The ORAN Alliance may have based its initial specifications on AT&T code, but it is Japan’s NTT Docomo which is taking the lead in driving the ORAN platform towards commercial reality. As so often when it comes to advanced architectures and multivendor networks, Docomo is setting the pace. The pre-commercial 5G service it is launching this week will combine 4G and 5G base stations from multiple suppliers using the ORAN specs. This will represent a major step forward in a world where most operators still define a multivendor RAN as one where different suppliers cover different geographical zones. Japan’s largest MNO will be switching on a network in Tokyo, offering pre-commercial services as a preparation for 5G support for next…