Top Japanese electronics manufacturer Kyocera has officially entered the 5G base station market. At MWC 2025, the company unveiled the O-RU Alliance, a partnership with telecom equipment providers from Taiwan, South Korea, and India. The initiative is designed to accelerate Open RAN (O-RAN) adoption, with a strong focus on network security.
Kyocera's strategic move into open RAN
Yoshihisa Nakagawa, Strategy Planning Department Manager at Kyocera, told DIGITIMES that while Open RAN is gaining traction, the technology is still evolving. To drive wider adoption, Kyocera has partnered with six telecom equipment providers to form the O-RU Alliance. The seven-member group aims to challenge the dominance of major telecom operators in the global 5G base station market.
Kyocera Strategy Planning Department Manager, Yoshihisa Nakagawa. Credit: DIGITIMES
Johnson Hsu, Senior Vice President of Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC), a Kyocera partner, stated that the collaboration centers on 5G Open RAN Radio Units (O-RUs) for Sub-6GHz and mmWave frequencies. With more than a year of development, the partnership leverages Kyocera's experience in 5G O-RU technology in Japan. Hsu sees Open RAN as a major opportunity for the global telecom supply chain.
Breaking the 5G base station monopoly
The 5G base station market is currently dominated by Huawei, Ericsson, and Nokia. Nakagawa noted that these established players are aggressively protecting their market share, making it difficult for newcomers to compete. The O-RU Alliance seeks to change this dynamic by promoting an open, collaborative ecosystem that enables companies across different regions to develop interoperable wireless networks.
The O-RU Alliance is focused on advancing Open RAN adoption by providing O-RAN-compliant Centralized Units (CUs), Distributed Units (DUs), and RUs. Nakagawa highlighted that beyond developing reference designs, the alliance is conducting comprehensive interoperability testing to enhance network security and stability.
Reducing costs and simplifying network deployment
A primary objective of the O-RU Alliance is to streamline network maintenance for telecom operators. Nakagawa explained that the alliance will offer technical support and cost-effective solutions to help operators reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) when upgrading their networks.
Nakagawa pointed out that telecom operators work across multiple frequency bands, requiring them to source RUs from different vendors when adopting Open RAN. Managing security becomes increasingly complex when operators integrate multiple RUs from various suppliers into a single network.
Under the O-RU Alliance, Kyocera will oversee network security while its partners provide the required hardware. This structured division of responsibilities plays a key role in the alliance's operational model.
Kyocera confident in open RAN's growth potential
Despite skepticism over Open RAN's adoption pace, Kyocera remains confident in its potential. Nakagawa noted that as a new market player, Kyocera is working with equipment vendors to improve network stability and lower operating costs. He remarked that aging telecom networks require modernization, making this a prime opportunity for the company.
O-RU alliance members and expansion plans
The O-RU Alliance currently consists of seven key members: Kyocera (Japan), WNC (Taiwan), Alpha Networks (Taiwan), Microelectronics Technology (Taiwan), HFR (South Korea), SOLiD Technologies (South Korea), and VVDN Technologies (India). The alliance plans to expand its roster, further reinforcing the Open RAN ecosystem.
Article translated by Levi Li and edited by Jerry Chen
