Vodafone joins forces with Qualcomm on Open-RAN development

LONDON (Reuters) - Mobile operator Vodafone and chipmaker Qualcomm said they would join forces to develop a technical blueprint for telecoms equipment suppliers to use Open RAN (radio access network) technology.

"The move aims to lower the entry barrier for many companies and drive diversification of network equipment vendors," the companies said on Thursday.

Mobile operators and governments want to encourage the development of Open RAN technology to help more vendors enter a market dominated by Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia.

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Sarah Young)