Media Contact: 
Will Wiquist, (202) 418-0509
will.wiquist@fcc.gov

For Immediate Release

FCC ANNOUNCES UPCOMING FORUM ON
5G OPEN RADIO ACCESS NETWORKS
September Summit Will Convene Industry and Government Leaders to Discuss Innovative Approach to 5G Network Development
  -- 
WASHINGTON, August 18, 2020—Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai today announced that the Forum on 5G Open Radio Access Networks will take place on September 14, 2020.  The forum, previously scheduled for March but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will take place by videoconference and stream online.  

Chairman Pai will host experts at the forefront of the development and deployment of open, interoperable, standards-based, virtualized radio access networks to discuss this innovative new approach to 5G network architecture.  Open Radio Access Networks offer an alternative to traditional cellular network architecture and could enable a diversity in suppliers, better network security, and lower costs.

“Open and virtualized radio access networks may help operators deploy more secure, cost-effective 5G networks,” said Chairman Pai.  “As part of the FCC’s 5G FAST Plan, the agency has taken many actions to promote American leadership in next generation wireless services.  To that end, we want the United States to lead the way in researching and developing innovative approaches to mobile network deployment.  I am pleased the FCC will convene these experts for a productive discussion about the current state of ORAN-related technologies and the path ahead.”

Among the speakers on the agenda for the forum are:

10:30AM-10:45AM: Welcome Remarks  
· FCC Chairman Ajit V. Pai
· U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo

10:50AM-11:30AM: Introduction to Open, Interoperable, and Virtualized Networks 
· FCC Chairman Ajit V. Pai, moderator
· Tareq Amin (Rakuten)
· Caroline Chan (Intel)
· Sachin Katti (VMware)
· Thierry Maupilé (Altiostar)

11:45AM-12:45PM:  Benefits of Deployment/Driving Innovation
· Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Associate Bureau Chief Charles Mathias and Office of the Chairman Policy Advisor Evan Swarztrauber, moderators
· Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm)
· Peter Gammel (GlobalFoundries)
· Diane Rinaldo (Open RAN Policy Coalition)
· John Roese (Dell)
· Mariam Sorond (CableLabs)
· Soma Velayutham (NVIDIA)  

1:40PM-2:50PM: Lessons from the Field:  Where Do We Go from Here? 
· FCC Chairman Ajit V. Pai, moderator
· Kaitki Agarwal (Parallel Wireless)
· John Baker (Mavenir)
· Stephen Bye (DISH)
· Craig Farrell (IBM)
· Marie-Paule Odini (HPE)
· Mathew Oommen (JIO)
· Marcus Weldon (Nokia)

3:00PM-5:00PM:  Technical Deep Dive 
· FCC Chief Technology Officer Monisha Ghosh, moderator
· Mihai Banu (Blue Danube)
· Charles Clancy (MITRE)
· Cheryl Davis (Oracle)
· Ashutosh Dutta (Johns Hopkins University) 
· Abhimanyu Gosain (Northeastern University)
· James Kimery (Spirent)
· Ivan Seskar (Rutgers University)
· Jacobus Van der Merwe (University of Utah)

The Forum on 5G Open Radio Access Networks is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. EST on Monday, September 14, 2020 and webcast on www.fcc.gov/live and on the event’s webpage.  Additional information regarding the agenda, speakers, and logistics will be available on the website closer to the event: www.fcc.gov/news-events/events/forum-5g-virtual-radio-access-networks.

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Media Relations: (202) 418-0500 / ASL: (844) 432-2275 / Twitter: @FCC / www.fcc.gov 

This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).