Etisalat, which was one of the earliest major operators to embrace Open RAN, has gone a step further in seeking to drive scale into the ecosystem by putting its support behind the Rakuten Communications Platform (RCP). The UAE-based regional giant joins fellow Middle Eastern operator STC, as well as Telefónica, in endorsing RCP. The platform is Rakuten’s attempt to create an agreed framework within which hardware and software from many vendors can be pre-tested and validated to ensure interoperability and reduce integration time. Eventually, virtual network functions could be downloaded from an ‘app store’ onto white box cloud hardware and open radio units, says Rakuten. There is a long way to go to achieve that vision and the support of…