services.
VMware develops both non-real-time and near-real-time RIC products, known respectively as VMware Centralized RIC and VMware Distributed RIC. Members of the VMware RIC Partner Program can use SDKs and tools provided by us to simplify the development of their near-real-time (xApps) and non-real-time (rApps) applications. These applications can use artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to optimize RAN elements. By establishing the RIC Ecosystem Advisory Board, we can collect feedback from our CSP customers on what capabilities they want to bring to the network for their subscribers. This feedback will allow us to focus our development resources on building and delivering the features that the industry needs. As we work with our customers on the board, we will also gain insights into what the CSPs need from the RIC ecosystem, and we will use those insights to guide our development partners as they build their applications and plan their roadmaps.
The RIC Ecosystem Advisory Board will also allow us to facilitate a dialog between CSPs, RIC application developers, and RAN vendors that will aid industry alignment around the most sought-after uses cases and capabilities. We believe the board will complement the work of other industry working groups and bodies and will help to accelerate the commercial adoption of the RIC and associated applications.
Striving to Drive Commercial Adoption of RIC Use Cases
The board will be comprised of executive-level RIC and RAN decision makers and experts, and members can use meetings of the board to share their experiences and strengthen and develop new relationships with their peers in the RIC ecosystem. The board meetings are expected to feature regular guest speakers from leading application developers and enterprises to ensure the viewpoints of all stakeholders in the development of the RIC ecosystem are included in the conversation.
Working with our customers and partners on the RIC Ecosystem Advisory Board will enable us to continue plotting a clear path to commercialization and monetization of the O-RAN Alliance’s standardization activities. The extensive nature of the partner ecosystem we have created to date gives us access to a wide range of ideas and innovations that can be scrutinized by the board for commercial applications. As the industry moves to adopt and exploit the capabilities of the RIC, we are extremely proud to be working with leading experts on the board as they help us guide the industry at this crucial time.
VMware RIC Partner Ecosystem
Note: As of August 2023, there are now 23 Members of our RIC SDK Program
Learn more about the VMware RIC and our growing ecosystem of partners.
