VIAVI and Consortia Secure UK Open Networks Funding

Viavi Solutions has announced that the company is part of three consortia that have won funding in the Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) competition sponsored by the U.K. Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). VIAVI and partners submitted successful bids for HiPer-RAN led by University of Surrey, REACH led by University of York, and ARIANE led by Telecom Infra Project (TIP).

DSIT has awarded £88 million for organizations to develop a range of software and hardware products that will enable enhanced development and adoption of open and interoperable technology and demonstrate Open RAN technologies in high-demand environments.

VIAVI participated in the following winning bids:

• HiPer-RAN (Highly Intelligent, Highly Performing RAN)
• REACH (RIC-Enabled (CF-)mMIMO for HDD)
• ARIANE (Accelerating RAN Intelligence Across Network Ecosystems)

The ONE competition was part of the government’s Open Networks R&D Fund which delivers on the £250 million 5G Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Strategy through a range of projects. These include the Future RAN Competition (FRANC), the Future Open Networks Research Challenge, as well as bodies such as SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre (SONIC Labs), the UK Telecoms Innovation Network – with VIAVI contributing expertise or lab validation solutions to all of these initiatives.

U.K. Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure Sir John Whittingdale said, “Whether you’re in a busy city centre or a rural village, a fast and reliable mobile connection is vital to staying in touch, accessing services and doing business. In order to secure that, we need to embrace a diverse and secure range of technology that will underpin the network. The projects we’re backing today with £88 million in government research and development investment will use innovative Open RAN solutions to make our mobile networks more adaptable and resilient, with future-proofed technology to support bringing lightning-fast connections across the country for many years to come.”

Ian Langley, Senior Vice President, Wireless Business Unit, VIAVI said, “VIAVI is proud to be a partner in the DSIT ONE flagship program for Open Network R&D in the U.K. We look forward to working with our consortium partners to overcome network challenges such as HDD environments, AI conflict mitigation for x/rApps, RIC cybersecurity, RAN traffic management and energy efficiency, supported by the VIAVI U.K. Engineering R&D Centre of Excellence, based in Stevenage.”