Nokia, JMA Wireless, and Solid are among the awardees in the latest round of grants, which focus on ORU hardware development
The Biden administration has awarded $273 million in another funding round for the Wireless Innovation Fund, meant to support Open Radio Access Networks and related technology developments in the United States.
Previous funding rounds from the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, also known as the Wireless Innovation Fund, have made awards focused on applying artificial intelligence/machine learning in communications systems and bolstering test-related technologies and resources.
The new round of funding announced by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is focusing on supporting development of open radio (ORU) hardware, and it will fund seven ORU related projects.
In order of award from largest to smallest, the recipients and projects include:
-Abside Networks will receive $46.8 million to support the development of Very-Large-Array (VLA) massive MIMO Open Radio Units (ORUs), with a focus on expanding capacity and reducing total cost of ownership (TCO).
-Nokia’s U.S. unit will receive $45 million to support development and commercialization of an open radio unit platform to deliver specific ORU products globally.
-JMA Wireless will receive $43.9 million to develop something called the American Ruggedized Modular O-RAN Radio, or ARMOR, platform that will “support multiple Open Radio Unit variants that are energy efficient,” according to the program description. “The streamlined radio unit components will support a cost-effective, high-power macro radios and in-building/small cell product line for mobile network operators,” it said.
–Battelle Memorial Institute in Virginia will receive more than $37.8 million to support its RavenStar massive MIMO PRU project with “advanced Radio Frequency (RF) front end and digital signal processing enabling operators to utilize spectrum between 600 MHz and 7 GHz.”
-Eridan Communications landed $36.8 million in funding for its “Miracle RU” project, which is meant to speed the development of a “light, power efficient and cost-efficient Open RAN small-cell radio unit” aimed at reducing deployment, operating and spectrum-related costs for mobile network operators.
-Microelectronics Technology will receive nearly $35 million to develop five energy-efficient O-RAN macro radios that will be operated by “four worldwide MNOs,” according to the project description.
-SOLiD will get about $27.7 million to develop multi-operator ORUs integrated with Distributed Antenna Systems, so that multiple operators can use open in-building infrastructure. The project is called the Multi-Operator Radio Access Network (MORAN)-capable ORU point of interface.
“To out-compete and out-build the rest of the world, we need to ensure we’re tapping into every resource to unleash U.S. innovation, which is precisely what these federal dollars will do by boosting the development of open and interoperable wireless networks,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a statement. “Through the Wireless Innovation Fund, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking the necessary steps to prioritize equipment projects that will help secure U.S. global leadership and increase competition in the wireless market.”
The Wireless Innovation Fund is part of the CHIPs and Science Act, and will dole out $1.5 billion over the next decade to support domestic R&D for Open RAN and advanced telecommunications capabilities. The first grants were made in August 2023 and rounds of funding have been made on a rolling basis.
Previous recipients have included a range of companies and academic researchers, including projects such as an Open RAN testing center in Wyoming operated by EchoStar (formerly Dish Wireless)which will permit companies to validate their tech against the company’s commercial-grade Open RAN network; and an Open RAN testing-as-a-service solution, known as VALOR, from Viavi Solutions.
NTIA also said that later this winter, it will award up to another $146 million.
