Open Networks Research and Development Fund

About the fund

The UK government publishedgovernment theis 5Gcommitted Supplyto Chainbuilding Diversificationsecure Strategy in 2020. This set out its commitment to building secure and resilient communications infrastructure,infrastructure as well as enhancing competition and innovation within the telecoms supply chain. TheseOur ambitious plans wereare supported by a £250 million Open Networks R&D Fund,Fund which aimed to accelerate the development and deployment of open interface architectures, such as Open RAN. RAN.

DuringWe theare programme,already momentumseeing wasthe already evident inmomentum in the global market to ensure that open-interface solutions reachedare near commercial grade for wide-scale deployments.  deployments. Mobile network operators, builders and suppliers are taking proactive steps to support Open RAN trials and committing to deployments in their commercial networks.

The government’s £250 million investment accelerated the paceinvestment of thesewill accelerate the pace in support of these initiatives - enabling the development of open-interface solutions and intensifying effortsand stepping up our efforts to shape technology standards alongside key industry and international partners. partners.

This investment represented a significant stepThe government’s investment represents a step forward in thein UK’s endeavour toour play aendeavour for the UK to take a leading role in earlyin stage researchearly stage research and guide the development of technology standards, instandards, collaborationalongside with industrykey industry and international stakeholders. international partners.

This work will help support government and UK mobile network operators’ joint ambition for 35% of the UK’s mobile network traffic to be carried over open and interoperable RAN architectures by 2030.

We want the entire country to benefit from the social and economic advantages that digital infrastructure enables. We know that the future telecoms landscape will be broad and varied, encompassing a range of emerging technologies including 6th generation wireless (6G), quantum communication and quantum internet, next generation space based communications, cloud communications and associated infrastructure, edge computing, and hardware advances such as next generation fibre optics. We want the UK to be at the forefront of these emerging trends.

It is with this in mind that we have designed the investment and planned activities were designed to safeguard theto work towards safeguarding the security, resilience, competition andresilience, competition and innovation benefits of diverse telecoms supply chains, without compromising on the performance, features orperformance, features or efficiency.

TheRunning programme ran until March 2026,2025, with each projectfocuses focusing on different aspects of the technologiestechnology that underpin open networking.networking Itand supportedwill help the telecoms sector make the transition quickly and widersecurely. ecosystemIt towill developsupport openthe anddevelopment interoperableof products. Thethe programmeecosystem, createdallowing spacefor room to exploremanoeuvre newand approachescontinue andto options,seek enablingnew continuedoptions to support for businesses and researchers as the market evolved.develops.

Evolving the innovation ecosystem

UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN)

UKTIN was the is the innovation network for the UK telecoms sector, fundedsector, throughbringing the Open Networks Programme, bringing together industry, academia, and government to catalyse telecoms R&D investment, cooperation, and commercialisation. commercialisation.

Formed in 2022, UKTIN’s mission was tomission is to transform the UK telecoms innovation ecosystem, by capitalisingecosystem, capitalising on the country’s strengths in technology, academia, and entrepreneurialism, while positioning thepositioning sector forit for growth as new opportunities emerged.opportunities emerge in the industry. UKTIN provided anprovides an impartial, inclusive, and collaborative forum for telecomsfor innovation, convening organisations from industry, government andthe UK telecoms innovation system, convening a range of bodies and organisations across industry, government and academia into ainto single networkone network where they could interactcan interact in a neutral environment and on a level playing field. Throughfield. thisHere, network,they participants forged neware connections, identified ideasable to forge new connections, discover ideas and concepts with innovation potential from acrossfrom throughout the UK, developedcountry, aunderstand shared understandingwhere ofinnovation industryis needs and skills requirements, andneeded matched resourcesin the industry, the skills needed to capitalise on new opportunities, and match resources (such as investment and talent) to organisations and projects.

Read more about the work of UKTIN and join the network to keep updated on theirthe Nationallatest Archivesdevelopments pagehere.

Coordinate and shape the technical standards

The UK’s continuous pipeline of innovations will further benefit from coordination and assistance in engaging with the development of technical standards. This will be supported by UKTIN, allowing our partners to learn from standards development activities in fora and groups like 3GPP, ETSI and the O-RAN Alliance, and over time contribute to the design of these standards. Businesses and government will be able to monitor the development of the global market and the framework in which technologies will develop, identifying opportunities for taking further steps to support the adoption of industry-driven standards in line with UK priorities and the long-term sustainability of the UK sector.

Accelerating maturity

Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) Competition

The ONE competition offered up to £80 million of£80 million of funding in the next phase of the UK Open Networks Research and Development (R&D) Fund. Fund.

The competition sought to address keycompetition aimed to tackle key barriers to the adoption of open mobile networks, focussing on the following areas: networks:

1. High Demand Density (HDD) Use Cases/Demonstrations: HDD sites suchsites as citylike centres and transportcity hubs represent somecentres of theor train stations represent the most challenging environments for mobilefor network performance. Thethe competitiontechnical supportedperformance projects to  develop, demonstrate andof mobile networks. We want to develop, demonstrate and test approaches for optimising mobile network performance in thesein demandingHigh settings.  Demand Density environments.

2. Processors, radio frequency andradio frequency and other RAN Hardware: The: competitionWe fundedare projects addressinglooking challenges across radioat projects which address issues around radio frequency components, hardware, chipsets and radiocomponents, technologies, helpingfrom hardware to ensure thatchipsets the foundational buildingto radio tech, we want to ensure that the building blocks for the telecoms ecosystemthe telecoms ecosystem are secure, resilient andsecure diverse. and diverse.

3. RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) and other RAN Software Automation: Funding was: alsoWe providedare tofunding projects investigating the some projects which will investigate the RIC, X app andX app and R app software components,components within theorder aimto ofmake improving efficiency, reducing energythem consumption, accelerating deployment andmore enhancingefficient, security.  less energy consuming, quicker and secure.

Read more about the ONE projects onthe theirsuccessful caseprojects study page.here.

Future RAN: Diversifying the 5G Supply Chain Competition (FRANC)FRANC

TheWe FRANC Competitionare wasalready ansupporting open14 UKprojects governmentthrough competitionthe launchedFuture inRAN JulyCompetition 2021(FRANC) to supporthelp the objectives ofaccelerate the UK’sdevelopment 5Gof Supplysubcomponents Chainand Diversificationmarket Strategymodels byfor drivingopen innovationinterface acrossarchitectures. RadioOur Accesscommitment Networkof (RAN)£36 technology.million Theenables competitiona aimedwide torange incentiviseof industryorganisations to createfocus newon productsdeveloping andtechnical servicessolutions thatsuch unlockas theradio fulltransmitters, potentialsignal ofprocessing Openequipment, RANpower andmanagement helpsystems diversifyand thesoftware telecomsto supplysupport chain,open £36interface million was awardedarchitectures. toThe successful projects followingare evaluation.spread It closed in August 2021 and funded fourteen consortia working across athe rangeUK, ofincluding technicalin areas fromGlasgow, cloud-nativeCardiff, andCambridge, AI-enabledNewcastle, RANNewport, platformsSlough and advancedEbbw testVale systems- tobuilding hardwareon innovationsthe andexisting modular,industrial interoperablestrength 5Gof components.these Theregions, selectedwhile projects demonstrated solutionsfurther todeveloping enhancean performance,engineering interoperability, security andbase manufacturabilitywith withina Opennew RAN,set helping to broaden the UK ecosystem of suppliersskills. and accelerate the development of next-generation mobile network technologies. 

Read more about thethese FRANCprojects projects on their case study page.here.

Future Open Networks (FONRC) Research Challenge.

The FONRC challenge was launched to encourage universities to work with large telecom organisations of all sizes to undertakeconduct research and development intoto the design oftelecoms futurenetworks telecomsof networks,the future, ensuring they remainedare always open to competition and new market entrants.players.

The three winning consortia wereare being led by the prestigious UK universities: University of York, University of Bristol and University of Surrey.

TheThey projectswill supportedenable the creation and development of more UK-based capabilitiescapability to help diversify the UK telecoms industry,industry. whileIt will also acceleratingenable the development of future technologies, such as 6G., to develop faster and more efficiently.

See more information about the Future Open Networks Research Challenge..

International outreachOutreach

Developing UK-specific requirements provides newrequirements will give new and emerging market entrant suppliers with greatersuppliers greater clarity over the products they need to developthey must develop to compete in the UK, as defined by their customers, and this greater transparency makes thetransparency should make the UK a more appealing market. Thismarket. workstream wasWe maximised throughwill maximise the reach of this workstream through international partnerships and collaborative R&D to develop global markets for export and provide an avenue for like-minded partners to contribute to the diversification of the UK’s telecoms supply chain. chain.

The programmeThe first of these partnerships to be launched ais partnership withwith the Republic of Korea inKorea 2022 toto accelerate the development of power-efficient products and solutions for open interface architectures.  architectures. We plan to announce additional global partnerships during the course of the fund. We look forward to engaging with international governments and industry across the world as we develop and implement the measures set out in the 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy.

See more information about the UK & Republic of Korea Open RAN R&D collaboration..

We have also been working to build consensus on a set of Open RAN Principles to ensure a universal approach to the development and implementation of open-interface solutions.

The Open RAN Principles:

1. Open disaggregation, allowing elements of the RAN to be sourced from different suppliers and implemented in new ways.

2. Standards-based compliance, allowing all suppliers to test solutions against standards in an open, neutral environment.

3. Demonstrated interoperability, ensuring disaggregated elements work together as a fully functional system — at a minimum matching the performance and security of current solutions.

4. Implementation neutrality, allowing suppliers to innovate and differentiate on the features and performance of their products.

These principles have already been endorsed by Australia, Canada and the United States.

Developing facilities and demonstration capabilities

SONIC

The SmartRAN OpenThe SmartRAN Open Networks Interoperability Centre (SONIC Labs) was established inis 2021 todesigned to help commercialise open-interface solutions and test their performance. Overperformance. £25We million ofhave Opencommitted Networks£16 Programmemillion funding was committed to createestablish SONIC Labs as a commercially neutral, collaborative environment for open, disaggregated,disaggregated and software-centric network solutions and multi-vendor architectures. MaintainedIt and operated byis maintained and operated by Digital Catapult and Ofcom,Ofcom itto providedprovide testing services for suppliers and enabledempowers the wider community to demonstrate theirto demonstrate their equipment to the standards requireddemanded by the network operators. TheWe facilityare wasdesigning designed and builtbuilding this facility for long-term capability,capability leavingwith athe lastingintention impactto onmake thea lasting impact.

UK telecomsTelecoms ecosystem.

Lab

ToThe findgovernment outis moreestablishing aboutthe SONIC Labs visit their website.

UK Telecoms Lab (UKTL)

UKTL was established to to support and inform theUK UK’s security and supply chain diversification ambitionsambitions. byThe providingUKTL independent,will world-classenable testing,both evaluationsecurity evaluations of equipment, and researchfunctional capabilitiesand forsecure telecomsinteroperability equipmenttesting andto software.reduce Basedbarriers into athe purpose-builtdeployment facilityof inopen-interface Solihullsolutions. The UKTL will conduct security testing and fundedresearch bysupporting the DepartmentUK forgovernments Science,security Innovation and Technology,diversification policy. The UKTL waswill openedengage inwith 2023industry andto is operated byensure that its activities remain relevant as networks and the technology that underpins them evolve.

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL),) offeringhas industry, government andsigned academia a secure,contract neutral environment to assessoperate security, resilience andthe interoperability before deployment.

UKTL playedthrough ato keyMarch role2025. inAs advancinga thepublic UK’sbody telecomsthat diversificationis andwholly securityowned policiesby by identifying vulnerabilities,the supportingDepartment diversefor supplierScience, entry,Innovation and contributingTechnology, to the developmentNPL ofwill moreprovide securethe andUKTL resilientwith networksvital asindependence telecomsfrom technologyindustry evolved.and Itsits workstatus hasas strengthenedan confidenceexperienced inoperator future-readyof communicationsgovernment infrastructurelaboratories andwill helpedgreatly buildaccelerate capability across the UK’sestablishment criticalof telecomsan ecosystem. 

Toeffective findoperation outand morerealisation aboutof UKTLthe visitlab’s their website.benefits.

A neutral-host solution for deploying Open RAN technology

NeutrORANAn wasexample one of the early projectsprogress fundedin throughdriving theadoption of Open NetworksRAN Programme,technology demonstratingis practicaldemonstrated progressby inour thework adoptionwith ofNEC, Openthrough RANthe technologies.NeutrORAN Deliveredproject. inNEC partnershipis withone NEC,of athe leading suppliers of Open RAN supplier,equipment. theThe project implementedis looking to implement and testeddemonstrate athe multi-operatorperformance “neutralof host”a ‘neutral host’ Open RAN solution in outdoor rural outdoorenvironments. environmentsThis inproject Northbuilds Wales,on includingNEC’s Cefnrecent Dustrategic investments to establish both a Global Open RAN Centre of Excellence and Menai5G ScienceRadio ParkR&D (M-SParc).Centre in the UK.

ByThe enablingNeutrORAN multipleproject servicehas providersestablished toa sharetestbed infrastructure,for NeutrORANa showedmulti-operator, howneutral Openhost RANsolution in Wales including in Cefn Du and neutralMenai hostScience modelsPark could(M-Sparc). deliverThis ‘neutral host’ solution is showcasing a more cost-effective,cost scalableefficient connectivityway to deliver capacity and coverage to underserved areas,regions with the potential applicabilityfor the architecture and deployment model to be scalable beyond the UK.

Current projects

• ONE
• SONIC
• NeutroRAN
• FRANC
• UKTIN
• RoK
• FONRC

Publications

For

• A guide to the DSIT publications,telecoms announcementsresearch, development and usefulinnovation documentscurrent regardingfunding theand opportunities
• UK Open Networks ResearchR&D and Development Fund pleaseProspectus visit the 2022-23
• Open Networks ResearchEcosystem and- DevelopmentDownloadable FundExplainer collection (PDF, 270 KB, 1 page.
  )

Digital content

MWC 2024: the world’s leading connectivity industry event event

Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona, the world’s leading connectivity industry event, welcomed its largest audience in years with over 101,000 attendees inattendees 2024.this year. Colleagues from DSIT’s Digital Infrastructure Directorate, telecommunications leaders and industry partners gathered to discuss the future of the industry, the impact of government interventions and showcase theand showcase the latest innovations innovations

MWC video 2024: the world’s leading connectivity industry eventindustry event.

Telecoms Innovation in the UK UK

In London on 14 September 2023,September, the 19 successful projects in the Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) competition were announced, part of government’s £250 million Open Networks R&D Fund delivering on the 5G Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Strategy. Hear the industry, project and academic partners reflect on the strength of telecoms innovation and the opportunities for growth at the Open Networks Programme Collaboration Event. Event.

Telecoms Innovation in the UKthe videoUK. 

The value of collaboration - The Open Networks Programme Programme

The value of collaboration video - The Open Networks ProgrammeNetworks Programme. 

In London on the 14 of September 2023,September, The Right Honourable Sir John Whittingdale,John Whittingdale, Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure announced the 19 successful projects in the Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) competition - a part of the government’s £250 million Open Networks R&D Fund delivering on the 5G Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Strategy.  Strategy. 

The event provided a mixture of conference, exhibition and networking opportunities, bringing together 250 attendees from the various projects funded by the Open Networks Programme. Representing aProgramme. Representing a broad cross-section of the UK telecoms community, it was used as an opportunity to collaborate with others on progress and learnings to date, as well as share best practices and forge new connections. connections.

DSIT’s Digital Infrastructure Directorate Explainer Explainer

The Digital Infrastructure (DI) directorate in the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) sets policies to promote investment, protect national security, grow the UK telecoms ecosystem, and run innovative programmes for the next generation of telecoms technology. technology.

DSIT Digital Infrastructure Directorate ExplainerDirectorate Explainer. 

Building Skills in UK Telecoms Telecoms

Vishal Mathur, the Telecom Infra Project’s (TIP) Head of Engagement, reflects on the importance of building skills in the UK telecoms industry at the inaugural UK Telecoms Innovation Ecosystem Conference inConference. 2023.TIP TIP was theis the lead partner in ARI-5G, , one ofis one of the governments government ONE competition projects. projects.

Building Skills in UK TelecomsUK videoTelecoms 

Vishal Mathur, the Telecom Infra Project’s (TIP) Head of Engagement, reflects on the importance of building skills in the UK telecoms industry at the inaugural UK Telecoms Innovation Ecosystem Conference. TIP is the lead partner in ARI-5G, is one of the government ONE competition projects.

DSIT’s first stand at Connected Britain 2024 2024

DSIT’s first stand at Connected Britain 2024Britain video2024. 

The Connected Britain 2024 conference was an exciting convergence of experts, innovators, and policymakers, and DSIT played a key role in showcasing thein showcasing the latest in digital infrastructure. Held at ExCeL Londonat ExCeL London from September 11-12, 2024, the event drew over 7,500 attendees, making it a significant opportunity for networking, learning, and collaboration. collaboration.

Case studies

Maria Lema on Weaver Labs

Maria Lema on Weaver Labs

María Lema is a Co-Founder of Weaver Labs, a Telecoms-software company building a blockchain-based network management tool to open up access to connectivity. 

In this video, Maria shares her insights on previous and current projects and the positive impact of the Open Networks Programme on Weaver Labs.

The BEACH Project

The BEACH Project

A successful project in the Open Networks Ecosystem (ONE) competition, BEACH is led by Dense Air, with partners West Sussex County Council and technology providers Radisys UK, VM Ware, Sitenna, and the University of Glasgow.

The project aims to implement an energy efficient shared mobile network responding to increasing user demand in popular south coast holiday destination: Worthing, West Sussex.

How advances in cloud technology can enable next-gen telecoms networks: Towards AI Project Showcase

The ‘Towards AI Powered and Secure Carrier-Grade Open RAN Platform’ (TAPSCORP) consortium brings together Metaswitch, which was acquired by Microsoft in July 2020, Intel R&D, Capgemini and the University of Edinburgh.

This project uses artificial intelligence and machine learning, along with the latest advances in cloud technology to optimise the network more efficiently. ‘Towards AI’ was funded by DSIT’s Future RAN competition (FRANC), which allocated up to £30 million of R&D funding to projects that support the goals of the government’s 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy. See project representatives from academia and industry showcase their work at their final showcase event in The University of Edinburgh in December 2023.

How advances in cloud technology can enable next-gen telecoms networks: Towards AI Project Showcase

5G One4HDD Case Study

The ONE4HDD project is redefining connectivity in High Demand Density (HDD) environments—such as festivals and major sports events—with a mobile “Cell on Wheels” (CoW) powered by Open RAN technology. Funded by DSIT through the Open Network Ecosystems competition, this £2.64 million initiative enhances mobile performance for hundreds of users simultaneously, showcasing the future of resilient, high-quality connectivity in crowded settings.

In this video, filmed at the Brands Hatch Superbike finale, project partners discuss ONE4HDD’s technical innovations, including reliable data delivery for OTT video, social media, and emergency broadcasts, all with strong cybersecurity. The project not only advances Open RAN technology but also sets a new standard for connectivity at large-scale events.

5G One4HDD Case Study

The Future Radio Access Network Competition

The Future Radio Access Network Competition (FRANC) was the first competition in the Government’s Open Network Programme. It allocated £30.8m to 14 projects across the UK with 56 project partners including BT, Toshiba, Microsoft and Parallel Wireless.

The Future Radio Access Network Competition

YO-RAN: Developing Open RAN technologies for the UK telecoms industry

YO-RAN (Yorkshire Open RAN) brings together two leading Yorkshire universities with a number of suppliers and network operators, several based in and around Yorkshire, to develop Open RAN components and a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) for Neutral Host Networks Programme (FNP) Themed– another development which allows the same infrastructure to be used by multiple operators, and also by private or enterprise-based networks.

YO-RAN: Developing Open RAN technologies for the UK telecoms industry

Cambridgeshire Open RAN Ecosystem (CORE) Project – Case Study

DSIT spoke to the CORE project, who are delivering a cutting-edge, multi-vendor 5G Open RAN neutral host platform catering for High Demand Density (HDD) locations.

Funded by DSIT as part of the Open Networks Ecosystem competition (ONE)

competition, the transformative project is led by Cambridgeshire County Council and includes partners from AWTG, Benetel, Ontix, Wolfram, University of Surrey, and the University of Cambridge.

In this case study, partners describe how this project will unlock new opportunities, propel innovation, and reinforce the UK’s position at the forefront of Open RAN technology exploration.

Cambridgeshire Open RAN Ecosystem (CORE) Project – Case Study

Transforming Telecommunications with ONE WORD

Discover how the ONE WORD project is revolutionising 5G Standalone RAN deployment in iconic locations like Bath, Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Shelsley Walsh motorsport venue, and Shrewsbury’s Quarry Park.

Join partners in Bath as they share exclusive insights into the project’s goals, technical breakthroughs, and the collaboration with DSIT that’s shaping the future of connectivity.

Transforming Telecommunications with ONE WORD

Future Networks Programme Themed Weeks Campaign  Campaign

The FNP Themed Week campaign was a nine-week initiative that ran across social media channels, with anchor content published on UKTIN’s platforms. The campaign highlighted thecampaign aimed to highlight the innovative work being done across FNP projects, includingprojects, theencouraging Open Networks Programme as well as the Wireless Infrastructure initiatives, encouraging projects to engage by sharing relevant content aligned with weekly themes. themes.

Each week focused on a specific theme, with projects posting related use cases and content during their designated weeks.  weeks. To enhance discoverability and engagement, projects used the hashtag #5GinAction and linked to the theme landing page on UKTIN’s website. The hashtag served as a functional tool to connect related posts.

UKTIN and DSIT played a central role in the campaign by publishing key content pieces, including overview articles and videos at the start of each week which projects contributed to.

The campaign received positive engagement, with projects actively contributing and interacting with the shared content.

Week 1: Agritech/Rural1: industries Agritech/Rural industries

Agritech/Rural industriesAgritech/Rural industries 

Week 2: Public health and social care care

Public health and social caresocial care 

Week 3: Security  Security

Security 

Week 4: Tourism, Entertainment and Creative industries industries

Tourism, Entertainment and Creative industriesCreative industries 

Week 5: Transport Transport

Transport 

Week 6: RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) )

RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 

Week 7: Hardware Hardware

Hardware 

Week 8: Advanced Manufacturing Manufacturing

Advanced ManufacturingAdvanced Manufacturing 

Week 9: Labs  Labs

Labs