The true benefits of 5G will be realized with massive scale - something that operators will have to pay mightily to achieve. In carrier-led efforts to shift network economics in their favor, the open RAN (radio access network) ecosystem has flourished in recent years and is potentially poised for a big breakthrough. 

In this comprehensive report by Sean Kinney, RCR Wireless, with contributions from Radisys, VIAVI Solutions and NI, we share a look at the key challenges and solutions with Open RAN, the Open RAN ecosystem, and how Open RAN will impact the future of 5G.