Participant Use Policy


Effective Date: July 15, 2024

  1. Purpose
    The purpose of this Participant Use Policy is to establish acceptable practices regarding use of and access to the ORCID web portal, ORCID resources, information, test lines, and reports in order to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information created, collected, and maintained by ORCID.

  2. Participant Use Policy Acceptance
    As a condition of participating in ORCID, and using the ORCID web portal, I agree to the following terms and conditions on behalf of myself and any Organization on whose behalf I am participating and using the ORCID web portal. I acknowledge and agree that I have the authority to bind my Participating Entity to the terms and conditions of this Participant Use Policy.

  3. Acronyms

    • CIS - Conformance, Interoperability and Security

    • CPT - Capacity and Performance Testing

    • CRT - Commercial Readiness Testing

    • CU - Centralized Unit

    • DRX - Discontinued Reception

    • DU - Distributed Unit

    • HARQ - Hybrid Automated Repeat Request

    • KPI - Key Performance Indicator

    • Non-RT - Non Real Time

    • OBF - Observability Framework

    • OBT - Onboarding Test

    • ORCID - Open RAN Center for Integration and Deployment

    • POR - Purchase Order Request

    • RAN - Radio Access Network

    • RIC - RAN Intelligent Controller

    • RU - Radio Unit

    • SLA - Service Level Agreement

    • SMO - Service Management and Orchestration

  4. Definitions

    • "EchoStar" means EchoStar Corporation.

    • "NTIA" means the National Telecommunication and Information Administration.

    • "Organization" is an entity within ORCID representing a company/group of users.

    • "Organization Manager" is an administrative role within ORCID that gives a user or users permission to approve or update new user permissions within their Organization.

    • "Participant" or "Participating Entity" means the Organization (corporation, limited liability company, trust partnership or other formal entity) who has accepted the ORCID Terms through registering for the ORCID web portal, or by submitting any Participant Solution for testing in the ORCID lab.

    • "Participant Solution" means the product (hardware and/or software), artifact, or solution submitted by the Participating Entity for testing in the ORCID lab, including any materials, equipment, models, computer software or other items owned or licensed by the Participant that are necessary or advisable for the testing of such product or solution.

  5. Policy

    5.1 ORCID Overview

    ORCID utilizes EchoStar's continuously assessed, implemented, and validated Open RAN technology to test and evaluate Open RAN interoperability, performance, and security, intending to contribute to the development, deployment and adoption of open and interoperable, standards-based radio access networks. ORCID does so by way of the following:

    • ORCID is intended to serve as a "living laboratory" that combines both lab and field testing and evaluation activities of a Participating Entity's Participant Solution. Because of EchoStar's Open RAN deployment, ORCID is able to test elements brought by any qualified Participating Entity against a complete commercial-grade Open RAN "stack."

    • ORCID field testing will use EchoStar's spectrum holdings, which may include a combination of low, mid, and high band frequencies.

    • ORCID evaluates Open RAN elements by mixing and matching with multiple vendors, instead of simply validating a single vendor's "stack".

    • ORCID's multi-tenant lab and field testing is housed in EchoStar's secure Cheyenne, Wyoming facility.

    • With Participant's consent, EchoStar may share data derived from ORCID with other federated labs to conduct analytics, promote sharing, and improve test procedures. In accordance with the ORCID NDA, and ORCID Terms, EchoStar may share anonymized test data and results with the NTIA.

    5.2 ORCID Web Portal Overview and Security Requirements

    The ORCID web portal serves multiple purposes, supporting Participating Entity registration, Organization creation, Participant Solution testing submission, test results reporting, and Participant access to ORCID news and press releases. Participant registration and creation of or registration to an Organization in the ORCID web portal serves functionally as access to the ORCID lab.

    5.2.1 ORCID Participant Account Creation and Authentication

    • Participants who wish to participate in ORCID must create an account via the ORCID web portal.

    • Participants are required to register using the email address with their company's domain.

      • Participants who attempt to register with a personal email address (e.g. Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) will be denied access to the ORCID web portal.

    • Registration requires the Participant to set up a secure username and password, and engage in two-step authentication.

    • Upon account creation, the ORCID web portal will validate the registrant's information and location.

      • NOTE: The ORCID web portal is geo-fenced and does not permit registration in all locations outside of the United States.

      • Outside of the United States, participation may be subject to NTIA approval.

    • The Participant must verify their account through email verification before the account is considered active.

    • Participants may not submit their Participant Solution for testing without creating, or joining an established, organization in the ORCID lab.

    • Participants must create an organization, or join the organization, within the ORCID lab representing the company at which they are employed.

    5.2.2 ORCID Organization Creation and Registration

    • There are two (2) situations in which a Participant may join an Organization in ORCID lab:

      1. Participant creation of and registration to a new Organization:

        • New Organization registration requires submission of the Participant's company name, company address, company homepage URL, and Employer Identification Number (EIN).

        • The ORCID lab will review the provided company information to verify it is an acceptable Organization. The ORCID lab will verify:

          • The Employer Identification Number (EIN) is valid for the company

          • The email domain is legitimate for the organization

          • The company homepage URL is valid

          • The company name is valid

        • The Participant's request to create a new Organization is routed to the ORCID lab team for approval.

        • The Participant is registered to the newly created Organization upon approval to create the Organization by the ORCID lab team.

          • The ORCID lab team reserves the right to reject the request to create a new Organization.

        • NOTE: The first Participant registered to an Organization upon creation is automatically assigned to be the Organization Manager. At this point, they are responsible for reviewing and accepting the ORCID terms and conditions and non-disclosure agreement on behalf of their Organization.

      2. Participant registration to an existing Organization:

        • The Participant must ensure their ORCID web portal profile is populated with the necessary identifying information prior to requesting to join an existing Organization.

          • The Participant's email domain must match an approved email domain for the Organization.

        • The Participant's request to join an Organization is routed to the Organization Manager for approval.

        • The Participant is registered to the existing Organization upon approval by the Organization Manager.

    5.2.3 ORCID Organization Manager Responsibilities

    • The Organization Manager is responsible for the following:

      • Ensuring the Organization's information is up to date and accurate.

      • Creating and maintaining an acceptable email domain list for Participants in, and wishing to join, their Organization.

      • Ensuring that Participants in their Organization are aware of the current ORCID policies, including, without limitation, the ORCID Terms, ORCID NDA, ORCID Reports Disclaimers, and Privacy Policy.

      • Approving new Participant registration requests and removing existing Participants from their Organization, when necessary.

      • Assigning new Organization Manager(s), if required.

        • The currently assigned Organization Manager is permitted to assign the Organization Manager role to another Participant in their Organization in addition to themselves.

        • Organizations may have multiple Organization Managers, but may not exist without at least one Organization Manager.

    5.2.4 ORCID Account Management

    • Participants are permitted to change their account password and phone number at any time; provided, however, they may not change the email to which the account is registered.

    • In the event a Participant needs to change their Organization they will be required to re-register on the ORCID web portal.

    • Participants who access the password-protected portion of the web portal are solely responsible and liable for any access to, or use of, the secure portion of the web portal and any and all project materials.

      • Participants are not permitted to download information from the ORCID web portal and may not take screenshots of material existing on the ORCID web portal for the purpose of sharing with individuals who are not covered by their signed ORCID NDA.

    5.2.5 ORCID Account Access

    • EchoStar retains the right to terminate a Participant and/or Participating Entity's access to the ORCID web portal, and hence the ORCID lab, for any reason including, but not limited to, the following:

      • Nefarious activity such as actions which harm EchoStar systems, present a data security concern, or appear to be reverse engineering of the ORCID web portal.

      • Violation of this policy, the ORCID Terms, the ORCID NDA, or any Additional Terms between the Participating Entity and EchoStar or DISH Wireless L.L.C. (DISH), a subsidiary of EchoStar.

    • The ORCID web portal permits thirty (30) days of inactivity, after which the Participant will be notified of pending account deactivation.

      • If the Participant fails to log into their web portal account after this inactivity notification, their access to ORCID lab and the ORCID web portal may be terminated.

    5.2.6 Inquiries

    • Participants may submit questions and comments via the ORCID web portal, noting that the web portal does not support a live chat function.

    • Technical and commercial readiness expertise will not be presented to a Participating Entity on an as-needed basis, but will be made available to the Participating Entity for consumption in a panel or bulletin format which can be accessed via the ORCID web portal.

    5.3 ORCID Test Setup and Test Phases

    Upon submission, the Participant's Solution will progress through four (4) standard test phases:

    • Onboarding Test (OBT)

    • Conformance, Interoperability, and Security Test (CIS)

    • Capacity and Performance Test (CPT)

    • Commercial Readiness Test (CRT)

    5.3.1 Onboarding Test (OBT)

    • During the OBT phase, the Participant is required to submit the Participant Solution and certain other documentation, including compliance and pre/self-test reports. After reviewing each Participating Entity's submission, the ORCID lab team will approve, reject, or reach out to the Participating Entity with requests for additional supporting documentation.

    • A Participant's Solution will have to meet certain requirements, as set forth on the ORCID web portal, to avoid testing on frivolous or rudimentary products. Please be advised that ORCID reserves the right to change such requirements from time to time and that each Participating Entity should ensure that their Participant Solution complies with the then current requirements.

    5.3.2 Conformance, Interoperability, and Security Test (CIS)

    • During the CIS phase, EchoStar explores the conformance of the Participant's Solution's interfaces and features with applicable standards - 3GPP, Open RAN, IETF - in order to verify whether a product can operate correctly on an Open RAN network.

    • CIS also includes security and environmental testing.

    5.3.3 Capacity and Performance Test (CPT)

    • CPT is conducted in the lab and/or field, depending on the test category.

    • In the lab, ORCID uses dedicated equipment for each test case.

    • After successful completion of lab testing, the Participant's Solution is then taken to a dedicated field cluster of towers in Cheyenne, Wyoming that utilize EchoStar spectrum, EchoStar commercial UEs, and EchoStar commercial-level protocol stacks and platforms.

      • Field tests may include testing of cell coverage, mobility, required regression in a field environment, and other KPIs.

      • Field tests serve to help a Participating Entity validate its commercial-grade RU/DU/CU performance and optimize system parameters related to features such as handover, HARQ, and DRX.

      • Field tests also serve to identify and redress such issues as network delay, jitter, and weather impact.

      • Field tests may, per EchoStar's discretion, involve simulated or actual network traffic.

    5.3.4 Commercial Readiness Test (CRT)

    • The CRT phase is largely conducted in the field and includes longevity, high availability, stability, scalability, and specially required features for commercialization to verify if a Participant Solution can be properly deployed with commercial networks.

    5.3.5 ORCID Advanced Testing

    • Any testing, test results reporting, and/or other services outside of the defined OBT, CIS, CPT, and CRT test phases in this Participant Use Policy is considered outside the scope of the ORCID lab services, and is subject to a separate Advanced Testing and Consulting agreement between the Participating Entity and EchoStar.

    5.3.6 Participant Material and Software Infrastructure Requirements

    • A Participating Entity’s Participant Solution must be submitted for review and validation prior to testing and according to the Hardware Bill of Materials (HBOM) and Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) templates.

      • EchoStar will delete Participant software after testing completion, and any data generated by the Participant's Solution during testing will be maintained according to ORCID’s Data and Record Retention Policy, set forth in Section 7 below.

    5.3.7 ORCID Receipt and Return of Participant Equipment

    • Upon receipt of approval for testing in the ORCID lab, Participants whose Participant Solution includes physical hardware are required to ship their hardware to the ORCID lab.

    • Participants are responsible for verifying functionality of their Participant Solution, and that their functionality matches the specification documentation provided by the Participant to the ORCID lab prior to sending their Participant Solution to the ORCID lab.

    • Participants are deemed responsible for all shipping costs associated with providing their Participant Solution to the ORCID lab. The Participant Solution shipment must include or be accompanied by:

      • Submission of detailed instructions for installation and set-up of their Participant Solution

      • Inclusion of any necessary tools for installation of the Participant Solution

      • Submission of a return shipping label

      • Submission of necessary return packaging instructions

    • Except for damage caused by the willful misconduct or gross negligence of EchoStar, EchoStar is not responsible for the loss of (including any loss caused by criminal activity, such as theft), or damage to, any Participant Solution, while such Participant Solution is stored at the ORCID lab, or for any loss that otherwise directly or indirectly occurs from EchoStar’s use of the Participant Solution.

      • Risk of loss shall at all times remain with the Participant, and it is understood that no bailment is intended or created between EchoStar and the Participant as a result of the Participant’s participation in ORCID.

      • This Participant Use Policy, and the ORCID Terms, provide the right to temporarily store the Participant Solution at the ORCID lab, and any such Participant Solution provided to EchoStar shall not be deemed bailed to EchoStar.

    • EchoStar is not responsible for disposal of hazardous materials.

    • EchoStar will use commercially reasonable effort to return Participant Solutions back to the Participant upon completion of testing in the ORCID lab.

    5.4 Categories of Submission for Testing and Evaluation

    ORCID offers test options for RUs, CUs, DUs, and SMO. A Participating Entity may bring one component, or a subset of components, comprising their Participant Solution, for testing and validation. ORCID also has the ability to validate a complete Open RAN solution provided by any Participating Entity, though these will be given lower priority than solutions that adhere to the principles of openness and disaggregation. In that spirit, ORCID is able to accommodate pairing requests between different Participating Entities. ORCID evaluates 5G subsystems using a stand-alone Option 2 configuration as defined by 3GPP; other configurations may be supported depending on the specific requirements (e.g., a request from a brownfield operator to suit its deployment model), on a case-by-case basis. EchoStar reserves the right to switch out vendors and update testlines at any point.

    5.4.1 RU Test Category

    • The main purpose of RU testing and evaluation is to validate if the RU is compatible with multi-vendor DUs/CUs and ready for commercial deployment.

    • During onboarding, the ORCID lab team will review a document set submitted by the Participant which includes RU specifications, Open RAN/3GPP standards compliances, fronthaul interface profiles, and pre-test results.

    • Following approval of submission for testing, The following CIS and partial CPT tests will then be conducted:

      • RU-DU interoperability

      • 3GPP conformance

      • RU performance

      • RU environmental (for RUs only)

      • Security

    • After successful completion of CIS and CPT testing, the RU will be taken to the field and installed and integrated into the reference DU.

    • The RU field performance test is conducted with user equipment (UE) mobility.

    • CRT is conducted in the field, including RU longevity, as well as operational and commercial feature testing.

    5.4.2 DU Test Category

    • The main purpose of DU testing and evaluation is to validate whether the target DU can interoperate with multi-vendor RUs and CUs and is ready to be commercially deployed in the field.

    • During onboarding, the ORCID lab team will review submitted information on hardware and software requirements, ORAN/3GPP standard compliance, fronthaul interface profile, any pre-test results and supported feature descriptions.

    • Following approval of submission for testing, the interoperability, capacity, performance, and security of the target DU is evaluated during the CIS testing phase in the lab. CIS includes testing of:

      • Open RAN interoperability (IOT)

      • UE IOT, E2E with reference devices

      • Performance/feature

      • Security

    • CPT is conducted in both the lab and the field. CPT extends to multi-cell testing. Some CIS test items related to performance will also be tested selectively during CPT to confirm the suitability of the field test environment. CPT testing will include:

      • Stationary and drive tests

      • Basic KPI validations

      • Selected 3GPP regression

      • Selected O-RAN IOT regression

      • Mobility tests

      • E2E basic data sessions

    • CRT is conducted in the field, during which the DU is installed and integrated with a reference RU and CU in the test cluster. The DU will be evaluated for:

      • Base KPI validation

      • Key features

      • Mobility support

      • E2E operation of the target DU through the stationary and drive tests of multi-cell environments

    • ORCID also tests additional requirements for commercialization through:

      • Platform/infrastructure readiness

      • Network elements management

      • High availability, and commercial feature tests

    5.4.3 CU Test Category

    • The main purpose of CU testing and evaluation is to test the interoperability and standard conformance of the CU for both control and user plane interfaces to ensure that it can properly interoperate with the DU and 5G Core.

    • Following approval of submission for testing, CIS phase will evaluate whether the CU supports mandatory, basic, and advanced features, providing flexibility for testing CUs at different levels of development.

    • In the CPT phase, the ORCID lab team will verify the capacity and performance of the CU.

      • Central unit control plane (CU-CP) evaluation will cover KPIs, and processing capacity.

      • Central unit-user plane (CU-UP) evaluation will measure throughput in terms of bits per second or packets per second, and the maximum number of bearers supported and packet processing latency.

    • The CU’s commercial readiness will be evaluated in the CRT phase.

      • CU CRT is conducted in an environment similar to the commercial network of the target operator.

      • Certain end-to-end KPIs are highly dependent on the performance of the DU and the RU and, as such, are only valid in such environments.

    5.4.4 SMO Test Category

    • The SMO test line starts with two (2) phases and will extend to performance and field testing depending on the maturity of the Participant’s Solution and evolution of the 3GPP standards and ORAN specifications.

    • In the first phase, subject to the Participating Entity’s readiness, ORCID will enable a new application and/or a Non-RT RIC platform to integrate with ORCID OBF and RAN systems.

    • During the second phase, ORCID will enable a new RAN vendor to integrate with Non-RT RIC and data platform in the SMO framework.

    5.4.5 ORCID Test Phase Completion and Results Reporting

    • ORCID reserves all rights to cease providing the services set forth in this Participant Use Policy, including the test lines and test phases set forth above, or to modify, alter, change or amend the provision of the services at any time and from time to time, with or without notice to you, including without limitation, removal of any ORCID vendor in EchoStar’s “stack” or limitation or alteration of the work such ORCID vendor is engaged in, modification or cessation of a Participant or Participating Entity’s access to the ORCID lab, ORCID web portal, or website (whether with respect to any Participant Solution or specific Participants).

    • EchoStar makes no representations, of any nature whatsoever: (i) that any Participant Solution will be successful, either as a product or service or in terms of completing or passing the testing and evaluation comprising the services available in ORCID; or (ii) as to the quality of the services provided by ORCID.

    • In no event will EchoStar, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, successors and assigns (the “EchoStar Parties”) be liable for any lost data or content, lost profits, business interruption or for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with a Participating Entity’s participation in ORCID, receipt of the services, and/or use of the ORCID web portal, website, reports or any other ORCID lab content, including damages caused by a Participating Entity’s reliance on the accuracy, completeness, timeliness of the ORCID web portal, website, reports, or the provision of user information or contributions to ORCID, of or relating to the reports or the services provided by ORCID and EchoStar, even if EchoStar has been advised of the possibility of such damages, and notwithstanding the failure of essential purpose of any limited remedy.

    • ORCID does not directly or indirectly endorse any Participant Solution provided by a Participating Entity or any product or service utilized in the provision of the services described in this Participant Use Policy.

  6. Disclaimers

    • ORCID reserves all rights to cease providing the services set forth in this Participant Use Policy, including the test lines and test phases set forth above, or to modify, alter, change or amend the provision of the services at any time and from time to time, with or without notice to you, including without limitation, removal of any ORCID vendor in EchoStar’s “stack” or limitation or alteration of the work such ORCID vendor is engaged in, modification or cessation of a Participant or Participating Entity’s access to the ORCID lab, ORCID web portal, or website (whether with respect to any Participant Solution or specific Participants).

    • EchoStar makes no representations, of any nature whatsoever: (i) that any Participant Solution will be successful, either as a product or service or in terms of completing or passing the testing and evaluation comprising the services available in ORCID; or (ii) as to the quality of the services provided by ORCID.

    • ORCID does not directly or indirectly endorse any Participant Solution provided by a Participating Entity or any product or service utilized in the provision of the services described in this Participant Use Policy.

  7. ORCID Data and Record Retention Policy
    EchoStar adheres to the applicable regulatory and legal requirements regarding the retention of records and information related to ORCID, including, those requirements set forth in 2 C.F.R. §200.334 applicable to non-federal entity records pertinent to a federal award.