Open Authentication Principle

Key Chapter Title List

1. Introduction
2. Certification Governance and Integrity
3. Cost-Effective Implementation
4. Promoting Adoption
5. Conclusion

Document Introduction

Mobile cellular Radio Access Networks (RAN) have historically, due to their high complexity, stringent performance requirements, and wide-area coverage characteristics, fostered a market landscape dominated by single-vendor solutions, leading to industry concentration. The emergence of Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) represents an alternative path within the telecommunications industry aimed at decoupling software and hardware and introducing a multi-vendor ecosystem. Its development is heavily influenced by the 3GPP Release 15 standards and the O-RAN Alliance specifications, with the latter laying the foundation for RAN modularity, flexibility, and customization by defining interfaces like the fronthaul and the RAN Intelligent Controller. However, this newly introduced flexibility also brings complexities and potential interoperability challenges when integrating multi-vendor solutions.

This report, proposed by GCOT partners, aims to provide a voluntary framework for stakeholders in the Open RAN ecosystem to promote the establishment of a robust and comprehensive Open RAN equipment certification program. The report clarifies that it is not itself a specific certification scheme but rather provides principled steps to facilitate industry discussion and guide the future construction of a certification system. The target audience includes mobile network operators, Open RAN software and hardware suppliers, infrastructure providers, system integrators, and all entities potentially involved in the development and operation of Open RAN certification programs.

The core content of the report revolves around the principles for building a certification system. In the "Certification Governance and Integrity" section, the document emphasizes the importance of clarifying the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders (including operators, suppliers, system integrators, certification bodies, testing laboratories, and governments). It advocates that certification should be industry-led, with potential government participation or funding to ensure public interest and technical robustness. Certification testing should be based on specifications from existing standards organizations such as 3GPP and the O-RAN Alliance, focusing on four key areas: conformance, interoperability, performance, and security. The governance of the certification program needs to reflect market diversity, avoid bias, and maintain process transparency and external oversight. Furthermore, certification bodies should be appropriately accredited, testing must ensure independent verifiability and repeatability, and the certification system should have a continuous improvement mechanism to adapt to the evolution of technology and standards.

In terms of "Cost-Effective Implementation," the report argues that certification should be accessible to companies of all sizes, reducing costs through methods like automated testing and leveraging existing resources. The report suggests considering a tiered certification structure to meet the needs of different scales and types of deployments, for example, divided into "Private Network Tier," "Enterprise Network Tier," and "Operator Network Tier," each corresponding to different technical requirements and application scenarios. This structure helps suppliers enter the market progressively and assists operators in selecting suitable products based on specific network needs. The certification scope needs to be calibrated to maintain market relevance, while efficient re-certification processes should be considered for significant updates.

To "Promote Adoption," the report notes that the success of a certification program depends on customers (such as mobile network operators and private network clients) requiring it in their procurement processes. Certification should be able to demonstrate its value to customers, including stimulating a competitive market, reducing deployment risks, providing technical flexibility, and offering evidence through success stories. Simultaneously, the certification program needs broad industry support, fostering a favorable environment by establishing open standards platforms, optimizing processes, encouraging collaboration, setting up a certification registry, and providing detailed certification insights. Governments can accelerate the adoption of certification programs by considering incorporating certification into public procurement qualifications, providing financial incentives, engaging in international cooperation, and supporting talent development.

The report concludes that establishing a comprehensive certification framework is crucial for ensuring the interoperability, conformance, performance, and security of Open RAN. It is key to overcoming current obstacles such as RAN system complexity, operator resource constraints, and difficulties in proving supplier capabilities. Although existing initiatives (such as the work of TIP and the O-RAN Alliance) have taken important steps, further development is still needed. Industry leadership, collaboration among all stakeholders, and supportive measures from policymakers (such as subsidies, tax incentives) will collectively drive this process. GCOT partners have already practiced these principles by supporting the establishment of neutral laboratories (e.g., UK SONIC Labs, US CRAIN) and government R&D investments, and welcome more government support and participation to jointly advance the industry's transition to the Open RAN architecture.