Jerry Petersen
EchoStar Corporation has launched a lab that allows vendors to test and validate their open radio access network offerings.
EchoStar said Monday that the facility, named the Open RAN Center for Integration and Deployment, features a real field test setup and enables test and validation work using the company’s live commercial-grade cloud-native Open RAN network.
ORCID is supported by a $50 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund.
Commenting on the government’s financial support, EchoStar co-founder and chairman Charlie Ergen expressed appreciation for the trust that the NTIA demonstrated, adding, “ORCID represents a significant milestone in both EchoStar and the U.S.’s journey to drive and lead the adoption of open and interoperable radio access networks.”
For his part, EchoStar 5G Wireless Partner Engagement and Delivery Vice President and ORCID program head Ravinder Jarral called on vendors to participate in ORCID, adding, “By partnering with ORCID, vendors can achieve substantial cost savings, faster time-to-market, improved quality of service, and rigorous validation for their O-RAN solutions.”
The lab is located at the company’s data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
