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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 225 (Thursday, November 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 92098-92099]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-27146]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Open RAN Certification Principles Listening Session

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA), on behalf of the Global Coalition on Telecommunications (GCOT), 
will convene a virtual industry listening session on Open RAN 
Certification Principles. The listening session is designed to collect 
stakeholder input to help inform the development of GCOT Open RAN 
Certification Principles.

DATES: The listening session will be held at the following time:
     December 3, 2024, from 9 a.m. EST to 11 a.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The session will be held virtually, with online slide share 
and dial-in information to be posted at https://www.ntia.gov/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please direct questions regarding this 
Notice to [email protected], indicating ``GCOT Certification 
Principles Listening Session'' in the subject line, or if by mail, 
addressed to National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: 202-482-1866. Please direct media 
inquiries to NTIA's Office of Public Affairs, [email protected] or (202) 
482-7002.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In October 2023, the Department for Science, Innovation and 
Technology (United Kingdom); the Department of Infrastructure, 
Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts 
(Australia); the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic 
Development (Canada); the Ministry of Internal Affairs and 
Communications (Japan); and NTIA (USA) announced their commitment to 
establish the Global Coalition on Telecommunications (GCOT). GCOT is 
the most comprehensive grouping of likeminded partners on a range of 
telecommunications-related topics, including telecommunications 
supplier diversity. GCOT will complement the work of other domestic and 
international groupings.
    GCOT aims to: \1\
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    \1\ Global Coalition on Telecommunications Joint Statement of 
Intent between UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, and US: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/global-coalition-on-telecommunications-joint-statement-of-intent-between-uk-australia-canada-japan-and-us.
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     Increase cooperation and coordination between the GCOT 
partners on telecommunications, including by improving information 
sharing with a view to ensuring complementary national approaches;
     Build broader international consensus on key areas of 
telecommunications policy in support of our shared objectives;
     Enable dialogue between policymakers, industry, and 
academia; and
     Promote innovation and growth opportunities for industry
    In order to enact these goals, GCOT intends to explore engagements 
that will enhance information sharing, support joint research and 
development, ensure alignment of funding priorities, support vision 
setting and standards development, and enhance coordination on 
international outreach and collaboration. GCOT's immediate areas of 
focus are on telecommunications supply chain diversification and 6G and 
future telecommunications.
    GCOT Certification Principles: On behalf of all GCOT partners, 
NTIA, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of 
Cyberspace and Digital Policy (CDP), Innovation, Science, and Economic 
Development Canada (ISED), and the United Kingdom's Department for 
Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) is in the process of 
developing certification principles on Open RAN. These principles are 
intended to serve as a voluntary framework of recommendations for the 
telecommunications industry to develop a robust certification program 
to advance the maturity of the Open RAN market and ensure that 
certified Open RAN products are open, interoperable, and resilient. The 
discussions held at this session will be analyzed to help

[[Page 92099]]

inform development of GCOT Certification Principles.
    The discussion will focus on the key areas of the GCOT 
Certification Principles paper which include certification governance 
and integrity, cost-effective implementation, and facilitating 
adoption, as described below:

Certification Governance and Integrity

     Suggests roles and responsibilities for all Open RAN 
ecosystem stakeholders;
     Identifies different sources (from bodies like 3GPP and 
the O-RAN Alliance);
     Addresses the various types of testing including 
conformance, interoperability, performance, and security;
     Enumerates the development, governance, and oversight 
expected from a certification regime; and
     Provides a general overview of transparency, 
accreditation, and continuous improvement.

Cost-Effective Implementation

     Discusses accessibility for all small and medium-sized 
enterprises to meet certification standards;
     Highlights the importance of integrating automation and 
leveraging existing resources; and
     Proposes a possible certification structure and scope and 
a path for recertification.

Facilitating Adoption

     Outlines the necessary support for MNOs and other Open RAN 
ecosystem stakeholders for the success of any certification in 
procurement processes; and
     Describes how industry and government can generally 
support the process.
    Authority: NTIA's role in development of the GCOT certification 
principles is under authority of the National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 902 et seq.).\2\
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    \2\ Specific authority can be found in 47 U.S.C. 
902(b)(2)(G)(i).
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    Time and Date: NTIA will convene one public listening session on 
December 3, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. The 
exact time of the meeting is subject to change. Please refer to NTIA's 
website, https://www.ntia.gov, for the most current information.
    Place: The meeting will be held virtually, with online slide share 
and dial-in information to be posted at https://www.ntia.gov. Please 
refer to NTIA's website, https://www.ntia.gov, for the most current 
information.
    Other Information: The meeting is open to the public and the press 
on a first-come, first-served basis and will be held in English. The 
virtual meeting is accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals 
requiring accommodations such as real-time captioning, sign language 
interpretation or other ancillary aids should notify NTIA at 
[email protected]at least seven (7) business days prior to the 
meeting. Access details for the meeting are subject to change. Please 
refer to NTIA's website, https://www.ntia.gov, for the most current 
information.

    Dated: November 14, 2024.
Stephanie Weiner,
Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-27146 Filed 11-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P
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