Juniper Networks, a leading provider of networking products and services, has collaborated with Intel to speed up innovations in the Open Ran (ORAN) ecosystem.

As per sources, the partnership will involve the two firms working on pre-integration and pre-validation of Juniper Ran Intelligent Controller (RIC) and Intel FlexRAN platform for improving the usability of a comprehensive ORAN-compliant Intelligent RAN system.

They will collaborate on R&D with Intel Labs for developing RIC platform-specific apps to improve client experience, maximize ROI, and accelerate ORAN ecosystem innovation.

Juniper will also be working with Intel on joint customer testbeds to assess performance-improving implementation and time-to-market.

According to Juniper Networks, it is a contributing member of the O-RAN Alliance, serving as chair and co-chair of the slicing and use-case task groups.

The firm says that it is committed to offering customers an experience-first network through automation, intelligent control, and experience assurance.

Reportedly, Juniper has signed an exclusive IP license agreement with Netsia and plays a crucial role in the O-RAN Alliance to attract substantial investments. It is also a member of Intel's 5G Lab's innovation team, developing shared customer solutions.

Due to restricted vendor options and closed architectures that lead to lock-in, investing in Radio Access Networks (RAN) contributes to service providers' capital expenditures (CapEx).

Juniper believes that RAN is a domain that requires openness and best-of-breed innovation to provide the best experience to network operators and customers, and it is committed to leading the industry in this regard.

Constantine Polychronopoulos, Juniper Networks’ VP of 5G and telco cloud, claims that the collaboration will enable the firm to deliver automation, intelligence, cloud-native routing, and assurance solutions and services that are augmented for its customers' needs, reducing time-to-market and enabling them to monetize sooner by cooperating with Intel.

Source Credit - https://itwire.com/business-technology/juniper-networks-collaborates-with-intel-to-deliver-open-ran-innovation.html