Open source initiatives kicked off by AT&T are gaining significant influence in the industry, from ONAP (Open Network Automation Protocol) in the virtualized network orchestration space; to the newly announced dNOS operating system for telco white boxes; to xRAN, which seeks to define a “software-based, extensible RAN and to standardize critical elements of the x-RAN architecture”. If these succeed in becoming de facto standards, they could help AT&T drive the transformation of its own networks and cost base, and those of the telco sector as a whole, while retaining control of the value chain at the expense of proprietary vendors on one hand, and web players on the other. Now, xRAN.org is preparing its first specifications, hard on the heels…