SONIC Labs – Cohort 5 open call

SONIC (SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre) Labs programme is a collaborative programme from Digital Catapult and Ofcom, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), to allow new solution providers to enter the 5G telecoms supply chain in the UK. 

The programme aims to create a commercially-neutral and collaborative environment for testing interoperability and integration of open, disaggregated and software-centric network solutions and multi-vendor architectures. It will drive forward the rollout of a new wireless communication technology known as Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN), that enables mobile networks to be built using a variety of different equipment suppliers. This will encourage innovative vendors to participate in the UK telecoms ecosystem and facilitate a more rapid path towards 5G deployment in UK networks, by taking early-stage standalone products, integrating them and supporting commercial engagement.

This eleven-month technical programme (April 2024 – February 2025) will enable vendors to accelerate the technology development of their Open RAN products and solutions through access to Digital Catapult’s SONIC Labs facilities and technical expertise. For the first time, SONIC Labs will include both indoor and outdoor testing in reference networks to evaluate the interoperability, performance, mobility and handover of Open RAN components.

On top of access to SONIC Labs facilities and technical support throughout the programme, participants will also have the opportunity to connect with potential clients and key players in the Open RAN ecosystem, and the space to collaborate with other innovators.

This programme is designed for UK and international telecoms vendors with mature ready to deploy Open RAN products and solutions with focus on CU (centralised unit), DU (distributed unit), outdoor and indoor RU (radio unit) and RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller) including both Non-RT RIC Applications (rApps) and Near-RT RIC Applications (xApps) components. These components must conform to Open RAN standards and specifications. 

You can apply for multiple components to be considered for the programme, but there is a limit of funding for 3 products/solutions per vendor for this programme. Each CU, DU (including Upper PHY), RIC and Outdoor RU vendor will receive £20,000 per product/solution. Each indoor RU vendor will receive £25,000 as they should bring multiple indoor RUs. Please note that vendors providing a RIC with accompanying xApps and rApps and DUs with third-party Upper PHY, will be counted as one product respectively. 

If you have taken part in a previous SONIC Labs programme, you are eligible to apply again as long as there are significant new enhancements and maturity to your products used in the previous programmes, and/or you are applying with completely new products.

Please note that SONIC Labs is not a certification lab and will not be able to provide end-to-end commercial and conformance certification at the end of the programme. However, it will help innovators accelerate technology development to prepare for further testing and certification. 

Vendors will also be responsible for monitoring the project progress and meeting regularly with the Digital Catapult team to discuss project updates and relevant learnings.

 

Applicants should take note of the following activities in relation to this open call:

23 October 2023 – Applications Open

8 December 2023 – Application Deadline

8 – 19 January 2024 – Selected Applicants invited to interview

31 January 2024 – Applicants will be notified

1 April 2024 – Programme start date

28 February 2025 – End date (including completion of vendor interviews)

 

If you would like to find out more about future SONIC Labs activities, please get in touch here to have a preliminary call with the team.

Applicants will be assessed based on five criteria: 

 

Technology relevance and suitability (55% weighting):

One or more network products (e.g. initially from the O-RAN specification of radio, distributed, centralised units and RAN intelligent controller) from the mobile system architecture, complies with the suitability criteria required for the integration, interoperability and performance testing on Open RAN gNB systems (see pre-integration checklist) including ready to deploy high maturity performance. Products should have a high Technology Readiness level to easily plug and play.

Expertise and commitment of the team (30% weighting):

The team is equipped to collaborate with DC engineers as well as system integrators in system integration activities (installation/troubleshooting), has appropriate technology skills and resources to participate in other programme activities including knowledge sharing and dissemination.

Business capability (5% weighting):

The company has core competencies that would enable it to progress in the launch and commercialisation of Open RAN products within and beyond the UK.

Product market fit in the UK (Pass/Fail):

The company has an intention to/ is already commercialising their product in the UK.

Innovativeness of the product (novelty features) (10% weighting): 

The solution has additional features and the ability to develop new RAN intelligent, programmable and virtualised functions. 

 

Participants will be selected on a portfolio basis to ensure the Programme is able to deliver consistent support and activities that provide value to all Participants whilst fulfilling the architecture requirements of the selected Open RAN products system.

Applications will open on Monday 23 October 2023.

An overview of the process is outlined below.

1. Applicants must apply via the link below which will take them to the application form. You will be asked to demonstrate that you meet the conditional requirements for the SONIC Labs programme.
2. Once you start your application  you will have until the 8th of December 2023 at 11:59 GMT to submit your application.
3. Should you require any assistance with the application form, you can request to have a call with one of our experts or reach out to [email protected] to explore the suitability of your product(s) for the theme and learn more about the programme. 
4. Applications will be reviewed and shortlisted applicants will proceed to a one hour interview to understand the deeper technical level of your products, swap preferences and your motivations for joining the programme, as well as theme suitability. The date for the interview will be communicated by Digital Catapult via email. 
5. Participants for the programme are chosen and will be informed via email. Each member will receive confirmation email.

What is the SONIC Labs Programme?

SONIC (SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre) Labs is a commercially-neutral, collaborative, environment for testing interoperability and integration of open, disaggregated and software-centric network solutions and multi-vendor architectures.

It has been designed to offer global Open RAN product vendors and integrators a technical platform, a place to collaborate and a programme designed to accelerate the development of Open RAN technology in the UK telecoms ecosystem.

SONIC Labs is a joint programme between Digital Catapult and Ofcom, funded by DSIT as part of their 5G Diversification Strategy. The programme includes:

• Access to Digital Catapult’s commercially neutral, multi-tenancy network testbed
• Peer support sessions with other programme participants and the Digital Catapult teams to support on technical activities
• Support following the end of the programme through SONIC Labs Alumni network, giving access to opportunities to showcase your products and gain bespoke support in commercialising your O-RAN products. 

What are the key dates for the programme?

• Open Call – Applications Open – 23 October 2023  

• Open Call – Application Deadline – 8 December 2023

• Down selected Applicants invited to interview – 8 – 19 January 2024

• Intended notification of all applicants – 31 January 2024

• Intended public announcement of successful Participants – w/c 11 March 2024 

• Vendors to provide all required hardware, VM/compute requirements including hardware cards –  14 March 2024 

• Programme:
  • Start Date – 1 April 2024
  • End Date – 28 February 2025 (including completion of vendor interviews)

What is the duration of using vendor products for this programme?

Vendor products will be used in reference network for the duration of this programme which ends on 28th Feb 2024. The vendor products will be always active during this duration.

Who will be running the SONIC Labs Programme?

Digital Catapult will be running the programme in collaboration with Ofcom. The Digital Catapult Technology and Innovation Practice and Marcomms teams will be leading its delivery. 

Who can apply to join the programme?

The SONIC Labs programme has been designed for international businesses, who supply Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) products. Businesses must be looking to  evaluate Open RAN products at scale while also validating performance, handover, and mobility in reference networks. We are looking for a mix of scaleups, mid-size and large companies to participate.

The requirements for applications to the SONIC Labs programme are:

• Participants for Indoor Field Trial shall have at least one Open RAN product, ready to deploy and with high maturity level. This should include one or more of the following: CU (centralised unit), DU (distributed unit), RU (radio unit), RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller) including both, non-RT RIC and Near-RT RIC. RIC vendors can provide their rApps and xApps or their partner’s rApps and xApps, as part of their RIC solution.
• In addition, participants for Outdoor Field Trial providing Outdoor Radio Units shall be compliant with the outdoor IP rating requirements and additional requirements specified in the SONIC Labs Competition Terms.
• Applicants are planning on selling or currently selling their products in the UK.
• Participants must have adequate technical resources to take part in integration, testing and swapping processes as well as other resources to take part in knowledge sharing and dissemination activities. 
• For those applying to the bespoke support stream (Category 2) of the programme, you must demonstrate all the above minimum requirements as well as have £9,500 available of subsidy aid. Please note the total subsidy aid you have received up to the point of applying must take into consideration all group companies must be considered and aggregated.
• A company representative must be able to attend all the key activities, e.g. onboarding, the low-level design, integration, benchmarking and swapability experiments and periodical meetings for the duration of the programme. If the participant has applied to the bespoke support stream (Category 2), a representative must attend the knowledge sharing activities (Community of Practice sessions). Please note programme dates, which are subject to change.
• Participants agreed to be visibly associated with the Programme, whilst on the Programme and afterwards as a former participant and beneficiary. This includes marketing collateral, such as website, print and digital materials for a maximum period of five years following the Project end-date.

Does my organisation need to be a UK registered company to participate?

No, your organisation does not need to be a UK registered company. However, you do need to be a registered company in a country.  Please note we do not accept high-risk vendors. 

Does my organisation need to be UK based?

No, your organisation does not need to be based in the UK but must currently sell or plan to sell their Open RAN products in the UK.

Will we need to travel to the UK for the programme?

Due to the international nature of cohorts, it is not compulsory to travel to Digital Catapult offices in Euston London for the programme as long as the integration and any integration support can be done remotely, however if there is a need for such a support that requires attendance in person, then it is expected from the participants to travel without any additional cost to DC. However, we would encourage vendors to travel to the UK to be able to more easily facilitate the initial integration into SONIC Labs if possible.

What is the difference between requirements for Indoor Field Trial and Outdoor Field Trial?

Participants for Indoor field trial shall have at least one Open RAN product, ready to deploy and with high maturity level, which should include one or more of the following: CU (centralised unit), DU (distributed unit), Indoor RU (radio unit), RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller) including both, non-RT RIC and Near-RT RIC. RIC vendors can provide their rApps and xApps or their partner’s rApps and xApps, as part of their RIC solution. Participants for the Outdoor field trial shall provide Outdoor RU (radio unit).

The full list of responsibilities for each role are detailed below:

For the Indoor field trial:

• These components must conform to Open RAN interface standards (compliance with 3GPP and O-RAN Alliance) 
• Participants must have adequate technical resources to take part in integration, testing and swapping processes as well as other resources to take part in knowledge sharing and dissemination activities. 
• Participants must be able to provide multiple instances of the products that could be part of gNodeB systems if required. 
• Radio Units provided by Participants for either of the themes shall be able to operate in the following spectrum range 3.3 – 4.0GHz
• Radio Units provided by Participants shall be compliant with the indoor EMF and RF safety requirements. 
• Applicants are not considered a high-risk vendor (as defined by the National Cyber Security Centre, or otherwise under applicable law).
• All-in-one gNodeB combined solutions will not be considered.
• These products will be deployed in reference networks serving friendly customers and hence should be stable, always active and serving them
• RIC, CU and DU vendors should comply with at least some minimal set of KPMs to allow cell level measurements which can be used by xApps/rApps. Note that there shall be single slice configured in the network and hence multi-slice use cases may not be possible in this network.
• SMO based configuration for CU and DU should be supported
• RIC and CU should be able to be deployed on virtual machines. It is preferred to be deployed as containers on kubernetes.
• Indoor RUs should preferably support an external antenna to allow RF cable-based connection to be used with T&M tools
• Participating vendors should support optimising the configuration to allow the best performance supported by their products for the given radio conditions.

In addition, participants for Outdoor field trial providing Outdoor Radio Units shall be compliant with the outdoor IP rating requirements (IP65) and:

• Participants shall be willing to coordinate with Digital Catapult as the System Integrator for providing required inputs for RU installation, RU optimization and stabilising the RUs for field usage
• Outdoor radio units shall be deployed in the street cabinets adjacent to the lampposts.
• DU shall be able to be deployed on COTS servers in the  telephone exchanges.

What is the difference between Category 1 and Category 2 participants?

Category 1 are participants who are NOT applying for bespoke business support and the associated minimum financial assistance.  

Category 2 are participants who are applying for bespoke business support and meet the specific competition terms associated with minimum financial assistance.

What are the benefits of joining the Bespoke Support Stream (Category 2)?

The Bespoke Support Stream is an additional stream for those that would like to access tailored support in commercialising their Open RAN products in the UK. You will still take part in the full technical stream of the programme, but will also be able to access:

• Business Health Scans to analyse and understand the strengths and knowledge gaps for your organisation and products.
• Tailored business workshops covering topics such as value propositions and go to market strategies as well as 1:1 support afterwards.
• Mentorship on a range of business and technical topics to support your approach to commercialisation of your Open RAN products.
• 1:1 Investment Readiness Support and introductions to relevant investors. 
• Matchmaking opportunities to customers and adopters of Open RAN.

Please note that applying to join the Bespoke Support Stream does not affect your application process and the best products will be chosen for the cohort regardless if they apply to this stream. Anyone applying to the Bespoke Support Stream must have £9,500 of Subsidy aid available to access this support. 

What is the total State Assistance that my company can receive?

This is only relevant in case you are applying to the Bespoke Support Stream (Category 2). The total State Assistance received or due to be received by an individual Participant (including any associated companies e.g. subsidiaries), originating from a United Kingdom source, must not exceed £315,000, or €200,000 (approximately £165,000) for Northern Ireland Companies (or any other company subject to the Northern Ireland Protocol), each in aggregate across the Participant’s current fiscal year (as at the Agreement Date) and the previous two fiscal years. The Bespoke Support Stream has been assessed as providing £9,500 for participants. Therefore applicants must have at least the assessed value available from their subsidy aid allowance. See here to check what qualifies as State Assistance.

When will I hear back about the outcome of my application?

Applicants will be notified on whether or not they have been successful in being down-selected to the interview phase of the programme between the 8th to the 19th of January 2023. Applicants will be notified on whether or not they have been accepted to the SONIC Labs programme by 31st January 2024.

What is the scoring criteria for the programme?

There are 5 criteria upon which all applicants will be assessed:

Technology relevance and suitability (55% weighting):

• One or more network product (e.g. initially from the O-RAN specification of radio, distributed, centralised units and RAN intelligent controller) from the mobile system architecture, complies with the suitability criteria required for the integration, interoperability and performance testing on Open RAN gNB systems (see pre-integration checklist) including ready to deploy high maturity performance. 

Products should have a high Technology Readiness level to easily plug and play.

Expertise and commitment of the team (30% weighting)

• The team is equipped to collaborate with DC engineers as well as system integrators in system integration activities (installation/troubleshooting), and has appropriate technology skills and resources to participate in other programme activities including knowledge sharing and dissemination.

Business capability (5% weighting):

• The company has core competencies that would enable it to progress in the launch and commercialisation of Open RAN products within and beyond the UK.

Product market fit in the UK (Pass/Fail):

• The company has an intention to/ is already commercialising their product in the UK.

Innovativeness of the product (novelty features) (10% weighting): 

• The solution has additional features and the ability to develop new RAN intelligent, programmable and virtualized functions. 

Participants will be selected on a portfolio basis to ensure the Programme is able to deliver consistent support and activities that provide value to all Participants whilst fulfilling the architecture requirements of the selected Open RAN products system.

As an applicant, what’s the contracting process and funding I will receive?

Applications are governed by the competition rules. If you are successful, a participation agreement will be issued which governs your activities on the programme with respect to the technical activities on the programme, programme deliverables and payment milestones.

If you are not successful for this cohort you can re-apply or opt to have your application re-considered for future cohorts.

CU, DU, Outdoor RU and RIC Vendors will receive £20,000 per product in the cohort. Indoor RU Vendors will receive £25,000 per product as they will bring multiple instances. Indoor RU vendors will receive an additional £25,000. You may put forward as many products as you want but will only receive a financial contribution for 3 products.Each cohort member will receive tranches of this amount according to delivery milestones during the programme. 

What if my application is not successful to join as a Vendor?

If you are not successful for cohort 5 you can re-apply or opt to have your application re-considered for any potential future cohorts or programmes. Digital Catapult will also be able to provide feedback as to why your application was not successful. 

Who will my application data be shared with?

Digital Catapult Representatives: Relevant DC representatives will see your application in order to assess the application, and otherwise in the administration of your application and, if successful, participation on the Programme.

The application information will only be used for the purposes of the programme and its evaluation, and will only be retained for the duration of the programme (two years), and for participants on the programme for the evaluation period (maximum five years) and otherwise to comply with legal requirements.

Please see the SONIC Labs Competition Terms for more details.

What will Digital Catapult deliver to participants on the programme?

Digital Catapult will deliver the following to participants:

• Welcome Pack
• One onboarding session at the start of the Programme
• Support from the Digital Catapult Technology and Innovation Practice teams in technical and innovation activities 
• £20,000 funding per product in the cohort and an additional £25,000 for Indoor RU products
• Access to Digital Catapult’s commercially-neutral, multi-tenancy open network testbed providing real-world indoor and outdoor scale environments, including test and measurement capabilities
• Receive brand exposure on all Digital Catapult and SONIC platforms by being part of the programme

If taking part in the bespoke business support stream (Category 2):

• Community of Practice sessions to share learnings with peers and understand key challenges in the Open RAN space 

How can I benefit from the programme beyond evaluating Open RAN products at scale?

Programme participants receive the following benefits beyond evaluating Open RAN products at scale while validating performance, handover, and mobility in reference networks:

• £20,000 for each CU, DU, RIC and outdoor RU product on the programme, to support your organisation during the eleven-month programme
• A contribution of up to £25,000 per indoor RU vendor on the programme that will provide multiple RUs, to support the companies during the eleven-month programme 
• Access to Digital Catapult’s commercially-neutral, multi-tenancy open network testbed providing real-world indoor and outdoor scale environments, including test and measurement capabilities
• Bring your organisation’s products closer to certification through evaluating Open RAN products at scale while also validating performance, handover, and mobility in reference networks.
• Regular interactions with the Digital Catapult Technology and Innovation Practice team to support technical activities on the programme as well as explore commercial opportunities.
• Receive brand exposure on all Digital Catapult and SONIC platforms by being part of the programme
• The opportunity to be an Alumni of the SONIC Labs Programme. Alumni are able to network with their peers, stay up-to-date with Digital Catapult activities of specific interest and attend closed or exclusive events and, subject to the annual Assistance Declaration, may also receive the optional Alumni Opportunities.

Additionally, if you decide to take part in the bespoke support stream it will allow you to take part in:

• Targeted innovation and acceleration activities, such as technical and  bespoke business development support, these may accelerate routes to commercialisation
• Peer support from other participants on the Programme, sharing learnings and insights gained from the Programme as well as previous expertise regarding the challenges of multi-vendor end-to-end solutions
• 1:1 investment support and introductions to key investors from Digital Catapult’s Investment Readiness team
• Access to Digital Catapult’s best-in-class mentorship support covering a variety of business and technical experience
• A diagnostic session with the vendor’s leadership team to determine current technological, commercial and strategic needs.
• Tailored technical and business workshops to develop and improve the vendor’s products and wider organisation’s business. 

At what Technology Readiness Stage does my product need to be at?

The products must comply with the suitability criteria required for Open RAN gNB systems of technology readiness level (TRL) 7-9 for more mature products where they interface to developing products and solutions. 

What are the differences between this Cohort and previous Cohorts?

This is the fifth cohort which Sonic Labs is running. Every Cohort has a specific theme. The main theme of this fifth cohort is to evaluate Open RAN products at scale while also validating performance, handover, and mobility in reference networks. The following table shows some major differences between this Cohort and previous Cohorts.

No.	Activity	This Cohort	Previous Cohort
1.	Deployment Location	Will be deployed in reference network (Site 3 or Site 4 or both)	Deployed as a standalone chain in Sonic Lab
2.	Availability Duration	Will be part of a reference network and hence should be always available	Was switched on for testing and switched off after testing and hence was not always running
3.	Setup	Vendor products will be added to an already existing reference network and shall be part of an existing multi-vendor reference network	Was a standalone chain comprising of multi-vendors
4.	Execution flow	No concept of baseline or swap testing, but will be part of a streams in a reference network	Each vendor product was assigned as part of a chain and was executed in a baseline chain or was swapped with another vendor product as part of swap testing
5.	RIC focus	Focus also on use cases of RIC applications	RIC integration was a focus, but was mainly for interface validation and not on use cases
6.	Data collection	Shall be collecting data through xApps and rApps for allowing xApp and rApps to develop applications in subsequent Technology Accelerator Program (TAP) across reference networks in Site 3 and Site 4.	Was not focused on collecting data.

 

Can vendors opt for deployment in Site 3 or Site 4 or both?

Yes, vendors can provide their preference for being deployed in site 3 or Site 4 or can they be considered for either of the 2 sites or both the sites, except for RU vendors. RU in Site 3 shall be indoor only RUs and RUs for Site 4 will be outdoor only RUs.

Can vendors provide RIC without an xApp or rApp?

Yes, vendors can provide a RIC without their own or partner xApp or rApp, but will need to provide following functionality in RIC:

1. Should be able to collect data from CU and DU so that when Digital Catapult brings new xApp or rApp developers for TAP, they should be able to use the previous 4 month data collected by RIC
2. RIC vendors should support interfaces with xApp and rApp vendors to allow then to develop the applications over RIC using the open APIs
3. RIC vendors should also provide support during TAP to the xApp and rApp developers in using RIC APIs