O-RAN's Role in Shaping 6G: Industry Perspectives on Open and Smart RAN

The O-RAN technology, proposed by the O-RAN ALLIANCE in 2018, is transforming the telecommunications industry by promoting an open, intelligent, interoperable, and software-driven approach to building mobile networks [1]–[3]. Despite being a young alliance established just 6 years ago, the O-RAN ALLIANCE has grown rapidly, attracting interest from both industry and academia. With its broad technical reach, O-RAN is deemed to play important roles in the 6G era. This column highlights recent 6G activities within the O-RAN ALLIANCE and shares insights on its 6G progress.