Philippines, Japan formalize P168M grant for UP Diliman Open RAN lab

The Philippines and Japan formalized a grant agreement on Wednesday for Japanese assistance worth P168 million (¥444 million) to provide Open Radio Access Network (RAN)-related equipment to the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Japanese Ambassador Kazuya Endo signed and exchanged notes with Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo at the new DFA office in Pasay City for an Open RAN System laboratory under Japan's Economic and Social Development Programme.

The initiative aims to enhance information and telecommunications infrastructure, fostering a secure and trusted ICT ecosystem by promoting competition in the base station market, reducing costs for deploying and operating 5G networks, and stimulating innovation in the Philippines.

According to UP Vice President for Digital Transformation Peter Sy, Japan and the US already have telcos running on Open RAN but it is not yet mainstreamed, making this system still very new.

The lab will facilitate the deployment of an Open RAN system, allowing telecommunications companies like Globe and Smart to integrate with hardware and software from any ICT vendor, potentially lowering the cost of 5G network deployment and promoting innovation in the Philippines.