# 5G New Radio Open Radio Access Network Implementation in Brazil: Review and Cost Assessment
## 4 Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing 5G NR Open RAN in Brazil
### Challenges  
#### 4.1.1 Technical Challenges  
Aligned with the benefits of 5G, the Brazilian company's strategies aim to incorporate new 5G features such as private networks, massive IoT (mIoT), edge computing, and network slicing into their development. Transitioning from non-standalone (NSA) to standalone (SA) 5G architecture is challenging, requiring a shift from legacy generations to a multi-user environment. In Latin America, 55% of MNOs plan to upgrade their wireless mobile networks to 5G SA.  
The primary challenges include the adoption of technology and the potential barriers to its implementation. Factors influencing the adoption of Open RAN include integration costs and complexity, immature technologies and supply chains, performance trade-offs compared to integrated RAN, risk of standardization, lack of scalability, and security concerns [6].  
Developing o-RAN technology requires highly skilled engineers and technicians. Brazil faces challenges in its education system and often experiences a \"brain drain\", which could limit the available talent pool for domestic manufacturers. Many components needed for the o-RAN equipment may need to be imported, exposing manufacturers to currency fluctuations and potentially high import taxes, which are common in Brazil [34]. o-RAN relies heavily on patents and intellectual property. Brazilian manufacturers may face challenges in navigating this landscape and must pay significant licensing fees.  
The demand for new applications may require reallocating investments from the RAN to new infrastructure costs. Therefore, accelerating and simplifying the development of new services, solutions, and business models for customers is essential to ensure a return on investment for the MNO.  
The main technical challenges are as follows:  
* **System Integration Complexity:** o-RAN introduces a disaggregated architecture, which requires the integration of components from multiple vendors. The integration can lead to interoperability issues and increased complexity in system integration [35]. The regulatory agencies might be present in the discussions with the development group to achieve an agreement and make the integration between different vendors easily supported and in-coded prepared.
* **Performance Optimization:** Ensuring that the disaggregated components work together efficiently to deliver performance comparable to or better than traditional RAN solutions is a significant challenge [36].
* **Security Concerns:** The open nature of o-RAN can potentially introduce new security vulnerabilities that need to be addressed [15].
* **Operational Complexity:** Managing a multi-vendor o-RAN environment can be more complex than traditional single-vendor solutions, potentially increasing operational costs [37].
* **AI/ML Integration:** Implementing and optimizing AI/ML algorithms for network management and optimization in o-RAN can be challenging [38].
* **Fronthaul Network Requirements:** o-RAN's split architecture places higher demands on the fronthaul network in terms of bandwidth and latency [39].
* **Energy Efficiency:** Ensuring that the disaggregated o-RAN architecture is as energy efficient as traditional RAN solutions is crucial for operational costs and environmental considerations [40].  
* **Spectrum Efficiency:** Optimizing spectrum usage in a multivendor o-RAN environment to ensure efficient utilization of this valuable resource [41].