There are many reasons why the virtualized RAN (vRAN) is emerging more slowly than other elements of the mobile network, and more slowly than many industry watchers were predicting a few years ago. According to a recent survey of 74 mobile operators by Rethink Technology Research, barriers to commercial deployment include uncertainty over how virtual network functions (VNFs) will be priced and managed; recent investment in physical RAN equipment; and lack of confidence in the robustness of the platform. But the biggest obstacles to large-scale vRAN deployment have been vendor hostility, and the fronthaul issue. Both these are being addressed, to some extent, by new specifications from the xRAN Forum (soon to merge with the C-RAN Alliance to form the…