Open RAN is like a jigsaw puzzle and sometimes the pieces do not fit. That may be true for KDDI, given its appointment of Samsung as its main supplier of 4G and 5G Open RAN (O-RAN) compliant virtualized RAN (vRAN) systems for its Open RAN deployment in Japan. This comes while the operator is still plotting collaboration with SoftBank, one of Japan’s other four principal mobile operators, to build a shared O-RAN 5G infrastructure across the country, starting in 2026. The two operators also plan to start sharing their existing infrastructure. This is in pursuit of economies of scale and greater bargaining power, at a time when the earlier dream of O-RAN achieving much greater supply chain diversity by attracting…