Multivendor 5G networks are a key goal of many operators, but far fewer expect to be able to achieve it, in the early days of their 5G deployments. In a survey of over 80 operators round the world in the last quarter of 2018, Rethink Technology Research found that 82% placed multivendor networks in their top three objectives for their next generation deployments, but 72%, in reality, expected to go with a single vendor for their first wave of RAN and core roll-out. A few powerful MNOs have broken the pattern, such as NTT Docomo of Japan and SK Telecom of Korea, with their virtualized 5G cores that combine virtual network functions from different suppliers. AT&T and Verizon plan to…