Japan grants PH P170M for Open RAN lab at UP Diliman

Japan has granted the Philippines up to JPY 444 million (approximately PHP 169.79 million) to establish an Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) system laboratory at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.

Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya stated that Open RAN enables more players in key services and control in network management, fostering competition and potentially lowering costs.

The laboratory will serve as an environment to deploy Open RAN systems and facilitate the integration of hardware and software from any ICT vendor by telecommunications companies like Globe and Smart.

This initiative aims to enhance the Philippines' information and telecommunications infrastructure, potentially lowering the cost of 5G network deployment and promoting innovation.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Ambassador Kazuya formalized the grant aid, with the latter emphasizing it as a significant deployment in growing cooperation between Japan and the Philippines.

The laboratory is part of the collaborative goals for information and communications technology cooperation agreed upon by Japan, the United States, and the Philippines in April 2024, with UP Diliman and USAID having set up the facility through a 2024 Memorandum of Understanding.