Commitment to expanded Open RAN research and development folded into final defense bill

Congress is committing to invest in development of Open Radio Access Network technologies, seen as a potential key to securing 5G networks, in the final version of a major defense policy bill.

The fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, to be voted on today in the House and later this week in the Senate, establishes a ‘‘Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund” dedicated to Open RAN and overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

“The Open RAN Policy Coalition...