Virtualized RAN has so far been a big disappointment to operators. The more bullish ones expected to start deploying it in the latter stages of 4G, improving the flexibility and cost of their networks even before 5G arrived. In reality, operators wanting to make an early start on 5G have faced a choice of adopting conventional architecture, since standardized, affordable vRANs are still not available; or investing in something hand-crafted and expensive (as SK Telecom has, for instance). But vRAN still lies at the heart of the planned transformation of network economics, which will be essential to justify 5G deployment at scale. And Nokia believes the acceleration of 5G roll-out in some markets will have a knock-on effect on the…