TECH TEAM-UP

Thirty-one technology and telecommunications companies on Tuesday launched a new coalition aimed at pushing lawmakers to back software-based alternatives to physical fifth-generation wireless (5G) infrastructure.

The Open RAN Coalition is championing the technology called “open radio access” as a way to advance competition and innovation in the 5G space.

The group argues that the government should fund and incentivize open and interoperable networks that allow more vendors to provide necessary equipment.

Facebook, Microsoft, Google, AT&T and Verizon are among the founding members of the group.

The coalition will be led by Diane Rinaldo, who previously served as acting chief of the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

“As evidenced by the current global pandemic, vendor choice and flexibility in next-generation network deployments are necessary from a security and performance standpoint,” Rinaldo said in a statement Tuesday.