By ; Basel Khaled 

The O2 interface, defined by the O-RAN Alliance, plays a critical role in enabling the goals of Open RAN by supporting the dynamic and flexible management of cloud infrastructure supporting Radio Access Networks in a multi-vendor environment. Ericsson has been instrumental in driving the standardization of the O2 interface and is working with industry partners to support communication service providers in realizing commercially sustainable open multi-cloud and multi-vendor environments. 

The demand for multi-vendor telecom networks, built on open principles, remains strong, with significant investment already underway and clear growth expected in the coming years. Open RAN, meaning open radio access network architecture with open interoperable interfaces and hardware-software disaggregation, is a necessary part of meeting that demand.

As part of its wide participation in the O-RAN Alliance, Ericsson, in co-operation with partners such as Dell Technologies and Red Hat, has been a critical driver in developing the O2 interface definitions and capabilities, and leading the industrialization of its implementation with communication service providers (CSP).

Ericsson, Dell and Red Hat are carrying out proofs of concept to validate the implementation of O2 interface, showing the joint ability to integrate cloud RAN management which is aligned with Open RAN specifications for the O2 interface. The collaboration uses Dell Telecom Infrastructure Blocks, Dell Telecom Infrastructure Automation Suite and Red Hat OpenShift, which provides northbound integration towards Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform (EIAP), its open network management and automation platform, via the O2-IMS interface. The details of this work will be shown at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in demos at both the Dell and Ericsson stands.

The O2 interface provides a standard interface between the RAN management and automation layer, and the O-Cloud infrastructure (Open RAN-based cloud platforms with decoupled hardware and software that hosts the cloud-native Radio Access Network (RAN) functions) and so separates the infrastructure and the management layer. It has two main functions:

• O2 Infrastructure Management Service (IMS) enables hardware and software resource management and monitoring at distributed site locations and delivers smooth lifecycle management activities of O-Cloud resources through workflow automation

• O2 Deployment Management Service (DMS) is responsible for the lifecycle management of Open RAN network functions, or applications, that are hosted by the O-Cloud. O-Cloud can consist of multiple DMS and a single O2 IMS will manage all resources of DMS for O-Clouds

This enables the RAN management and automation layer to facilitate the deployment of cloud RAN on O-Cloud infrastructure provided by multiple vendors and across multiple O-Clouds. The requirement for alignment between different domains means the O2 interface provides a key capability to ensure maximum interoperability in a multi-vendor system. 

Ericsson has prioritized the O2 interface within its own portfolio. Native support for its standards is present in Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform and within its Cloud RAN cloud-native network functions. Ericsson’s Cloud Native Infrastructure Solution (CNIS), together with its Operations Manager Cloud Infrastructure (OMC), is integral to Ericsson’s O-Cloud, providing a pre-integrated consolidated north-bound O2 IMS interface towards Ericsson Orchestrator Lifecycle Manager (EO-LM) as part of EIAP. This aligns with Open RAN-defined standards for how an O-Cloud should interface with the RAN management and automation layer, enabling seamless infrastructure-related resource management.

The progress on the O2 interface comes just weeks after Ericsson and other collaborators revealed the first instance of multiple RAN system vendors that can be integrated with the EIAP through the O1 interface, which harmonizes and converges separate vendors’ RAN network management platforms.

Anders Vestergren, Head of Solution Area Network Management, Ericsson says: “The future of telecom networks lies in openness and interoperability. The O2 interface, as set out by the O-RAN Alliance, is a vital element for empowering CSPs with the flexibility that they need to deliver the multi-vendor, open, innovative and programmable networks they have planned. With numerous vendors in the mix in all areas of the network, consistency and standardization becomes crucial. It’s essential that the industry works together to deliver components aligned with Open RAN so interfaces like O2 can prove their value. Ericsson already has a strong collaboration with Red Hat and Dell in this particular area and looks forward to working with others to further drive industry adoption.”

Honoré LaBourdette, Vice President of the Global Telco Ecosystem at Red Hat, says: “By proactively aligning to O-Cloud standards, this collaboration empowers CSPs to make the strongest possible strategic choices when it comes to the platforms they deploy to power their networks. The alignment with the O2 interface, and Red Hat OpenShift, offers a harmonized approach to infrastructure management across all vendors in a network on a common platform, ultimately leading to a more efficient, adaptable, and reliable system for enhanced performance and improved experiences for the CSP and its customers.”

Andrew Vaz, Vice President, Product Management, Telecom Systems Business at Dell Technologies says: "Open and standardized interfaces will accelerate the integration of emerging technologies into telecom networks, driving faster innovation across the industry. Dell PowerEdge XR8000 servers and Dell Telecom Infrastructure Automation Software, combined with Ericsson and Red Hat technologies, will offer communications service providers simpler and more efficient ways to manage cloud RAN networks, all aligned with O-RAN specifications."

At MWC 2025 in Barcelona, from Monday the 3rd to Thursday the 6th of March visitors to either the Dell (booth #3M10) or Ericsson booths will be able to learn more about the collaborators’ collective efforts to industrialize the O2 interface and advance the standard in the telecom ecosystem. Visitors will also be able to see detail of our proof of concept projects, and understand more about what the three companies are working towards.

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