Voice&Data Talkies #10: Sanjay Harwani, VP - R&D and GM-India, Parallel Wireless

Parallel Wireless is one of the leaders in OpenRAN and specializes in the proliferation of the same while designing network architecture based on the same. Parallel Wireless has been working to develop the world's largest OpenRAN compliant portfolio for 5G and beyond. It recently created an all G (5G/4G/3G/2G) software-enabled OpenRAN architecture to make delivery of wireless coverage or capacity use cases, especially capital intensive 5G, affordable as it enables mobile operators and industries to unleash the full value of connectivity.

Leading the charge of R&D in India is Sanjay Harwani. An industry stalwart, Harwani has more than 25 years of experience in Networking/Telecom/Embedded experience and domain expertise in Datacom, Networking, Routing Protocols, L3 Mobility, UMTS, LTE, Mobile Packet Core, GGSN, PGW, PCRF, Charging, IPSG, GiLAN, Small Cells, and SON. Along with this, almost 15+ years in management roles.

Talking on the 10th edition of Voice&Data Talkies, Harwani talked about Parallel Wireless, OpenRAN, and how it facilitates telecom networks around the world.

All of the private telcos in India are advocates of OpenRAN and open network architecture. How does that help Parallel Wireless?

India is a significant market for Parallel Wireless and we are looking forward to enhancing engagement with the Indian telcos here. We believe OpenRAN will be a crucial part of the network transformation of the Indian telcos. The industry is preparing the infrastructure for the forthcoming 5G launch later this year, and the growing digital ecosystem means that the Indian telcos will need to move towards software-centric, programmable, agile, and flexible networks. There is also a need to move away from expensive proprietary solutions to Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) and open-based solutions to bring down expenses and gain from a more vibrant vendor ecosystem.

OpenRAN is being adopted by several global service providers, such as Vodafone, Orange, and MTN, to transform their networks and to build future-ready network infrastructure.

OpenRAN has become one of the talks of the time. What are some of the things that OpenRAN brings to the telecom table?

OpenRAN is particularly relevant for an emerging economy like India. It can play a crucial role in helping the country achieve the vision of Digital India. Almost 50% of India’s population is yet to be connected and a significant percentage of this segment is in rural and remote areas. Service providers tend to ignore these areas because the cost of setting up networks in remote areas is high and the returns are spread over a long period. With OpenRAN, Indian telcos can not only bring down their capital expense significantly but also reduce the time to deployment in the field, thereby making it easier to connect the unconnected.

Further, Parallel Wireless' All-G solution brings together different generations of wireless access technologies (2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G), making it possible for Indian telcos to simplify the networks and extend their existing network investments. Moreover, since OpenRAN is software-based, it provides unparalleled scalability and flexibility across access, transport, and core networks.

With unique use cases and applications, 5G has been talked of in glowing terms, and by extension, the OpenRAN. How does Open RAN facilitate 5G networks?

5G is a perfect opportunity for Indian telcos to reimagine their networks and move from monolithic hardware to software-powered programmable network architecture. Deploying 5G by adding one more layer for the new technology will only add to network complexity, making it difficult to manage.

5G allows service providers to offer pathbreaking use cases for their subscribers and to go beyond providing basic connectivity. However, they would need to partner with several vendors, start-ups, and application developers to leverage the potential of 5G. Traditionally, service providers' systems and processes are not geared for this. On the other hand, Open RAN is inherently built to integrate a broader ecosystem of partners and vendors. Further, OpenRAN comes with the flexibility and scalability required to meet 5G application requirements across different industry verticals with varying network demands for capacity, latency, and performance.

Our OpenRAN software suite for 5G aims to improve spectral efficiency, throughput, reliability while bringing down latency. It is ideal for helping telcos to grow their revenue by leveraging emerging market opportunities for different 5G use cases such as Enhanced Mobile broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (uRLLC).

A cloud-native OpenRAN solution with automation helps in simplifying network management. It also allows automated orchestration and management, providing long-term benefits for the service providers. The service providers further gain by bringing down time-to-market for new services, boosting profitability, and bringing down network expenses.

India, of course, presents a huge opportunity to all telecom and related companies, given the sheer size of the customer base. How has Parallel Wireless approached India as a telecom market?

Parallel Wireless was formed in 2012 and the R&D centers in Pune and Bangalore India opened in May of 2013. Since then Parallel Wireless has had many OpenRAN wireless network successes across the globe with MNOs including Axiata Group, Millicom, Orange, Hotspot, and more.

The team in India has deep expertise and many years of experience designing and developing best-in-class, cloud-native Open RAN software and hardware. The India R&D centers are expanding to develop and test cloud-native RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs), 4G and 5G DU and CU software, and 2x2 and 4x4 O-RAN Alliance compliant radios. This team is leading automation development in OpenRAN networks, utilizing tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to provide intelligent management and operations of the wireless network.

Ambitious growth plans are underway to expand the R&D centers in India for development and testing, systems engineering, and customer support opportunities. At Parallel Wireless in India, colleagues can invest in and grow their skillset and career, their voices are heard as they are leading the disruption in wireless networks.

Recently, Indian telcos have been working to achieve more and more vertical integration, developing their own network stack. What's your take on that development?

It depends on the operator's strategy. However, there is so much innovation happening in the industry, there is really no need to develop a solution in-house. A service provider stands to gain by leveraging a wide range of solutions developed by vendors in the Open RAN ecosystem instead of delving into research and development for network infrastructure. This way they get to focus on their core competencies of providing state-of-the-art voice and data services.

The world has fast moved on from 4G to 5G, and India has been lagging behind a little, as compared to the rest of the world. Do you think that it would be a detriment for India's telecom sector?

As yet, 5G is not widely deployed. While some countries have handed out the spectrum, others are re-farming the spectrum for 5G. The widespread deployment of 5G is likely to happen in 2023-24, so it is not right to say that India is lagging.

According to market data, the adoption of 5G continues to surge. In the future, 5G will likely provide substantial opportunities which service providers and enterprises are just beginning to recognize.

What are some of the challenges that Parallel Wireless can see for Open RAN in India?

We don't see any major challenges in the adoption of Open RAN in India. In fact, there is growing acceptability of Open RAN globally, with several major industry-leading telcos adopting it and verifying the benefits of this technology approach. We are confident that Indian telcos will continue to deploy Open RAN architecture across All Gs providing scalable solutions that speed time-to-market for new services and features, reducing network management costs and preparing networks for the future.