Following the completion of the O-RAN Alliance’s standards Release 2 in late November, and the Fall 2022 PlugFest in early December, a certain winter lull set in at the interest body, only briefly interrupted by the announcement of two new OTICs (open testing and integration centers) in North America and Japan, the first batch of Release 3 specifications, and the return of face-to-face meetings. Now, the Alliance is out of hibernation and back in force, busy once more advancing the interests of the beleaguered Open RAN community, this time with a three-pronged announcement: For one, the Alliance is shoring up its ranks and cementing friendships with sympathetic partners, signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the OpenAirInterface Software Alliance (OAI),…