O-RAN Alliance: Nokia downplays decision to take breather as critics worry over fate of key industry groups

Ericsson has voiced its concern over "progress" within the O-RAN Alliance, days after Nokia called a technical timeout with the group amid "compliance-related" concerns. Nokia's withdrawal comes after some members of the open radio access network industry group were added to the US government's "Entity List," which fingers …

[Henry Wertz 1]

Nokia doesn't want it

I think in reality Nokia simply doesn't want O-RAN. Carriers want it because they can more flexibly mix and match equipment. Nokia was in it because it makes sense to be in an industry group so they can have the information needed to have a working implementation, in case it becomes something they simply must support to make sales.

But I doubt the biggest vendors are happy about it, the mix and match the carriers want is exactly what Nokia and the biggest vendors would prefer not to have, it's only going to cost them (they could sell 1 component in a O-RAN network deployment instead of a whole "solution" without it.). This gives Nokia an easy out.