One of the most fascinating questions in the 5G networks market in 2020 is how far operators’ dreams of a more open, multivendor supply chain will come true. A sceptical view says we have heard all this before, especially when the WiMAX and 3GPP communities were fighting to set the 4G agenda – one of the appeals of the former was the promise of a more WiFi-like ecosystem with lower barriers to entry, pooled patents and communal support for expensive processes like interoperability testing and certification. In that case, and in other attempts to break open the market – in small cells, in unlicensed LTE and so on – there has been limited impact. Operators have been too nervous, in…