Biden-Harris Administration Announces $450 Million Funding Opportunity to Promote Wireless Software Innovation

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that up to $450 million in funding will be made available for software-focused Open RAN innovation. This is the third Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund. This NOFO will invest in software solutions to drive adoption of open and interoperable wireless networks. The goal is to fund projects that will unlock new Open RAN-enabled revenue streams and reduce the cost of integrating equipment from multiple vendors. This third round of funding targets two areas:

• Development of software solutions that use Open RAN innovations to generate value for industry verticals such as utilities, mining, manufacturing and others.
• Development of software solutions that reduce the cost and complexity of multi-vendor integration through automation.