Open Network Index: evaluating operators’ progress and attitudes to ‘openness’ across core, RAN and edge

Open networks apply proven cloud concepts to the networking domain while enabling components to be sourced from a broad ecosystem of vendors. To understand operator progress towards open networks, Analysys Mason surveyed 50 leading Tier-1 operators worldwide between December 2023 and January 2024, and benchmarked operator progress from a vision/strategy perspective and a technical perspective. Findings included:

• Operators are embracing open networking principles but continue to struggle with implementation
• Horizontal network cloud architectures are the gold standard for operators but adoption remains slow for all network domains
• The adoption of open networks is highest in the mobile core domain but operators are also extending their transformation efforts to the RAN and network edge
• Operators need to develop an openness strategy and approach its implementation in the right way