Competitive Carriers Association Members Tour ORCID Lab
CAPTION: Jens Sohn, Head of the ORCID lab, gives a tour of the ORCID Data Center, in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
As part of EchoStar’s ongoing efforts to support American-led Open RAN innovation, the company brought 25 members of Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) to its Open RAN Center for Integration and Deployment (ORCID) in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on April 14.
The visit coincided with CCA’s annual Mobile Carriers Show in Denver and offered CCA members a first-hand look at the ORCID lab’s capabilities, which were developed from EchoStar’s experience building its nationwide, cloud-native 5G Open RAN network. It also helped illustrate how Open RAN is a compelling alternative to untrusted solutions from U.S. adversaries. Many of the small carriers represented by CCA are now working to remove this equipment from their networks.
The ORCID lab, funded by a $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, offers trusted partners from the U.S. and across the globe an opportunity to validate their Open RAN solutions against EchoStar and Boost Mobile’s commercial-grade network.
Leading the tour and demonstrations were Dawood Shahdad, Vice President of Core Network & Innovation Labs at Boost Mobile, and Jens Sohn, Head of the ORCID Lab. They were joined by Ravinder Jarral, Vice President of Network Development, who shared insights into EchoStar’s Open RAN deployment. CCA member companies represented on the tour included: Viaero Wireless; Agri-Valley Communications, Inc.; GCI; Appalachian Wireless; C Spire; Nex-Tech Wireless; and Hemphill Tower and Power.
EchoStar’s team led a presentation highlighting how Open RAN’s interoperability and cloud-based architecture have allowed EchoStar to build a flexible, future-ready network with components sourced primarily from U.S. vendors. That strategy has paid off: Boost Mobile now covers 80% of the U.S. population with its 5G network, and has earned accolades for its service quality. This includes being recently named the most reliable network in New York City.
CCA members then toured ORCID’s dedicated data center and lab. ORCID staff demonstrated the lab’s high degree of automation, which allows tests to run from start to finish with minimal human intervention, ensuring speed, consistency, and quality across every client. CCA members also got an up-close look at an ORCID cell site - which is equipped with the standard gear used in every Boost Mobile Open RAN deployment.
EchoStar encouraged all participants to reach out to ORCID and discuss how the lab can support their efforts to integrate Open RAN into their networks.
See more photos of the visit below.
CAPTION: Ravinder Jarral, VP of Network Development for Boost Mobile, shares how Open RAN helped EchoStar build its nationwide network in record time.
CAPTION: Competitive Carriers Association members listen to a presentation from EchoStar executives about the capabilities of the ORCID lab.
CAPTION: Jens Sohn, Head of the ORCID lab, explains how ORCID’s dedicated lab setup and four live field sites offer ORCID participants the ability to test and validate their Open RAN solution against simulated and real-world environments. The ability to test against a live, commercial-grade Open RAN network that has been deployed successfully nationwide is a unique value add for the ORCID lab.
CAPTION: Dawood Shahdad, VP of Core Network & Innovation Labs at Boost Mobile, explains how Open RAN solutions move through ORCID’s testing flow.
CAPTION: CCA members view a demonstration of ORCID’s security testing for new Open RAN solutions.
CAPTION: CCA members view a demonstration of a handover test, part of ORCID’s extensive performance testing and validation.