O-RAN ALLIANCE Concludes Seed Funding for Advanced Digital Twin Platform

Deal News | May 22, 2025 | PR Newswire Cision O-RAN Alliance

The O-RAN ALLIANCE, in collaboration with the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things at Northeastern University, successfully concluded a seed funding initiative aimed at advancing research in open Radio Access Network (RAN) technology. Launched in November 2023, the initiative provided $200,000 in funding to develop a cutting-edge O-RAN Digital Twin platform, facilitating rapid deployment of O-RAN-based networks for the research community. This platform is designed to accelerate innovation at the intersection of AI, open RAN, and network optimization by enabling automated data collection, training, and testing for network components. Key figures in the industry, including Michele Polese and Ravi Sinha, praised the initiative's impact on the future RAN development, positioning the alliance to influence global standards and market strategies in the evolving telecom landscape.

Sectors

  • Telecommunications
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Research and Development

Geography

  • Germany – Bonn, Germany is mentioned as the location of the announcement in the article.
  • United States – Northeastern University, based in the U.S., is a key participant in the initiative.

Industry

  • Telecommunications – The article discusses advancements in Radio Access Network (RAN) technology, a critical aspect of telecommunications.
  • Artificial Intelligence – The development and application of AI technologies are central to the innovations discussed in the article, particularly in enhancing network optimization.
  • Research and Development – The article focuses on the funding initiative aimed at furthering research in open RAN technologies, highlighting ongoing R&D efforts.

Financials

  • 200,000 USD – Seed funding provided by O-RAN ALLIANCE to the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things at Northeastern University.

Participants

NameRoleTypeDescription
O-RAN ALLIANCEFunding OrganizationCompanyA global community focused on reshaping the RAN industry towards open, virtualized networks.
Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things at Northeastern UniversityFunding AwardeeOrganizationA research institute focusing on wireless communication and AI-powered network innovations.
Michele PoleseResearch LeadPersonResearch Assistant Professor at Northeastern University overseeing the O-RAN Digital Twin project.
Ravi SinhaIndustry ExpertPersonVP Technology and Solution Development at Reliance Jio and co-chair of the next Generation Research Group at O-RAN ALLIANCE.