6G • RAN
Open RAN 2.0 (Next-Gen O-RAN)
6G AI-Native Disaggregated Open Radio Access Network
Evolution of Open RAN standardizing AI-driven sub-millisecond control loops (Near-RT and Sub-Near-RT RIC) and native sub-THz hardware interfaces.
Technical Explanation
While Open RAN 1.0 (in 5G) focused on splitting proprietary hardware into O-CU, O-DU, and O-RU, Open RAN 2.0 is designed from the ground up for 6G. It introduces sub-millisecond AI control loops (Sub-Near-RT RIC operating below 1 ms), native interfaces for Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS), holographic beamforming control, and support for multi-tenant shared accelerator silicon across vendor boundaries.
Key Functions
- Standardizes sub-millisecond AI control loops (Sub-Near-RT RIC) for real-time PHY optimization
- Integrates Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) into open front-haul protocols
- Supports native sub-THz radio heads (O-RU) and wideband massive antenna arrays
- Eliminates proprietary hardware lock-in across global telecom infrastructure
Specifications
O-RAN Alliance 6G Whitepaper, 3GPP Rel-19/20 Open Interfaces
Interfaces
Open Front-Haul (OFH 2.0)A1 InterfaceO1 InterfaceE2 Interface
Related 6G Concepts
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