Guest Editorial Open RAN: A New Paradigm for Open, Virtualized, Programmable, and Intelligent Cellular Networks

The Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) vision is based on the three principles of (i) open interfaces; (ii) cloudification; and (iii) automation through closed-loop control. It is a network architecture paradigm embodied and augmented through technical reference specifications of the 3GPP and the O-RAN Alliance. At the centre of Open RAN are open, programmable, and virtualized components, connected to each other through open interfaces that enable closed-loop, data-driven, and intelligent control. For instance, the O-RAN Alliance introduced two RAN Intelligent Controllers (or RICs) that connect through open interfaces to the disaggregated components of the RAN, and implement control loops that run at different time scales.