AT&T starts looking at third-party rApps for its 5G network

Following its landmark, $14 billion deal with Ericsson for 5G open radio access network (RAN) equipment, AT&T is now opening the door to third-party rApp developers.

AT&T's goal is to be able to browse an rApp app store operated by Ericsson, selecting the specialized, third-party networking apps that might improve its operations.

"We're excited about this," said Yigal Elbaz, AT&T's network CTO, at a recent media event in Ericsson's US manufacturing facility.

Elbaz said that part of the reason AT&T embraced open RAN was to create an opportunity for developers to pitch their software-based networking applications to the operator. Before, in the traditional RAN world, there was no clear way for software developers to insert their innovations into a RAN.

"Now I can build a company around an app," Elbaz said, instead of having to develop an entire portfolio of RAN products to innovate in software. He said AT&T is eyeing rApps to manage networking technologies like energy usage, dynamic spectrum sharing and AI.

"I'm amazed by the engagement," Elbaz added, in a nod to the number of rApp developers that have already expressed interest in working with AT&T.

Manning the store

Paul Challoner, one of the Ericsson executives spearheading the vendor's new contract with AT&T, said that Ericsson is currently evaluating 53 rApps from 17 "ecosystem partners." Some of those partners include Booz Allen Hamilton, Infovista, AirHop, GlobalLogic and Viavi.

Around 700 software developers have registered for access to Ericsson's rApp developer portal, according to Challoner.

rApps are intended for non-real-time RAN intelligent controllers (non-RT RIC). RICs provide an open hosting platform for software that can control the 5G RAN. In general, non-RT RICs can manage network-wide operations like energy usage.

Ericsson currently doesn't support the other flavor of open RAN networking apps, xApps, which are intended for near-real-time RAN intelligent controllers (near-RT RIC). Near-RT RICs can control operations at each individual cell site, such as mobile customers' handovers, because they operate at speeds up to 10 milliseconds. That means xApp hopefuls like Cohere Technologies cannot yet submit their apps into Ericsson's rApp app store.

Getting into AT&T

AT&T's new contract with Ericsson calls for the removal of Nokia's equipment from AT&T's network. In its place, AT&T is planning to install radios from Ericsson and Fujitsu, which will run atop servers from Dell that are powered by Intel's chips.

But Ericsson's role stretches far beyond just radios. The vendor is also providing the software that runs inside AT&T's central and distributed units (whether in Ericsson appliances or Dell servers), as well as an important software layer called service and management orchestration (SMO).

Previously dubbed the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform (EIAP), AT&T's SMO will host its third-party rApps.

"This SMO begins to drive creativity," explained Todd Zeiler, VP of Wireless Engineering at AT&T.

Speaking on the sidelines of the recent Connect X trade show, Zeiler explained that AT&T is hoping to spark innovation among third-party developers by allowing their software into AT&T's SMO (which he pronounced "smow").

"You bring in an ecosystem of developers," Zeiler said, just as Apple and Google have done with their respective smartphone app stores. And that, he said, ought to encourage 5G networking ingenuity.