AT&T unveils Open RAN call milestone | Computer Weekly

AT&T has announced it has completed its first Open RAN call using third-party radios over its commercial network.

AT&T first revealed its plan to modernise its wireless network almost two years ago, as part of a $14bn deal with Ericsson, described at the time as “industry-defining” and marking a “pivotal milestone” for the Open RAN industry.

Under the terms of the deal, the Swedish comms tech company agreed to build a 5G network platform for AT&T, deploying a range of its 5G Open Radio Access Networks products and supporting the US operator’s nationwide Open RAN ambitions.

The deal is centred on creating an open programmable network that will enable AT&T to accelerate the commercial introduction of Open RAN equipment and open network management services from multiple suppliers, using purpose-built hardware and virtualised commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware.

The collaboration also sees the operator using cloud-native technologies built on O-RAN standardised interfaces – with what Ericsson said will have industry scale, cost efficiency, sustainability and high-performance top of mind. Over time, AT&T and Ericsson will transform this to a cloud-native open network.

The Ericsson offerings include massive MIMO and remote radios that are hardware-ready for the next generation of open fronthaul technologies. These radios are designed to lead to lower total cost of ownership (TCO) through their reduced weight, size and power consumption.

AT&T has just announced that to date, it has already completed nearly 40% of the overall swap programme from Nokia radios to Ericsson, and that it has added mid-band (N77) spectrum to over 15,000 sites, which it says deliver increased speeds and a “greatly improved” wireless experience for its customers. The programme was completed in collaboration with Ericsson and Fujitsu subsidiary 1Finity.

In August 2025, AT&T announced the successful completion of the first Open RAN call using third-party radios at its Labs facility, also in collaboration with Ericsson and 1Finity, and has now made the first Open RAN call using third-party radios over its commercial network.

AT&T described the move as a testament to the hard work and dedication of its teams. It stressed that the achievement was not just a technical milestone, but instead a clear signal that the future of wireless will be open, agile and innovation-driven.

Furthermore, it noted that the multi-vendor offering demonstrated the interoperability and flexibility Open RAN brings to its network, underscoring the critical role of collaboration in developing open and programmable networks that can transform the industry.

“Open RAN is more than a technology shift – it’s a catalyst for innovation and collaboration across the industry,” added Patrik Eriksson, vice-president and head of the mobile system business unit at 1Finity. “By proving multi-vendor interoperability on AT&T’s commercial network, we’re not just advancing technology – we’re shaping an ecosystem that will accelerate innovation for our customers and the entire industry.

“This is a significant milestone for the industrialisation of Open RAN, with the 1Finity radio operating with fully commercialised Ericsson software in the AT&T Network,” said Paul Challoner, vice-president and chief technology officer of the customer unit for AT&T at Ericsson.

“The 1Finity radios are integrated into Ericsson’s Intelligent Automation Platform, its Open RAN management and automation platform, which enables multi-vendor radio support. It is a great proof point for Open RAN ecosystem collaboration.”