The Ericsson membership aims to accelerate 5G development and the way to 6G. Ericsson and OSA will collaborate and innovate in favor of Academia and SME eco-systems by ensuring access to open technology stacks and implementations for R&D. Ericsson strongly believes in the importance of openness and as one of the leaders in O-RAN. The two organizations hope to bring these communities into tighter collaboration.

Ericsson, an information and communication technology global leader, has officially joined the OpenAirInterface Software Alliance (OSA) as a strategic member and part of the board.

Established in 2014, the OpenAirInterface Software Alliance (OSA) is a French non-profit organization funded by corporate sponsors. The OSA is known for its consistent commitment to accessible and community-developed software. The availability of the OAI 5G stack for academia, SMEs, and others has been incredibly important to secure a vibrant and innovation-filled ecosystem built around OSA. OSA’s recent partnership with the O-RAN Software Community underscores the willingness of the ecosystem to converge toward open API and Open RAN (vRAN/vCore).

By becoming a member of OpenAirInterface (OAI), Ericsson demonstrates its dedication to open standards, interoperability, and the shared goal of pushing the boundaries of wireless technology. This collaboration expects to bring together the technology foresight and leading-edge expertise of Ericsson with the community-driven approach of the OAI. In particular, Ericsson views a high-quality open and SW-defined implementation of the user equipment (UE) protocol stack as a key contribution of OAI to the vendor ecosystem and future community-driven innovation.

The global Ericsson engagement in OAI will be further augmented by its R&D center in France, inaugurated in 2020 and focused on the latest technology across 6G, AI, cloud, and cybersecurity.

Key Highlights of the partnership:

1) Advancing 5G Technology: Ericsson’s extensive experience in the telecommunications industry, coupled with the OpenAirInterface Software Alliance’s commitment to community-driven open-source development, will undoubtedly contribute to OSA also playing an important role in 6G development, just as they have for the development of 5G.

2) Open Standards and Interoperability: With this partnership, we will work towards promoting open standards and ensuring interoperability among various wireless communication systems. This approach aligns with Ericsson’s and the OpenAirInterface Software Alliance’s commitment to creating a more accessible and collaborative ecosystem, providing opportunities for researchers, developers, and industry professionals to contribute to and influence the future of wireless communication.

Irfan Ghauri, Director of Operations OpenAirInterface Software Alliance says: “We are delighted to see Ericsson joining the board of the OSA which we see as a testimony of the value OSA brings to the industry in the shape of a rich and rapidly growing open source software in 5G and next-generation cellular technologies. Ericsson, as a leader in this industry, is a key partner in helping OSA make the right choices towards further increasing its impact in serving the community by providing higher and higher quality open source software.”

Per Beming, Head of Standardization & Industry Initiatives Ericsson says: “We are excited to join the OpenAirInterface Alliance and contribute our expertise to the community. This collaboration aligns with our commitment to driving innovation and open standards in the telecommunications industry.”