FCC plans to explore radio access networks to bolster 5G telecom supply chain

The Federal Communications Commission is exploring how virtual radio access networks could help U.S. telecom providers move past a reliance on equipment from potentially untrustworthy foreign suppliers, according to Chairman Ajit Pai.

The FCC was supposed to have an in-person forum on vRAN on March 26, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pai, in a congressional teleconference on Tuesday, said the commission “hopes to restart that FCC forum when it’s safe to do so.”

The commission has...