About

The Open RAN Center for Integration & Deployment (ORCID) serves a critical role in strengthening the global Open RAN (O-RAN) ecosystem and building the next generation of wireless networks. DISH Wireless, a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation, is the lead participant in the ORCID consortium, which also includes Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc., Mavenir Systems Inc., and VMware by Broadcom. ORCID is further supported by the following technology partners, among others: Keysight, Viavi, Dell Technologies, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

ORCID is made possible thanks to funding from a historic $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund.

ORCID is a U.S.-based O-RAN laboratory. It allows trusted participants to test and validate their hardware and software solutions against a live commercial-grade O-RAN network stack. At ORCID, participants can test and evaluate individual or multiple network elements to ensure O-RAN interoperability, performance and security. ORCID’s “living laboratory” will drive O-RAN ecosystem development — from lab testing to commercial deployment.

The ORCID lab is headquartered within EchoStar’s secure Cheyenne, Wyoming, campus. ORCID’s full range of testing capabilities, which includes a commercial-grade field test setup, is open to all trusted U.S. and international partners. ORCID furthers the U.S. government’s goals of promoting open and interoperable networks, fostering greater innovation and security, and developing more trusted network equipment vendors in the global wireless industry.

ORCID provides substantial cost savings, higher quality of service, and rigorous validation for participants’ solutions, promoting competition and innovation among wireless vendors.

How to Get Started with ORCID

If you're interested in becoming a part of the dynamic Open RAN (O-RAN) ecosystem and contributing to its growth and innovation, ORCID is your gateway. Here's how to get started.

Embrace Open Standards - ORCID is open to all trusted ecosystem participants who adhere to its onboarding criteria. This ensures that all contributors align with the goals of the lab, fostering collaboration and innovation within the O-RAN community.

Explore Testing Options - ORCID offers testing capabilities for various elements of the O-RAN stack, including radio units (RUs), distributed units (DUs), centralized units (CUs), or rAPPs on a service management orchestration (SMO) platform. Participants may bring either one component or a subset of components for testing, validation, or improvement. To ensure viability outside the lab, the component will undergo a series of rigorous tests, starting with interoperability and proceeding through integration, performance, and security.

For vendors with limited O-RAN knowledge, ORCID offers a personalized experience to provide step-by-step assistance for completing testing and analysis.

A Note on Testing Fees - Thanks to a grant from the NTIA Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, ORCID does not charge any fee for most testing.If you have questions about your specific solution, please contact an ORCID program representative using our contact form.

Create an Account - All participants in ORCID must register and be approved as a participating entity before testing can begin. ORCID utilizes an online web portal to manage the testing process.

Click “Create Account” at the top of this webpage and follow the prompts to create a new user. Once a user account has been created, the user will have the option to join an approved organization or create a new organization in the portal. Once an organization has been approved for participation in ORCID, associated users will be able to submit projects for testing through the portal.

Complete Onboarding - Once a project has been submitted, ORCID administrators will review the documentation to ensure the project meets certain baseline requirements. ORCID will work with project organizations to ensure compliance.

Begin Testing - After the onboarding test phase has been completed, ORCID will begin testing the submitted component or solution. Testing progress will be shown in the web portal dashboard. Test phases include Conformance Interoperability Security Testing (CIS), Capacity/Performance Testing (CPT), and Commercial Readiness Testing (CRT).

A Note on Field Testing - Once a solution has been tested in the lab and meets the minimum criteria, participants will have the option to test the solution in the field using consortium-lead EchoStar’s deep spectrum assets deployed on existing towers in Cheyenne.

Report Results - Once a designated testing program is completed, test results will be made available for download in the web portal in accordance with ORCID’s user agreements.

Learn More

For the latest updates on ORCID, view our news page.

For more questions about ORCID, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.