Published August 2025
In the latest report in our ongoing series on Defining 6G Networks, we focus on the joint 3GPP and O-RAN Alliance workshop that was held in April this year. We analysed all 23 submission documents from stakeholders, which included network operators, equipment vendors and industry associations.
The following were identified as some of the key highlights:
- A desire to establish complementary roles between 3GPP and the O-RAN Alliance that leverage their respective strengths while avoiding duplication
- Broad agreement that 3GPP should define the overall 6G architecture and air interface
- O-RAN Alliance should complement these specifications with open, intelligent and virtualised solutions
- A recommendation that O-RAN Alliance aligns its release cycles with 3GPP's timeline
- The treatment of fronthaul in 3GPP specifications generated competing proposals and remains unresolved, however.
Also included is an introduction to the evolution of Open RAN technology and its ongoing development. This report provides telecoms professionals with essential insights into the evolving 6G standardisation landscape and the critical coordination efforts for Open RAN that are shaping the industry’s future direction.