Tim is among the first operators in the world, with an absolute primacy in Italy, to start a European Otic Lab: the Open Test and Integration Center Lab will be located in Tim's innovation laboratories in Turin and will operate in synergy with manufacturers, startups and system integrators belonging to the Open Ran ecosystem. The purpose will be to benefit the testing of new solutions and accelerate an evolution in telecommunications to the benefit of the birth of a mobile network architecture that connects all of Europe through 5G, Cloud and Edge computing.
What are Open Ran technologies
Open RAN is an initiative joined by telecommunications operators and technology providers to open up the radio access network to the use of different equipment for the various blocks that compose it, also thanks to the use of generic non-specialized hardware. This agreement, called O-RAN Alliance, provides that communication networks are no longer composed of equipment and closed systems, in order to create mutual benefits for all actors involved. The functional blocks that make up the networks are called RU (Radio Unit), DU (Distributed Unit) and CU (Centralised Unit) and for the functioning of this system must be able to communicate with each other through standard interfaces and protocols that allow the integration of equipment and software produced by different suppliers, in an open way.
How Tim's Otic Lab works
The Otic Lab fosters a cooperative working environment to support the adoption of technical specifications and promote the O-Ran ecosystem. Within the center, antennas and radio base stations from multiple vendors will be tested and verified for compliance, and test results will be made available to the community to evaluate device deployment within the open network.
Tim joined the O-Ran Alliance in 2018 and with this initiative confirms its commitment to the adoption and development of Open Radio Access Network solutions across Europe to accelerate their commercial use.