Virtualized RAN has reached a plateau as operators that have been conducting trials take stock, while even evangelists such as Verizon and Japan’s Rakuten Mobile are still weighing up options and sifting products from different vendors as their roll outs continue. One reason for this hiatus is that some operators have been rather underwhelmed by performance of the various vRAN components, notably the BUs (Baseband Units), which process uplink and downlink data traffic while controlling operation of the RUs (Radio Units) transmitting signals over the air after modulation. Another factor may be vRAN’s association with Open RAN, over which some operators have paused activities while waiting for the field to mature around specifications that in some cases are still being…