At the soft launch of the UP Diliman (UPD) Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI) Open Radio Access Network Laboratory (Open RAN Lab), UP President Angelo A. Jimenez hailed the laboratory as a “technological breakthrough.”
“The establishment of the Open RAN Laboratory is a technological breakthrough for the country. More than that, it is a testament to what we now can achieve through partnership, cooperation, and collaboration between academia, government, and international development partners,” Jimenez said in his message read by UP Assistant Vice President for Development (Digital Transformation) Peter A. Sy.
The Open RAN Lab is an initial fulfillment of a memorandum of understanding signed on 27 Aug. 2024 between UPD and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Philippines.
“This is indeed a significant milestone in our shared commitment to advancing connectivity, fostering innovation, and building a digitally empowered nation,” added Jimenez.
For his part, UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II highlighted the connection between technology and its values.
“Having openness, accessibility, and inclusivity in the mindsets of our students beyond the technology is very important. There’s that soft approach to shaping the minds of our youth [and] the very fact that we are promoting Open RAN, promoting more connectivity and accessibility to communication, will go a long way in helping our country reach those communication and accessibility goals,” Vistan said.
“The technological content that we impart to our future engineers and the values that Open RAN represents [are] very good addition[s] to what we do here in UPD,” he added.
Meanwhile, USAID/Asia Economic Growth and Private Capital Advisor Kofi Owusu-Boakye said the Open RAN Lab bridges “the digital divide among Philippine communities.”
It was revealed at the soft launch that “as part of the contract of USAID Better Access and Connectivity (BEACON) with Viavi Solutions for the Open RAN Lab, UP, Asia Open RAN Academy (AORA), and other partners can now access training, testing, and other services from the Viavi Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN (VALOR) Laboratory.”
The laboratory has air-conditioning units, fire detection and alarm system, power system to support equipment, and a conference room to support training and demonstration activities.
First Secretary Koji Isowa of the Embassy of Japan in Manila, through a video message, pledged Japan’s continuous support for this endeavor.
Present at the event were Ryan Washburn, mission director of USAID/Philippines; Jeffrey Ian Dy, undersecretary for infostructure management, cybersecurity, and upskilling of the Department of Information and Communications Technology; Rogelio Singca, director and head of access technology strategy, Globe Telecom, Inc.; and Radames Vittorio Zalameda, vice president and head of wireless network strategy and architecture, Smart Communications, Inc.
Also in attendance to introduce and demonstrate Open RAN Lab’s capability were Ian Wong, PhD, senior director for RF [radio frequency] and Wireless Architecture, Viavi Solutions; Erik Probstfield, senior director for Research and Development, VALOR Program, Viavi Solutions; and Bobby Cabatan, laboratory manager, Ark One Solutions, a private partner for this project.
Jaybie De Guzman, EEEI deputy director for students and alumni, gave a walkthrough of the laboratory and the EEEI’s plan on training initiatives and operations of the Open RAN Lab, while AORA Executive Director Toni Torres discussed AORA’s training program using the Open RAN Lab.
EEEI Deputy Director for Academic Programs Maria Theresa de Leon facilitated the soft launch at Room 227 of the EEEI. It was attended by officials and staff of the Department of Science and Technology, DICT, UP System, UPD, USAID/Philippines, as well as the EEEI constituents. John Garrity, chief of party of USAID BEACON Activity, said the full launch will be held sometime in May 2025.
